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Somerset vs Essex: The Rivalry Continues
Somerset welcome Essex to the Cooper Associates County Ground for a County Championship match starting on Friday May 2nd.
The two sides have been involved in some epic encounters throughout the 21st century across all formats of the game, and 2025 will see the contention of a battle between two high quality sides.
With the County Championship match in Taunton taking place soon, make sure you are there to witness a great game of cricket!
Tickets for the match are on sale now and we are excited to welcome another fantastic 4 day crowd to the Cooper Associates County Ground after wonderful attendances over the Worcestershire fixture in game one.
To get you in the mood, below we take a look at just a handful of our favourite Somerset vs Essex clashes over the last few years. Which game has been your favourite?
CLASSIC MATCH – 1
We couldn’t start this lookback without starting here could we?
Edgbaston. 2023. Vitality Blast Final
After beating Surrey in a low scoring encounter in Semi-Final 2, here is what happened during the rest of that historic day…….
Somerset clinched a first Vitality Blast trophy since 2005 with a 14 run victory over Essex Eagles in the final at Edgbaston.
Matt Henry claimed the player of the match award with four for 24 as Somerset held their nerve to deservedly win the competition.
After winning the toss, Essex captain Simon Harmer elected to bowl first.
The start was delayed until 7:05pm following yet another shower and the Eagles made the breakthrough in the third over when Will Smeed looked to play Shane Snater through the off side but got a thin inside edge onto his stumps with the score on 17.
Tom Banton and Tom Kohler-Cadmore took Somerset to 46 for one by the end of the six-over powerplay, but Snater struck again in the next over when Banton, on 20, tried a reverse scoop and picked out Das at short third without further addition to the score.
The Somerset 50 came up in the seventh over but Kohler-Cadmore fell for a run-a-ball 19 when he was bowled by Critchley trying to guide one through backward point.
The score had progressed to 68 when Tom Abell was caught at mid on by Beard off Walter for eight.
There was a moment of pure theatrical drama in the 12th over when a leading edge from Lewis Gregory looped up and Critchley claimed a catch diving fully forward. Essex celebrated but Gregory was unmoved. The umpire review showed that the ball had not been caught cleanly and the Somerset skipper survived.
With the score on 84 for four after 13 overs Harmer brought himself into the attack but his opening over yielded 12 runs.
Sean Dickson brought up the Somerset 100 in the 15th over with a brilliant switch hit for four and he shared a 45-run partnership with Gregory until the captain top edged a return catch to Snater and departed for 11 in the 16th over.
When Ben Green (2) top edged Walter miles into the Birmingham night sky, Das took a good diving catch at 121 for six in the 17th over.
Dickson reached an excellent 50 from 33 balls but fell for 53 to a good catch from Adam Rossington in the 19th over to leave Somerset on 133 for eight.
Matt Henry was caught in the deep by Snater in the final over and Ish Sodhi was run out off the last ball as Somerset posted a total of 145 all out.
Adam Rossington ensured that the Eagles got off to a flyer and had moved to 19 off just nine balls when he absolutely creamed Henry to point where Kasey Aldridge took a stunning catch. Henry then claimed two in an over when he found the top of off with a beauty to bowl Michael Pepper for one and pinned Dan Lawrence lbw for 16 just five balls later.
When Das picked out Henry at mid on off Overton, Essex had slumped to 44 for four.
The Eagles’ 50 was brought up in the eighth over, bowled by Gregory, but the Somerset skipper trapped Critchley lbw for three and Essex were 55 for five.
At the half way stage of the Essex innings they needed 75 from 10 overs.
Somerset turned to spin for the 12th over and it paid immediate dividends when Ish Sodhi bowled Paul Walter for 26 at 80 for six.
Daniel Sams and Harmer brought up the Essex 100 in the 14th over but the Eagles skipper edged Gregory behind to leave his side on 106 for seven in the 15th.
Ish Sodhi bowled Snater for 0 and Beard for seven and finished with three for 22, and when Sams edged Henry to Koehler-Cadmore Somerset were the champions!
CLASSIC MATCH – 2
We go back to 2010 for this 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.
CLASSIC MATCH – 3
We go back to 2023 for the classic match between the two sides.
No, it’s not the final this time!
The two sides met at Taunton last summer with Somerset coming out on top.
Here are the highlights.
CLASSIC MATCH – 4
For this classic clash between Somerset and Essex we go back to 2016.
It was a match that Somerset won comfortably courtesy of another rapid knock from the returning Chris Gayle.
CLASSIC MATCH – 5
This match sees us to back to 2011 and a clash between Somerset and Essex that took place at Chelmsford.
It was a game that Somerset dominated and won by 143 runs.
Essex won the toss and elected to make Somerset bat first.
Craig Kieswetter fell with the score on 27, but Marcus Trescothick made an outstanding century and was well supported by James Hildreth (64* from 29 balls) and Peter Trego (36 off 21) as the visitors amassed 225 for two from their 20 overs.
The Somerset bowlers then took up the mantle and dominated the hosts as Essex were dismissed for just 82 from 10.3 overs. Craig Meschede was the pick of the bowlers, claiming three for nine from 1.3 overs. There were also two wickets for both Steve Kirby and Murali Kartik.
Classic Match 6 – 2025?
