County Championship Division One, Somerset v Hampshire, The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton, May 19st to 22nd 2022 Day 2, Somerset 211, lead Hampshire 144-5 (Overton 18-9-3-21) by 67 runs
I was told repeatedly as a child that patience is a virtue. A reflection of both my Mum and Dad’s superb parenting and their unwavering belief that this was a trait I did not possess “in spades” (if it is possible to not possess something in spades). Well, age has clearly improved me in that respect at least and I was rewarded by yet another Somerset fightback led, yet again, by Craig Overton.
My patient day was spent keeping an eye on events elsewhere. Lancashire subsiding to 32-5 replying to Essex’s 391 before rain spared them any further damage shortly after tea. Across the Pennines England’s great White Rose hope, Harry Brook was cruising to 82 off just 117 balls while the former England captain, dismissed for just 8, watched on.
But the highlight was former Somerset favourite Azhar Ali reaching an unbeaten 202 for Worcestershire at New Road as Worcestershire dismantled Leicestershire in division 2.
I had pretty much given up on there being any more play in Taunton, given up on a positive outcome to the 5pm inspection. And then, 15 minutes before afternoon became evening the second day at Taunton came to life in a dramatic last session where 49 runs were added by Hampshire for the loss of 4 wickets in 19 overs. Bizarrely 20 of that 49 came off edges behind square in the third and second last overs of the day.
Only 25 overs had been possible in almost 7 hours from the scheduled start of play. The majority of those had been bowled by Craig Overton and Peter Siddle, with little success, as Hampshire added 66 runs for the loss of one wicket in 21 overs, a rate of progress by the batters hitherto unseen in this game, despite overhead conditions being not conducive to batting.
When play got underway after the second interruption only the hardiest of the hardy remained dotted around the Cooper Associates County Ground. But those hardy few were rewarded by a performance from Craig Overton that warmed the hearts of followers of the Dragon as much if not more than the early evening sunshine which deigned to make an appearance.
Ian Holland and Nick Gubbins resumed their partnership on the resumption on 44 and 31 respectively, scores which would have made them joint top and second-highest scorers in Somerset’s innings.
The initial 4 overs of this last session yielded 12 runs with Holland one short of the first fifty of the game as Overton and Siddle strove to make inroads. Then as suddenly as a storm rolling in from the Quantocks Hampshire contrived to lose three wickets in the space of 9 overs for just 10 runs. No that isn’t fair, Somerset’s opening pair suddenly found the length that this wicket demands and were almost unplayable.
Craig’s landmark 400th career first-class wicket was the breakthrough. Holland nicking behind for 49. Peter Siddle, who seemed to be absorbing Craig Overton’s habitual disgruntlement at the injustice of the bowler followed up Craig’s breakthrough by removing Gubbins caught as Holland had been behind by the silky Davie. Craig followed that up in the next over with the prize scalp of James Vince lbw. 117-4.
I don’t normally put the complete bowling analysis in the summary at the top of the page but Craig’s remarkable analysis (18-9-21-3) merits an exception.
The injustice I perceived was making Siddle seethe visited itself on Lewis Gregory in the anti-penultimate over (thank you Mr Gibson) when Ben Brown managed to edge three absolute beauties from Lewis Gregory through the slips without offering a chance, all for boundaries and then, to rub salt into the wounds of Somerset with a fourth boundary in the over clipped to fine leg. Gregory would not have been flattered by a brace of wickets in that over instead he conceded 16, it really isn’t a bowlers game.
Another pair of boundaries in the next Josh Davey over, also both behind square meant that 22 had been added in two overs shifting the balance, in such a low scoring game, substantially.
There was still time for another twist in the tale with Lewis Gregory pinning Liam Dawson plumb lbw in the last over. No more than Gregory deserved, a wicket that produced an audible sigh of disappointment from Kevan James, commentating alongside Anthony Gibson.
There is still much to do but that shortened final session has tilted the game back into the balance. With the weather forecast more favourable for the weekend this promises to be a really good game between two really good sides. It’s why we love Championship cricket.
