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County Championship Preview: Somerset v Essex
THE MATCH
Somerset welcome Essex to the Cooper Associates County Ground this week in Division One of the Vitality County Championship.
Day one of this fixture is tomorrow (Friday May 3rd).
Somerset are currently fourth in the Division One table with 53 points from four matches whilst Essex sit in second place with 71 points from the same number of fixtures.
SCHEDULED HOURS OF PLAY:
Morning session: 11am to 1pm
Afternoon session: 1:40pm to 3:40pm
Evening session: 4pm to 6pm
Tickets for this match are still available.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Gates will open at 10am.
Bag searches will be in operation and spectators are reminded that no glass or sharp implements will be permitted within the Cooper Associates County Ground.
For full Ground Regulations please visit the link below:
Ticket buyers can download their online tickets via their SCCC account.
All ticket or Membership collections will be from the Jack White Gates (St James Street).
The Club Enquiries Desk will be based in the Reception of the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion and not in the Andrew Caddick Pavilion on matchdays.
Due to the busy nature of a matchday, our telephone lines will reopen at 10am on Tuesday May 7th.
Information on everything that you will need for a matchday at SCCC, including how to redeem your guest passes, how to download your e-tickets and how to use the SCCC Ticket App can all be found in our Visiting Guide.
The Brian Rose Gates will remain closed on Vitality County Championship matchdays in 2024.
Blocks 1 to 4 of the Somerset Stand will be closed to the public on days one and two County Championship fixtures, with the whole stand closed on days three and four.
Scorecards will be available from Reception in the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion. Completed scorecards can now be downloaded after the match via the Membership section of this website.
CATERING
Matchday food and drink will be available from Stragglers Coffee House, the Lord Botham Stand, the Great Catch Fish & Chip Bar, plus the concession unit in the lower tier of the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion.
Matchday dining is also available in the County Room. We offer breakfast, a carvery lunch and afternoon tea.
HOW CAN I KEEP UP TO DATE?
Our live stream will once again be available for fans to watch via this website and at our YouTube channel.
You can also keep up to date using our dedicated matchday blog via this website’s Match Centre and on our X feed.
In association with Vertu Motors, Somerset County Cricket Club will be providing radio ear pieces to enable Members and supporters to enjoy our live ball-by-ball match commentary. These will be available to purchase from Reception in the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion at a cost of £12 and these will last all season.
In addition to this, a report on the day’s play along with quotes will be posted on this website.
THE OPPOSITION
Captain: Tom Westley
Head Coach: Anthony McGrath
2023 finish: Second (Division One)
2023 highest run-scorer: Tom Westley (1,130)
2023 highest wicket-taker: Simon Harmer (61)
What can we expect?: For the first time since 2019 the two heavyweights of domestic red-ball cricket in the last decade – namely, Essex and Surrey – are scheduled to play each other home and away. It would be a sight to savour if the season’s finale at Chelmsford in late September was winner-takes-all for the title.
Key winter moves: Essex moved promptly and astutely to cover the retirement of Sir Alastair Cook and defection (to Surrey) of Dan Lawrence. They brought in another former Test captain at the top of the batting in South African Dean Elgar and prised away promising wicketkeeper-batter Jordan Cox from Kent to enhance the middle-order.
One to watch: If the circumstances are right, Matt Critchley is capable of stepping up to the plate, lighting the after-burners and taking the game away from the opposition in a whirlwind of boundaries. His leg-breaks can cause havoc, too.
Final thought: While there has been remedial surgery in the batting ranks with the loss of Cook and Lawrence, Essex are still able to field one of the most balanced and penetrative bowling attacks in the competition. Seamers Jamie Porter and Sam Cook will again soften up the opposition batters, weighing in with their fair share of wickets, before leaving Simon Harmer to bemuse any survivors with his relentless off-spin.
TEAM NEWS
Somerset are still without Jack Leach and Tom Abell but Craig Overton returns to the squad.
Somerset have named the following squad for the fixture: Lewis Gregory, Sean Dickson, Matt Renshaw, Tom Lammonby, Andy Umeed, Tom Banton, James Rew, Craig Overton, Josh Davey, Migael Pretorius, Kasey Aldridge, Jake Ball and Shoaib Bashir.
VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
On the eve of the game, Somerset Head Coach, Jason Kerr said: “We’re in a really good place at the moment. We’re playing some really good cricket and confidence is s till really high within the group. What we need to do now is find that sustainable pressure for a little bit longer in key moments during the game. We’re doing a lot of good things and if we continue to do that we will start to get some good results.
“To start turning draws into wins we need to maximise our opportunities. We’ve let a couple slip in recent weeks and we need to maintain that ruthlessness with the ball. When we get the pressure on we need to maintain it for as long as we can and ensure that we keep creating chances.
“We’ve had some fantastic games with Essex over the last few years. We know that they are an incredibly competitive side who do the simple things really well, so we are all looking forward to what should be a good game.”
COOPER ASSOCIATES KEY PLAYER MATCH UP
CLASSIC MATCH
We go back to 2010 for our classic First Class match between the two sides.
It was a match which saw a comprehensive Somerset victory at Castle Park Cricket Ground, Colchester.
It was also a game that saw one of Somerset’s greatest ever batters enjoy contrasting fortunes.
After winning the toss, Marcus Trescothick elected to bat, but found himself back in the pavilion without a run to his name as the visitors slipped to 32 for three in the eighth over. A partnership of 60 for the fourth wicket between Zander de Bruyn and James Hildreth got the innings back on track, with Hildreth going on to make 84 as Somerset posted a total of 215 in their first innings. David Masters was the pick of the home bowlers, claiming five for 43.
The Essex batters also struggled to get into the game, and four wickets each for Alfonso Thomas and Charl Willoughby limited the hosts to 151 all out.
Trescothick then showed his genuine class and quality as he obliterated the Essex attack on his way to 228 not out as Somerset made 367 for eight declared in the second innings.
De Bruyn (four for 23) and Peter Trego (three for 27) helped to bowl the hosts out for 212 as Somerset won by 219 runs.
Only four other scores in excess of 50 were posted during the match, so Trescothick’s double hundred has to go down as one of his best performances for the Club.
MATCH SPONSOR
NHS Somerset, together with Somerset Council’s Public Health Team, have launched their ‘Take the Pressure Off’ campaign which aims to test the blood pressure of thousands of Somerset residents and increase awareness and early detection of high blood pressure.
High blood pressure is responsible for more than half of all strokes and heart attacks in the UK, and often presents as a silent sign of these potentially life-threatening conditions, so the importance of regular checks has never been more important. The “Take the Pressure Off” campaign is designed to encourage residents, particularly men, to regularly check their blood pressure and take necessary steps towards managing their health.
NHS Somerset will be joining us at the Cooper Associates County Ground on the first three days of this match to offer free blood pressure tests to Members and spectators in Stragglers between 10am and 2pm.
WPA PREDICTIONS LEAGUE
So, you think you know your cricket do you? Here’s your chance to prove it!
Powered by WPA Health Insurance, the new game allows you to score points on every Somerset matchday.
Collect points throughout the year for correct predictions and make your way up the leaderboard to prove that you are the font of all cricketing knowledge!
The top Scorers for each competition will receive a prize.
Watch. Predict. Win!
MEMBER FOR THE DAY!
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a Member of Somerset County Cricket Club?
Well, now you can find out!
On any Vitality County Championship matchday in 2024 we are offering our Member For The Day ticket.
For just £20 you will receive a special ticket which will provide you with Member benefits for the day.
You will receive:
- Access to our Member Stands and Member Bar
- A 10% discount at SCCC food and drink concessions
- A digital scorecard which will be emailed prior to the day
To experience a matchday as a Somerset County Cricket Club Member, take advantage of this special offer now!
Already a Member? Tell your friends about this offer and they could join you in the Members areas for this fixture.
LAST NIGHT OF THE PROMS COMPETITION
Join us for an open-air concert of patriotism & pure joy!
Celebrate the Last Night of the Proms with world-famous Black Dyke Band
LIMITED TICKETS of just £18 per person are still available until June 1st
Anyone who buys a ticket over the next four days will also go into a prize draw to be upgraded to 1875 Club hospitality for them and three guests.
NEXT MATCH
Our next match sees us take on Kent at the Cooper Associates County Ground in the Vitality County Championship.
The game gets underway on Friday May 17th.
Tickets are still available.
