Somerset 285 all out, Surrey 42-0 trail by 243 runs Lammonby 100, Renshaw 87
Tom Lammonby hero and villan in the same innings? Some are saying so this evening, it sounds harsh but after his 90 at Canterbury last week Somerset’s new no 3 followed up with precisely 100, a classy effort against a very good attack. But having got to his side into a position of strength they could only have dreamed of Somerset’s supremely gifted left-hander could not deliver the “daddy hundred” so badly needed. And that, many seem to think is where culpability lies.
Alongside Matty Renshaw Somerset’s second wicket pair saw their side serenely to lunch at 131-1 off 30 overs Renshaw 51, Lammonby 70. They reached their 100 partnership at 5 minutes before lunch off 146 balls. And all this after Surrey skipper Rory Burns had opted to bowl after winning the toss.
To keep the tenuous nautical analogy going, the pair sailed through ever calmer waters in the afternoon session adding anther 65 off the first 15 overs after the break. 196-1 half way through the day. But (isn’t there always a but with this Somerset side) with Lammonby on 99 Renshaw was run out for 87 (137 balls, 9 fours ,1 six). There was much debate as to who was at fault but for me I shade the Aussie opener who was it seemed guilty of ball watching. There are, it seems of the contrary view casting Tom as at fault, partly I suspect because he had hit slightly rougher waters as he neared his hundered and was desperate to get the single he needed to get into three figures.
A richly deserved 100, but as ever in the unforgiving world of professional sport that was not enough, especially with Renshaw freshly departed. Lammonby has not, to date gone on significantly past the milestone.
He needed to now.
He didn’t.
And so 196-2 became 216-8 in those 79 balls. The individual scores read like a particularly nasty set of nautical co-ordinates or a poor attempt at a mathematical sequence .
87, 100, 10, 1, 3, 0, 0
At that point Lammonby & Renners combined 187 was 87% of total.
Lewis Gregory showed that all the time he has the helm of this side he will fight with every fibre of his body, his 50 alonside Pretorius’ round dozen on debut and Bashir’s admirable 10* heaved the total past the first bonus point but 285 was well short of acceptable here, especially after the first half of the day.
A study of the psychology of this Somerset side would keep a cohort of undergraduates busy for a long time. The propensity to collapse is as hard-baked into Somerset cricket as it is possible to imagine. It happens too often to be a coincidence so what, I ask is the cause? We’ve seen collapses from the start of an innings and collapses from, as here, a position of strength so it can’t be a situational thing. Tom Lammonby said before the start of the season that he had spent most of his winter working on the mental side of his game (credit to him for this as it is clearly reaping rewards) but collectively? Sadly, and I know I am sounding already this season like a broken record responsibility has to rest with the head coach. I haven’t got the emotional energy to read or listen to his words this evening but i am sure it will be the usual trite sound-bitten effort.
All of this is not to decry the champions (oh how that sticks in the throat) who maintained their discipline even when up against the metaphoric wall of the first three hours. But they were gifted their advantage weren’t they.
I suspect Rory Burns will be a very relieved man this evening. Don’t expect Surrey to be as accommodating tomorrow.
