)}})
County Championship Preview: Somerset v Nottinghamshire
THE MATCH
Somerset welcome Nottinghamshire to the Cooper Associates County Ground this week in Division One of the Vitality County Championship.
Day one of this fixture is tomorrow (Friday April 19th).
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 April 23rd.
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.
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
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
Captain: Haseeb Hameed
Head Coach: Peter Moores
2023 finish: Sixth (Division One)
2023 highest run-scorer: Joe Clarke (1,053)
2023 highest wicket-taker: Brett Hutton (62)
What can we expect?: With Stuart Broad retired, club legend Patel moving on, Mullaney effectively calling time on his senior career and Alex Hales prioritising other commitments over the Blast, it feels like the end of an era at Trent Bridge. The big question is how smoothly they can transition to a new one while two new captains simultaneously try to find their feet. Whether Haynes, only 23, can make the impact many believe he can at a higher level after five Championship hundreds in the last two seasons for Worcestershire. The classy right-hander should bed in well with two New Road colleagues making the switch with him. He has the potential to be Nottinghamshire’s most important winter signing.
Key winter moves: After Steven Mullaney’s switch to Second XI captain and player-coach, Haseeb Hameed skippers the red-ball side with Joe Clarke leading in T20. Samit Patel and Jake Ball depart, while fast bowler Dillon Pennington, England quick Josh Tongue (currently injured) and young batter Jack Haynes arrive from Worcestershire. New Zealand batter Will Young returns from mid-April until the end of the Blast.
One to watch: Ben Duckett was Bazballing even before it was a thing, but in his likely absence with England, Clarke or wicketkeeper-batter Tom Moores are the likeliest to take an up-tempo approach.
Final thought: How well Nottinghamshire have recruited will be measured by whether they can finish higher than last season’s sixth, which was a fair reflection of their level. How much they see of the talented speedster Tongue is open to question, given that England will have first call on him once his latest injury has healed, but Pennington and Haynes look sound acquisitions and Young adds some proven quality. Members will welcome the promotion of exciting homegrown prospect Freddie McCann to the senior squad too.
TEAM NEWS
Somerset are still without Jack Leach and Tom Abell but Josh Davey returns to the squad.
Somerset have named the following squad for the fixture: Lewis Gregory, Sean Dickson, Matt Renshaw, Tom Lammonby, Tom Banton, James Rew, Lewis Goldsworthy, Craig Overton, Josh Davey, Migael Pretorius, Kasey Aldridge, Jake Ball and Shoaib Bashir.
VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
On the eve of the match, Somerset Head Coach, Jason Kerr said: “I think we’ve played some really good cricket over the course of the opening two games. In that sense, I’m really pleased with where we are as a group. As a collective, I think we’ve operated really well and it’s just a matter of time before results come our way.
“The sun is out, the ground looks amazing and we’re all really excited about playing the first home game of the season. The ground is in immaculate condition and there’s always a buzz ahead of playing in front of our Members and supporters. Hopefully, we can put on a really good show for everyone over the next four days.
“Notts are a strong side, so we’re expecting some incredibly competitive cricket this weekend.”
COOPER ASSOCIATES KEY PLAYER MATCH UP
CLASSIC MATCH
We go back to 2004 for our classic County Championship encounter against Nottinghamshire.
It was a match that saw a comprehensive Somerset victory and featured an impressive innings from our new CEO.
Nottinghamshire arrived in Taunton in September, and after winning the toss the visitors elected to bat first.
Richard Johnson claimed two early wickets to leave Notts on 29 for two. However, half centuries from Jason Gallian (68) and Chris Read (59) plus 104 from Mark Ealham ensured that the visitors posted a first innings total of 337 all out. Johnson finished with five for 69 from 25 overs.
The Somerset reply started in the worst possible fashion when Peter Bowler fell with just two runs on the board. Mark Wood and Jamie Cox then shared a second wicket stand of 203 to put the hosts into the ascendancy. Wood was the batter to go, falling for 113 at 205 for two. James Hildreth then made his way to the crease and helped himself to 108 as he and Cox took the score to 412. Somerset skipper Cox was in fine form and reached 250 before being dismissed as Somerset declared on 654 for eight.
Darren Bicknell made 142 in the Notts second innings, but Ian Blackwell claimed seven for 90 as Notts were dismissed for 317, setting Somerset a victory target of just one run.
Bowler did the necessary off the fourth ball over the opening over and Somerset claimed the win by 10 wickets.
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 from 10am.
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!
IT’S IN THE BAG
It’s In The Bag will be joining us on day one of this match.
It’s In The Bag are a local charity who provide hands-on support for men with testicular cancer in the South-West, as well as raising awareness of the disease across the region and beyond.
The charity is run by a group of testicular cancer survivors with support from specialist NHS staff.
They have three simple aims:
- Support
- Awareness
- Survival
With their upbeat approach to awareness, they’ve reached thousands, as well as improving the wellbeing of hundreds of the South-West’s testicular cancer patients. In 2012, they won the QIC ‘Cancer Charity Initiative of the Year’ award in recognition of the real impact their support activities are having on patients’ quality of life and in 2015 won Campaign of the Year in the Bristol Post health and care awards.
NEXT MATCH
Our next match sees us take on Worcestershire at Kidderminster in the Vitality County Championship.
The game gets underway on Friday April 26th.
Tickets are still available.
