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Somerset v Surrey: Vitality Blast Double Header – Preview
THE MATCHES
Somerset begin the 2025 Vitality Blast with a double header against Surrey at the Cooper Associates County Ground tomorrow (Friday May 30th).
Gates open at 1:30pm, with Somerset Women v Surrey Women getting things underway at 2:30pm.
Somerset Men v Surrey Men will begin at 6:30pm.
Please note that double headers are not included in 2025 Somerset Women Membership.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Please note that there will be no re-admittance after 5:30pm.
Information on everything that you will need for a matchday at SCCC, including how to download your e-tickets and how to use the SCCC Ticket App can all be found in our Visiting Guide.
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 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 Monday June 2nd.
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.
FAN VILLAGE & CATERING
We will once again be staging our brilliant fan village in the St James Street side of the Cooper Associates County Ground.
The fan village features a wide range of food and drink plus live music from Big Hands Band between fixtures and during the men’s interval. There will also be live DJs (BS8 Records) at the close of play.
Matchday food and drink will also be available from the SCCC concessions and bars around the ground.
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
SURREY WOMEN
Captain: Bryony Smith
Overseas players: Grace Harris (Australia, available from June 5 until the end of competition)
Key winter moves: The big arrivals over the close season are England international Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Australian Grace Harris, both free-scoring batters who fit the profile of a side renowned for aggressive run-making. Alice Monaghan also comes in from Hampshire to offer options with both bat and ball.
The big question: How will they fit all the batters in? An already strong line-up now includes Harris and Wyatt-Hodge, the former possessing a higher strike rate (155) in international T20 than any batter achieved domestically in the format last year. Bowling stocks, be that seam or spin are hardly light either, even with skipper Smith and vice-captain Tash Farrant currently battling injuries.
Wildcard watch: Emma Jones. The all-rounder, a student of veterinary surgery at Cambridge, has had three separate contracts with The Hundred franchises, but been held back by injury. Trent Rockets have kept faith for 2025 when Jones’ height with the ball and long levers with the bat may mean that faith is rewarded.
Final thought: Under the guise of the South East Stars, the bulk of this group made Finals Day in the Charlotte Edwards Cup in three of the four years it was contested. Only Sophia Dunkley and Alice Davidson-Richards will miss the start of the competition on England duty while rival sides are harder hit. Smith returned from injury during the T20 County Cup and her captaincy and powerplay hitting will be valuable to lead a squad with enough class and depth to be a contender.
SURREY MEN
Captain: Sam Curran
Overseas players: Mitchell Santner (New Zealand, available after IPL and knockout matches), Nathan Smith (New Zealand, full competition)
Finals Day appearances: Nine (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2014, 2020, 2023, 2024)
Titles: One (2003)
2024 finish: Semi-finals
2024 leading run-scorer: Jamie Smith (285)
2024 leading wicket-taker: Tom Curran (16)
Key winter moves: New Zealand’s white-ball captain, Mitchell Santner, is available when the rescheduled IPL finishes and will also be available for the knock-out stages in September if the team – now captained by Sam Curran – qualify for the knockout stages of the competition. Left-arm spinner Santner’s fellow Kiwi, all-rounder Nathan Smith, has already impressed in the Rothesay County Championship as the club’s other new overseas signing this season.
The big question: As ever, and especially after a second successive semi-final exit against Somerset, who beat them by 24 runs in 2023 and then by six wickets last year, Surrey are desperate to jettison the tag of only winning the T20 Cup once before – the inaugural tournament under Adam Hollioake’s captaincy in 2003. There have now been eight unsuccessful Finals Day appearances since that triumph.
Wildcard watch: Dom Sibley. England’s erstwhile 22-times capped Test opener reinvented himself in last season’s Vitality Blast by unveiling some previously unseen strokes – including an extraordinary reverse-scoop for six in his quarter-final winning 67 not out against Durham. Sibley scored 269 runs in 11 matches at the top of the order, at the highly creditable strike rate of 133.83.
Final thought: Surrey are used to it by now – 24 players appeared in last summer’s Blast campaign – but juggling their resources around international call-ups means another big test of the squad’s envied depth. A major plus, however, is Sam Curran’s availability throughout the group stages. Surrey’s new T20 captain, at present surplus to England’s white-ball requirements, played only five Blast innings last year but smashed 13 sixes while scoring 237 runs at a strike rate above 150.
TEAM NEWS
Somerset Women will be without England trio Heather Knight, Charlie Dean and Dani Gibson. Lola Harris is also unavailable (exams). However, Niamh Holland and Amelie Munday are included in the squad.
A starting XI will be named from the following squad:
Somerset Men are without Sean Dickson (hand) and James Rew (England Lions) but Riley Meredith and Tom Kohler-Cadmore return to the squad.
Somerset Men have named the following squad:
VIEWS FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Ahead of Somerset Women’s first ever Vitality Blast clash, Captain Sophie Luff said: “We couldn’t really wish for a better start to the competition than a double header against Surrey at the Cooper Associates County Ground. We’re really excited to get going. Hopefully, we can hit the ground running and entertain people along the way.
“These double headers are a genuine opportunity for us to use the game as a platform and help to bring in a bigger audience. It’s a sell out so hopefully lots of people will turn up early and watch our game too.
“Surrey are a very good team and we will need to be at our best to beat them. We came out on top in the first game of the season at Beckenham in the Metro Bank One Day Cup and hopefully we can do the same again tomorrow.”
On the eve of Somerset Men’s season opener, Head Coach Jason Kerr said: “T20 cricket on a Friday night at home is what it’s all about for me, so to be doing that tomorrow is really exciting. The atmosphere that’s generated here is phenomenal and everyone connected with the Club can’t wait to get started.
“We pride ourselves on the way that we play white-ball cricket and we’ve had relative success over the last few years. However, this is a new start and a new campaign and we will once again look to be as successful as we possibly can this year.
“We’ve done well in the competition in the last few years, but the past is history. Now it’s all about how we start this year’s campaign and how we build confidence in the group. Every team gets better year on year so it’s important that we keep evolving as well.”
TRADE NATION STATS
CLASSIC MATCH
We head back to last summer for a classic Vitality Blast encounter between the two sides.
Surrey visited the Cooper Associates County Ground in July 2024, and it was the hosts who came out on top by six wickets thanks in no small measure to a stunning half century from Tom Koher-Cadmore.
MATCH SPONSOR – SOUTH WEST CLEANING EQUIPMENT
South West Cleaning Equipment supply the complete range of Kärcher products, from pressure washers, steam cleaners & vacuums to scrubber dryers, window cleaners & sweepers, complemented by a selection of cleaning chemicals & Kärcher spares & batteries.
They also offer hire equipment and have a dedicated engineering team offering a fantastic service for your machines.
THE VERTU MOTORS CROWD CATCH!
As well as enjoying the spectacular action of this season’s Blast, you can be a part of it with the Vertu Crowd Catch!
If you take a clean catch in the crowd during any of our Home Vitality Blast matches, you will win hospitality for two to our Metro Bank One Day Cup match against Durham on Friday August 8th.
In order to qualify for the prize, the official in-play match ball must be caught by the winner straight from the air without having touched any object or person before being caught by the winner. Evidence of identity, ticket and age may be required.
NEXT MATCH
The next game at the Cooper Associates County Ground takes place on Saturday June 7th when England take on the West Indies in a Women’s One-Day International.
Tickets for this not-to-be-missed clash are still on sale.
Buy yours now:
Somerset Women and Somerset Men are next in action on Sunday June 1st when we take on Essex at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground, Chelmsford.
Tickets for this double header are still available.
