Tag: v Surrey

“It ain’t gonna happen” – Surrey v Somerset – County Championship 2024 – Surrey v Somerset – 12th, 13th, 14th  and 15th April – The Oval.

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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 and 204 for 6. Surrey 428.  Surrey lead by 61 runs with four first innings wicket standing.

Final day. 15th April – “It ain’t gonna happen“

“It ain’t gonna happen,” were the words of the Somerset supporter with me at the end of the third day when I suggested that Somerset would have to bat at least until tea on the final day to have a chance of saving the match. It seemed a reasonable statement for him to make at the time. Somerset were six wickets down and only 61 runs ahead. Even on a flat pitch with the Kookaburra ball, the thought that Somerset’s last four wickets could bat for four hours or more on the final day was, as they say, for the birds. Perhaps it was. The pigeons which pick at the grass at the edges of the practice pitches in front of the Galadari Stand gave their wings a rest and stayed the entire final day as a slow-motion drama unfolded in front of them. As to spectators, most had voted with their feet. Leaving aside those sensibly hidden behind glass as winter had another swipe, by my count there were about two hundred in the ground, a far cry from the near four thousand of the first day. The match was, after all, essentially dead as a contest and if Somerset were to save it, it would be by dint of a substantial intervention by the weather. In the event, play began at ten minutes past twelve with 18 overs lost and the rain barely threatened again, but still, my Someret brain thought, it ain’t gonna happen.

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Overton v Overton – An hour to savour – Somerset v Surrey – County Championship 2023 – 25th, 26th, and 27th July – Taunton – Final day

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County Championship 2023. Division 1. Somerset v Surrey. 25th, 26th, and 27th July. Taunton.

Jack Leach (back), Roelof van der Merwe (hand), Josh Davey (rib) and Sonny Baker (back) were all unavailable.

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

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), D.P. Sibley, T.W.M. Latham, J.L. Smith, B.T. Foakes (w), W.G. Jacks, J. Clark, J. Overton, T. E. Lawes, A.A.P. Atkinson, D.J. Worral.

Overnight. Somerset 170. Surrey 368. Surrey lead by 198 runs.

Final day 27th July – Overton v Overton – an hour to savour

This was one of those days when life gets in the way of cricket. A medical appointment falling during the first hour of play meant the best way to minimise the amount of cricket I would miss was to watch as much of the morning play as I could on the live stream and then catch the bus to the cricket in the lunch interval. The first part of the plan worked to perfection, aided by my appointment falling in the middle of an 18-over rain break which sent the players off four balls after the morning had started. The second part of the plan worked less well. My bus was late reaching my end of its route, delayed by some emergency roadworks and then, going back the other way to take me to the cricket, ran into them again. It cost me the first 40 minutes of the afternoon session.

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Advantage Surrey – Somerset v Surrey – County Championship 2023 – 25th, 26th and 27th July. Taunton.

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County Championship 2023. Division 1. Somerset v Surrey. 25th, 26th and 27th July. Taunton.

Jack Leach (back), Roelof van der Merwe (hand), Josh Davey (rib) and Sonny Baker (back) were all unavailable.

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

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), D.P. Sibley, T.W.M. Latham, J.L. Smith, B.T. Foakes (w), W.G. Jacks, J. Clark, J. Overton, T. E. Lawes, A.A.P. Atkinson, D.J. Worral.

Overnight. Somerset 170. Surrey 138 for 4. Surrey trail by 32 runs with six first innings wickets standing.

Second day 26th July – Advantage Surrey

When the rains came during the middle of the afternoon they stopped this match neatly at its halfway point, in theory at least. If though, Somerset are to take it to the end of the final day, they will have to bat much better, and for considerably longer, than they did in their first innings. It seems unlikely that Surrey’s five-man pace attack, which so clinically dissected the Somerset batting , will bowl any less well the second time around. In the three hours or so of play that was possible on the second day, Surrey’s batters added 230 runs, 198 of those after they passed Somerset’s first innings total. By a curious mathematical coincidence, those 198 runs equated to two 99s for Surrey, one from Tom Latham and one from Will Jacks. For Somerset, there was an excellent afternoon spell from Matt Henry and a quietly incisive one from Ben Green. On the other side of the ledger, Craig Overton conceded 106 runs at five an over without reply and Kasey Aldridge, after some discussion, left the field with a side strain.

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A Sorry Tale – Somerset v Surrey – County Championship 2023 – 25th, 26th and 27th July – First Day

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County Championship 2023. Division 1. Somerset v Surrey. 25th, 26th and 27th July. Taunton.

Jack Leach, (back), Roelof van der Merwe (hand), Josh Davey 9rib) and Sonny Baker (back) were all unavailable.

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

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), D.P. Sibley, T.W.M. Latham, J.L. Smith, B.T. Foakes (w), W.G. Jacks, J. Clark, J. Overton, T. E. Lawes, A.A.P. Atkinson, D.J. Worral.

Toss. Somerset. Elected to bat.

First day 25th July – A sorry tale

I arrived at the Brian Rose Gates a quarter of an hour before the start and joined an ever-lengthening queue. Out to the road by The Brewhouse when I arrived. Along the road some way by the time my bag had been searched and I was in the ground. It is the first day of the school summer holidays and Surrey are the visitors. The weather was nicely inviting too after a poor forecast. High tufts of cotton wool cloud drifted across the sky accompanied by large patches of azure blue. The sun was warm, the breeze cool. In short: perfect cricket weather. There did not appear to be a significant number of spectators in the ground, but by midday it was clear this was the largest County Championship crowd since before the pandemic. A County Championship match in the school holidays against Surrey, with whom Somerset have had some memorable recent tussles, is still a major draw.

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An Outstanding Game of Cricket – Surrey v Somerset – County Championship 2022 – 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th April – The Oval

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Surrey v Somerset. 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th April 2022. The Oval.

Lewis Gregory was unavailable for selection by Somerset through injury.

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

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), R.S. Patel, H.M. Amla, O.J.D. Pope, B.T. Foakes (w), S.M. Curran, W.G. Jacks, J. Overton, J. Clark, J.P.A. Taylor, R.J.W. Topley.

Overnight. Somerset 337 and 196 for 9. Surrey 308. Somerset lead by 225 runs with one second innings wicket standing.

Fourth day 24th April – An outstanding game of cricket

It is still relatively early days in this Championship season. Only three rounds of matches have been played in a 14-match competition and some counties have only played two. However, the early-season table has a stark symmetry about it. The top five teams are all based at Test match grounds. The bottom five at non-Test grounds. The Test ground counties have between them won eight matches and lost one. The non-Test ground counties have won one and lost eight. The Test ground counties have 210 points between them. The non-Test ground counties have 105, precisely half. With the future of red-ball domestic cricket about to become the subject of a major review and with talk of moving to a structure where the ‘best play the best’, the current situation will be of concern to supporters of the smaller counties.

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“Why are they all wearing white?” – Surrey v Somerset – County Championship 2022 – 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th April – The Oval – Third Day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Surrey v Somerset. 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th April 2022. The Oval.

Lewis Gregory was unavailable for selection by Somerset through injury.

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

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), R.S. Patel, H.M. Amla, O.J.D. Pope, B.T. Foakes (w), S.M. Curran, W.G. Jacks, J. Overton, J. Clark, J.P.A. Taylor, R.J.W. Topley.

Overnight. Somerset 337. Surrey 204 for 5. Surrey trail by 133 runs with five first innings wickets standing.

Third day 23rd April – “Why are they all wearing white?”

“Why are they all wearing white?” It was a curious question to overhear at a Championship match as I sat square of the wicket with the gasometer over my right shoulder. A father was being quizzed by his young son about what was happening in front of them. It transpired it was the son’s first cricket match. He was curious because in his digital cricket game the players wore coloured clothing. The modern route into cricket perhaps. No longer the first sight coming on a visit to a county ground after school, or on a television broadcast, but in a game on a tablet, a smartphone, a laptop or relayed from any of those to a television screen. The world really is moving on. At the other extreme, as I walked behind the Galadari Stand before the start of play, a longstanding Somerset supporter without internet access asked, “Did we drop any catches yesterday?” Cue an explanation of Tom Banton’s two experiences with the flying ball.

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On a knife-edge – Surrey v Somerset – County Championship 2022 – 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th April – The Oval

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Surrey v Somerset. 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th April 2022. The Oval.

Lewis Gregory was unavailable for selection by Somerset through injury.

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

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), R.S. Patel, H.M. Amla, O.J.D. Pope, B.T. Foakes (w), S.M. Curran, W.G. Jacks, J. Overton, J. Clark, J.P.A. Taylor, R.J.W. Topley.

Overnight. Somerset 283 for 6.

Second day 22nd April – On a knife-edge

When Ollie Pope hooked Craig Overton high towards deep square leg it seemed that it was merely a continuation of the burgeoning Foakes-Pope partnership which had already added 80 runs to Surrey’s shaky 48 for 3 start in response to Somerset’s first innings 337. Tom Banton was running flat out along the boundary from deep midwicket towards the gasometer, but it looked like a hopelessly forlorn attempt to stop a boundary. Then, he took off, dived full length towards the falling ball, stretched out his hand and, unbelievably it seemed from my seat beyond the Vauxhall End sight screen, caught it one-handed, inches above the grass. Video replays do not do the catch justice. It looked far more spectacular in the flesh and, frankly, uncatchable.

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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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The Return of Jamie Overton – Somerset v Surrey – County Championship 2022 – 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th June – Taunton – First 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.

Toss. Somerset. Elected to bat.

First day 12th June – The return of Jamie Overton

If anyone needed a reminder of what Somerset might have missed when Jamie Overton left for Surrey two seasons ago, they received one if they were at the Cooper Associates County Ground on the first day of this match, and many were. Perhaps not as many as might have been present on a good pre-pandemic day, but not far short, and for a post-pandemic crowd it suggested the old cricket-watching habits are returning. In a piece of controlled, precise, destructive fast bowling Overton ripped the heart out of Somerset’s middle and lower order. Three wickets, two opposing pace bowlers forced to retire hurt, if only temporarily in the case of brother Craig, and pace rarely seen in the modern County Championship, the sum of his contribution. He was not alone in breaking the back of the Somerset batting. With less pace but similar accuracy, Dan Worrall and Gus Atkinson formed the perfect backdrop against which Overton struck, each taking three wickets of their own. Somerset, largely courtesy of three of their own pace bowlers, two hobbled by Jamie Overton en route, scrabbled their way to 180 on a pitch which, with Surrey 56 for 1 at the close, looked to have had significantly more runs than that to offer.

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An almighty fightback – but just one point – Somerset v Surrey – County Championship 2022 – Division 1 – 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th June – Taunton – Final 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 and 319 for 8. Surrey 382. Somerset lead by 117 runs with two second innings wickets standing.

Final day 15th June – An almighty fightback – but just one point

The moment of the day was the sight of Jamie Smith’s off stump being sent cartwheeling by Kasey Aldridge and the delight from the bowler which followed. This was Aldridge’s second Championship match as a playing substitute and his third in all. He had finished the first two matches wicketless. He had finally taken his first first-class wicket in the first innings of this match, and another to break Surrey’s racing opening partnership in this innings. Now, the sight of that stump careering out of the ground set the Somerset blood coursing, for here was a young man making a mark. Cheers rent the air, for with three wickets in two overs Aldridge and Roelof van der Merwe had stopped a Surrey team hurtling towards a crushing victory in its tracks. “There may be only two or three hundred here,” someone said, “but what a noise they are making, what an atmosphere they are creating.” It was three quarters of an hour into the afternoon session, Surrey were 70 for 3 and the spark of Somerset hope had been kindled. Fifteen minutes earlier, With Surrey on 65 for 0, scored at five runs an over, a target of 193 had seemed only a few skips down the wicket away and the cheers were coming from the small enclave of Surrey supporters in the Lord Ian Botham Stand.

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Tom Abell – Somerset’s Eddystone Rock – Surrey v Somerset – County Championship 2022 – 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th April – The Oval – First Day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Surrey v Somerset. 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th April 2022. The Oval.

Lewis Gregory and Sonny Baker were unavailable for selection by Somerset through injury.

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

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), R.S. Patel, H.M. Amla, O.J.D. Pope, B.T. Foakes (w), S.M. Curran, W.G. Jacks, J. Overton, J. Clark, J.P.A. Taylor, R.J.W. Topley.

Toss. Somerset. Elected to bat.

First day 21st April – Tom Abell – Somerset’s Eddystone rock

There are more obvious places to stay in London than Greenwich if the purpose of your visit is to watch Somerset at The Oval. They are both in South London, but South London is a big place and there is quite a lot of it between the two. There is some consolation I suppose if the road that runs alongside your hotel is called Waller Way. I wonder what he did to impress himself upon the citizens of the meridian? However, part of the expanse of South London that lies between Greenwich and The Oval, if you are dependent on public transport, is London Bridge Station. Ten minutes by train from Greenwich and 15 minutes by bus from The Oval. And so, with accommodation in Greenwhich rated at barely half the price of accommodation nearer at hand, Greenwich it was.

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An Unexpected Turn of Events – Surrey v Somerset – County Championship 2021 – The Oval – 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th July – Final Day

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County Championship Group 2. Surrey v Somerset. 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th July 2021. The Oval.

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), M.D. Stoneman, H.M. Amla, J.L. Smith (w), R.S. Patel, J. Clark, J. Overton, R. Clarke, R. Ashwin, D.T. Moriarty, G.S. Virdi.

Somerset. D.P. Conway, S.M. Davies (w), T.A. Lammonby, J.C. Hildreth (c), L.P. Goldsworthy, G.A. Bartlett, R.E. van der Merwe, B.G.F. Green, M. de Lange, J.A. Brooks. M.J. Leach.

Overnight. Somerset 429. Surrey 239 for 8. Surrey trail by 190 runs with two first innings standing.

Final day 14th July – An unexpected turn of events

The unpredictability of cricket never ceases to surprise. At the start of the final morning, Surrey added one more run while Somerset took the final two Surrey wickets. Van der Merwe and Leach ended with four and six wickets respectively. Moriarty was trapped leg before wicket by van der Merwe and Virdi by Jack Leach. Nothing out of the ordinary thus far, although Somerset supporters would have been pleased, and Surrey ones disappointed, at the speed with which the final two wickets fell. The players left the field to applause from the small, well spread-out crowd. Expectant applause from Somerset supporters, more anxious from Surrey ones. The prospect of a tense Surrey rearguard was on everyone’s minds as they faced a deficit of 189 runs on a pitch now enabling the spinners to ask serious questions. 

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A Battle of Attrition – Surrey v Somerset – County Championship 2021 – 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th July – The Oval – Third Day

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County Championship Group 2. Surrey v Somerset. 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th July 2021. The Oval.

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), M.D. Stoneman, H.M. Amla, J.L. Smith (w), R.S. Patel, J. Clark, J. Overton, R. Clarke, R. Ashwin, D.T. Moriarty, G.S. Virdi.

Somerset. D.P. Conway, S.M. Davies (w), T.A. Lammonby, J.C. Hildreth (c), L.P. Goldsworthy, G.A. Bartlett, R.E. van der Merwe, B.G.F. Green, M. de Lange, J.A. Brooks. M.J. Leach.

Overnight. Somerset 429. Surrey 24 for 0. Surrey trail by 405 runs with all first innings wickets standing.

Third day 13th July – A battle of attrition

This was a day for which Jack Leach must have yearned over the previous two months. At the start of the match he had not bowled a red ball in anger since 9th May. The interim consisted of time in the England coronavirus protective bubble without playing any cricket, a batch of Vitality Blast T20 matches of which he played one, and a period in precautionary isolation during which he was restricted to practicing with a tennis ball in his garden. Such was the preparation which brought him into this match. He ended the third day with figures of 33-19-42-5. It was an exceptional effort and put the icing on the cake of Somerset’s qualification for the first division of the second phase of the 2021 County Championship, an eight-point pitch regulations penalty from 2019 being swept away in the process. 

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A Day of Changing Moods and Rhythms – Surrey v Somerset – County Championship 2021 – 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th July – The Oval – Second Day

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County Championship Group 2. Surrey v Somerset. 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th July 2021. The Oval.

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), M.D. Stoneman, H.M. Amla, J.L. Smith (w), R.S. Patel, J. Clark, J. Overton, R. Clarke, R. Ashwin, D.T. Moriarty, G.S. Virdi.

Somerset. D.P. Conway, S.M. Davies (w), T.A. Lammonby, J.C. Hildreth (c), L.P. Goldsworthy, G.A. Bartlett, R.E. van der Merwe, B.G.F. Green, M. de Lange, J.A. Brooks. M.J. Leach.

Overnight. Somerset 280 for 6.

Second day 12th July – A day of changing moods and rhythms

Somerset further strengthened their grip on qualification for the first division of the second phase of the 2021 County Championship when Roelof van der Merwe pushed Ravi Ashwin straight of mid-on for a single to gather Somerset’s third batting point. It came in the 108th over of the innings and so left them needing two bowling points to be mathematically certain. When Hampshire ended the day still 130 runs short of five batting points with only five wickets and 16 of the first 110 overs remaining it seemed unlikely Somerset would need more than one bowling point. In the wider context, there had been news on the first day that Kent had had to replace their entire team because of COVID issues. On the second day, the Derbyshire v Essex match was abandoned due to the Derbyshire team being withdrawn from the match for the same reason. That, and fast-rising numbers of COVID infections nationally, caused some to ask if the second phase of the Championship might be similarly affected, or even take place at all.

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Hildreth Shapes the Day – Surrey v Somerset – County Championship 2021 – The Oval – 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th July – First Day

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This match was played with socially distanced allocated seating due to the coronavirus regulations.

County Championship Group 2. Surrey v Somerset. 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th July 2021. The Oval.

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), M.D. Stoneman, H.M. Amla, J.L. Smith (w), R.S. Patel, J. Clark, J. Overton, R. Clarke, R. Ashwin, D.T. Moriarty, G.S. Virdi.

Somerset. D.P. Conway, S.M. Davies (w), T.A. Lammonby, J.C. Hildreth (c), L.P. Goldsworthy, G.A. Bartlett, R.E. van der Merwe, B.G.F. Green, M. de Lange, J.A. Brooks. M.J. Leach.

Toss. Somerset. Elected to bat.

First day 11th July – Hildreth shapes the day

Sitting high in the Peter May Stand square of the wicket was a joy to gladden the heart even with the wicket pitched nearly a hundred yards away with a grey, if unthreatening, overcast sky and a crowd spread far and wide by social distancing. The great gasometer, empty and unused these days, stood as a silent monument to generations of cricketers past. It had already stood in its present form for 34 years when in 1926 Somerset’s Jack White, coming on to bowl the eighth over of the Surrey first innings, took 7 for 42 in three balls over 36 overs with his orthodox slow left arm bowling. Only Jack Hobbs, with 70 out of a Surrey total of 136, stood long against him.

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“For the rain it raineth every day” – Somerset v Surrey – County Championship 2021 – Taunton – Day 3

'farmer white'

This match was played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus restrictions in place. This report was therefore written following a day watching Somerset CCC’s live stream of the match, without which this report would not have been possible. The stream was watched with the commentary muted and with notes being taken to enable the author to replicate as far as possible his experience of watching matches live.

County Championship Group 2. Somerset v Surrey. 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th May 2021. Taunton.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, E.J. Byrom, T.B. Abell (c), J.C. Hildreth, G.A. Bartlett, L.P. Goldsworthy, T. Banton (w), L. Gregory, R.E. van der Merwe, J.H. Davey, M. de Lange.

Surrey. R.J. Burns, M.D. Stoneman, H.M. Amla, O.J.D. Pope, B.T. Foakes, J.L. Smith, W.G. Jacks, J. Clark, J. Overton, R. Clarke, K.A.J. Roach.

Overnight. Surrey 191 for 4.

Third day 15th May – “For the rain it raineth every day”

“For the rain it raineth every day,” or so Feste’s song ends Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Those words may well serve as an epitaph for this match barring some miraculous change in the forecast for the final day. Even if the heavens were to relent it would take a miracle of outlandish proportions, which even Shakespeare might have blanched at employing as a plot device, for Surrey to win this match, and even in the realms of fantasy Somerset’s horizons are now limited to bonus points and a draw.

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Advantage Surrey – Somerset v Surrey – County Championship 2021 – Taunton – Day 2

'farmer white'

This match was played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus restrictions in place. This report was therefore written following a day watching Somerset CCC’s live stream of the match, without which this report would not have been possible. The stream was watched with the commentary muted and with notes being taken to enable the author to replicate as far as possible his experience of watching matches live.

County Championship Group 2. Somerset v Surrey. 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th May 2021. Taunton.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, E.J. Byrom, T.B. Abell (c), J.C. Hildreth, G.A. Bartlett, L.P. Goldsworthy, T. Banton (w), L. Gregory, R.E. van der Merwe, J.H. Davey, M. de Lange.

Surrey. R.J. Burns, M.D. Stoneman, H.M. Amla, O.J.D. Pope, B.T. Foakes, J.L. Smith, W.G. Jacks, J. Clark, J. Overton, R. Clarke, K.A.J. Roach.

Overnight. No play. Rain.

Toss. Somerset. Elected to field.

Second day 14th May – Advantage Surrey

Eighty-six millimetres of rain fell at Dunkeswell in the Blackdowns, beginning during the evening before this match was due to start, through the night and on through most of the first day. When play was abandoned just after lunch, pools had formed, including large ones in front of the Colin Atkinson Pavilion deep enough to provide clear reflections. Despite a huge amount of work from the ground staff, visible on the Somerset CCC live stream during the morning, play could not begin until two o’clock on the second day. As the match started, another 40 millimetres or so of rain was forecast to fall over its remainder. It was not a surprise therefore that when Somerset won the toss they elected to field.

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Of Finch and spin

'farmer white'

T20. Surrey v Somerset. 27th August 2019. The Oval.

Surrey. A.J. Finch, M.D. Stoneman, S.M. Curran, O.J. Pope, W.G. Jacks, J. Clark, B.T. Foakes (w), R.S. Patel, J.W. Dernbach, G.J. Batty, Imran Tahir. 

Somerset. Babar Azam, T. Banton (w), J.C. Hildreth, E.J. Byrom, T.B. Abell (c), T.A. Lammonby, R.E. van der Merwe, C. Overton, T. Groenewald, J.E. Taylor, M.T.C. Waller. 

Toss. Somerset. Elected to bat.

Of Finch and spin

I always approach the Oval with foreboding for a T20 match although not for the Championship or 50 over cricket. In fact, after Taunton, the Peter May Stand is, alongside the Hollies Stand at Edgbaston, one of my two favourite places to watch Championship cricket. It’s just T20 at the Oval. For Somerset always seem to lose there. I am sure Somerset must have won a T20 match at the Oval but I don’t recall it happening when I have been there. Aaron Finch was playing in this match too and he has T20 ‘form’ against Somerset. That I have seen. Two years ago at the Oval, Somerset lost by four runs. Finch made 61. Somerset sank to 106 for 8 chasing 181 with five and a half overs to go. Then Corey Anderson launched one of the most astonishing T20 batting assaults I have ever seen. Anderson, batting at seven because he had been off the field with an injury, reached 80 from 44 balls to leave Somerset needing eight to win from four. The left-handed Anderson drove to long on in front of the OCS Stand and raced back towards the Pavilion End aiming for a second run in an attempt to keep the strike. Finch fielded and in a brilliant combination of a cool head and an outstanding piece of cricket threw unerringly to the keeper. Anderson was run out and Surrey won by four runs. More of Finch later. Read More »

The three ‘B’s and the men from Truro

'farmer white'

T20. Somerset v Surrey. 2nd August 2019. Taunton.

Somerset. Babar Azam, T. Banton (w), E.J. Byrom, J.C. Hildreth, T.B. Abell (c), T.A. Lammonby, R.E. van der Merwe, C. Overton, J. M.T.C. Waller, J.E. Taylor. 

Surrey. W.G. Jacks, A.J. Finch (c), S.M. Curran, O.J. Pope, T.K. Curran, J. Clark, B.T. Foakes (w), J.L. Smith, R. Clarke, G.J. Batty, Imran Tahir. 

Toss. Somerset. Elected to field.

Cricket on fire – The three ‘B’s and the men from Truro

As Eddie Byrom walked out to bat I was looking down at my scorecard to see from where, in the absence of Gregory, Somerset’s final explosive charge might come. I was looking in the wrong place. There is a feeling that Somerset have missed Corey Anderson’s soaring sixes this year. They may be missed no more. Byrom, on T20 debut, was a revelation of Damascene proportions. The barnacle-like opening batsman of 2018 had been transformed into an incandescent purveyor of batting pyrotechnics. In future when he comes to the wicket T20 bowlers might do well to heed the age-old warning: ‘light blue touch paper and retire’.Read More »