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County Championship Preview: Somerset v Durham
THE MATCH
Somerset welcome Durham to the Cooper Associates County Ground this week in Division One of the Vitality County Championship.
Day one of this fixture is tomorrow (Thursday August 29th).
Somerset are currently second in the Division One table with 145 points from 10 matches, whilst Durham are fifth with 126 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 Monday September 2nd.
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 (day one and day two), 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: Scott Borthwick
Head Coach: Ryan Campbell
2023 finish: Champions (Division Two)
2023 highest run-scorer: Alex Lees (1,347)
2023 highest wicket-taker: Ben Raine (60)
What can we expect?: Durham will not be returning to Division One to just survive. You just know with the positivity their coach Ryan Campbell exudes that they will be aiming big. Campbell has made no secret of his contempt for draws, so strap yourselves in, this could be a fun ride.
One to watch: Alex Lees, last season’s leading run-scorer in Division Two, was in possession of an England opener’s berth at the start of the Brendon McCullum-Ben Stokes era and will be desperate to regain his place. Loves to dominate from the off.
TEAM NEWS
Archie Vaughan has been called into the squad after being made available for selection but Migael Pretorius has returned to South Africa after picking up an injury whilst on international duty and will therefore be unavailable for the remainder of the English domestic season.
Somerset have named the following squad for the fixture: Lewis Gregory, Andy Umeed, Tom Lammonby, Tom Abell, Tom Banton, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, James Rew, Lewis Goldsworthy, Craig Overton, Kasey Aldridge, Josh Davey, Jack Leach, Jake Ball and Archie Vaughan.
VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Ahead of the match, Somerset Head Coach, Jason Kerr said: “We’re looking forward to getting back to County Championship cricket in front of our home crowd. We played some excellent cricket at times at Edgbaston and we’re looking forward to facing Durham.
“There’s a gap opening up at the top of the table and we can’t control what Surrey do. We’ve still got to face them and we need to play an exciting brand of cricket to make sure that we secure the wins we need to put as much pressure on them as we can.
“We need to pick up as many points as possible from our remaining games and hope that one of their opponents competes against them.
“Lewis Gregory has got an ongoing groin and abdomen injury that will need managing for the rest of the season. He had a rest last week and feels like he’s in a position to give us 100% this week, so we will wait and see.
COOPER ASSOCIATES KEY PLAYER MATCH UP
CLASSIC MATCH
We go back to 1995 for the classic red-ball match between Somerset and Durham.
The two sides met at Chester-le-Street in August and it was the visitors who came out on top by an impressive margin of 286 runs. It was also a match that saw Andy Caddick at his blistering best.
Somerset Captain, Andy Hayhurst won the toss and elected to bat but his side slipped to 114 for five. However, Rob Turner (65) and a career best 61 from Caddick saw their side to 333.
It was then Caddick’s turn to excel with the ball.
The Somerset seamer blew the hosts away, claiming eight for 69 from as Durham were dismissed for 221 inside 49 overs.
Batting for a second time, Somerset declared 390 for five as Hayhurst and Richard Harden made centuries.
Caddick claimed a further two wickets in the Durham second innings whilst Mushtaq Ahmed took five for 60 as the hosts were all out for 216 as Somerset claimed a comprehensive victory.
MATCH SPONSOR – EVERYONE ACTIVE
Part of Sports and Leisure Management Ltd, Everyone Active are SCCC’s Official Gym Partner and the longest-established leisure contractor in the UK. They have more than 220 leisure and cultural centres situated across the whole of the UK with many of these based in the South West.
They are passionate about being active and staying healthy and want their members to be too. Whether it is state-of-the art gym equipment, excellent sports facilities, Swim England-accredited swimming programmes or fun activities for children, their centres aim to offer something for the entire community to enjoy.
MEMBER FORUM
There will be a Member Forum on day two of the fixture.
2024 Members are invited to attend this event which will be held in the County Room 20 minutes after the close of play on Friday.
Jamie Cox will be updating Members with all the latest news from the Club and answering questions from the floor.
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.
NEXT MATCH
Somerset’s next match is on Thursday September 5th when we take on Northamptonshire Steelbacks in the Vitality Blast quarter-final at the County Ground, Northampton.
This match is sold out.
The next match at the Cooper Associates County Ground is the Vitality County Championship against Surrey.
Day one of this fixture is on Monday September 9th.
Tickets for this fixture are available now.
