Somerset v Essex, Bob Willis Trophy Final, Lords, September 23rd to 27th 2020
It is funny in sport how you go through phases when your team seems to constantly be head to head with one opponent. In my early days supporting Somerset it was always Lancashire and it wasn’t fair. Somerset, the plucky underdogs, would win a couple of games in the Gillette Cup, progress to the quarter or semi-finals and then come up against the then might of the Red Rose.
It was, there’s no making any bones about it, an unfair match up. Lancashire had the cricketing equivalent of the Galacticos at the time and were dominant in the 60-over knock out competition in the 1970s. Their star was a star for the ages, Clive Hubert Lloyd, a man who just by his presence in the field captivated me with his seeming super-human athleticism. How I yearned for Somerset to have such a superstar. How I ached for Somerset to be sprinkled with such stardust.
My 10-year-old self would probably have exploded if I could have foreseen that within the decade Somerset would dominate one-day cricket in such a way and possess within their ranks Lloyd’s rightful heir as ruler of West Indies and world cricket.
I mention this because it seems to me that the protagonists of this (hopefully) unique occasion this week are destined to face each other in the key games of this era. The two sides have much in common but will play a game the like of which we have never seen in English first-class cricket.
Essex were like Somerset, for most of their existence, country bumkins in the eyes of the cricketing establishment. Until Keith Fletcher moulded them into a tough uncompromising winning unit. Somerset were on a similar trajectory at the same time being transformed into a competitive and ultimately winning outfit by the even tougher and more uncompromising Brian Close. They would between them achieve much success in the late seventies and early eighties but rarely did their paths collide in finals or top of the table clashes with Essex, largely, being the masters of the three-day game, Somerset the one-day.
There was one occasion in 1978 when the two did come together. The Gillette Cup semi-final at Taunton, a game which finished in such confusion that Viv Richards was in tears in the dressing room after the game thinking Essex had won. The scores finished tied with Essex wicketkeeper Neil Smith being run out going for the third (winning) run off the last ball. Somerset won by virtue of having lost fewer wickets. I can still see Brian Rose, from my vantage point in the old River Stand, chasing the ball through backward point, turning, throwing and Derek Taylor completing the run out. It was close, many around us thought, like Viv, that we had lost. But I had one of those calm moments when I saw the umpire’s finger go up and knew we were going to Lords.
All of that last-ball drama seemed to happen in the slowest of slow motion.
We would have to wait another year to lift our first ever trophy, losing to Lords that September but for some reason I recall the Essex semi-final of the year before as clearly as I did the final the following season.
The two counties now occupy a very similar “space” in domestic cricket. Both have developed their own talent with strong academies, both have a large catchment area of non-first-class counties surrounding them, both are have-nots in the brave new ECB led world of franchise cricket. But Essex have been far more successful in domestic red-ball cricket than Somerset, startlingly so.
Essex have won the Championship eight times since their first in 1979 (a year in which Somerset and Essex shared the four trophies equally) while Somerset continue to wait. Conversely, Somerset have proudly been in the top division longer than any other while Essex only returned to the top division in 2017 having been out of the elite since 2010. They have though won the title twice in the three years since they returned, and Essex have by far the better head to head in four-day cricket in that recent past
The supporters of both sides are so familiar with each other by now that it would be tiresome to analyse the opposition. Instead let’s look at the ethos of the two clubs to see how they are both very alike and very different.
It is the respective underlying philosophies of the two clubs which to me to set them apart. Both are tough uncompromising outfits, but one has a win at all costs mentality while the other is of a more rounded disposition. Tom Abell leads a side which plays cricket the right way and are better for it.
I know Essex supporters will jump straight onto the Ciderabad issues but the occupants of that particular glass house would do well to hold onto their stones, Chelmsford is no blameless home. While Essex have a new captain this year the actions of the current incumbent’s predecessor at Taunton last September were, I believe, far from acceptable. I fail to see how the umpires allowed him to participate in their frequent pitch inspections on the third and fourth days. Tom Abell it should be noted kept a respectful distance throughout.
A couple of weeks ago Mr D Topley, of that easter parish, jumped head-first into a twitter debate with the (he no doubt thought it witty) description of Anthony Gibson as “one-eyed Ant”. While the BBC Somerset cricket commentator is rightly partial, as are the majority of his colleagues, to make such an accusation smacks of hypocrisy of the highest order. Mr Topley is I believe by far the most one-sided of his brethren.
I have written contemporaneously both here and in the “other place” before of my concern that Somerset were treading too close to a dangerous line with their pitch preparation. On that basis I feel I am able to speak with some authority and with both eyes firmly open.
What Mr Topley, and many of a similar seaaxed persuasion, fail to acknowledge is that while the Somerset had a less than blemished record for pitch preparation in the two years leading up to the final game of last year they knew they were in the last chance saloon and could afford no more misdemeanours. The weather leading up to the game wrecked the preparation time and the surface was a consequence of that.
But that was not good enough for Essex. Having conducted themselves with great respect while accepting the trophy they could not resist twisting the knife by complaining about the pitch in the aftermath. Why? If they had been pipped to the title you’d understand it but they had won out and were rightly crowned champions. We will never know if the ECB would have proceeded down a similar route but there is no doubt that Essex’s protest was sufficient to ensure a penalty was imposed.
While it amazes me that Chelmsford continues to escape censure, I would consider it a very dark day if Somerset were to carry out a reciprocal action in similar circumstances. Essex, like Somerset, possess a potent bowling attack, one which is capable of out bowling the majority of other sides in first class cricket. Neither need to bias pitches to far toward the bowlers.
The only conclusion I can draw is that Essex see Somerset as a real threat and want to gain every possible advantage over them in future, even if it is “not cricket”. Their actions to me go far beyond what is acceptable in the spirit of the game.
This is a unique contest, a five-day domestic red-ball game, on neutral territory, between the best two exponents of this format of the game for the last two seasons. We all hope for a game that is not spoilt by the weather and that the better team wins in the right way.
For me the key contest is Sir Alistair Cook against the Somerset bowling attack. Last year he was almost single-handedly responsible for the win at Chelmsford and he was obdurate at Taunton last September. Get him early, especially in the first innings and Somerset are ahead of the game.
Talking of first innings I believe the team batting first will have a big advantage, even this late in the season, because of the presence of Messrs Harmer and Leach in the two sides.
Can Tom Abell’s side do it? Most definitely yes. But they will need at least a couple of substantial contributions from the top order and their bowlers to continue the form of the group stage.
But, if there is or are cricketing Gods, we all know which way they will cast their favour in NW8,
