County Championship Division One, Gloucestershire v Somerset, The County Ground Bristol, May 12thto 15th, Day 2 Somerset 591-7 dec (Abell 142, Renshaw 94, Gregory 89, Lammonby 76, Hildreth 53) lead Gloucestershire 110-4 (Leach 3-29) by 472 runs.
Let those who say Jack Leach can only take wickets at Ciderabad or a surface that is too spinner-friendly read this and take heed. On a day when Taunton’s two favourite sons took centre stage on as Somerset moved into a strong position in Bristol, the performance of Leach will have warmed the hearts of all right-minded Somerset fans His fellow townsman, Abell had formed the backbone of his side’s first innings, with a fine captain’s knock weathering a tricky first hour to reach 142. A very good day for Somerset and a proud one for Tauntonians. As for Gloucestershire and their fans, this is not a day they will remember with any fondness. Oh well, happy Friday 13th.
The pitch at Nevil Road was certainly the focus of debate on social media after day 1. I have to admit that I didn’t watch Tom Lammonby’s interview with Anthony Gibson until this morning (still feeling pretty rough – any sympathy will be gratefully received!). But when I did I wondered was the message that this was not as easy a surface to bat on as the scoreboard suggested more for the ears of the opposition than a fair assessment of conditions. I should not have doubted Tom L as the first session provided ample evidence of fickleness and the final session saw it give just enough assistance to the Somerset attack.
As the second day panned out the difference in quality in the respective sides became clear. So while I am going to continue to believe that this is still a pitch tilted too far in favour of the batters the superiority of the Somerset attack was clear for all to see. Those who say you can assess a pitch until both sides have batted may have a point. Or it may be that this weakened Gloucestershire side Is not very good.
Siddle struck with the first ball of “them up the road’s innings” and, after The Glosters two best batsmen had taken the score to 60, not without alarm, Leach in a spell of 3-29 propelled Somerset into a position of prosperity beyond my most optimistic thoughts. Four wickets down, Graham van Buuren almost certainly hors de combat, and a long tail exposed at the fall of the next wicket, a deficit of over 470 seems psychologically a mountain that is too steep to climb even on a benign batting track.
Somerset probably need to take another 14 wickets on the last two days assuming that the home side’s stricken captain is unable to take any further part in proceedings. That is I am sure a position Tom Abell would have taken every time he was offered it at 11 this morning.
Somerset’s first target was to avoid a repeat of the first hour of day 2 against Warwickshire exactly two weeks ago when they subsided from 366-4 to 373-8 inside the first hour. That spell converted the promise of 450+ into something less substantial before the “three J’s”, Josh Davey, Jack Leach and Jack Brooks propelled Somerset to 458.
Thankfully we did not see a repeat of anything near 4-7. Indeed Tom Abell guided his side to 453-5 at the break taking himself in the process to 111* despite the conditions making batting much harder than it had appeared at any time on the first day.
Two balls in the 100th over of the innings turned the balance of the game firmly in Somerset’s direction. First, Abell benefitted from a howler of a drop in the slips after only 12 minutes of the day when he had not added to his overnight score. Miles Hammond was still self-consciously examining his hands when Abell sent the next ball skimming to the boundary. Graham van Buuren threw himself at the ball in a vain attempt to save a run but succeeded only in, it appears, doing something pretty serious to his shoulder or collar bone. There was a lengthy delay before the stricken van Buuren was helped from the field under his own power but with his arm supported by a makeshift sling crafted out of a long-sleeved Gloucestershire sweater.
Steve Davies had looked more like his old self alongside his skipper but he departed exactly halfway through the first session for 37 caught behind, you may not be surprised to hear, playing a wafty drive outside the off stump when the score had advanced by 52.
Such had been the captain’s determination not to throw away the hard work of the first day that he had only added 16 in the first hour but the arrival of Lewis Gregory soon changed all that. Plymouth’s finest immediately seemed to sense the opportunity to plunder a tired and dispirited attack. By lunch he had reached an almost run a ball 44 which included some trademark powerful strokes, two of which cleared the perimeter. It is so good to have a fit and firing Lewis back. That second hour had added 92 in just 15 overs as Abell added 43 to almost match Gregory.
The post-lunch session promised to be one which had us all reaching for the record books. Abell was 39 away from his career-best (150* against Surrey three weeks ago) and Gregory, such was his control and dominance, might have also been eyeing his 137 against Middlesex in 2017. And a total well beyond 600 was a distinct possibility.
After 40 minutes of the afternoon, Abell perished for 142 and when Gregory went 15 minutes later, for 89, running himself out when a hundred seemed nailed on the tone of the game changed dramatically. 545-7 advanced to 591-7 as Josh Davey kept Craig Overton company as the latter rediscovered some touch with the bat.
When Abell called a surprisingly early (?) end to the fun Craig had cruised to 35 off just 31 balls including 3 fours and a six. Perhaps the balance between additional runs and keeping Craig fresh had tipped sufficiently in Jason Kerr’s mind but the way Craig O sprinted from the pitch indicated that the words fresh and daisy were appropriate at that moment.
591.
The closure left Somerset enough overs for us to ascertain if this game was headed the way of the Surrey game here two weeks ago. On what we have seen so far that is, hopefully not the case.
