“I just had to try and fight” – Abes looks back on brilliant Hampshire victory
It’s been an impressive start to the season for Tom Abell.
The right-hander has contributed 329 runs at an average of 82.25 to help Somerset sit at the top of the Rothesay County Championship Division One table after three matches.
His latest innings of 101 not out against Hampshire is being talked about by Somerset Members and supporters as one of the Club’s best knocks in recent years. We caught up with him this week to ask how that made him feel.
“It makes me feel great,” he said. “I think it would probably be one of the innings that I’m most fond of, to be honest because of the context and the fact that we’ve had some pretty tough times against Hampshire over the years. They’ve got a high quality attack and a brilliant team so it was particularly pleasing in such a close game to make a contribution and help carry the boys over the line.
“There were obviously big contributions from others across four days and to bowl them out in the second innings the way we did was a great effort. Lewis was outstanding too. A run chase is never easy, and we had to work really hard to absorb the pressure. One of the things that makes me most proud is how we did that and how we built those partnerships through the innings which eventually helped us get over the line.”
Does it go down as one of your best knocks?
“I think so. As I say, given the context, how we started the season, the position that we were in and the fact that it was such a close game in the end. I think I probably had to show certain skills that I’ve not used in the past. We had to work really hard to get over the line. It wasn’t like batting was easy at all and scoring was very difficult. One of the things that makes it so pleasing, is the fact that we had to work really hard for the result on that last day.
“There were so many contributions throughout the game, and I think the way Archie Vaughan played in both innings was exceptional. Rewie has been unbelievably consistent for us as well and he showed his quality again. It was all about those little partnerships, with Lewie G, Smeedie, Alfie and Leachy at the end. I think those partnerships were what broke the back of the chase. As a team, it was a great feeling to win such a close game.”
How difficult was it to manage the end of that chase?
“To be honest, Leachy led the way out there. He’s one of the best for those sorts of situations and we were just trying to play it as we saw it. Obviously, they had to find the right balance between bringing the fielders in and giving us ones. I had huge faith in Leachy and Alfie and Bally, but it was just a case of trying to identify the right times to take the runs on offer and the right times to go after a boundary. Leachy came to me with the plan of when to take the runs and what bowlers to take on. So, I just tried to listen to him.”
You mentioned that we’ve had some tough times at Hampshire and certainly against Kyle Abbott. Did that make the result even more special?
“Definitely. There will always be grounds and teams where you have a bit of history and sometimes that can be a little bit more mentally challenging. I think Kyle Abbott has got me out probably more than anyone and he’s certainly given me a few sleepless nights. It was a huge battle, and I think Hampshire deserve a huge amount of credit for how they bowled and for the pressure that they put on. It was a case of trying to absorb that and you can only respect how they bowled at times. I just had to try and fight through those spells because they gave us very little to score from. Full credit and respect has to go to the Hampshire team but as a group we were able to find a way and get that win.”
