A wonderful game of cricket – Somerset v Leicestershire – Metro Bank One Day Cup 2024 – Semi-final – 18th August – Taunton

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Metro Bank One Day Cup 2024 Semi-Final

Somerset v Leicestershire – 18th August – Taunton

Somerset had finished top of their group and qualified for a home semi-final.

Somerset. G.W. Thomas, A.R.I. Umeed, L.P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K Rew (w), S.R. Dickson (c), B.G.F. Green, A.M. Vaughan, K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, M.J. Leach, R.P. Meredith.

Leicestershire. I.G. Holland, S.D. Budinger, L.J. Hill (c), A.M. Rahane, P.S.P. Handscomb, O.B. Cox (w), L.P.J. Kimber, L. Trevaskis, T.A.R. Scriven, R.I. Walker, C.J.C. Wright.

Toss. Leicestershire. Elected to field.

A wonderful game of cricket

This was a match between two teams denuded of their best players by selection for The Hundred, playing in a competition which has received no television coverage and precious little press coverage. It was a match played in front of a crowd of about three and a half thousand. And yet, from my seat in the elevated section of the Trescothick Pavilion, it bore comparison with the classic encounters of the Gillette and Benson and Hedges Cups and the John Player League in their heyday, forty or fifty years before and the incredible atmosphere which accompanied them. Times when the crowd seemed as much a part of the match as the players.  

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Cricket in April – with a tinge of 1965 – Worcestershire v Somerset – County Championship 2024 – 26th, 27th, 29th and 29th April – Kidderminster – First day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Worcestershire v Somerset 26th, 27th, 29th and 29th April. Kidderminster.

This match was originally scheduled to be played at Worcester. However, due to repeated flooding of the New Road ground during the winter it was moved to Kidderminster.

Jack Leach, (knee injury), Tom Abell (hamstring) and Craig Overton (rested) were unavailable.

Worcestershire. J.D. Libby, G.H. Roderick (w), Kashif Ali, R.P. Jones, A.J. Hose, B.L. D’Oliveira, J.O. Holder, M.J. Waite, J. Leach, B.J. Gibbon, A.W. Finch.

Somerset, M.T. Renshaw, S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, L.P. Goldsworthy, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, J.H. Davey, M. Pretorius, S. Bashir.

Toss. Worcestershire. Elected to field.

First day 26th April – Cricket in April – with a tinge of 1965

Somerset had not played a Championship match at Kidderminster since 1965 in the days of Roy Virgin, Bill Alley and Brian Langford for Somerset, and Ron Headley, Tom Graveney and one B.L. D’Oliveira for Worcestershire. Captaining Worcestershire in 2024 was another B.L. D’Oliveira, grandson of the first, although Brett rather than Basil and the third D’Oliveira in line for Worcestershire after the late Damian, son of the first and father of the third. In 1965, both Worcestershire and Somerset had been bowled out for less then a hundred once in the match, Somerset had made 130 in their other innings, Worcestershire had reached 131 for 1 in their second innings to win by nine wickets, and the match was over inside two days. It must have been a pace bowlers’ paradise. Jack Flavell and Len Coldwell who took over 2,600 first-class wickets between them, each averaging 21, and yet played only 11 Test matches in total, took all 20 Somerset wickets. For Somerset, seamers Fred Rumsey and Bill Alley took ten of the 11 Worcestershire wickets to fall. Different times. Different, uncovered, pitches.

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A merciful end – Somerset v Nottinghamshire – County Championship 2024 – 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd April – Taunton – Final day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Nottinghamshire 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd April. Taunton.

Jack Leach, (knee injury) and Tom Abell (hamstring) were unavailable.

Somerset, M.T. Renshaw, S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, L.P. Goldsworthy, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, J.H. Davey, M. Pretorius, S. Bashir.

Nottinghamshire. H. Hameed (c), B.T. Slater, W.A. Young, J.M. Clarke (w), M. Montgomery, J.A. Haynes, L.W. James, C.G. Harrison, B.A. Hutton, L.J. Fletcher, D. Paterson.

Overnight. Nottinghamshire 193 and 418  for 2. Somerset 454. Nottinghamshire lead by 157 runs.

Final day 22nd April – A merciful end

The forecast for the final day was awful. The rain was a little late in coming, but it came in time to put the remains of this game out of their misery before things had dragged on for too long. There was no prospect of a positive result, so flat had the pitch become and all bonus points had been allocated. The forecast and the state of the match had reduced the crowd to 200 at most, and most of those were eyeing the gathering clouds, perhaps hoping for deliverance. The third day had brought back memories of the pitches and fourth days of a decade and a half before when wickets falling on the final day could be as rare as August snow.

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Overton and Pretorius take the breath away – Somerset v Nottinghamshire – County Championship 2024 – 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd April – Taunton – Second day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Nottinghamshire 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd April. Taunton.

Jack Leach, (knee injury) and Tom Abell (hamstring) were unavailable.

Somerset, M.T. Renshaw, S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, L.P. Goldsworthy, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, J.H. Davey, M. Pretorius, S. Bashir.

Nottinghamshire. H. Hameed (c), B.T. Slater, W.A. Young, J.M. Clarke (w), M. Montgomery, J.A. Haynes, L.W. James, C.G. Harrison, B.A. Hutton, L.J. Fletcher, D. Paterson.

Overnight. Nottinghamshire 193. Somerset 116 for 1. Somerset trail by 77 runs.

Second day 20th April – Overton and Pretorius take the breath away

In the end, this proved to be a day of accelerating Somerset progress, at first gradual and then, like water unleashed by the lifting of a sluice gate, the runs gushed across most of the final session. The sun, as it did on the first day, shone all day, but the wind across the face of the elevated level of the Trescothick Pavilion continued with its unrelenting winter chill. The cricket held the attention across all three sessions, but in the intervals, the lack of access to the outfield at lunchtime and the closure of the Somerset Stand and the Brian Rose Gates still entered the conversation.

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“Come on Somerset!” – Somerset v Nottinghamshire – County Championship 2024 – 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd April – Taunton – First day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Nottinghamshire 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd April. Taunton.

Jack Leach, (knee injury) and Tom Abell (hamstring) were unavailable.

Somerset, M.T. Renshaw, S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, L.P. Goldsworthy, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, J.H. Davey, M. Pretorius, S. Bashir.

Nottinghamshire. H. Hameed (c), B.T. Slater, W.A. Young, J.M. Clarke (w), M. Montgomery, J.A. Haynes, L.W. James, C.G. Harrison, B.A. Hutton, L.J. Fletcher, D. Paterson.

Toss. Nottinghamshire. Elected to bat.

First day 19th April – “Come on Somerset!”

The Quantocks and the ground looked very different places. The Quantocks looked on, resplendent in the sun with the bright yellow of the oilseed set against a spring green background with one glorious sandstone-red ploughed field having pride of place. The ground was stark in comparison. Stark because the crowd was the smallest I can remember for the start of a Championship match at Taunton. It looked well down on the two thousand plus spectators which were commonplace on a sunny day before the pandemic. I would be surprised if it reached a thousand at the start. The pandemic doubtless had an impact, perhaps the chill wind, perhaps the cost-of-living crisis too, Somerset entry charges are among the most expensive in the country.

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Surrey turn the screw – Surrey v Somerset – County Championship 2024 – 12th, 13th, 14th  and 15th April – The Oval – Third day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Surrey v Somerset 12th, 13th, 14th  and 15th April. The Oval.

Jack Leach, (knee injury) and Tom Abell (hamstring) were unavailable.

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), D.P. Sibley, O.J.D. Pope, D.W. Lawrence, J.L. Smith, B.T. Foakes (w), C.T. Steel, J. Clark, J. Overton, A.A.P. Atkinson, K.A.J Roach.

Somerset, M.T. Renshaw, S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, L.P. Goldsworthy, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, K.L. Aldridge, M. Pretorius, S. Bashir.

Overnight. Somerset 285. Surrey 358 for 6. Surrey lead by 73 runs with four first innings wicket standing.

Third day 14th April – Surrey turn the screw

Entry to my seat was delayed, this time because I came across a London-based Somerset cricket-watching acquaintance on the concourse a quarter of an hour before the start, and a quarter of an hour is no time to catch up on a winter’s news. It had to be done on the concourse because we had each arranged to watch the game with other people in different parts of the ground. And so, each other’s news updated, we went our separate ways, to meet again when we next chance to find ourselves at the same match, as is the way of things with people who meet only at the cricket.

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“They never let Surrey get away” – Surrey v Somerset – County Championship 2024 – 12th, 13th, 14th  and 15th April – The Oval – Second day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Surrey v Somerset 12th, 13th, 14th  and 15th April. The Oval.

Jack Leach, (knee injury) and Tom Abell (hamstring) were unavailable.

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), D.P. Sibley, O.J.D. Pope, D.W. Lawrence, J.L. Smith, B.T. Foakes (w), C.T. Steel, J. Clark, J. Overton, A.A.P. Atkinson, K.A.J Roach.

Somerset, M.T. Renshaw, S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, L.P. Goldsworthy, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, K.L. Aldridge, M. Pretorius, S. Bashir.

Overnight. Somerset 285. Surrey 42 for 0. Surrey trail by 243 runs with ten first innings wickets standing.

Second day 13th April – “They never let Surrey get away”

London is a different place. Busier than any other city I visit on my perambulations around the country following Somerset. More cosmopolitan than any other city too, at least to my eye. In making the case for London to host the 2012 Olympic Games Ken Livingstone said, “You see the world gathered in one city.” Sometimes it seems you can see it gathered on one Tube train. It is a city teeming with young people too. Most cities are, but in London, perhaps because of the sheer numbers of people, the madding crowd seems overwhelmingly young.

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“It’ll be over in three days” – Surrey v Somerset – County Championship 2024 – 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th April – The Oval – First day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Surrey v Somerset. 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th April. The Oval.

Jack Leach, (knee injury) and Tom Abell (hamstring) were unavailable.

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), D.P. Sibley, O.J.D. Pope, D.W. Lawrence, J.L. Smith, B.T. Foakes (w), C.T. Steel, J. Clark, J. Overton, A.A.P. Atkinson, K.A.J Roach.

Somerset, M.T. Renshaw, S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, L.P. Goldsworthy, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, K.L. Aldridge, M. Pretorius, S. Bashir.

Toss. Surrey. Elected to field.

First day 12th April – “It’ll be over in three days”

Surrey had been County Champions in 2022 and 2023 and were favourites to win the title again in 2024. They had greatly increased their membership in the years leading up to 2024 and have a huge population catchment area. Those three things, plus the fact that they have always been a well-supported club may have been factors in the size of the crowd on the first day. I first became aware of the potential size of the crowd as my Tube train pulled into Oval station. Virtually everyone on the train stood up. Then, an endless stream of people trailed up the road towards the Hobbs Gates. Once there, they formed a continuous crush waiting for tickets or membership cards to be scanned. I remember, not so long ago, paying cash to go through a turnstile at The Oval. Now, my digital ticket was scanned on my smartphone in an instant and still the crush continued. Four years ago, I didn’t have a smartphone. The world moves on and, eventually, I catch up with it.

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And the labrador slept on – Kent v Somerset – County Championship 2024 – 5th, 6th, 7th  and 8th April – Canterbury – Final day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Kent v Somerset. 5th, 6th, 7th  and 8th April Canterbury.

Jack Leach, (knee injury), Craig Overton (back), Tom Abell (hamstring) were all unavailable.

Kent. B.G. Compton, T. S. Muyeye, D.J. Bell-Drummond (c), J.A. Leaning, J.L. Denly, H.Z. Finch (w) J.D.M. Evison, W.A. Agar, N.N. Gilchrist, M.W. Parkinson, G.A. Garrett.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, S.R. Dickson, M.T. Renshaw, L.P. Goldsworthy, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, E. O. Leonard, J. Ball.

Overnight. Kent 284. Somerset 374 for 7. Somerset lead by 90 runs with three first innings wickets standing.  

Final day 8th April – And the labrador slept on

That Tom Banton ended up bowling the final overs of the day from the Nackington Road End, and a labrador, fast asleep at its owner’s feet, had, by that time, more life in it than the cricket, tells you most of what you need to know about the final day, at least after lunch. However, the first day having been lost to rain, and given Somerset’s history of poor starts to the season, most Somerset supporters were satisfied with the outcome. Above all, the top order had produced runs in early April, albeit on a white pitch. There were also 15 points on the board, enough to secure second place in the embryonic Division One table. Further bonuses were Tom Lammonby looking comfortable in his number three shoes and Kasey Aldridge looking a better bowler than he had hitherto whilst still performing well with the bat. Early days to judge it was true, but it at least brought hope that progress was being made. As to the weather for the final day, the cloud was white and high, thin enough for the sun to cast weak shadows. In its sallow glow, its warmth could be felt, but in the shade a chill wind still blew. There was little in the conditions to encourage Somerset hopes.

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A spring in their step – County Championship 2024 – Kent v Somerset – 5th, 6th, 7th  and 8th April – Canterbury – Third day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Kent v Somerset 5th, 6th, 7th  and 8th April Canterbury.

Jack Leach, (knee injury), Craig Overton (back), Tom Abell (hamstring) were all unavailable.

Kent. B.G. Compton, T. S. Muyeye, D.J. Bell-Drummond (c), J.A. Leaning, J.L. Denly, H.Z. Finch (w) J.D.M. Evison, W.A. Agar, N.N. Gilchrist, M.W. Parkinson, G.A. Garrett.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, S.R. Dickson, M.T. Renshaw, L.P. Goldsworthy, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, E. O. Leonard, J. Ball.

Overnight. Kent 284.

Third day 6th April – A spring in their step

The walk to the St Lawrence ground from Canterbury is about three-quarters of a mile, mostly up the New Dover Road, straight most of the way, uphill, along tree-lined streets, not unlike that from Southport to the Southport and Birkdale CC ground where Somerset played in 2022. The walk passes more quickly if made while chatting to other Somerset supporters, and on this occasion there was plenty to talk about. The kookaburra ball and the rail strikes, the latter of which probably contributed to the small number of Somerset supporters present, being prime among the topics. Canterbury is a long way from Somerset, and suffers from having the M25 or the need to cross London on public transport separating the two. The latter has at least been much improved by the opening of the Elizabeth Line, 18 minutes from Paddington to Stratford, then a ten-minute walk through the Westfield Centre to Stratford International for the HS1 train to Canterbury.

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Kookaburra day – County Championship 2024 – Kent v Somerset – 5th, 6th, 7th  and 8th April – Canterbury – Second day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Kent v Somerset 5th, 6th, 7th  and 8th April Canterbury.

Jack Leach, (knee), Craig Overton (back), Tom Abell (hamstring) were all unavailable.

Kent. B.G. Compton, T. S. Muyeye, D.J. Bell-Drummond (c), J.A. Leaning, J.L. Denly, H.Z. Finch (w) J.D.M. Evison, W.A. Agar, N.N. Gilchrist, M.W. Parkinson, G.A. Garrett.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, S.R. Dickson, M.T. Renshaw, L.P. Goldsworthy, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, E. O. Leonard, J. Ball.

Toss. Somerset elected to field

First day 5th April – No play – wet outfield

Second day 6th April – Kookaburra day

The Kookaburra ball came to this round of matches with a reputation for swinging less than the Dukes ball, at least after the first 30 overs or so, and for becoming softer more quickly. In English conditions, with generally softer pitches than in much of the rest of the cricket-playing world, the Kookaburra might be expected to assist bowlers less than the Dukes. That was the idea apparently, in order to encourage the development of faster pace bowlers and better quality spinners who, with the Kookaburra, would stand out above the common run and make their impact in Test matches. Whilst conclusions should never be drawn from one day of cricket, on this issue or any other, the first day of play here did lend support to the reputation of the Kookaburra.

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The watcher on the Trescothick Pavilion terrace – County Championship 2024 – Somerset v Warwickshire – 30th June and 1st, 2nd and 3rd July – Taunton – Final day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Warwickshire 30th June and 1st, 2nd and 3rd July. Taunton.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, A.R.I. Umeed, T. Kohler-Cadmore, T.B. Abell, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, C. Overton (c), M. Pretorius, M.J. Leach, J.T. Ball.

Warwickshire. R.M. Yates, A.L. Davies (c), W.M.H. Rhodes, S.R. Hain, D.R. Mousley, E.G. Barnard, J.G. Bethell, M.G.K. Burgess (w), C.R. Woakes, M.G. Booth, O.J. Hannon-Dalby.

Overnight – Warwickshire 412 and 281 for 8. Somerset 284. Warwickshire lead by 409.

Final day 3rd July – The watcher on the Trescothick Pavilion terrace

With Somerset in sight of a stunning victory, but with nothing certain, one watcher in particular caught my eye. As over followed over, he stood intently and motionlessly at the safety rail of the Trescothick Pavilion terrace, high above the play, eyes fixed firmly on the cricket. I wondered what was going through his mind. The tension in the ground was such that every ball was bowled in silence, every run applauded or cheered with most watchers as motionless and watching as intensely as the one on the terrace. No one moved from their seat or from where they stood, nor him from the rail. No one dared. One of the age-old superstitions of cricket saw to that. When a side is on the cusp of winning a tight match, their supporters do not move. It is the eleventh commandment.

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Push and counter-push – County Championship 2024 – Somerset v Warwickshire – 30th June and 1st, 2nd and 3rd July – Taunton – Third day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Warwickshire 30th June and 1st, 2nd and 3rd July. Taunton.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, A.R.I. Umeed, T. Kohler-Cadmore, T.B. Abell, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, C. Overton (c), M. Pretorius, M.J. Leach, J.T. Ball.

Warwickshire. R.M. Yates, A.L. Davies (c), W.M.H. Rhodes, S.R. Hain, D.R. Mousley, E.G. Barnard, J.G. Bethell, M.G.K. Burgess (w), C.R. Woakes, M.G. Booth, O.J. Hannon-Dalby.

Overnight – Warwickshire 412. Somerset 208 for 6. Somerset trail by 204 runs with four first innings wickets standing.

Third day 2nd July – Push and counter-push

This was Somerset’s annual schools’ match. The Priory Bridge Road Stand and the family section of the Ondaatje Stand were resplendent with the massed ranks of 1,200 schoolchildren. They were not mentioned in my reports on the first two days of this match. They could not be ignored on the third. Perhaps the wind had shifted. Something brought the never-ending shriek of those high-pitched voices to my ears. They had little to cheer in the first over of the day, bowled from the River End by Michael Booth. Playing an indeterminate stroke across his pads, Tom Abell was leg before wicket to the third ball. My impression over the years is that Abell, if he is undefeated overnight with significant runs to his name, is liable to be out early the next morning. He is not alone in that, but my impression, and it is only an impression, is that it is particularly noticeable in his case. Somerset 208 for 7. Abell 61. Deficit 204.

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Warwickshire in the ascendant – County Championship 2024 – Somerset v Warwickshire – 30th June and 1st, 2nd and 3rd July – Taunton – Second day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Warwickshire 30th June and 1st, 2nd and 3rd July. Taunton.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, A.R.I. Umeed, T. Kohler-Cadmore, T.B. Abell, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, C. Overton (c), M. Pretorius, M.J. Leach, J.T. Ball.

Warwickshire. R.M. Yates, A.L. Davies (c), W.M.H. Rhodes, S.R. Hain, D.R. Mousley, E.G. Barnard, J.G. Bethell, M.G.K. Burgess (w), C.R. Woakes, M.G. Booth, O.J. Hannon-Dalby.

Overnight – Warwickshire 373 for 8.

Second day 2nd July – Warwickshire in the ascendant

Dawdling through breakfast as I am inclined to do having spent the final two decades of my working life beginning each day before seven o’clock with a 60 to 90-minute commute into London, I arrived an over after the start. The floodlights were on, the players were walking off, the rain was falling, and Warwickshire’s ninth wicket pair had added six runs to their overnight score. The rain was light but persistent, often light enough for some seated in the top of the Trescothick Pavilion to wonder if it was raining at all. It was enough though to delay play until after an early lunch with an hour of the day lost. It gave time for an old work colleague who joined me for part of the day and I to have an intermingled discussion about cricket and, with the general election two days away, the general election campaign which had been in full swing in the world outside cricket. There is always something to talk about when rain stops play.

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A toss to remember – County Championship 2024 – Somerset v Warwickshire – 30th June and 1st, 2nd and 3rd July – Taunton – First day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Warwickshire 30th June and 1st, 2nd and 3rd July. Taunton.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, A.R.I. Umeed, T. Kohler-Cadmore, T.B. Abell, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, C. Overton (c), M. Pretorius, M.J. Leach, J.T. Ball.

Warwickshire. R.M. Yates, A.L. Davies (c), W.M.H. Rhodes, S.R. Hain, D.R. Mousley, E.G. Barnard, J.G. Bethell, M.G.K. Burgess (w), C.R. Woakes, M.G. Booth, O.J. Hannon-Dalby.

Toss. Somerset. Elected to bowl.

First day 30th June – A toss to remember

“Why? Oh, why?” asks my note, made as I sat down at the top of the Trescothick Pavilion five minutes before the start. Somerset had won the toss and elected to field. My cricketing memory is littered with examples of sides seeing a green pitch at Taunton and inserting the opposition on winning the toss. The result, so often, has been the inserted side steadily piling up a mountain of runs. This pitch, set in the centre of the square, the sight screen sheeting covering the centre of the Lord Ian Botham Stand, was unusual in appearance. From my vantage point, the first eight feet or so of each end looked brown, but the rest of the pitch was undeniably green. The divide between the two colours was a sharp, clearly defined line across the pitch, a fact which caused one or two quizzical looks. To set my, “Why? Oh, why?” in context, I do have form. My strong inclination is always to bat first, except perhaps on an April green top under overcast skies. Looking back at the history of insertions, particularly at the ground at which a match is being played, can often be more important than looking down or up. Pitches and skies can be capricious bedfellows when it comes to toss decisions. Historical evidence is often a more reliable ally in my, admittedly anecdotal, experience.

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H.G. Wells comes to Trent Bridge – County Championship 2024 – Nottinghamshire v Somerset 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th June – Trent Bridge – Final day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Nottinghamshire v Somerset 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th June. Trent Bridge.

Due to a positive COVID test in my household shortly before this match, I opted not to travel to Nottingham. The reports are therefore written through watching the Nottinghamshire CCC live stream.

Lewis Gregory was unavailable due to a groin strain. Craig Overton captained the Somerset side.

Nottinghamshire. H. Hameed (c), B.T. Slater, W.A. Young, J.M. Clarke, J.A. Haynes, T.J. Moores (c), L.W. James, C.G. Harrison, O.P. Stone, D.Y. Pennington, D. Paterson.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, A.R.I. Umeed, T. Kohler-Cadmore, T.B. Abell, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, C. Overton (c), M. Pretorius, M.J. Leach, J.T. Ball.  

Overnight. Nottinghamshire 360 and 178 for 1. Somerset 470. Nottinghamshire lead by 68 runs with six second innings wickets standing.

Final day 26th June – H.G. Wells comes to Trent Bridge

Graham, H.G. Wells’ protagonist in The Sleeper Awakes, takes drugs to combat his incurable insomnia. He overdoes the drugs and falls asleep for 203 years. He might as well have watched the final day of this match for, to the online watcher at least, it might have lasted 203 years. There was no dystopian world at its end as there was at the end of Graham’s 203-year sleep, but by tea the stands looked so bare they might have served as the backdrop for one. It was a day of bowlers toiling under the hottest sun of the year on a pitch as devoid of life as a Martian desert. It offered no more hope to the bowlers than to prevent the batters from running riot. As it was, the bowlers stuck to their task with a grim determination, and the batters did not run riot, nor did they seem to have much ambition to. They just steadily picked off runs for the want of anything better to do. In cricket watching terms, it was an end to the match as dystopian as any dreamed up by Wells in his long career.

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Stokes makes a difference – County Championship 2024 – Durham v Somerset 24th and 25th May – Chester-le-Street – First day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Durham v Somerset 24th and 25th May. Chester-le-Street.

Jake Ball replaced Migael Pretorius under ECB concussion regulations after Somerset’s first innings.

Somerset. T.B. Abell, M.T. Renshaw, T.A. Lammonby, A.R.I. Umeed, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, M. Pretorius/J.T. Ball, J.H. Davey, M.J. Leach.

Durham. A.Z. Lees, S.G. Borthwick (c), C.N. Ackermann, D.G. Bedingham, O.G. Robinson (w), B.A. Stokes, G. Clark, C.F. Parkinson, P. Coughlin, B.A. Raine, P.M. Siddle.

Toss. Durham elected to field.

First day 24th May – Stokes makes a difference

Newcastle is a long way from Taunton. Five-and-a-half hours by direct train. Given the flooding across significant parts of the country through which the train travelled it was something of an achievement for the railway system to bring the train from Taunton into Newcastle just one minute late. Three other companies had to cancel their trains and those of their passengers who could, joined mine. Even without the extra passengers, four coaches for a train which runs from Penzance to Edinburgh sounds like a victory of hope over anticipation, and so the effect of suffering an influx of passengers from three other companies is better imagined than experienced. Every seat was taken, and every aisle and vestibule was full. Good humour was the only viable survival technique, and it was applied by every passenger within my sight. “People have got used to crowded trains,” someone said.

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Disbelief – Durham v Somerset – County Championship 2024 – 24th and 25th May – Chester-le-Street – Final day

'farmer white'

County Championship 2024. Division 1. Durham v Somerset 24th and 25th May. Chester-le-Street.

Jake Ball replaced Migael Pretorius as a concussion replacement after Somerset’s first innings.

Durham. A.Z. Lees, S.G. Borthwick (c), C.N. Ackermann, D.G. Bedingham, O.G. Robinson (w), B.A. Stokes, G. Clark, C.F. Parkinson, P. Coughlin, B.A. Raine, P.M. Siddle.

Somerset. T.B. Abell, M.T. Renshaw, T.A. Lammonby, A.R.I. Umeed, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, M. Pretorius/J.T. Ball, J.H. Davey, M.J. Leach.

Overnight. Somerset 171. Durham 177 for 6. Durham lead by six runs with four first innings wickets standing.

Final day 25th May – Disbelief

It could be seen in the faces of the small coterie of Somerset supporters who had made the 350-mile road trip, or five-and-a-half-hour rail journey, to the North East. This was a crushing Somerset defeat. Worse for the spirit, it had been far from inevitable at the start of the second day, even less so half an hour later. Durham had lost three wickets in that time to find themselves 28 ahead with only one wicket standing and Somerset pressing hard for the last. It had been an exceptional fightback by Somerset from a calamitous 84 for 7 immediately after lunch on the first day. Now, half an hour into the second day, the match was back in balance and there was Somerset hope that it might yet be won. Half an hour before tea, the match was over, and Somerset had lost by an innings. They were bowled out for 88 in their second innings, losing their last six wickets for 43 runs in the face of some exceptional bowling from Durham’s pace attack. The fall from hope was so precipitous, so total, this match may bedevil the memories of the Somerset supporters who were there as do Horsham 2013, Guildford 2018 and Southampton 2019.

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The Colin Atkinson Pavilion Clock

'farmer white'

A bit of research has uncovered, I think, the fact that the clock at the top of the Colin Atkinson Pavilion celebrates its centenary in 2024. It previously resided at the top of the scoreboard which stood, more or less, on the current site of the Colin Atkinson Pavilion, until 1979. It was then moved to its current location. It is the only remnant of the ground from before 1979. The old scoreboard was paid for by a donation of, as far as I can see, £69 from the Stragglers Club. The donation was made at the end of the 1923 season and so, and I have made a bit of an assumption here, the scoreboard was in place for the 1924 season. It was certainly in place by the 1925 season because it can be seen in British Pathé’s film of Jack Hobbs scoring his hundredth run to equal W.G. Grace’s record of 126 first-class centuries (Hobbs passed the record with another century in the second innings). It has therefore seen a few things and a bit of change in its time.

And so, to mark the centenary, I have managed to cobble together one of my occasional ‘poems’ :

 

The Colin Atkinson Pavilion Clock

1924 – 2024

I am the Colin Atkinson Pavilion clock.

I mark the walk of Old Father Time

Endlessly measuring days

Since John Daniell stood firm at the crease,

And Ramsay McDonald first reigned in Downing Street.

New, from atop the scoreboard then, I cast my gaze.

Now, I am the only remnant of those post Great War days.

I am the Colin Atkinson Pavilion clock.

Marking time. Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.

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Watching cricket in April – Worcestershire v Somerset – County Championship 2024 – 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th April – Kidderminster.

'farmer white'

County Championship 2024. Division 1. Worcestershire v Somerset. 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th April. Kidderminster.

Jack Leach, (knee injury), Tom Abell (hamstring) and Craig Overton (rested) were unavailable.

Worcestershire. J.D. Libby, G.H. Roderick (w), Kashif Ali, R.P. Jones, A.J. Hose, B.L. D’Oliveira, J.O. Holder, M.J. Waite, J. Leach, B.J. Gibbon, A.W. Finch.

Somerset, M.T. Renshaw, S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, A.R.I. Umeed, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), K.L. Aldridge, M. Pretorius, J.T. Ball, S. Bashir.

Overnight. Somerset 309 for 9 dec and 5 for 1. Worcestershire 451. Somerset trail by 137 runs with nine second innings wickets standing.

Final day 29th April – Watching cricket in April

The wind that blows across a cricket field in April bites with the teeth of a prairie dog which does not let go. No-one escapes. At Kidderminster, where the ground is open on all sides, the wind enjoys free reign to do as it pleases to whom it pleases, and it did as it pleased across most of the four days of this match. The girl serving burgers from a hot plate in the burger van was frozen. Matching their coats, the umpires wore white snoods which encased their necks and faces up to their ears. They looked like the invisible man from the 1958 television series with his face swathed in white bandages. To match their trousers, they wore black gloves. The stewards were bulked out with enough layers to have passed for an American police SWAT squad. Spectators, those brave enough, or lacking sufficient discretion to know better than to watch cricket in such weather, wore a mottled array of defences. They ranged from tightfitting, designer fashioned, windproof jackets zipped so tightly to the larynx that if the cold did not get the occupant a lack of oxygen would, to anoraks and scarves so battered by a winter without apparent end that they seemed on the point of abject surrender. Not that their owners would dream of letting them surrender, for the next match was only three days away.

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