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Vitality Blast Finals Day: Preview
THE MATCHES
Somerset take on Surrey in the first Vitality Blast semi-final at Edgbaston tomorrow (Saturday September 14th).
SEMI-FINAL 1
Somerset v Surrey – 11am
SEMI-FINAL 2
Gloucestershire v Sussex Sharks – 2:30pm
FINAL
Winner semi-final 1 v Winner semi-final 2 – 6:45pm
HOW CAN I KEEP UP TO DATE?
You can keep up to date with a live blog via our dedicated Match Centre and also on our X feed.
This match will be televised on Sky Sports.
In addition to this, a report on the day’s play along with quotes will be posted on this website.
THE OPPOSITION
SURREY
Captain: Chris Jordan
Previous Finals Day appearances: Eight (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2014, 2020, 2023)
Titles: One (2003)
2024 finish: 1st place South Group
2024 leading run-scorer: Jamie Smith (285)
2024 leading wicket-taker: Tom Curran & Sean Abbott (15)
GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Captain: Jack Taylor
Previous Finals Day appearances: Three (2003, 2007, 2020)
Titles: None
2024 finish: 4th South Group
2024 leading run-scorer: Cameron Bancroft (442)
2024 leading wicket-taker: David Payne (29)
SUSSEX SHARKS
Captain: Tymal Mills
Previous Finals Day appearances: Five (2007, 2009, 2012, 2018, 2021)
Titles: One (2009)
2024 finish: 2nd South Group
2024 leading run-scorer: Daniel Hughes (595)
2024 leading wicket-taker: Tymal Mills (24)
TEAM NEWS
Tom Banton misses out after picking up an ankle injury during this weeks Vitality County Championship match against Surrey. Riley Meredith is unavailable because of international duty. James Rew is added to the squad.
Somerset have named the following squad for the fixture: Lewis Gregory, Will Smeed, Tom Kohler Cadmore, Tom Abell, Sean Dickson, Lewis Goldsworthy, Tom Lammonby, James Rew, Ben Green, Craig Overton, Kasey Aldridge, Roelof van der Merwe, Josh Davey, Jack Leach and Jake Ball.
VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Ahead of the match, Somerset Head Coach, Jason Kerr said: “Everyone is looking forward to it. Yesterday was a fantastic day and we need to use the confidence and momentum from that tomorrow. We know that anything can happen in the short format of the game, but the confidence in the group is extremely high and it’s a challenge that we’re all looking forward to.
“Surrey will want to bounce back and that will be the narrative in their dressing room. They will want to get through to the final, as do all the teams at Finals Day. We can’t control what they do, we have to concentrate on ourselves and make sure that we’re ready to execute our skills tomorrow.
“The possibility of becoming the first team to retain the title is exciting. You have to create history and one day someone will do it. My question to the group will be ‘why not us?’. It’s an exciting challenge, it’s an opportunity and hopefully we can take it.”
TRADE NATION STATS
CLASSIC MATCH
The last time the two sides met in the semi-final stage of the Vitality Blast was last year.
It was a dramatic encounter which saw Somerset come out on top on what was to become a day to remember!
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
You can find out everything that you need to know about attending Finals Day from the official Edgbaston website
NEXT MATCH
Somerset’s next match begins on Tuesday (September 17th) when we take on Lancashire in the Vitality County Championship First Division.
Tickets are available now from Emirates Old Trafford.
