Somerset Men v Essex Men
Rothesay County Championship
The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton
Friday 02 – Monday 05 May | 11am start
After securing their first win of the season against Worcestershire and recharging with a week’s rest, the Essex Men will head south to face Somerset at Taunton in the fourth round of the County Championship.
In the last round of Rothesay County Championship fixtures, Essex secured a first victory of the season on the final day, defeating Worcestershire by a thrilling 28-run margin.
Worcestershire skipper Brett D’Oliveira won the toss and elected to bowl on what appeared to be a green, seam-friendly pitch, and his bowlers took full advantage — skittling Essex out for 179 in their first innings. Jordan Cox was Essex’s highest run-scorer with 32, while Jacob Duffy led the way with the ball for the visitors, finishing with figures of 4/39 after Day One.
The Eagles fought back with the ball after a tough start with the bat, restricting Worcestershire to 202. Essex debutant and Sri Lankan overseas signing Kasun Rajitha impressed with figures of 4/52 as Jamie Porter, Shane Snater, and Noah Thain each took two wickets as the Pears claimed a narrow 23-run lead heading into the third innings.
Essex posted a score of 317 in reply which was largely down to Paul Walter’s third career first-class century as he scored 104 from 154 balls, with Thain showcasing an important and disciplined display of 54 from 143. Snater and Harmer also displayed qualities with the bat as they scored 48 and 33 respectively. Worcestershire were set a score of 295 to win the game.
Porter helped wrap up a somewhat nervy first County Championship victory of the season after taking his 22nd five-wicket haul of his career. The leading Division One wicket-taker last year, Porter finished with figures of 6 for 52 from 24.4 overs, despite a late rearguard effort from 23-year-old Worcestershire all-rounder Ethan Brookes, who played a scintillating knock of 88 from 105 balls, including seven sixes.
Squad
Chris Silverwood has named a 13-man squad for the trip down to Taunton.
Dean Elgar returns to the squad after his extended break and return to the country whilst Sam Cook rejoins after his rest period.
Catching Up: Dean Elgar
The Opposition
Somerset have found themselves at the wrong end of the Division One table after their first four Rothesay County Championship fixtures.
After drawing their opening match with Worcestershire, followed by a loss at Sussex and a draw at Hampshire, Somerset were defeated by Surrey at the Oval last weekend by 8 wickets.
These results leave them 9th in the table with 33 points as they head into the clash against the Eagles.
Tom Banton is the Taunton outfit’s leading run-scorer, and finds himself fifth in the entire division’s charts, with 411 runs from the first four matches. The wicket-keeper batter scored a a mammoth 371 against Worcestershire in the opening game.
Kasey Aldridge is Somerset’s leading wicket-taker so far, taking 12 wickets from seven innings at an average of 32.08. The seamer’s best figures also came against Worcestershire in the first round of the County Championship, taking 5/36.
Somerset squad: Lewis Gregory (c), Andy Umeed, Archie Vaughan, Tom Lammonby, Tom Abell, Tom Banton, James Rew, Kasey Aldridge, Lewis Gregory, Craig Overton, Migael Pretorius, Josh Davey, Jack Leach, Alfie Ogbourne, Shoaib Bashir.
Last Time We Met
Despite bowling Somerset out for 128 in their first innings on a green pitch to establish a 28-run lead, the Eagles fell to a narrow defeat in the West Country.
The hosts were skittled by five-wicket hauls from both halves of the Eagles’ deadly seam duo, Jamie Porter and Sam Cook, as 20 wickets fell on the opening day.
Essex then set Somerset a target of 167 for victory by the middle of the second afternoon, and despite Shane Snater claiming 4/55, the target was reached with the hosts seven down.
Division One Table
How To Watch
If you are unable to attend any of the match days, the game will be available to watch via the Essex Cricket Matchzone, through the YouTube livestream.
Daily highlights will be available after each day’s play via the Club website and social media. Live updates will also be provided through the Club’s various social platforms and channels.
Tickets
For anyone planning to join the Eagles in Taunton over the next four days, tickets can be purchased directly from Somerset’s website in advance of each day.
These are priced at £19 for adults, £9.50 for students, £8 for those aged 16-18, and £6 for juniors aged under 16, with seating unreserved at the Cooper Associates County Ground.
Somerset also offer a ‘Member for the Day’ ticket, which grants access to members’ areas, priced at £24, while family tickets for two adults and two children can be purchased for £38 each.
Members’ areas are the James Hildreth Stand, the Lord Ian Botham Stand, the lower area of the Colin Atkinson Pavilion, and the elevated area of the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion.
All tickets are available to buy direct from the hosts’ website by clicking the link below. Please be mindful of selecting the correct day on which you would like to attend.
Tickets can be purchased online here or by calling 01823 425301.
