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County Championship Preview: Notts v Somerset
THE MATCH
Somerset travel to Trent Bridge to take on Nottinghamshire this week in the LV= Insurance County Championship First Division.
Day one of this fixture is tomorrow (Thursday April 13th).
SCHEDULED HOURS OF PLAY:
Morning session: 11am to 1pm
Afternoon session: 1:40pm to 3:40pm
Evening session: 4pm to 6pm
HOW CAN I KEEP UP TO DATE?
You can also keep up to date using our dedicated Match Centre this website and on our Twitter feed.
In addition to this, a report on the day’s play along with quotes will be posted on this website.
THE OPPOSITION
Captain: Steven Mullaney
Head Coach: Peter Moores
2022 finish: Champions (Division Two)
2022 highest runscorer: Haseeb Hameed (1,235)
2022 highest wicket taker: Dane Paterson (56)
Key winter moves: Nottinghamshire largely keep faith with the players who won the Division Two title to take on the much tougher challenge of being competitive in Division One. They have made one significant addition in England pace bowler Olly Stone, who moves from Warwickshire to replace Aussie quick James Pattinson. South African Dane Paterson returns but one overseas slot remains empty in the red-ball side should reinforcement be required.
Player to watch: Lyndon James proved his quality with the bat by making a maiden century and two others in 2022 but his progress as a bowler was again hampered by a stress fracture, his second in as many years. If he can keep his fitness this season, the 24-year-old academy product has the potential to become a genuine match-winning all-rounder.
TEAM NEWS
Tom Abell returns to the squad after missing the Warwickshire match through injury.
The Somerset squad for this fixture is: Tom Abell, Kasey Aldridge, Cameron Bancroft, George Bartlett, Jack Brooks, Josh Davey, Sean Dickson, Lewis Gregory, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Tom Lammonby, Jack Leach, Craig Overton, James Rew and Peter Siddle.
VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Ahead of the match, Somerset Director of Cricket, Andy Hurry said: “There are no easy games in Division One this year. It’s going to be very competitive cricket. They will be looking to bounce back following their result at Hampshire and we know that they are a quality outfit, so we are going to have to be right on it.”
CLASSIC MATCH
The County Championship match between the two sides at Trent Bridge back in 2004 was a memorable one for several of the Somerset squad.
It was also a game that Somerset won convincingly by 10 wickets.
Notts skipper, Jason Gallian won the toss and elected to bat. He was soon to regret that decision as his side slipped to 122 for four. However, a century for Mark Ealham helped to ensure that the hosts posted a respectable total of 337 all out.
Richard Johnson was the pick of the Somerset attack, claiming five for 69 from his 25 overs.
The visitors suffered an early setback when Peter Bowler fell with just two runs on the board. However, the Somerset batters then decimated the home attack as Jamie Cox (250), Matthew Wood (113) and James Hildreth (108) put their side in a commanding position. Somerset eventually declared on 654 for eight.
In the Notts second inning, Darren Bicknell made 142, whilst Gallian added 55 but Ian Blackwell tore the heart out of the home line up. He claimed an excellent seven for 90 as Nottinghamshire were dismissed for 317.
Bowler then secured the one run that Somerset needed to complete an impressive victory.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
If you are planning to attend the match, all the information you need can be found on the official Nottinghamshire Website.
NEXT MATCH
Somerset’s next match begins on Thursday April 20th when we take on Lancashire at The Cooper Associates County Ground in the LV= Insurance County Championship.
Tickets for this match are still available.
