Second XI Championship Somerset Second XI v Worcestershire Second XI, April 19-22, 2021, Taunton Cricket Club, Somerset 206 all out and 52/2: Worcestershire 466 and 226/5 declared
Somerset resumed on 181-6 on day three of this Second XI County Championship match against Worcestershire but it took only 50 minutes for the visitors to take the remaining 4 wickets leaving Lewis Goldsworthy on a fine 68 not out from 163 balls including 10 boundaries. Somerset finished on 206 all out, a deficit of 260, gaining just the 1 batting point to Worcestershire’s 3 bowling points.
Declining to enforce the follow on, the Worcestershire openers Jack Haynes and Josh Dell very quickly added 57 to their side’s total and at the lunch interval had a lead of 317 with all 10 second innings wickets in hand.
Conspiracy theorists might have considered that the decision to continue batting may have been influenced by the Somerset 1st Team squad selection and whether Lammonby was included or not, but bat on they did until well past the tea interval. Two more catches in Worcestershire second innings gave James Rew a match total of 5 – a good performance indeed, with the young Somerset Academy bowler George Thomas returning 3/17 from 6 overs.
It would be interesting to see the reaction if Somerset’s First XI were in such a dominant position and Tom Abell delayed his declaration.
The Worcestershire closure at 226/5 left Somerset with an uncomfortable late afternoon session and a “run chase” of 487 to win.
Time for Eddie Byrom and Ben Green to step up and prove their first eleven credentials but two wickets in 2 balls saw both depart, Green falling first for 9 and then Byrom for 11. This left Goldsworthy (9 not out) and Smeed (17 not out) to see out the last 10 overs of the day with Somerset (52/2) now needing an unlikely 435 to win with 8 wickets remaining.
