County Championship Division One, Somerset v Essex, The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton, Day 2, Friday 15th April 2022 Essex 180 (Overton 7-57) and 3-1 trail Somerset 109 (Lammonby 48) & 154 (Davies 51, Renshaw 45) by 80 runs with 9 second innings wickets remaining
This could have been a very Good Friday for Somerset and their loyal supporters if the batting had been close to the level of the bowling in the first session, Craig Overton’s 7-57 being due reward for his stellar 25 over effort. But yet again it wasn’t, with the notable exception of Matt Renshaw and the mercurial Steven Davies, leaving Somerset staring down the barrel of a sixth successive County Championship defeat.
There are, in my lifetime of supporting Somerset cricket, very few things I haven’t seen. With the notable exception of one I have spent the whole of my life desperately hoping for. That first Championship already seems a remote possibility – if it is to be achieved it will be one heck of a summer.
But Somerset have contrived since the start of last September to lose five games in a row and will, in all probability make it six early on tomorrow. Something that they haven’t “achieved” since 1960, when I was still a twinkle in a pair of west country eyes.
Truth be told Somerset have not only lost these games they have been comprehensively beaten rarely taking the game even deep into the final day.
So you are quite justified in calling me mad in this context especially given how low I felt yesterday as Somerset’s first innings subsided and Essex responded to be level on first innings scores for the loss of only two wickets but I actually feel more positive this evening.
Why?
For the first time in a while Somerset showed some real fight, exemplified by the superb Craig Overton. There are plenty of things that make me mad in life but few get me more irate than the stick Big Craig gets from the wider cricketing public whenever he pulls on an England shirt. Sadly those throwing the unjustified brickbats at the elder twin never take the time to see him bowl for his Somerset side.
I suspect the big man needs to feel loved and knows when he walks out at the Cooper Associates County Ground he is very very much loved. The exhortations from the currently displaced from Gimblett’s Hill resident Tractor, “come on Craig” boomed out in a stentorian Somerset accent serves merely to fuel the love we all feel for one of North Devon’s finest. Whatever it is in the air of Taunton Craig certainly responds.
What Somerset need at the moment is someone to pick this dispirited side up on their shoulders and carry them. With hindsight it is probably not surprising that it was Craig’s broadest of shoulders that hoisted Somerset in the first session of this second day. His figures of 26-6-59-8 on the day tell the story of a truly superb effort.
With admirable support from Peter Siddle (2-42 in 23 overs) who took the key wicket of Alistair Cook in with the first ball of the day, Essex were reduced to 180 all out before a delayed lunch. Where Essex played and missed on the first day the good balls found the edges and the edges found safe hands.
A deficit of only 71 was beyond, to quote Mike Unwin our, “wildest dreams”. Sadly the performance of the Somerset top order met our grimmest expectations. Both openers went inside the first ten overs and while Renshaw began to show the sort of resolve needed Hildreth, Abell and Goldsworthy all failed to provide the support the big Queenslander needed. 60-5, still trailing by 11 was the top-order induced nadir from which it was realistically not going to be possible for Somerset to extricate themselves from but for a while the two elegant left-handers, Renshaw and Davies offered hope with a battling partnership before Renshaw, who had eschewed any aggression, was lbw playing across a ball he seemed to misjudge as going down the legside.
It is a measure of how tense this phase of the game was that the sixth wicket partnership only yielded 41 runs in 18 overs but seemed much more. Lewis Gregory joined Davies and was reining in his natural instincts to help add another 40 to take the lead to 70 before he managed to hole out in the deep for 9. Like Renshaw before him it was a moment of rashness utterly out of context with the diligence that had gone before.
Sadly Craig couldn’t do with the bat what he had done with the ball earlier and 141-6 became 154 all out in four overs. Somerset’s lead was 83 probably 70 short of anything defendable.
Essex were left with only two overs to survive were confronted by an affronted and very fired up Craig Overton. Still it seemed burning at Essex’s knight of the realm for his claiming the “catch” that removed Lammonby. Joyously Overton’s first over included a tirade at Cook and the wicket of a seemingly bemused Nick Browne.
Peter Siddle bowled a severely testing last over of the day but could not make any further inroads. We have to hope that he can reprise his first ball heroics tomorrow morning by removing Cook. If he were to fall before the Essex total was into double figures there could yet be a chance of something spectacular. If it comes to pass it will be a VERY good Saturday.
