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Vitality Blast Preview: Somerset v Surrey
THE MATCH
Somerset welcome Surrey to the Cooper Associates County Ground in the Vitality Blast tomorrow (Friday July 12th).
Gates open at 4:30pm with play due to start at 6:30pm.
Somerset are currently third in the table with 11 points from 10 games whilst Surrey currently top the group with 16 points from the same number of fixtures.
This match is sold out but you may still be able to access tickets via our Official Re-Sale Platform.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
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:
Members and supporters are not permitted to bring alcohol into Vitality Blast fixtures.
Ticket buyers can download their online tickets via their SCCC account.
All ticket or Membership collections will be from the Jack White Gates (St James Street).
The Club Enquiries Desk will be based in the Reception of the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion and not in the Andrew Caddick Pavilion on matchdays.
Due to the busy nature of a matchday, our telephone lines will reopen at 10am on Monday July 15th.
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.
Scorecards will be available from Reception in the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion. Completed scorecards can now be downloaded after the match via the Membership section of this website.
FAN VILLAGE & CATERING
We will once again be hosting our fan village in the St James Street side of the Cooper Associates County Ground.
The fan village will once again feature a wide range of food and drink plus live music before the match and during the interval.
Matchday food and drink will be available from the SCCC concessions and bars around the ground.
HOW CAN I KEEP UP TO DATE?
Our live stream will once again be available for fans to watch via this website and at our YouTube channel.
You can also keep up to date using our dedicated matchday blog via this website’s Match Centre and on our X feed.
In association with Vertu Motors, 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.
In addition to this, a report on the day’s play along with quotes will be posted on this website.
THE OPPOSITION
Captain: Chris Jordan
Overseas players: Sean Abbott (Australia), Spencer Johnson (Australia) – both available for first eight matches.
Finals Day appearances: Eight (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2014, 2020, 2023)
Titles: One (2003)
2023 finish: Semi-finals
2023 leading run-scorer: Laurie Evans (563)
2023 leading wicket-taker: Sunil Narine (20)
The big question: A significant monkey on Surrey’s back is the constant reminder that their only previous T20 triumph came under Adam Hollioake’s captaincy in the inaugural tournament way back in 2003, despite eight appearances overall at Finals Day. Last year they were beaten by 24 runs in the semi-final by eventual winners Somerset.
The season so far: Could this finally be Surrey’s year? After several near misses, the side from the Kia Oval are currently sitting pretty at the top of the South Group having claimed 16 points from their 10 games. They have coped more than impressively without the big names, so when they return, it might be a case of “opposition beware!”
Final thought: This year’s Blast is another big test of the Surrey squad’s famed strength in depth. With four players initially away at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup – skipper Chris Jordan, all-rounders Sam Curran and Will Jacks, plus paceman Reece Topley – other major talents will be expected to step up into on-field leadership roles.
TEAM NEWS
Riley Meredith has recovered from the back spasm that he suffered against Gloucestershire but Somerset will be without Will Smeed (hamstring), Roelof van der Merwe (back) and Josh Davey (illness).
Tom Lammonby, Migael Pretorius and George Thomas have been added to the squad.
Somerset have named the following squad for the fixture: Lewis Gregory, Tom Banton, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Tom Abell, Sean Dickson, Tom Lammonby, George Thomas, Ben Green, Migael Pretorius, Craig Overton, Riley Meredith, Jake Ball and Jack Leach.
VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Ahead of the game, Somerset Head Coach, Jason Kerr said: “We’ve had a couple days of reflect and obviously it was really disappointing to lose the derby. We have to make sure we learn from that and find the intensity and skill levels that we’ve had over numerous occasions so far in the competition.
“We’ve got a few injury concerns this week and a number of players are being assessed. That could create a number of opportunities, but we will have to wait and see.
“We know all the teams in the South Group are strong, and Surrey are no different. We had a good game up at the Oval, again it was one that we think we should have won. We know they’ve got talent from one to 11, but so have we and it’s important we concentrate on our strengths and really focus on delivering our skills on Friday.
“Riley didn’t finish his overs on Sunday because he had a back spasm. We’re just trying to get to the root cause of that to make sure there’s nothing sinister there and hopefully he will be back available sooner rather than later.”
TRADE NATION STATS
KEY PLAYER MATCHUP – BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPER ASSOCIATES
CLASSIC MATCH
We don’t have to travel back in time too far to find today’s classic match between the two sides.
Somerset took on Surrey in last year’s Vitality Blast semi final at Edgbaston.
It was a dramatic encounter which saw Somerset come out on top on what was to become a day to remember for the Taunton-based team!
MATCH SPONSOR – COREUS GROUP
Based in Exeter, Coreus Group deliver highly bespoke construction and development consultancy services across the UK. Their broad offering includes cost consultancy, project management, development management, building surveying, sustainability and environmental consultancy along with BREEAM, all brought to you by an expert team of experienced specialists from multi-disciplinary consultancy backgrounds including global corporations.
THE VERTU MOTORS CROWD CATCH!
In partnership with Vertu Motors, we have launched a new competition for the 2024 Vitality Blast season.
As well as enjoying the spectacular action of this season’s Blast, you can be a part of it with the Vertu Motors 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 Kent Spitfires at the Cooper Associates County Ground on Friday July 26th.
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
Our next match is on Sunday July 14th when we take on Hampshire Hawks at Utilita Bowl in the Vitality Blast.
Tickets for this match are available now:
