County Championship 2025. Division 1. Essex v Somerset 24^th, 25^th, 26^th and 27^th September. Chelmsford.

Tom Abell was unavailable for selection under the ECB concussion regulations, Alfie Ogborne due to a back injury and J.T. Langridge due to a side injury. 

Somerset. A.M. Vaughan, J.F. Thomas, T.A. Lammonby, J.E.K. Rew (w), T. Kohler-Cadmore, L.P. Goldsworthy, K.L. Aldridge, C. Overton, L. Gregory (c), M.J. Leach, J.T. Ball..

Essex. D. Elgar, P.I. Walter, T. Westley (c), C.W.J. Allison, M.J.J. Critchley, M.S. Pepper (w), N.R.M. Thain, S.R. Harmer, D.A.J. Bracewell, C.E. Bennett, J.A. Porter. 

Overnight. Somerset 433. Essex 295 for 2.

Third day – The day darkens the mood

Craig Overton led the Somerset bowlers as they took the last eight Essex first innings wickets for 138 runs to reduce them from their overnight 295 for 2 to 438 all out, just five runs more than Somerset’s 433. With only a day and a half remaining that seemed to leave little prospect of a result. But what followed in the remainder of the afternoon and an evening session shortened by some Stygian light which would have served perfectly as a backdrop for a scene in a Dracula film transformed the match. It was as dark a light as I have seen cricket played in, at least as viewed from the covered seating in the Felsted Stand. It soon developed an eerie quality which reflected Somerset’s progress in the match when the floodlights were switched on nine overs before tea.

County Championship 2025. Division 1. Essex v Somerset ire 24^th, 25^th, 26^th and 27^th September. Chelmsford.

Tom Abell was unavailable for selection under the ECB concussion regulations, Alfie Ogborne due to a back injury and J.T. Langridge due to a side injury. 

Somerset. A.M. Vaughan, J.F. Thomas, T.A. Lammonby, J.E.K. Rew (w), T. Kohler-Cadmore, L.P. Goldsworthy, K.L. Aldridge, C. Overton, L. Gregory (c), M.J. Leach, J.T. Ball..

Essex. D. Elgar, P.I. Walter, T. Westley (c), C.W,J. Allison, M.J.J. Critchley, M.S. Pepper (w), N.R.M. Thain, S.R. Harmer, D.A.J. Bracewell, C.E. Bennett, J.A. Porter. 

Toss. Somerset. Elected to bat.

First day – Even stevens

“You are one down,” said the gate steward when he saw my Somerset hat. “Jamie Porter removed Archie Vaughan.” That was the bad news. But then there was better. “Thomas is going very well. You won the toss. We need a draw so this should be a good batting pitch. Good toss to win.” When, bag searched, I entered the ground, Josh Thomas was indeed going well. By the time I reached my seat in the Felsted Stand opposite the Pavilion and square of the crease at the Graham Gooch End, historically the Hayes Close End, Somerset were 47 for 1 at the end of the 12^th over. Thomas 33 from 37 balls. Tom Lammonby, who had replaced Archie Vaughan, 6. Two more fours from Thomas quickly followed, driven through the covers in the 13^th over off 19-year-old Charlie Bennett’s right-arm fast medium, Bennett bowling in his second first-class match. Vaughan had been out driving, caught knee-high, one-handed, to his left by Paul Walter fielding at the third slip of four with the score on 20. Vaughan 8.

County Championship 2025. Division 1. Essex v Somerset 24^th, 25^th, 26^th and 27^th September. Chelmsford.

Tom Abell was unavailable for selection under the ECB concussion regulations, Alfie Ogborne due to a back injury and J.T. Langridge due to a side injury. 

Somerset. A.M. Vaughan, J.F. Thomas, T.A. Lammonby, J.E.K. Rew (w), T. Kohler-Cadmore, L.P. Goldsworthy, K.L. Aldridge, C. Overton, L. Gregory (c), M.J. Leach, J.T. Ball..

Essex. D. Elgar, P.I. Walter, T. Westley (c), C.W,J. Allison, M.J.J. Critchley, M.S. Pepper (w), N.R.M. Thain, S.R. Harmer, D.A.J. Bracewell, C.E. Bennett, J.A. Porter. 

Overnight. Somerset 433 and 99. Essex 438. Essex need 95 runs to win.

Final day – Somerset push to the end

An Essex victory was not in doubt when the day began. Nor was the fact that the match would be over in good time for the teams and spectators to take an early lunch. Even so, a crowd of several hundred put in an appearance to cheer Essex over the line, and, hopeless cause or not, Somerset pushed to the end. The first ball of the second over, bowled from the Graham Gooch End by Lewis Gregory, struck Dean Elgar, one of Essex’s two first innings centurions, on the pad and sent him back to the Pavilion leg before wicket without scoring. It did nothing though to dent the expectation of an Essex victory. Even when Gregory and Overton repeatedly beat the bat despite the Essex batters advancing up the pitch to combat the lateral movement, the sense of inevitability about the outcome did not diminish.

County Championship 2025. Division 1. Somerset v Essex. 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th May. Taunton.

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

Essex. D. Elgar, P.I. Walter, T. Westley (c), J.M. Cox, M.J.J. Critchley, M.S. Pepper (w), N.R.M. Thain, S.R. Harmer, S.J. Cook, C.A.K. Rajitha, J.A. Porter.

Overnight. Essex 206 and 163 for 4. Somerset 145. Essex lead by 224 runs with six second innings wickets standing.

Third day – Of omens and reality

When Jordan Cox reached 98 in the Essex second innings, he and Michael Pepper had added 71 for the fifth wicket, Essex had a lead of 291 and, with lunch an hour away, the only question in the air was, “How long will Essex bat?” Then, Cox took the quickest of singles off Jack Leach, bowling from the River End. Too quick. He had to complete the run by diving, virtually flying, full length at the non-striker’s end, landing with an excruciatingly painful-looking thud. He clutched his side and lay prone, not moving. Gradually players, umpires and support staff gathered around him as he continued to lie motionless on the ground. The break in play was worryingly long. “This doesn’t look good at all,” said the person next to me. Cox had been holding or clutching his side when running for some time, but eventually he stood up and, after another extended wait, prepared to continue. It was the longest break in play for an injured player who did not leave the field that I could recall. Two overs later, Cox reverse swept Leach square to the Caddick boundary, clutched his side again and acknowledged the extended applause for a century scored from 155 balls. At the end of the over, he gave way to his injury and retired with Essex on 246 for 4, a lead of 307 on a pitch still providing some help for the spinners.

County Championship 2025. Division 1. Somerset v Essex. 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th May. Taunton.

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

Essex. D. Elgar, P.I. Walter, T. Westley (c), J.M. Cox, M.J.J. Critchley, M.S. Pepper (w), N.R.M. Thain, S.R. Harmer, S.J. Cook, C.A.K. Rajitha, J.A. Porter.

Overnight. Essex 206 and 259. Somerset 145 and 216 for 6. Somerset need 105 runs to win with four second innings wickets standing

Final day – This might just happen

When Craig Overton doesn’t reach the boundary until the 92nd ball of his innings you know something is afoot. And something was afoot at the County Ground on the final morning of this match. With two hours play the most that could be expected, and perhaps no more than half an hour, in a bitterly cold wind if it found your seat, perhaps seven hundred and fifty people gathered to watch the dénouement of this match. At the start, Somerset needed another 105 runs to win with four wickets standing in a low-scoring match. At the end of the third day, most I spoke to had thought those odds, plus a new ball due after 12 overs, heavily favoured Essex. But cricket is about more than odds and statistics. It is also about strength of will if you have a bat or a ball in your hand, and intuition if you have a seat beyond the boundary. As people walked to their homes, buses, cars or trains on the evening of the third day after a long recovery from 78 for 5 to 216 for 6, a still, small voice must have been whispering in their heads, “Something is afoot. This might just happen.” In response, the brain would have quoted the odds and Somerset’s catastrophic collapses on the first day at Southampton, the final day at The Oval and twice in this match. And yet, that bit of intuition seeded by that long third day recovery by Lewis Gregory, James Rew and Craig Overton will have kept insisting, “Something is afoot. This might just happen.”

County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Essex 3rd and 4th May. Taunton.

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

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

Essex. N.L.J. Browne, D. Elgar, T. Westley (c), J.M. Cox, M.J.J. Critchley, N.R.M. Thain, H.G. Duke (w), S.R. Harmer, S. Snater, S.J. Cook, J.A. Porter.

Toss. Somerset. Elected to field.

First day 3rd May – Push and counter push

We were no nearer knowing where this match might end up at the end of the day than we had been at the beginning. Except that it would take something extraordinary, or a major incursion from the weather, for there not to be a victory for one side or the other. Essex ended the day 34 runs ahead with all their second innings wickets standing which, in the context of a day in which 20 wickets had fallen, gave them the edge. But, with the imponderables arising from a close match and a spicy pitch with a reputation for becoming easier as a match wore on, it was not enough of an edge for Essex supporters to relax as they left the ground.

County Championship 2023. Essex v Somerset. 11^th,12^th, 14^th and 15^th June. Chelmsford.

Essex. N.L.J. Browne, Sir A.N. Cook, T. Westley (c), P.I. Walter, M.J.J. Critchley, B.M.J. Allison, F.I.N. Khushi, S.R. Harmer, W.E.L. Buttleman (w), S.J. Cook, J.A. Porter.

Somerset. S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, T. Kohler-Cadmore, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, C. Overton, M.J. Henry, J.H. Davey, S. Bashir.

Overnight. Essex 462 and 170 for 7 dec. Somerset 167 and 172 for 4. Somerset need 294 more runs to win with six second innings wickets standing.

Final day 13th June – A day of inevitability

The day began with the crowd standing motionless and silent for one minute. The teams and support staff stood in formal lines in front of the Pavilion. The silence, which was total, was in remembrance of three people murdered in Nottingham in an act of terrorism the previous day. Two were students, one with connections to Somerset CCC and one with previous connections with Essex CCC. It had been a chilling incident and people were visibly moved. The team flags remained at half-mast throughout the day to honour those who had died.

The silence had come while I was in mid walk to my seat and I stood where I was when it was called, behind the Tom Pearce Stand. As I completed my walk, Tom Abell turned Simon Harmer, who had opened the bowling from the River End, behind square for four. It began a partnership with James Rew who had replaced Tom Kohler-Cadmore, after what became the final ball of the pervious day. Both Rew and Abell are capable of batting defensively for long periods and it looked as if they were trying to settle in for the long haul, although, if a ball was there to be hit, it went to the boundary.

County Championship 2023. Division 1. Essex v Somerset. 11^th,12^th, 14^th and 15^th June. Chelmsford.

Essex. N.L.J. Browne, Sir A.N. Cook, T. Westley (c), P.I. Walter, M.J.J. Critchley, B.M.J. Allison, F.I.N. Khushi, S.R. Harmer, W.E.L. Buttleman (w), S.J. Cook, J.A. Porter.

Somerset. S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, T. Kohler-Cadmore, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, C. Overton, M.J. Henry, J.H. Davey, S. Bashir.

Overnight. Essex 462 and 15 for 1. Somerset 167. Essex lead by 310 runs with nine second innings wickets standing.

Third day 13th June – “You never know”

The third day of this match provided an example of how cricket supporters of opposing sides can both view the same proceedings with hope on one side and trepidation on the other when the state of the match suggests the feelings of each should be the reverse. Support for county cricket teams is so much a part of many supporters’ being that during matches rationality can give way to emotion as a match unfolds. I returned to the Felsted Stand, shade and the familiarity of three decades of sitting there to watch Essex play Somerset during my extended eastern exile overriding all other considerations. Familiarity of surroundings is another aspect of County Championship attendance. A high proportion of County Championship watchers can be found, day after day, sitting in the same seats they have for years, and with the same friends.

County Championship 2023. Division 1. Essex v Somerset. 11^th,12^th, 14^th and 15^th June. Chelmsford.

Essex. N.L.J. Browne, Sir A.N. Cook, T. Westley (c), P.I. Walter, M.J.J. Critchley, B.M.J. Allison, F.I.N. Khushi, S.R. Harmer, W.E.L. Buttleman (w), S.J. Cook, J.A. Porter.

Somerset. S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, T. Kohler-Cadmore, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, C. Overton, M.J. Henry, J.H. Davey, S. Bashir.

Overnight. Essex 360 for 4.

Second day 12th June – Essex consolidate their advantage

There was a spectacular start for Somerset, and it was a much more even day between the sides than the first, but those 360 first day runs hung over Somerset all day. As I made my way towards the Felsted Stand, Craig Overton ran in from the Hayes Close End to bowl the third ball of the morning to the nightwatch, Ben Allison. Allison, cramped by the ball, tried to push forward, but the ball uprooted the off stump. Is there a greater sight on a cricket ground than a stump being uprooted by a quick bowler with fire in his stride? Essex 361 for 5. Allison 4.

County Championship 2023. Division 1. Essex v Somerset. 11^th,12^th, 14^th and 15^th June. Chelmsford.

Essex. N.L.J. Browne, Sir A.N. Cook, T. Westley (c), P.I. Walter, M.J.J. Critchley, B.M.J. Allison, F.I.N. Khushi, S.R. Harmer, W.E.L. Buttleman (w), S.J. Cook, J.A. Porter.

Somerset. S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, T. Kohler-Cadmore, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, C. Overton, M.J. Henry, J.H. Davey, S. Bashir.

Toss. Essex. Elected to bat.

First day 11th June – Cook and Critchley put Essex in control

Somerset had not won the toss in a Championship match at Chelmsford since 2004 when both teams were in the Second Division. They have not won a Championship match at Chelmsford since 2007. As a result of that victory, they were promoted to the First Division. It was in the days of my eastern exile, and I had chosen it as my one Championship match of the season. Since 2004 the two sides have met in the Championship at Chelmsford on five occasions. Tom Abell had no more luck with the toss than either he or his predecessors had done. With Alistair Cook’s runs and Simon Harmer’s wickets on their side and their record of victories at Chelmsford batting first, against any side, it came as no surprise to arrive to find Essex had elected to bat first on a hot, sunny morning. Neither did it come as a surprise to find the pitch and outfield looking like a dying desert. In fact, the pitch, from ground level, looked like it had been bleached. Full of runs to start, with turn later, was my immediate thought. I know little of pitches, but that is always my reaction to a white one at Chelmsford.