A Crowd Within a Crowd – Gloucestershire v Somerset County – Championship 2022 – 12th, 13th and 14th May – Bristol – Second Day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Gloucestershire v Somerset. 12th, 13th and 14th May. Bristol.

Sonny Baker was unavailable for selection by Somerset due to his continuing injury.

Gloucestershire. M.S. Harris, G.F.B. Scott, J.R. Bracey (w), M.A.H. Hammond, G.L. van Buuren (c) R.F. Higgins, J.G. Bethell, Z.J. Chappell, Zafar Gohar, M.D. Taylor, B.T.J. Wheal.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, M.T. Renshaw, T.B. Abell (c), T. Banton, J.C. Hildreth, S.M. Davies (w), L. Gregory, C. Overton, J.H. Davey, P.M. Siddle, M.J. Leach.

Overnight. Somerset 319 for 4.

Second day 13th May – A crowd within a crowd

The second day felt like a home match. Somerset faces, hats and shirts were everywhere. At least half the crowd, the person with me thought. I wasn’t so sure; it is difficult to assess crowds when they are spread around a ground. Whatever the actual proportions, there were significant numbers of Somerset supporters. More than I can recall seeing at an away match. The volume of their applause and cheers added evidence to that view, and as the day wore on and Somerset turned their overnight 319 for 4 into the promised position of dominance, there is no doubt that the Somerset contingent accounted for far more than half the crowd noise, and virtually all of the cheering. It was not the pockets of cheering that you often hear from opposition supporters at away matches. This was a crowd within a crowd. A Somerset crowd making itself heard. It was a day to be a Somerset supporter. A day which produced everything a Somerset supporter could wish for on a pitch brimming with runs. Of those runs, Somerset took their full measure before subjecting Gloucestershire to a severe examination as they tried to gather some runs of their own.

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“Come on Somerset!” – Somerset v Surrey – County Championship 2022 – 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th June – Taunton – Third Day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Surrey. 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th June. Taunton.

Sonny Baker was unavailable for selection by Somerset due to his continuing back injury while Jack Leach was on Test duty with England and Matt Renshaw on international duty with Australia.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, B.F.G. Green, T.B. Abell (c), T. Banton, L.P. Goldsworthy, S.M. Davies (w), L. Gregory, R.E. van der Merwe, C. Overton/M. de Lange*, J.H. Davey/K.L. Aldridge*, P.M. Siddle.

*J.H. Davey was replaced by K.L. Aldridge on the first day and C. Overton by M. de Lange on the second under the ECB Concussion Protocol

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), R.S. Patel, H.M. Amla, B.B.A. Geddes, J.L. Smith (w), W.G. Jacks, C.T. Steel, J. Clark, J. Overton, A.A.P. Atkinson, D.J. Worrall.

Overnight. Somerset 180. Surry 382 for 8. Surrey lead by 202 runs with two second innings wickets standing.

Third day 14th June – “Come on Somerset!”

At the end of the second day few I spoke to expected this match to reach the end of the third. But the match is still in progress, even if Surrey are expected to win early in the afternoon of the final day. That is some measure of Somerset’s improving performance with the bat in their second innings, although there were still areas where they, as school reports used to say, “Could do better.” I, at least, had done better than my second day performance, arriving at the Brian Rose Gates four rather than 20 minutes late. “You have missed two wickets,” said the man leaving the ground as I approached. “What?” my bemused response. “Well,” he said, “Surrey are all out and the players have left the field.” And so they had, and not a run added to Surrey’s overnight total. In the first over of the day, Lewis Gregory had dismissed Gus Atkinson and Dan Worrall, both caught behind. Shades of Trent Bridge 2018 when I arrived late and missed a hat trick by Craig Overton. I really must learn.

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Surrey take a grip – Somerset v Surrey – County Championship 2022 – 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th June – Taunton – Second Day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Surrey. 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th June. Taunton.

Sonny Baker was unavailable for selection by Somerset due to his continuing back injury while Jack Leach was on Test duty with England and Matt Renshaw on international duty with Australia.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, B.F.G. Green, T.B. Abell (c), T. Banton, L.P. Goldsworthy, S.M. Davies (w), L. Gregory, R.E. van der Merwe, C. Overton/M. de Lange, J.H. Davey/K.L. Aldridge*, P.M. Siddle.

*J.H. Davey was replaced by K.L. Aldridge on the first day and C. Overton by M. de Lange on the second under the ECB Concussion Protocol

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), R.S. Patel, H.M. Amla, B.B.A. Geddes, J.L. Smith (w), W.G. Jacks, C.T. Steel, J. Clark, J. Overton, A.A.P. Atkinson, D.J. Worrall.

Overnight. Somerset 180. Surry 56 for 1. Surrey trail by 124 runs with nine second innings wickets standing.

Second day 13th June – Surrey take a grip

Waiting in for a parcel that requires a signature is one of the less endearing aspects of modern life. One of the more endearing is the message you receive telling you, within an hour or so, when it will arrive. Who would have imagined that when I watched my first Championship match at Taunton in 1958? The world has changed. The cricket world too. The first day of Championship cricket in 1958 took place on 7th May. Somerset played Glamorgan at Cardiff Arms Park. The match was drawn, and Colin McCool made 130.

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Pure Goldsworthy – Lancashire v Somerset – County Championship 2022 – July 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th – Southport – Final Day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Lancashire v Somerset. 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th July. Southport.

Tom Abell, Tom Banton, Craig Overton and Will Smeed were unavailable for selection due to being on England Lions duty. Jack Leach was unavailable due to being rested following his recent Test match duties.

Lancashire. K.K. Jennings, L.W.P. Wells, S.J. Croft, D.J. Vilas (c)(w), J.J. Bohannon, R.P. Jones, G.P. Balderson, L. Wood, T.E. Bailey, W.S.A. Williams, J.P. Morley.

Somerset. M.T. Renshaw, S.M. Davies (w), T.A. Lammonby, G.A. Bartlett, L.P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew, L. Gregory, R.E. van der Merwe, P.M. Siddle (c), J.A. Brooks, G.S. Virdi.

Overnight. Somerset 446. Lancashire 624 for 9. Lancashire lead by 178 runs with one first innings wickets standing.

Fourth day 14th July – Pure Goldsworthy

With no prospect of victory Somerset began the final day needing to bat most of it to save the match. It was their eighth Championship match of the season, and they were yet to draw a single game after two victories and five defeats. As a consequence, they began the match sitting in one of the two relegation places. With eight points for a draw this season, the inability to save matches has made a significant contribution to Somerset’s plight. No other team has failed to draw a match and Northamptonshire, five points above Somerset, having played one game less, have no victories but five draws. Draws, where victory is not possible, are particularly crucial this year.

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Keaton Jennings 318 – A Day of Itinerance – Lancashire v Somerset – County Championship 2022 – 11th, 12th 13th and 14th July – Southport – Third Day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Lancashire v Somerset. 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th July. Southport.

Tom Abell, Tom Banton, Craig Overton and Will Smeed were unavailable for selection due to being on England Lions duty. Jack Leach was unavailable due to being rested following his recent Test match duties.

Lancashire. K.K. Jennings, L.W.P. Wells, S.J. Croft, D.J. Vilas (c)(w), J.J. Bohannon, R.P. Jones, G.P. Balderson, L. Wood, T.E. Bailey, W.S.A. Williams, J.P. Morley.

Somerset. M.T. Renshaw, S.M. Davies (w), T.A. Lammonby, G.A. Bartlett, L.P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew, L. Gregory, R.E. van der Merwe, P.M. Siddle (c), J.A. Brooks, G.S. Virdi.

Overnight. Somerset 446. Lancashire 164 for 0. Lancashire trail by 282 runs with ten first innings wickets standing.

Third day 13th July – Keaton Jennings 318 – A day of itinerance

Perhaps it was watching cricket in the relaxing ambience of a bygone age that broke my concentration when I emerged from my hotel on the third morning of this match. Whatever it was, it took me longer than it should have done to walk to the ground, and I missed the first four balls of the day. Off the second of those, Luke Wells went to his century, if more by accident than design. A replay tells me he attempted to defend against Peter Siddle’s second ball and edged past the diving Matthew Renshaw at second slip. The ball ran for four and took Wells to 103. A lackadaisical start and missing a century rather set the pattern of my cricket watching for the day. The ambience of cricket at Southport is liable to be like that. Lancashire lost eight more wickets before the close and I contrived to miss three of them, all whilst walking behind the bar at the Grosvenor Road End. For two other wickets, I was not in my seat, but did manage to catch sight of them as I meandered about the ground.

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“This might not be too bad for Lancs” – Lancashire v Somerset – County Championship 2022 – 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th July – Southport

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Lancashire v Somerset. 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th July. Southport.

Tom Abell, Tom Banton, Craig Overton and Will Smeed were unavailable for selection due to being on England Lions duty. Jack Leach was unavailable due to being rested following his recent Test match duties. James Rew made his Championship debut in this match. Amar Virdi was on loan from Surrey to Somerset for this match.

Lancashire. K.K. Jennings, L.W.P. Wells, S.J. Croft, D.J. Vilas (c)(w), J.J. Bohannon, R.P. Jones, G.P. Balderson, L. Wood, T.E. Bailey, W.S.A. Williams, J.P. Morley.

Somerset. M.T. Renshaw, S.M. Davies (w), T.A. Lammonby, G.A. Bartlett, L.P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew, L. Gregory, R.E. van der Merwe, P.M. Siddle (c), J.A. Brooks, G.S. Virdi.

Overnight. Somerset 297 for 5.

Second day 12th July – “This might not be too bad for Lancs.”

There was a high covering of cloud, but lest the sun break through, and forearmed with my experience of the heat of the first day, I made straight for the privet hedge at the Harrod Drive End and re-annexed my spot where shade had reigned for most of the day. I put my bag on my seat and wandered off into the crowd. There were a few familiar faces to say hello to and one with whom I shared my relief about Somerset’s first day score. With another, I acknowledged that Lewis Goldsworthy had demonstrated the skill and application to establish himself in the side.

On returning to my seat, I discovered that two Lancashire supporters had placed chairs either side of mine and were chatting away as if my chair did not exist. It seemed an odd arrangement since my chair had been alone when I left, but I offered to swap seats with one of them so they could sit together. “Oh, we aren’t together,” the reply, “We don’t know each other, we just put our chairs here to catch some shade.” So, I sat between them and spent the rest of the day in the middle of a continuous Lancastrian cricket conversation interspersed with a few Somerset anecdotes. It is the way of things in these parts it seems.

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An Air of Permanence – Lancashire v Somerset – County Championship 2022 – Division 1 – 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th July – Southport

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Lancashire v Somerset. 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th July. Southport.

Tom Abell, Tom Banton, Craig Overton and Will Smeed were unavailable for selection due to being on England Lions duty. Jack Leach was unavailable due to being rested following his recent Test match duties. James Rew made his Championship debut in this match. Amar Virdi was on loan from Surrey to Somerset for this match.

Lancashire. K.K. Jennings, L.W.P. Wells, S.J. Croft, D.J. Vilas (c)(w), J.J. Bohannon, R.P. Jones, G.P. Balderson, L. Wood, T.E. Bailey, W.S.A. Williams, J.P. Morley.

Somerset. M.T. Renshaw, S.M. Davies (w), T.A. Lammonby, G.A. Bartlett, L.P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew, L. Gregory, R.E. van der Merwe, P.M. Siddle (c), J.A. Brooks, G.S. Virdi.

Toss. Somerset. Elected to bat.

First day 11th July – An air of permanence

If you keep your wits about you, watching cricket at Southport is a pleasant, relaxing business. Mobile phones and live stream cameras aside, it could be Clarence Park half a century ago. Southport beach too could be Weston. Looking out to sea with the tide out, it is difficult to differentiate shoreline from skyline. Cars parked on the beach too, although I don’t recall seeing cars doing handbrake turns on Weston beach in the Seventies. It is quite a walk from my hotel to the beach and the best part of two miles from hotel to ground, all of it up hill. That was quite a stride in the searing heat of the first day with a backpack filled with fluids (they would have been called drinks in the Seventies) and food. One lesson was learned very quickly. Walk on the shady side of the street. Fortunately, shade was in plentiful supply courtesy of the high hedges and trees which adorn the garden fronts of the expansive houses which line the walk from Southport to the Trafalgar Road ground of Southport and Birkdale Cricket Club.

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Somerset v Yorkshire – County Championship 2022 – 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd July – Taunton – Final Day – No play – Rain

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Yorkshire. 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd July. Taunton.

Craig Overton was unavailable for selection due to being on international duty. Josh Davey was unavailable due to a hamstring injury and Sonny Baker due to an ongoing back injury.

The author watched this day on the Somerset CCC live stream having tested positive for COVID before setting off for the cricket.

Somerset. M.T. Renshaw, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L.P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, M.J. Leach, J.A. Brooks, M. de Lange.

Yorkshire. A. Lyth (c), T. Kohler-Cadmore, G.C.H. Hill, H.C. Brook, J.A. Tattersall (w), D.M. Bess, J.A. Thompson, M.L. Revis, J.W. Shutt, M.J. Waite, S.T. Gabriel.

Overnight. Somerset 424 and 225 for 6. Yorkshire 276. Somerset lead by 373 runs.

Final day 22nd July – No play. Rain.

The bees had flown, and I was left with the runny nose and cough. Hardly an illness at all. But a second test confirmed the first. It was COVID. No doubt. So, another day in quarantine, sitting in a chair this time. I really was not ill enough to justify laying on a bed, and it is much more comfortable watching cricket in an upright position. The live stream showed heavy cloud, but a clear view of the Quantocks. Then, instead of players coming out, the covers came on. Rain, light at first, came and went. The Quantocks disappeared and reappeared  The figures on the Colin Atkinson scoreboard brightened and dimmed. The covers came off and went back on. The umpires inspected and took refuge in the Caddick Pavilion. The covers came off and went back on again. Hope rose and fell. An early lunch was called. A restart was announced for 25 minutes to three. And then, as the rain continued its Hokey Cokey, the match was abandoned. But a defensive draw at Southport had been followed by a dominant draw at Taunton. Progress for Somerset at least.

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A sideways look at the day – cricket through COVID eyes – Somerset v Yorkshire – County Championship 2022 – July 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd – Third day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Yorkshire. 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd July. Taunton.

Craig Overton was unavailable for selection due to being on international duty. Josh Davey was unavailable due to a hamstring injury and Sonny Baker due to an ongoing back injury.

The author watched this day on the Somerset CCC live stream having tested positive for COVID before setting off for the cricket.

Somerset. M.T. Renshaw, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L.P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, M.J. Leach, J.A. Brooks, M. de Lange.

Yorkshire. A. Lyth (c), T. Kohler-Cadmore, G.C.H. Hill, H.C. Brook, J.A. Tattersall (w), D.M. Bess, J.A. Thompson, M.L. Revis, J.W. Shutt, M.J. Waite, S.T. Gabriel.

Overnight. Somerset 424. Yorkshire 167 for 4. Yorkshire trail by 257 runs.

Third day 20th July – A sideways look at the day – cricket through COVID eyes

A positive COVID test before setting off for the cricket rather turned my day on its head. Or, at least, on its side. An irritating cough, a muzzy head and the beginnings of a runny nose the only symptoms at the start of the day. By the end, my nose was running like the Niagara Falls and I was using tissues faster than Somerset were scoring runs, and they were scoring at quite a rate. The muzzy head soon turned itself into a bag of furiously buzzing bees which moved en masse in the opposite direction to any and every movement of my head, bouncing off the far side when they got there before buzzing back the other way. If I needed to walk, I placed my feet delicately one in front of the other in an attempt to avoid provoking the bees into another attempt to break out of my head each time I put my foot down. Everything had to be done in slow motion, whether getting onto or off the bed, or drinking water, or taking an occasional look at other scores on my phone. The longer the day went on, until they began to relent in the late afternoon, the more were those bees likely to fly into a rage at the slightest movement of my head.

I watched the cricket laying on my side with my laptop perched on a chair beside the bed in the self-imposed quarantine of a spare bedroom. Laying on my side with my head resting motionless on a pillow was the best way to appease those bees. I drank plenty of fluids, took a couple of paracetamol, tried to keep the peace between my competing symptoms, got as much rest as I could, and, crucially, watch as much of the cricket as my fuzzed mind could accommodate. As if watching Someset with a clear head is not chellenging enough.

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Advantage Somerset – Somerset v Yorkshire – County Championship 2022 – July 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd – Taunton – Second day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Yorkshire. 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd July. Taunton.

Craig Overton was unavailable for selection due to being on international duty. Josh Davey was unavailable due to a hamstring injury and Sonny Baker due to an ongoing back injury.

Somerset. M.T. Renshaw, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L.P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, M.J. Leach, J.A. Brooks, M. de Lange.

Yorkshire. A. Lyth (c), T. Kohler-Cadmore, G.C.H. Hill, H.C. Brook, J.A. Tattersall (w), D.M. Bess, J.A. Thompson, M.L. Revis, J.W. Shutt, M.J. Waite, S.T. Gabriel.

Overnight. Somerset 262 for 5.

Second day 20th July – Advantage Somerset

This was a day when the unexpected became the norm. Cloud and rain hugged the Quantocks for much of the day, but only half an hour’s play was lost. The normally deep-voiced, melodic English accent of the public address announcements was briefly replaced by a lilting Australian twang, subsequently discovered to be the result of a raid on the microphone by Matt Renshaw. Kasey Aldridge, batting high at number eight, found the boundary with a reverse sweep, “They can all do it now,” the comment, and Jack Leach connected with a switch-hit which deposited the ball into the Ondaatje Stand. They can’t all do that. Somerset’s final session wobble of the first day was overcome too as, after an initial stumble, they began to build a substantial score on the second morning. This was a match beginning to hold the attention.

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Abell takes the heat for Somerset – Somerset v Yorkshire – County Championship 2022 – 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd July – Taunton – First day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Yorkshire. 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd July. Taunton.

Craig Overton was unavailable for selection due to being on international duty. Josh Davey was unavailable due to a hamstring injury and Sonny Baker due to an ongoing back injury.

Somerset. M.T. Renshaw, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L.P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, M.J. Leach, J.A. Brooks, M. de Lange.

Yorkshire. A. Lyth (c), T. Kohler-Cadmore, G.C.H. Hill, H.C. Brook, J.A. Tattersall (w), D.M. Bess, J.A. Thompson, M.L. Revis, J.W. Shutt, M.J. Waite, S.T. Gabriel.

Toss. Somerset. Elected to bat.

First day 19th July – Abell takes the heat for Somerset

This was a day to sit in the shade, even in the morning when the sun was restricted in its effect by a hazy covering of cloud. When the sun was in its full glory, the temperature topped out in the furnace somewhere beyond 30 degrees Celsius. Not as high as the 40 degrees in parts of eastern and northern England which broke all records. Hot enough though for spectators to fill the top of the Trescothick Pavilion, protected as it is from the sun by one of those wing roofs which look as if they are held up by good intentions and little else, and fill the bottom section too no doubt, protected as it is by the top one. I cannot vouch for that, for once I had secured my seat in the top section I did not venture out. The mere threat of the heat was enough to keep me out of it. A fair number sought refuge in the shade of the Lord Ian Botham Stand, but otherwise, what looked like a school party in the Temporary Stand apart, few braved the full heat of the open stands on which the sun beat down without pity or mercy, the first part of the afternoon apart when a random shower soaked the ground and stole 20 overs from the day.   

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Somerset live to fight another day – County Championship 2022 – Somerset v Gloucestershire – 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th September 2022 – Final day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Gloucestershire. 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th September. Taunton.

Craig Overton and Jack Leach were unavailable for selection for this match due to being on international duty. James Hildreth had retired from professional cricket. Matthew Renshaw and Peter Siddle were no longer available as overseas players and were replaced by Imam-ul-Haq and Sajid Khan.

Somerset. Iman-ul-Haq, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L.P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, Sajid Khan, J.A. Brooks.

Gloucestershire. B.G. Charlesworth, M.S. Harris, O.J. Price, M.A.H. Hammond, J.R. Bracey (w), G.L. van Buuren (c), J.M.R. Taylor, T.J. Price, J. Shaw, D.A. Payne, A.S. Dale. 

Overnight. Gloucestershire 343 and 246 for 5. Somerset 248. Gloucestershire lead by 341 runs with five second wickets standing.

Final day – Somerset survive to fight another day

My day began with a weather forecast littered with heavy showers, a torrential shower, a wait on the Somerset website to see if there would be a start on time, and then, when it was announced there would be, a rush for a bus which took 25 minutes to arrive. I arrived at the Brian Rose Gates 20 minutes late, just in time to reach the old Legends Square to see players and crowd looking high towards the heavens. Not for rain but trying to track a ball from Jack Brooks which David Payne had just pulled towards the Somerset Stand. Too late to pick up the flight, I looked along the flats just in time to see the ball ricocheting between one of the lower-level balconies and the back of the Somerset Stand before falling onto the concourse below.  

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Bemusement and the Gloucestershire Caravan – Somerset v Gloucestershire – County Championship 2022 – 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th September – Taunton

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Gloucestershire. 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th September. Taunton.

Craig Overton and Jack Leach were unavailable for selection for this match due to being on international duty. James Hildreth had retired from professional cricket. Matthew Renshaw and Peter Siddle were no longer available as overseas players and were replaced by Imam-ul-Haq and Sajid Khan.

Somerset. Iman-ul-Haq, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L.P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, Sajid Khan, J.A. Brooks.

Gloucestershire. B.G. Charlesworth, M.S. Harris, O.J. Price, M.A.H. Hammond, J.R. Bracey (w), G.L. van Buuren (c), J.M.R. Taylor, T.J. Price, J. Shaw, D.A. Payne, A.S. Dale. 

Overnight. Gloucestershire 343. Somerset 209 for 8. Somerset trail by 134 with two first innings wickets standing.

Third day – Bemusement and the Gloucestershire caravan

This was a day of cricket which left every Somerset supporter I spoke to bemused but relieved. It was a day which moved at the pace of a desert caravan occasionally enlivened by an inexplicable burst of activity. With a first innings lead of 95, a poor forecast for the final day, and needing to win the match, Gloucestershire lost few wickets, but batted at barely two and a half runs an over. At one point, as if the caravan was passing through deep sand, they batted an hour for 19 runs. It had all the feel of a side which needed to win, batting determinedly for a draw.

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Somerset hold on – just – Somerset v Gloucestershire – County Championship 2022 – 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th September – Taunton – Second Day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Gloucestershire. 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th September. Taunton.

Craig Overton and Jack Leach were unavailable for selection for this match due to being on international duty. James Hildreth had retired from professional cricket. Matthew Renshaw and Peter Siddle were no longer available as overseas players and were replaced by Imam-ul-Haq and Sajid Khan.

Somerset. Iman-ul-Haq, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L.P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, Sajid Khan, J.A. Brooks.

Gloucestershire. B.G. Charlesworth, M.S. Harris, O.J. Price, M.A.H. Hammond, J.R. Bracey (w), G.L. van Buuren (c), J.M.R. Taylor, T.J. Price, J. Shaw, D.A. Payne, A.S. Dale. 

Overnight. Gloucestershire 320 for 6.

Second day – Somerset hold on – just

It was a day to sit in the top of the Trescothick Pavilion. Rain. Overnight and in the morning. The bane of the cricket watcher’s life, and if the forecast is to be believed, of this match. It took 45 minutes off the start of the second day, although only four overs were deducted because of the promise of an extra half hour at the end of the day. It is September though, and there is always a good chance that cloud, or even the early setting sun, will rob the match of at least some of its extra time. By the start, the sun was shining brightly despite swathes of rough white cloud which, as so often in such conditions, rarely seemed to hinder it. It was a sky to lift the spirit after the rain, although a glance at the unforgiving scoreboard was liable to deflate them again. Gloucestershire were in the ascendancy. Most in the ground on the second morning would have expected them to comfortably pass 350 from their overnight position, although the wicket of Marcus Harris late on the previous evening, conjured from a typically unexpected lifter from Jack Brooks, had removed Gloucestershire’s main threat.  

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W.G. has the edge – Somerset v Gloucestershire – County Championship 2022 – 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th September – Taunton – First Day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Gloucestershire. 5th, 6th, 7th  and 8th September. Taunton.

Craig Overton and Jack Leach were unavailable for selection for this match due to being on international duty. James Hildreth had retired from professional cricket. Matthew Renshaw and Peter Siddle were no longer available as overseas players and were replaced by Imam-ul-Haq and Sajid Khan. Tom Abell, with the long Championship interregnum since the game against Essex, was fit again.

Somerset. Iman-ul-Haq, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L.P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, Sajid Khan, J.A. Brooks.

Gloucestershire. B.G. Charlesworth, M.S. Harris, O.J. Price, M.A.H. Hammond, J.R. Bracey (w), G.L. van Buuren (c), J.M.R. Taylor, T.J. Price, J. Shaw, D.A. Payne, A.S. Dale. 

Toss. Somerset. Elected to field.

First day – W.G. has the edge

“I think that was the right decision,” someone who has played a lot of cricket said to me as the result of the toss was announced. As always, Somerset inserting the opposition left a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. The situation, however, was not straightforward. “Given the forecast,” repeated showers of varying degrees of severity across the four days, “I suppose inserting them gives us the best chance of taking early control of the match,” my reply. In addition to the chequered forecast, the sky was overcast and there was a tinge of green in the pitch. But I reminded myself: inserting the opposition takes the pressure off their batters and transfers it to our bowlers. “I am always uneasy when we insert the opposition,” I continued the discussion, my predisposition to the W.G. Grace view of the toss pressing on my mind, “because inserting the opposition seems to backfire rather more often than it works, even where it seems justified.” I don’t know if the statistics support that view, but my anecdotal memory does. Guildford 2018 and Headingley 2019 being two crushing, and Somerset season-defining, examples that scar the memory.

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Cheers of Relief – Warwickshire v Somerset – County Championship 2022 – September 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th – Edgbaston – Final Day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Warwickshire v Somerset. 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th September 2022. Edgbaston.

Jack Leach was unavailable for selection by Somerset due to being on international duty and Craig Overton had not fully recovered from his injury.

Warwickshire. D.P. Sibley, A.L. Davies, R.M. Yates, W.M.H. Rhodes (c), S.R. Hain, Y. Yadav, M.G.K. Burgess (w), D.R. Briggs, H.J.H. Brookes, M. Siraj, O.J. Hannon-Dalby.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, Iman-ul-Haq, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L. P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, Sajid Khan, J.A. Brooks.

Overnight. Somerset 219 and 277 for 4. Warwickshire 196. Somerset led by 300 runs with six second innings wickets standing.

Final day 15th September – Cheers of relief

Over three days of hard-fought cricket, Somerset had finally gained the ascendancy on the second half of the third day. As the players walked out on the fourth morning in bright sunshine and under large clumps of white cloud, the only question at issue was: when would Somerset’s declaration come? With good weather in prospect and the pitch showing little by way of demons, most expectations were of a draw. That would send Somerset into the penultimate round of matches eight points ahead of Warwickshire with, crucially, one win more. “Take the 12 points,” had been the general consensus among Somerset supporters on the third afternoon as conditions eased and Somerset built their advantage, although it had been difficult to suppress that whiff of anticipation.

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A Whiff of Anticipation – Warwickshire v Somerset – County Championship 2022 – 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th September – Edgbaston

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Warwickshire v Somerset. 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th September 2022. Edgbaston.

Jack Leach was unavailable for selection by Somerset due to being on international duty and Craig Overton had not fully recovered from his injury.

Warwickshire. D.P. Sibley, A.L. Davies, R.M. Yates, W.M.H. Rhodes (c), S.R. Hain, Y. Yadav, M.G.K. Burgess (w), D.R. Briggs, H.J.H. Brookes, M. Siraj, O.J. Hannon-Dalby.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, Iman-ul-Haq, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L. P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, Sajid Khan, J.A. Brooks.

Overnight. Somerset 219 and 13 for 2. Warwickshire 196. Somerset led by 36 runs with eight second innings wickets standing.

Third day 14th September – A whiff of anticipation

This was another day of two and a half runs an over cricket, slower than that at the start, quicker as the afternoon wore on. And yet, the cricket was totally absorbing. In cricket, Championship cricket in particular, context is all, and this match was played in the context of both teams being at serious risk of relegation to the Second Division. Neither could afford a defeat, and a victory would considerably ease the pressures on the winner. As the players took the field for the third day, a positive result, one way or the other seemed inevitable if the weather held, and that is precisely what the forecast promised.

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On the Edge of a Knife – Warwickshire v Somerset – County Championship 2022 – September 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th – Edgbaston

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Warwickshire v Somerset. 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th September 2022. Edgbaston.

Jack Leach was unavailable for selection by Somerset due to being on international duty and Craig Overton had not fully recovered from injury.

Warwickshire. D.P. Sibley, A.L. Davies, R.M. Yates, W.M.H. Rhodes (c), S.R. Hain, Y. Yadav, M.G.K. Burgess (w), D.R. Briggs, H.J.H. Brookes, M. Siraj, O.J. Hannon-Dalby.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, Imam-ul-Haq, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L. P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, Sajid Khan, J.A. Brooks.

Overnight. Somerset 182 for 8.

Second day 13th September – On the edge of a knife

The second day of this match ended with the two teams balanced precariously on the edge of a knife. Twenty-two wickets fell in the less than the five sessions of play which the weather permitted on the first two days. Six sessions remain, with the weather forecasters promising no further interruptions apart from those overs at the end of the day which are often the victims of bad light at this time of year. The weather interruptions to date have probably benefitted Warwickshire as they tended to return their pace bowlers fresh to the attack after enforced breaks. Set against that, the forecasters promise the best overhead batting conditions of the match for the third day during which Somerset will have to construct a lead sufficient for their bowlers to test the resilience of the Warwickshire batters on the final day.

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Somerset’s Most Important Victory – Somerset v Northamptonshire – County Championship 2022 – 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd September – Taunton – Final Day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Northamptonshire. 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd September 2022. Taunton.

Jack Leach was unavailable for selection for this match.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, Iman-ul-Haq, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L. P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, C. Overton, K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, Sajid Khan.

Northamptonshire. W.A. Young (c), E.N. Gay, L.A. Proctor, J.J. Cobb, R.I. Keogh, R.S. Vasconcelos (w), S.A. Zaib, T.A.I. Taylor, L.B. Williams, B.W. Sanderson, C. White.

Overnight. Somerset 389 and 277 for 1. Northamptonshire 265. Somerset lead by 401 runs with nine second innings wickets standing.

Final day 23rd September – Somerset’s most important victory

Sometimes a single incident shapes the day. The final day of this match was shaped by just such an incident. Northamptonshire had been set, what was effectively, a nominal 462 to beat Somerset. More realistically they had been left five and a half hours to bat if they were to draw the match. After five overs Northamptonshire were 14 for 0 with little evidence of trouble for the opening batters. There was every reason to expect a draw. The pitch appeared to hold few demons and Northamptonshire had constructed the success of their season on their ability to draw one match after another. The animated buzz in the crowd with which the Northamptonshire innings had begun was settling into the customary quiet chat of a Championship crowd enjoying the company of other spectators as much as the cricket.

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A Perfect Afternoon – Somerset v Northamptonshire – County Championship 2022 – 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd September – Third Day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Northamptonshire. 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd September 2022. Taunton.

Jack Leach was unavailable for selection for this match.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, Iman-ul-Haq, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L. P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, C. Overton, K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, Sajid Khan.

Northamptonshire. W.A. Young (c), E.N. Gay, L.A. Proctor, J.J. Cobb, R.I. Keogh, R.S. Vasconcelos (w), S.A. Zaib, T.A.I. Taylor, L.B. Williams, B.W. Sanderson, C. White.

Overnight. Somerset 389. Northamptonshire 184 for 6. Northamptonshire trail by 205 runs.

Third day. 22nd September – A perfect afternoon

“Yes!” the cry from the Hildreth Stand among an explosion of cheers for the fall of Saif Zaib’s wicket. It was the first ball of the day, and those still finding their seats had missed it. I had watched the field take its place, a meandering, undirected exercise which nevertheless ends up with the fielders where they should be. It says something of the concentration of first-class cricketers that they can amble onto the outfield at the start of play at not much above my circumnavigation speed while chatting amiably to one another and within a minute take a blinding catch.

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