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County Championship Preview: Somerset v Warwickshire
THE MATCH
Somerset welcome Warwickshire to the Cooper Associates County Ground this week in Division One of the Vitality County Championship.
Day one of this fixture is tomorrow (Sunday June 30th).
Somerset are currently third in the Division One table with 114 points from eight matches, whilst Warwickshire are seventh with 89 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 Thursday July 4th.
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.
The Trade Nation Stand will be open on days two and three only for the school children who have been invited to attend the game as part of our Schools Day initiative. This also means that the toilets in the Ondaatje Pavilion and the temporary toilets next to the Trade Nation Stand will be for schools only on days two and three.
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: Alex Davies
Head Coach: Mark Robinson
2023 finish: Fourth (Division One)
2023 highest run-scorer: Sam Hain (706)
2023 highest wicket-taker: Olly Hannon-Dalby (54)
What can we expect?: A seam-attack of the highly-skilled Olly Hannon-Dalby and Chris Rushworth (107 wickets between them last season) assisted by charismatic overseas star Hasan Ali and the fast-improving Ed Barnard with, who knows, perhaps the occasional pinch of Chris Woakes stirred into the mix. Which direction will Warwickshire take after an erratic 2023 red-ball season which brought some brilliant days and some very poor ones? Rhodes’ departure as captain caused some disappointment among the fans who will be hoping that the focus of leadership helps Davies to improve a batting average of 27.15 for the Bears in first-class cricket.
Key winter moves: Alex Davies has replaced Will Rhodes as captain, the latter having stepped down after an impressive tenure which included leading the side to the Championship title in 2021. Pakistan paceman Hasan Ali returns until at least the end of July to rejoin a seam attack which will be without Henry Brookes who has moved to Middlesex.
One to watch: Olly Hannon-Dalby – always hunting wickets with the ball, as shown by his 450 across the formats for Warwickshire, and increasingly effective as a polished, left-handed, lower-order hitter with a cover drive that has drawn comparison with David Gower.
Final thought: Warwickshire should have enough about them to stay out of relegation trouble. To challenge at the other end of the table they will need good fortune with injuries in the bowling department – 51% of their Championship wickets last season were taken by two men aged 34 and 37. They will also need considerably more match-shaping innings from their top order. Only Sam Hain and Rob Yates scored more than one Championship century for Warwickshire in 2023.
TEAM NEWS
Lewis Gregory returns after missing the trip to Nottinghamshire and Shoaib Bashir is added to the squad.
Somerset have named the following squad for the fixture: Lewis Gregory, Tom Lammonby, Tom Abell, Tom Banton, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Andy Umeed, James Rew, Craig Overton, Migael Pretorius, Kasey Aldridge, Josh Davey, Jack Leach, Jake Ball and Shoaib Bashir.
VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Ahead of the match, Somerset Head Coach, Jason Kerr said: “I thought the lads were outstanding at Trent Bridge on what was a docile surface which made it difficult for both sides to get a result. The attitude and commitment was superb and if we take that into this weekend hopefully we can force a result.
“We knew that these two Championship matches in the middle of the Blast could set us up really well for September and we were looking to get two positive results. We got a few points up at Trent Bridge and if we can get a positive result against Warwickshire we’ll be in a great position as we come into the back end of the summer.”
COOPER ASSOCIATES KEY PLAYER MATCH UP
CLASSIC MATCH
We go back to 1971 for the classic County Championship match between the two sides.
Somerset welcomed Warwickshire to Morlands Athletic Ground, Glastonbury for the three-day fixture in July and claimed a comprehensive victory.
Somerset Captain, Brian Langford won the toss and elected to bat first.
Despite 45 from Roy Virgin, the hosts slipped to 145 for eight but a half century for Kerry O’Keeffe helped Somerset post a total of 258.
The home bowlers then ripped through the Warwickshire batting order, with Hallam Moseley claiming four for 32 from 17 overs as the visitors were dismissed for just 95 inside 49 overs. Tom Cartwright and Graham Burgess also impressed as both claimed three wickets.
Warwickshire didn’t fare much better after the follow on was enforced and were all out for 69 in their second innings.
Moseley claimed four for 36 whilst Cartwright finished with five for 23 as Somerset wrapped up the win by an innings and 94 runs.
MATCH SPONSOR – CLARKE WILLMOTT
Clarke Willmott have provided Somerset County Cricket Club with legal advice for over 30 years, and they remain as one of the Club’s Preferred Legal Partners.
Clarke Willmott LLP is a national firm of solicitors providing a full range of legal services for businesses and individuals. Working closely with their clients, they provide legal advice and tailored solutions whilst also investing time and energy into developing strong client relationships.
RAINBOW LACES
Rainbow Laces is an annual event that invites players, officials, fans, employees and volunteers to celebrate inclusion with the UK’s LGBTQ+ community.
Started by the charity Stonewall in 2013, it began with asking players to lace their boots with rainbow-coloured laces to heighten LGBTQ+ awareness, and has since grown into an annual national event across many sports.
We are proud to support Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign. Our game is for everyone, and we want cricket to be a game in which the LGBTQ+ community feel both welcome and able to be themselves. For more information, head to the Raising The Game section of the ECB website.
SCHOOLS DAYS
Days two and three of this match will see hundreds of school children from across the region welcomed to the Cooper Associates County Ground for free.
The Trade Nation Stand will be open on these days only for the schools that have been invited as part of this initiative.
SUPER 1s CRICKET
On day one of this match, a number of Somerset Cricket Foundation’s Super 1 cricketers will be taking part in a demonstration during the lunch interval.
Super 1s is a programme funded by the Lord’s Taverners which gives young people with a disability aged between 12 and 25 the chance to play regular, competitive cricket. By creating community cricket hubs where young people can receive coaching, Somerset Cricket Foundation give participants the chance to compete against their peers and enjoy the benefits of playing sport.
Across the County, Somerset Cricket Foundation run seven Super 1s hubs in Bath, Bristol, Bridgwater, Street, Taunton, Weston-super-Mare and Yeovil, where almost 120 young people attend on a weekly basis. Sessions are free to attend and run every week.
The players will be representing all of SCF’s hubs on the day and are really excited about being in front of a crowd to showcase their skills!
EURO 2024
We will be showing England’s last 16 match at UEFA Euro 2024 in Stragglers on Sunday.
SCCC Members and supporters with a valid matchday ticket for day one of our Vitality County Championship match against Warwickshire can access Stragglers for free.
Members of the public can also join us in Stragglers for the England match.
Entry to the screening of England v Slovakia costs just £5 and includes a free drink.
Please note that there are a limited number of tickets available for the screening and we would strongly recommend booking in advance. Those purchasing tickets to the screening of the football will be able to gain entry to the Cooper Associates County Ground from 4pm.
Please note that the England game will not be shown on the big screen in the fan village.
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 Friday July 5th when we take on Essex Eagles in the Vitality Blast at the Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford.
Tickets for this match are still available:
The next match at the Cooper Associates County Ground in on Sunday July 7th when we face Gloucestershire in the Vitality Blast.
There are a limited number of tickets remaining for this fixture.
