Captain Ben Leads Somerset Recovery

Gloucestershire’s lower order piled on the runs in the morning session with Jamie Rew taking his seventh catch of the innings. Then after a faltering start to the Somerset reply, Ben Green delivered a captain’s innings (74) and Jamie Rew completed his own half century ending the day on 70 not out to leave Somerset trailing by 71 with 5 wickets remaining.

  • 2nd XI

Mike Unwin

Mike moved to Montacute (4.5 miles from Yeovil) in 1952, he started watching Somerset in 1956 and has been a supporter ever since. In retirement, when not at the County Ground or Taunton Vale watching the Somerset Second XI, he can be found, volunteering at the Ilminster Arts supporting the Stock and Sales system or in the Somerset Cricket Museum cataloguing the collection items and putting them online, on the museum’s website www.somersetcricketmuseum.co.uk

Second XI Championship Somerset Second XI v Gloucestershire Second XI, May 3rd – 6th 2021, Taunton Cricket Club, Day 2 Somerset Second XI 197/5(Ben Green 74, Jamie Rew 70 not out) trail Gloucestershire Second XI (268 all out, Harry Hankins 68, Ned Leonard 5/76 Ari Karvales 4/48) by 71 runs with five second-innings wickets remaining.

Fine weather returned to the Taunton Vale ground this morning as Gloucestershire resumed their innings on 90/6. Moving slowly through the gears the visitors’ middle order batsmen added 160 runs during the morning session losing only two wickets in the process. 

Ari Karveles took both wickets, Max Trotman caught in the slips (44) by SamYoung and Will Naish caught behind for 43,  Jamie Rew recording his seventh catch of the innings. Naish and Trotman had added 66 for the seventh wicket partnership.

Harry Hankins (55) and George Barlow (31) continued scoring heavily and were the not out batsmen at lunch with the score on 250-8.

The Somerset bowlers started well after lunch, dismissing Gloucestershire for 268.

Max Toohey trapping Hankins LBW for 68, and Max Horton taking the catch off Ari Kavales to dismiss Barlow for 34. Somerset took 3 bowling bonus points whilst restricting Gloucestershire to 2 batting points.

What followed was a very poor response to a the first innings total set by Gloucestershire and (with apologies to Frankie Howard “Nay Nay Nay and four times Nay’), Somerset lost 4 quick wickets – Byrom LBW (1),  Young caught (8), Smeed run out (2) and Malik caught (13) – 4 wickets down for 34.

A Captain’s innings was required and Ben Green delivered. In partnership with Jamie Rew, the two Somerset batsmen steadily built a 100 run partnership in 208 deliveries; Green was eventually out caught behind scoring for 74. But the recovery continued with a sixth wicket partnership between the two young wicket keepers Jamie Rew and Jamie Baird who pushed the score past 150 (50.3 overs), Rew being rewarded with a half  century off 133 balls; safely seeing Somerset through to the end of play, closing on 197. Leaving Somerset trailing by 71 with 5 wickets remaining, Rew on 70 not out and Baird 14 not out.