County Championship Preview: Somerset v Yorkshire
THE MATCH
Somerset take on Yorkshire at the Cooper Associates County Ground this week in Division One of the Rothesay County Championship.
Day one of this fixture is tomorrow (Friday May 1st).
Tickets are available now:
Somerset are currently second in the Rothesay County Championship Division One table with 54 points from three matches whilst Yorkshire are ninth with 26 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
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 or queries will be managed at the Jack White Gates (St James Street).
The Club Reception Desk is based in the Reception of the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion.
Due to the busy nature of a matchday, our telephone lines will reopen at 10am on Tuesday May 5th.
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 10am and 11:15am
- between 12.50pm and 1:50pm
- for the duration of the tea interval
- at the close of play
Block 1 of the Somerset Stand will be open to the public for this fixture.
The concourse behind the Somerset will be closed due to renovation works.
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 and from additional third-party concessions in the St James Street Fan Village.
The bar in the Lord Botham Stand will be open on days one and two of this fixture.
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.
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: Jonny Bairstow
Head coach: Anthony McGrath
2025 finish: 7th
2025 leading run-scorer: Adam Lyth (1,173)
2025 leading wicket-taker: George Hill (51)
Key winter moves: Australia Test quick Jhye Richardson’s signing for April and May – potentially into June – has turned heads, while his Western Australia captain Sam Whiteman has penned a three-year all-format contract. Batter-keeper Whiteman, Doncaster-born, is local-qualified. Seam-bowling all-rounders Logan van Beek and Will Sutherland join Richardson as early-summer overseas signings. The returning Sutherland is only available for two June matches alongside his Blast commitments. Dawid Malan, Matt Milnes, Jonny Tattersall and Jordan Thompson have departed.
What can we expect?: Yorkshire, promoted in 2024, consolidated their Division One status last summer. After a slow start, three of their four wins came during the last seven matches, taking as many points as champions Nottinghamshire in that period. Now, it’s about pushing on to challenge the likes of Notts and Surrey over the full distance. They certainly have the firepower under captain Jonny Bairstow, with emerging talent such as George Hill, Will Luxton, Matthew Revis and James Wharton developing impressively.
Aiming to catch Test selectors’ eye: Top-order batter James Wharton, 25, recently earned his maiden Lions call-up on the curtailed Abu Dhabi trip. He has totalled 1,533 runs in 23 Rothesay County Championship matches across the last two seasons, including 2024 scores of 188 and 275. He contributed seven Division One half-centuries last season. An improved conversion rate could do wonders for him.
Final thought: A key factor in Yorkshire’s drive for success is always England availability. If Harry Brook and/or Joe Root can parachute in and rack up the runs ahead of the international summer beginning, then that could set the county on the right track for a first four-day title since 2015. That’s certainly the aim for coach Anthony McGrath, who tasted similar success in his Essex days.
TEAM NEWS
Somerset will be without Tom Kohler Cadmore (thumb), Tom Banton (finger) and Lewis Goldsworthy (hamstring), but Thomas Rew has been named in the squad.
The starting XI will be picked from the following players:
VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Ahead of the match, Somerset Head Coach, Jason Kerr said: “We’ve had a really productive week off and it’s given us the opportunity to refresh, train really well and hopefully we’ll look to pick up where we left off.
“I think the most pleasing thing for me so far is that we’ve played on three different surfaces, and we’ve adapted brilliantly. I’ve been impressed with how we’ve gone about our business day to day. We’ve shown some real strength in the team performances.
“Yorkshire are a strong side, and we’ll need to concentrate on what we do really well. We respect every opposition that we play but we will focus on what we can deliver in the moment.”
CLASSIC MATCH
We go back to 2009 for our classic First Class encounter between the two sides.
It was a dramatic match which saw Somerset clinch a remarkable victory on the final day after scoring our second highest fourth innings total ever.
After winning the toss, Yorkshire Captain, Anthony McGrath elected to bat first.
It certainly seemed like the correct decision as Jacques Rudolph made 191 as the visitors finished the opening day on 375 for seven.
Yorkshire were eventually dismissed for 438. David Stiff was the pick of the Somerset bowlers, claiming four for 92.
In reply, Somerset were eventually all out for 326 on the morning of the third day. Marcus Trescothick top scored with 146.
The hosts made an early breakthrough in the Yorkshire second innings when Rudolph fell for a second ball duck, but Joe Sayers made 152 as the White Rose County declared on 363 for five.
Chasing a huge target of 479 for victory, the home side got off to the best possible start with Trescothick (96) and Arul Suppiah (131) sharing an opening stand of 187 to break the back of the chase.
Stiff then added 49 before a sensational display of power batting from Peter Trego took Somerset over the line.
The all rounder smashed his way to 103 from just 54 balls to seal a dramatic win. His innings included six fours and nine sixes.
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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 Rothesay County Championship cricket we are offering our Member For The Day ticket.
For just £26 (£32 on the day) 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
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.
*2026 Associate Membership, Somerset Women Membership, Somerset Nation Membership and Junior Membership does not qualify in this offer.
NEXT MATCH
Somerset’s next match is against Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens in the Rothesay County Championship.
This four-day match begins on Friday May 8th.
Tickets for this match are available via Glamorgan CCC.
