Vitality Blast Double Header Preview: Friday June 26th
THE MATCHES
Somerset Men and Somerset Women are both in action in the Vitality Blast at the Cooper Associates County Ground tomorrow (Friday June 26th).
Somerset Women will get the action underway when they take on Durham at 2:30pm with Somerset Men facing local rivals Gloucestershire at 6:30pm.
A limited number of tickets are available.
Somerset Men are currently fifth in the Central & West Group with eight points from six fixtures whilst Gloucestershire are second in the standings with 20 points from the same number of matches.
Somerset Women are third in the Women’s Vitality Blast table with 19 points from six matches. Durham are currently in fifth position with 18 points from the same number of fixtures.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Gates will open at 1:30pm.
Please note that double headers are not included in 2026 Somerset Women Membership.
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 which may increase the time it takes you to enter the venue.
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.
Due to the busy nature of a matchday, our telephone lines will reopen at 10am on Monday June 29th.
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.
SOMERSET LEISURE FAN VILLAGE
The Somerset Leisure Fan Village will be situated in the St James Street side of the Cooper Associates County Ground.
This will feature a wide range of food and drink plus live DJ set at the Thatchers Bar between fixtures, during the intervals and 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.
A report on the day’s play will also be posted on this website.
THE OPPOSITION
DURHAM WOMEN
Captain: Hollie Armitage
Overseas player: Heather Graham (Australia, all)
2025 finish: 5th
2025 leading run-scorer: Suzie Bates (439)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Katie Levick (13)
Key winter moves: Australian all-rounder Heather Graham has been signed to replace veteran New Zealander Suzie Bates, who was unable to return to the North East because of T20 World Cup duty. Graham has spent the last two seasons as an overseas player with The Blaze. She was a Charlotte Edwards T20 Cup winner in 2024 and a Blast semi-finalist last summer.
The big question: Can Durham kick on from last year’s mid-table, group stage finish? Only five wins from 14 matches last term left them short of a Finals Day appearance by a good distance. Two fewer games this season, they must target at least six wins to have a chance of a top-four finish for a 17 July trip to the Kia Oval.
Wildcard watch: Sophia Turner. Spinners Katie Levick (13 wickets) and Mady Villiers (11) led the way with the ball for Durham in last season’s Blast, but skilful Sophia Turner – aged 23 – was their most prolific seamer with 10. She struck in six of her last seven Blast games in 2025, the other being a No Result. She is used more late in an innings by Hollie Armitage.
Final thought: Hollie Armitage and Bess Heath will be hoping they can transfer that winning feeling from last year’s Hundred with the Northern Superchargers through to their county. The knowledge they gained from that can only help the younger players in Durham’s squad. The loss of director of cricket Marcus North to England as the new men’s national selector within sight of the competition starting is not ideal, but the bulk of the preparation for this campaign will be done now.
GLOUCESTERSHIRE MEN
Captain: Jack Taylor
Overseas players: D’Arcy Short (Australia, all), Liam Scott (Australia, five group matches), Cameron Bancroft (Australia, all)
Finals Day appearances: Four (2003, 2007, 2020, 2024)
Titles: One (2024)
2025 finish: 7th in South Group
2025 leading run-scorer: D’Arcy Short (515)
2025 leading wicket-taker: David Payne (17)
Key winter moves: News that D’Arcy Short would return for the 2026 Blast came as a huge boost after the Australian’s impact on the competition last season. After a slow start, Short scored five half-centuries, with a top score of 83 off just 48 balls against Middlesex at Bristol. His tally of 515 runs was 239 more than Gloucestershire’s next highest scorer.
The big question: How will Gloucestershire’s bowling attack fare following the loss of Josh Shaw, Ajeet Singh Dale and Zaman Akhter to rival counties and the retirement of left-arm spinner Tom Smith, now on the coaching staff? They will also be without overseas signing Liam Scott for the first six group games following his selection for Australia’s ODI tours of Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Wildcard watch: Ben Charlesworth. The 25-year-old left-hander, who began the season by announcing his intention to leave Gloucestershire at the end of it, had a disappointing Blast campaign last year, registering eight scores below 20 in 13 innings. But he has the power and talent to mark his last T20 campaign at Bristol with a much better return.
Final thought: Momentum is a powerful force in Blast cricket and Gloucestershire’s last campaign was a perfect illustration. As reigning champions, they made a disastrous start, losing their first five group matches. Four successive victories were then chalked up before hopes of qualifying from the group were dashed by four defeats in the last five games. A good start this season would build confidence and could make the team the force they were in 2024.
TEAM NEWS
Somerset Women will be without Heather Knight, Charlie Dean and Dani Gibson (international duty). Emma Corney (knee) and Mollie Robbins (unavailable) will also miss the game.
A starting XI will be named from the following squad:
Somerset Men will be without Lewis Gregory (hamstring), Tom Abell (hand) and Migael Pretorius (pectoral) but Riley Meredith and Will Smeed return to the squad.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore will captain the side.
A starting XI will be named from the list below:
VIEWS FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Ahead of the match, Somerset Women’s Head Coach, Erin Osborne said: “We’ve been playing some really good cricket and it’s nice to be back home playing T20 cricket again. We’ve had a little bit of success in the Vitality Blast, so the group’s in a really good space at the moment. We’re committed to the way we want to go about things, so hopefully we can have a good day out on Friday against Durham.
“We thoroughly enjoy playing at home, particularly with the doubleheader. The crowd get right behind us and we know that they love their cricket here and that they’re very knowledgeable, so it just feels like it adds an extra player to our team. Any opportunity we get to play at home in front of a crowd is one that we really welcome.
“I think you can fall into the trap of looking at the table a bit too much and trying to work out how many wins you need to get to the finals and that sort of thing. I know everyone says it, but we’re literally just taking one game at a time. We need to make sure that we’re just playing good cricket and that we prepare really well for Durham and do everything we can to have a successful evening.
“It should be a really good game and we’re looking forward to it. They’ve got some players who can make an impact, but so do we so it’ll literally just come down to who performs under pressure on the day.”
Men’s Head Coach, Jason Kerr said: “I guess the break from the Blast and the return to Championship cricket came at a good time for us. We had a string of performances in T20 cricket that were below our standards. We’ve had a number of injuries but we were still way off where we needed to be.
“We had the opportunity to switch formats, practise differently and think a little bit differently. Now we’re excited to get back out there.
“We’ve got six games to go, and we know what we have to do. We’re excited about that challenge and we’ve got a few guys back from injury. It’s a huge boost to have these players back because they’re vastly experienced and they’re match winners in their own right as individuals. From a team point of view, it gives huge confidence because in a couple of the games, you can see that we’ve been a team lacking experience. To have these guys back will give us a few more calm heads out there and hopefully give us an opportunity to build some momentum over the next few games.”
TRADE NATION STATS
Ahead of our Vitality Blast matches this summer we will be be bringing you some amazing stats in partnership with Trade Nation.
CLASSIC MATCH
We go back to 2006 for the classic T20 match between Somerset and Gloucestershire at the Cooper Associates County Ground.
It was a game which saw Somerset become the first team to register 250 in a T20 fixture.
Gloucestershire captain, Jon Lewis won the toss and elected to field. That was as good as the day got for the visitors!
Justin Langer and Matt Wood shared an opening stand of 54 before the latter was caught and bowled by Ian Harvey for 34 from 19 deliveries.
This brough Cameron White to the crease to join Langer. The Australian pair, both making their T20 debuts, then decimated the Gloucestershire attack, sharing a second wicket stand of 186.
Langer eventually fell to Harvey for 90 from 46 balls but White went on to make an astonishing 116 from just 53 balls as Somerset posted a total of 250 for three.
Lewis was the only Gloucestershire batter to make any impact in the run chase. The visiting skipper scored 43 from 22 before being run out as his side were bowled out for just 133 from 16.1 overs as Somerset claimed a comprehensive victory by 117 runs.
Charl Willoughby was the pick of the Somerset attack, claiming four for 30 from his four overs.
MATCH SPONSOR – ALFIE’S LANDSCAPES & CONSTRUCTION
Based in Taunton, Alfie’s Landscapes Ltd is an independent landscaping and construction company.
They specialize in all forms of garden care, from major projects to small courtyards,
They also offer construction services including extensions, new builds, roofing, kitchens, and bathrooms. Alongside this, Alfie’s has recently opened an outdoor living showroom with a wide range of paving, garden accessories and are proud local stockists of Laura Ashley outdoor furniture.
100 x Vitality Blast Shirts Giveaway with Trade Nation
As part of our ever-evolving partnership with Trade Nation, we are giving Somerset Members and supporters the chance to receive a brand new 2026 Vitality Blast shirt as part of our new initiative entitled: Trade In, Trade Out.
We know that every Somerset fan has a story that connects them to the Club or a favourite memory of supporting the team.
These stories are often powerful and emotive, but they are sometimes humorous too.
These are stories that need to be told and to encourage people to share their memories, Somerset CCC and Trade Nation are inviting Members and supporters to Trade In, Trade Out.
On Friday, Somerset fans are being invited to come to the Somerset Leisure Fan Village at 6pm with their old Somerset shirts, memorabilia or keepsakes that are linked to their memories of the Club. They can then Trade In for the new Vitality Blast bowling shirt*.
Donated items will support the Somerset Cricket Foundation and may be used for fundraising, community projects or heritage initiatives.
If you don’t want to Trade In, don’t worry. We still want to hear your stories, because your memories and love of the Club are what makes our bond so special.
To get involved, simply fill out a simple form via the link below for more details and to enter:
*You will need to be a 2026 Platinum Member, a 2026 White Ball Member or a ticket holder to take part.
THATCHERS
Thatchers will be joining us on Friday in the Somerset Leisure Fan Village on Friday.
There will be special DJ sets taking place during the interval of both matches, between the two games and at the close of play.
In addition to the music, there will also be games, giveaways, activations and you could even win a free pint!
THE WOLLENS O-ZONE CHALLENGE!
Somerset County Cricket Club have teamed up with Wollens Solicitors to help raise money for Children’s Hospice South West in 2026.
If any player hits the ball through the “O” of the Wollens advertising board at the Cooper Associates County Ground this year, Wollens will donate £1 for every run that is scored in that innings!
Regarding the initiative, Emma Perry, Head of Fundraising at CHSW, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Wollens Solicitors and Somerset County Cricket Club for their fantastic support. The Wollens O-Zone Challenge is such a fun and creative way for players to help raise vital funds while doing what they love out on the pitch. Every run scored has the potential to make a real difference to the families we support, and we’re so thankful to everyone involved for getting behind this initiative.”
WIN A SOMERSET LEISURE CARAVAN
As part of our partnership with Somerset Leisure, we will be teaming up to bring our Members and supporters an incredible competition to win a caravan which is at the CACG today!
Keep your eyes on this website and our social channels for more information!
VITALITY BLAST VOLUNTEERS
At all of our Vitality Blast matches, Somerset Cricket Foundation’s Super 1 disability cricket players will be volunteering their time to support the matchday experience by offering you a friendly welcome and helping give out 4 & 6 cards.
Lord’s Taverners Super 1s is all about creating opportunities on the field, but just as importantly providing valuable experiences off the field that help young people develop confidence and life skills for the future.
If you see them around the ground this evening, please do say hello and give them plenty of encouragement because they’re a little nervous, but very excited to be part of tonight’s match.
NEXT MATCH
Somerset Women are next in action on Sunday (June 28th) when we welcome Surrey to the Cooper Associates County Ground in the Vitality Blast.
This not-to-be-missed Vitality Blast fixture will also feature a sensational Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo tribute concert courtesy of Sweet & Sour in our fan village after the game
Somerset Men’s next match is also on Sunday when we travel to Visit Worcestershire New Road, Worcester to take on Worcestershire Rapids in the Vitality Blast.
Tickets for the match are on sale via the link below.
