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County Championship Preview: Somerset v Hampshire
THE MATCH
Somerset welcome Hampshire to the Cooper Associates County Ground this week in Division One of the Rothesay County Championship.
Day one of this fixture is tomorrow (Monday September 15th).
Tickets are available now:
Somerset are currently third in the table with 163 points from 12 matches whilst Hampshire are eighth with 132 points from the same number of fixtures.
SCHEDULED HOURS OF PLAY:
Morning session: 10:30am to 12:30pm
Afternoon session: 1:10pm to 3:10pm
Evening session: 3:30pm to 5:30pm
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Gates will open at 9:30am.
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 or queries will be managed at the Jack White Gates (St James Street).
We are aware that there have been some issues with the delivery of Membership packs ahead of the new season. If you have any queries regarding your 2025 Membership card please visit the Jack White Gates (St James Street) where a member of staff will be happy to help you.
The Club Reception Desk is now permanently based in the Reception of the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion and not in the Andrew Caddick Pavilion.
Due to the busy nature of a matchday, our telephone lines will reopen at 10am on Friday September 19th.
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 be open as follows:
- between 9:30am and 10:45am
- between 12.20pm and 1:20pm
- at the close of play
Block 5 of the Somerset Stand will be open to the public on all County Championship matchdays.
Scorecards will be available from Reception in the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion. Completed scorecards can 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, day two and day three), plus the concession unit in the lower tier of the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion. There will also be additional catering in the fan village.
Matchday dining is also available in the County Room. We offer breakfast, a lunch and afternoon tea, subject to availability.
More information on County Room dining can be found via the link below:
HOW CAN I KEEP UP TO DATE?
Our award winning live stream is available for fans to watch via this website and our YouTube channel.
You can also keep up to date by using our dedicated matchday blog via this website’s Match Centre and on our X feed.
In association with Vertu, 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.
A report on the day’s play will also be posted on this website.
THE OPPOSITION
Captain: Ben Brown
Head Coach: Adi Birrell
2025 highest run-scorer: Ben Brown (675)
2025 highest wicket-taker: Kyle Abbott (46)
TEAM NEWS
Somerset will be without JT Langridge (side) and Alfie Ogborne (back). Ben Green has been recalled from his loan spell at Leicestershire and goes straight into the squad.
A starting XI will be named from the following squad:
VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Ahead of the match, Somerset Head Coach, Jason Kerr said: “It was a frustrating four days against Yorkshire, but when we were able to get out on the field we played some really good cricket. We need to pick up where we left off in that respect.
“Obviously we take a huge amount of confidence into the game after Finals Day and we need to use that to help us finish the Championship season strongly.
“Finals Day is a long day both physically and mentally for the players and then we have a day of traveling which obviously affects preparation time. However, the guys are so adept at switching between the formats now, and the success last night brings a huge amount of energy. We need to use that as fuel for the next few days.
“Regardless of what’s happened, our philosophy will never change. Every game is important and we want to win every game that we play. That certainly won’t change for these final two Championship matches. As ever, we’ll pick the best XI available and go out there to win the game.”
CLASSIC MATCH
We go back to 1959 for the classic First Class match between the two sides at Taunton.
Somerset won the three-day encounter by eight wickets thanks to a superb bowling performance from Brian Langford.
Hampshire won the toss and elected to bat.
Henry Horton top scored with 71 but Ken Biddulph (five for 49) and Alan Whitehead (four for 37) restricted the visitors to 201 in their first innings.
Half centuries from Graham Atkinson (76), Colin McCool (61) and Chris Greetham (57) saw Somerset to 316 for nine before the declaration arrived.
Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie scored 78 in Hampshire’s second innings but Langford claimed eight for 70 as the visitors were dismissed for 198.
The home side reached the victory target for the loss of just two wickets to secure a comprehensive win.
MATCH SPONSOR – WPA HEALTH INSURANCE
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2026 MEMBERSHIP
Membership for 2026 will go on sale tomorrow (Monday September 15th).
In order to whet your appetite, we have now launched our new Membership brochure.
By downloading the brochure you can see everything that is on offer for 2026.
DOWNLOAD 2026 MEMBERSHIP BROCHURE
Try before you buy!
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 day of our Rothesay County Championship match against Hampshire, which begins on September 15th, we are offering our Member For The Day ticket.
For just £24 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
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.
In addition to this, any adult non-Member that signs up to this offer and then goes on to take out full 2026 Membership* during the Hampshire match will have the £24 discounted from their Membership purchase.
*2026 Associate Membership, Somerset Women Membership, Somerset Nation Membership and Junior Membership does not qualify in this offer.
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!
NEXT MATCH
Somerset’s next match in the Rothesay County Championship begins on Wednesday September 24th when we take on Essex at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground, Chelmsford.
Tickets are still available.
