Somerset's Record-breaking Blast

I wouldn’t normally go overboard on Twenty20 but after Somerset converted a Finals Day appearance into the Blast trophy for the first time since 2007, I am willing to set aside my contempt for the format and celebrate my county’s success. The other three counties at Edgbaston last weekend had all proved troublesome in recent years, not only in the Blast but also in the all-important Championship, so it was especially cheering to clinch the title by defeating both Surrey and Essex. Indeed, they did so by bowling both of them out. 

James Vince may have topped the runs table but nobody took more wickets than seamers Matt Henry and Ben Green and Craig Overton’s twenty catches in the outfield set a new record. Somerset also surpassed the tournament record of victories, losing just two out of sixteen matches. While the bowlers clearly did their job, the strategy of frontloading the batting order with white-ball specialists Banton and Smeed, plus new recruit, Tom Kohler-Cadmore. 

Unfortunately, the elusive Championship pennant is already out of reach in 2023. That familiar trio of Surrey Essex and Hampshire all won their four-day fixtures this week to occupy the leading places in Division One, with only Warwickshire preventing Somerset joining the top four as in the Blast semis. With rain forecast for the fourth day, a good deal of accelerated scoring was required to secure the sixteen points for winning.

 At Chelmsford, Essex needed only thirty to beat Kent, but needed to embark on a three-over thrash to beat the weather, too. Three wickets tumbled, and Matt Critchley followed his first-innings century with a first-ball duck but Paul Walter was there to reach the target. Surrey also had an easy ride against neighbours Middlesex. Sean Abbott and Jamie Smith starred with seven wickets and a century, respectively. 

Somerset’s fine week was completed by a straightforward nine-wicket triumph at Northampton. Their first-choice seam attack of Henry, Overton, Aldridge and Gregory were utterly dominant against the bottom side. At Trent Bridge, fifteen wickets crumbled on the first day, before Ian Holland, Liam Dawson and James Fuller set the scene for a likely third-day denouement. Tom Moores’ 81 merely delayed the inevitable as Fuller’s 4-59 and Mohammad Abbas’ 3-48 wrapped up victory by 116 runs. The Birmingham rain prevented a positive result, although Lancashire’s George Balderson struck his maiden ton. 

In Division Two, three of the four fixtures were draw, including runaway leaders Durham’s run-fest against Derbyshire. The home team’s wicketkeeper, Brooke Guest, enjoyed a career-best 197 but the in-form Alex Lees and David Bedingfield more than compensated with hundreds of their own. Lees’ old opening partner at Yorkshire, Adam Lyth also reached three figures at Headingley against Sussex. White Rose paceman Ben Coad was as economical as ever. For someone with a career average under 20, it is remarkable that he hasn’t really entered the England conversation. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t have the all-out pace of a Tongue or Potts. The Cheltenham crowd were frustrated by a lack of action, as Gloucestershire and Glamorgan played out what was essentially a single-innings draw. 

The only win came at Oakham where Worcestershire had the better of a low-scoring encounter with Leicestershire. Forty wickets fell in just over two days, with Josh Tongue and Dillon Pennington making the difference between the counties. 

In the last round of matches before the One-Day Cup and Horrible Hundred take over for the school holidays, Division One sees those four southern stars paired off again. The Blast semi-finals are replicated with the red ball – Hampshire v Essex and Somerset v Surrey – which will have a major bearing of where the pennant is heading in September. 

Team of the Week:- Holland (Ham), Lees (Dur), J Smith (Sur), Bedingham (Dur), Guest (Der +), Critchley (Ess), Balderson (Lan), S Abbott (Sur), C Overton (Som), Henry (Som), Pennington (Wor)