Day Four

Words by Richard Latham, ECB Reporters Network

Nick Gubbins produced a four-hour defensive masterclass to earn Hampshire a backs-to-the-wall draw on the final day of the LV= Insurance County Championship match with Somerset at Taunton.

The visitors slipped to 115 for seven, from an overnight 34 for two, needing 65 more runs to avoid an innings defeat, before Gubbins (50 not out) and Liam Dawson (68 not out) produced a match-saving stand of exactly 100 either side of tea.

Gubbins’ marathon vigil occupied 241 balls, while Dawson hit 14 fours and a six. Together they frustrated a home bowling attack in which 19-year-old off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who claimed three for 67 from 37 overs, excelled.

Somerset’s young team, including three teenagers, had to settle for 12 points from a game they dominated, while their opponents took ten.

Hampshire began the day needing 136 to avoid an innings defeat and soon lost first innings hero Felix Organ, who drove at a ball from left-arm seamer Alfie Ogborne and edged to Tom Lammonby at third slip.

No rain had been forecast, but a shower arrived at 11.20pm with the scoreboard reading 45 for three. Nine overs were lost before play resumed at noon.

Fletcha Middleton had looked largely untroubled in moving to 29 off 80 balls, but he departed with the total on 58, bowled by Bashir looking to play off the back foot through the on side.

Bashir was looking hugely impressive for a player making only his third Championship appearance and without a run added he gave Somerset’s victory hopes a massive boost.

Visiting skipper James Vince had held himself back to bat at six and lasted only four balls before glancing a catch to Kasey Aldridge, shrewdly positioned at leg slip.

Ben Brown counter-attacked with 3 fours in moving to 14 by the time a second shower saw lunch taken a few minutes early. At the interval, Bashir had figures of three for 17 from 12.4 overs and Hampshire trailed by 92 runs.

Three more overs were lost before a 1.45pm restart. Brown greeted the resumption with a cover drive for four as Bashir completed his 13^th over and it was soon clear that Gubbins was setting his stall out to play the anchor role.

The sixth-wicket pair built a half-century stand in 97 balls, foiling the combined efforts of spinners Bashir and Dom Bess and forcing Somerset skipper Tom Abell to recall seamer Aldridge to his attack.

It proved an inspired move as Brown got a touch to a full delivery and wicketkeeper James Rew took a two-handed catch down the leg side, diving to his left.

Three balls later, James Fuller fell for a duck as Aldridge found an inside edge through to Rew and suddenly Hampshire were 115 for seven, still 55 away from making their opponents bat again.

Dawson got underway with boundaries off successive balls from Bess. Bashir was now bowling with five fielders clustered around the bat, but meeting solid resistance from Gubbins.

He had battled away for 157 balls for his 31 runs by the time tea was taken with Hampshire 135 for seven, having reduced the deficit to 35.

Dawson was the aggressor after the break as the pair took their stand past 50. Somerset turned to the occasional spin of first Tom Lammonby and then Andy Umeed for an over each without success ahead of taking the second new ball at 167 for seven.

Bashir was handed it and Gubbins and Dawson still had work to do. A Gubbins boundary through the off-side took his side into the slenderest of leads.

Jack Brooks took the new ball at the other end with blue skies over the Cooper Associates County Ground. Dawson survived two confident appeals for close-in catches in the same Bashir over, Somerset fielders reacting with heads in hands.

Left-hander Gubbins set himself to face most deliveries from the off-spinner, preventing him exploiting the rough outside right-hander Dawson’s off stump. By the time the last hour and final 16 overs were signalled, Hampshire led by 17 runs.

Dawson’s tenth four, hammered through the leg side off Bess, took him to a precious half-century off 115 balls. Gubbins followed to the same landmark off 237 deliveries and Somerset knew it was not going to be their day. The players shook hands at 5.35pm.

Day Three

Felix Organ and Kyle Abbott produced a ninth-wicket stand of 177 to boost Hampshire prospects of avoiding defeat on the third day of the LV= County Championship match with Somerset at Taunton.

The visitors were 152 for eight, replying to 500, from an overnight 58 for two when Abbott strode to the crease to strike 89 not out off 152 balls, including 15 fours and a six. Organ contributed a more measured, but equally valuable 97.

Hampshire were eventually bowled out for 330, teenage off-spinner Shoaib Bashir claiming three for 88 from 31 overs. They were invited to follow-on 170 behind and reached 34 for two in their second innings by the close.

The day began with a big moment for 19-year-old Somerset left-arm seamer Alfie Ogborne, who claimed his maiden first class wicket on debut with the fifth ball of the opening over when James Vince, on 16, edged to Tom Lammonby at third slip.

Soon it was 64 for four as the next over saw Nick Gubbins edge Jack Brooks to wicketkeeper James Rew who held a low diving catch.

At 80 for four, Somerset introduced another 19-year-old in the tall Bashir, from the River End. He wasted no time dismissing Liam Dawson, who slog-swept a catch to deep mid-wicket and James Fuller, bowled.

Hampshire were suddenly 88 for six. Ben Brown and Organ were forced to play cautiously, although Organ cleared the short boundary on the town side of ground with a slog-sweep off Bashir.

The pair put together a half-century stand in 121 balls. By the time rain took the players off on the stroke of lunch, Hampshire had reached 138 for six.

Brown fell for 39 in the first over after the interval, getting an inside edge onto his stumps to give Ogborne a second wicket. Kasey Aldridge then had Keith Barker caught behind for 12, and the batting side were in deep trouble, still 348 behind.

But Organ had settled meticulously to his task and found a reliable partner in Abbott, who brought up the 200 by lofting Bashir back over his head for four.

Organ struck two more sixes on his way to a patient half-century, which occupied 148 balls, and the pair were still together when the second new ball was taken at 241 for eight after 80 overs.

Just before it was taken, Organ appeared to survive a sharp chance to short-leg off Dom Bess.

Abbott looked untroubled in moving to a 76-ball fifty, including 10 fours, and advanced the total to 250 with a single in the same over from Brooks.

Another Abbot four, off Ogborne, took the ninth-wicket stand into three figures from 146 balls and by tea Hampshire had progressed to 258 for eight.

The new ball had little effect and an Organ sweep for six over mid-wicket off Bashir earned his side a second batting point before Abbott’s 14^th four took the stand to 150. It was already the highest ever for Hampshire’ ninth wicket against Somerset, beating the 135 put together by Nigel Cowley and Bob Stephenson at Taunton in 1977.

Finally, with the total on 329, Somerset broke through as Organ advanced down the pitch to Bashir, who cleverly adjusted his length to beat the outside edge and provide Rew with a simple stumping.

Organ looked crestfallen as he dragged himself off the pitch, having worked so hard to keep his team in the game. He had battled away for four hours and 25 minutes, facing 206 balls and hitting 9 fours and 5 sixes.

Abbott was also denied a deserved hundred when last man Mohammad Abbas was pinned lbw by Bess for a duck. There were only 14 overs left in the day and Somerset skipper Tom Abell enforced the following on, probably reasoning that his bowling attack could soon rest tired limbs ahead of another assault in the morning.

Abbott was sent out to open the Hampshire second innings with Fletcha Middleton and had made 15 when giving a waist-high return catch with the score on 31. Joe Weatherley edged Bess through to Rew with only a single added and Organ walked out at number four.

Day Two

James Rew confirmed his emergence as one of the brightest batting prospects in the LV= Insurance County Championship by becoming Somerset’s youngest ever first class double centurion on the second day of the match with Hampshire at Taunton.

At the age of 19 years and 181 days, Rew extended his overnight score of 77 to 221 before being last man out in his side’s first innings total of 500, having walked to the crease on day one with the scoreboard reading 41 for four.

The young left-hander’s memorable knock occupied seven hours and 42 minutes, 310 balls, and featured 23 fours and 4 sixes. His previous four Championship centuries this summer had already established him as the leading run-maker in the competition.

Kasey Aldridge (88) and Dom Bess (54) also contributed to Somerset’s recovery from 80 for five before a last-wicket stand of 108 with Shoaib Bashir, who hit a career-best 44 not out, put Hampshire under the pump.

By the close, the visitors had replied with 58 for two, having lost Joe Weatherley to the opening ball of their innings after spending 120 overs in the field.

The day was all about wicketkeeper Rew, already an England player at Under-19 and Lions levels, from the moment Somerset began an overcast morning on 196 for five.

A classic cover-driven four off Liam Dawson brought up Rew’s century off 184 balls and the remainder of the innings featured what are fast becoming trademark traits of composure, patience, sound technique and sensible shot selection. There was also a plethora of sweetly-timed strokes on both sides of the pitch.

Aldridge, a fellow graduate of their county’s Academy, lost little in comparison as the pair extended their stand to 188, a Somerset record for the sixth wicket against Hampshire. He had hit 13 fours and moved to within 12 of a ton when Dawson found an edge with a ball that turned and wicketkeeper Ben Brown took the catch.

Bess, back with the club where he launched his career, marked the first innings of a short-term loan from Yorkshire by being positive from the start, hitting 7 fours and a six in partnership of 94 in 22 overs with Rew before falling to another catch behind off Dawson, who was extracting some turn from the dry pitch.

The left-arm spinner quickly cleaned up Alfie Ogbourne, making his first class debut, and Jack Brooks on his way to figures of four for 118. But if Hampshire thought their trials were almost over at 392 for nine, they were proved cruelly mistaken by another 19-year-old in Bashir, who marked only his third Championship appearance by coolly settling in to strike 3 sixes and 3 fours in a 61-ball knock.

With Rew cutting loose at the other end, the tenth-wicket stand occupied less than 17 overs. The ball flew to and over a short boundary on the town side of the ground with increasing regularity before an on-driven single took Rew to 200 off 297 balls, a moment he greeted with an understated clenched fist salute.

His marathon display of concentration ended when Vince, who had introduced himself into the bowling attack for the first time at 480 for nine, trapped him lbw looking to clear the ropes again. Several Hampshire players offered handshakes as the fresh-faced hero of the hour left the field to a standing ovation.

Tea was taken on the fall of the final Somerset wicket but, with the first ball after the break, Brooks penetrated Weatherley’s defence to knock back off stump.

Fletcha Middleton and Nick Gubbins had responded aggressively with an unbroken stand of 39 when the rain that threatened for most of the day arrived to interrupt proceedings.

The resumption brought another first ball drama, Middleton fending a steeply rising delivery from Aldridge to third slip and departing for 24. The rain returned with seven runs added and another restart at 5.45pm saw 4.2 more overs bowled before a third shower and stumps.

Day One

Young guns James Rew and Kasey Aldridge batted Somerset out of a deep hole created by Hampshire seamer Kyle Abbott on a rain-interrupted opening day of the LV= County Championship match with Hampshire at Taunton.

The experienced Abbott, who boasts a prolific record against the Cidermen, claimed four for ten from seven overs and a run out as the hosts slipped to 80 for five after winning the toss on what looked an excellent batting pitch.

But sixth-wicket pair Rew (77 not out) and Aldridge (55 not out), with a combined age of just 41, then showed impressive maturity to put together an unbroken stand of 116 in 26 overs before the weather had the final say with Somerset 196 for five.

Abbott ended the day with figures of four for 20. Altogether, 39 overs were lost, including 19 at the end of the day, but what action there was provided positives for both teams.

Somerset rested Craig Overton, Lewis Gregory, Matt Henry, Ben Green and Tom Kohler-Cadmore ahead of Saturday’s Vitality Blast Finals Day at Edgbaston. Dom Bess returned to their team at the start of a short-term loan from Yorkshire as one of two specialist spinners, the other being Shoaib Bashir.

It was no surprise when home skipper Tom Abell elected to take first use of a dry looking pitch. Tom Lammonby and Sean Dickson took the total to 26 in the seventh over before Abbott, who had replaced Keith Barker at the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End, made his first impact.

Lammonby, on 15, drove at a good length ball and edged a catch through to wicketkeeper Ben Brown. Soon it was 36 for two as Abell got a leading edge to Abbott and was caught and bowled for five.

With five runs added, Dickson connected with a sweet straight drive, only to see Abbott deflect the ball onto the stumps at the bowler’s end with George Bartlett out of his ground backing up.

The crestfallen Bartlett departed for a duck to make it 41 for three and without addition Abbott pinned Dickson lbw for 21, playing a across a full delivery.

Andy Umeed, making his first Championship appearance of the season, took 19 balls to get off the mark before registering a four to third man.

Not for the first time, 19-year-old Rew looked more solid than some of the players higher up the order and the pair gradually set about repairing the early damage.

At 50 for four, Hampshire introduced spin in the shape of Liam Dawson from the River End and his first delivery to Rew turned sharply from outside off stump.

Rew and Umeed had added 33 for the fifth wicket when it started raining at 12.55pm and the umpires ordered an early lunch with Somerset 74 for four.

The game resumed after the interval, but for only a matter of minutes before a more persistent shower saw the heavy covers put on. Twenty overs were lost before another restart at 3.30pm.

Between then and tea, which was taken at 4.50pm, Somerset added 91 for the loss of Umeed, who had to drag himself off after carelessly pulling a short ball from Abbott straight to Felix Organ at mid-wicket and falling for 16.

Rew and 22-year-old Aldridge then batted positively on a blameless surface, the former looking particularly strong off his legs in moving to a 105-ball fifty, featuring 7 fours.

Already with four Championship hundreds behind him this season, Rew again demonstrated his huge potential in red ball cricket, while Aldridge leant valuable support in a stand worth 85 by tea.

The final session saw Aldridge take the partnership past 100 with a top-edged pull for his sixth boundary and then move to an attractive half-century with four overthrows, having faced 73 balls.

Rew continued to accumulate steadily with few alarms and had faced 142 balls when the rain returned at 5.45pm. The covers were removed again shortly afterwards, but with more drizzle in the air and the floodlights casting shadows, umpires James Middlebrook and Ben Peverell abandoned play for the day.