Somerset v Essex, County Championship Division One, Somerset 128 and 170-7 beat Essex 156 & 138 by 3 wickets
Winning any game in Division One of the Championship always feels good. Beating Essex especially so. In a season where Somerset were widely considered to be part of the end of season relegation battle and Essex and Surrey likely to finish first and second there is a lot to be positive about for Lewis Gregory’s side after the first five games. In truth the draw at The Oval was a better performance than today’s win over The Sea Axes, a fighting performance in which they came back from a catastrophic session to go toe to toe with the Champions.
This was a completely different game – a green-seamer shoot out which could have gone either way almost to the end. It was also a microcosm of a Somerset Championship performance:
- a great bowling performance on the first day taking advantage of winning the toss
- a hugely disappointing batting performance undoing all the bowlers good work to trail on first innings
- another fine bowling performance to put the game back within reach
- a nervy run chase despite a flying start which took us almost half way to the target
- those two Somerset all-rounder collosuses being their at the winning moment.
We say it every time, we can’t keep putting ourselves through the wringer like this. But we do and we keep coming back for more. Not one Somerset supporter would have thought, at 75-0 after 15 overs of the fourth innings that this was going to be a coast. Many would have thought (I did), with four needed and Tom Banton batting with increased maturity and assurance that there wasn’t one more twist. There was.
But thankfully when Craig Overton walks in in such a situation he entertains no doubt. With Captain Cool at the other end Craig clipped his second ball through mid-wicket and the first win of the season in the books.
The nascent Championship table is a little skewed at the moment with Somerset and Essex having completed more games than anyone else but second is second and there will be have been surge of confidence in this evening’s rendition of Blackbird. With two winnable games up next, after the rest week next week, Somerset have a chance to keep pace with the two favourites and as importantly put themselves ahead of the significantly more fancied but all underperforming trio of Hampshire, Lancashire and Warwickshire.
But over the next two weeks Somerset need to use the time wisely. Some very big decisions need to be made. Sean Dickson’s second innings was revelatory and given the context that for me he was playing in his personal last chance saloon he will continue at the top of the order. Andy Umeed has been a breath of fresh air, demonstrating that this performances in the One Day cup last year were no fluke. And Tom Banton, oh Tom Banton – what a pleasure it is to see him translating his huge talent into significant red ball contributions. A shame he wasn’t there at the end but without his calm contribution in that nerve-jangling last session Lewis and Craig would have had much more to do.
James Rew’s form Is disappointing at the moment but his keeping continues to mature and he will make important runs this season. Let’s not start any silly debate about the ‘keeper.
But we need to talk about the bowling. With Craig, Lewis and a rejuvenated Josh all being certain selections if fit and Jack Leach apparently close (ECB permitting) we need to make sure that two of the brightest talents in the county in Kasey and Bash are given as much cricket as possible.
You can concede Bashir’s omission from this game was the right one given how little Harmer featured. But I’m struggling to understand how the tow seamers who played ahead of Aldridge a possibly be preferred again is beyond me. I feel so sorry for Kasey, his season has been driven into a brick wall by others. I hope he is strong enough mentally to overcome the obstacles being put in his way. Is there any doubt that his contributions in this game, if he had been chosen would have been far more significant than either Ball or Pretorious managed.
It may be that there are reasons that Aldridge was not chosen for this game other than the need to justify the two new signings, I hope so. But until we, as supporters are trusted with a little more relevant information we are forced to continue to speculate. And I for one find that speculation leaves me with a bad taste.
Somerset sit second in Division One. Two fine results against the two favourites in the books. A far better start than we could have hoped for. With Abell, TKC and Jack Leach all to come back the onus is on the coach to get it right and allow us to capitalise on the position we find ourselves in.
