Match Preview: Hampshire v Somerset, Specsavers County Championship

Hampshire picked up their fourth victory of this year’s Specsavers County Championship campaign last week against Surrey, putting in an excellent all-round performance to claim an important home win against the reigning red-ball champions. James Vince’s side will be hoping to continue that positive form heading into next week’s four-day match-up against table-toppers Somerset which begins at the The Ageas Bowl on Monday.

Hampshire Squad:

An unchanged 14-man squad has been named for next week’s fixture.

Fresh from a career-best five-wicket haul to go with a second-innings half-century against Surrey, Felix Organ will be hoping to continue his excellent form with both bat and ball to finish the season. The 20-year-old has impressed in his four first-class appearances so far this season and will feature at the top of the order once again, alongside Ian Holland who has also proved to be an asset with both bat and ball throughout the campaign. James Vince was back to his destructive best with the bat this week as he struck a scintillating 91 off just 59 balls to help set-up a valuable victory inside three days. He’ll be a crucial component in the top-order against Somerset alongside Sam Northeast, who has totalled 930 runs at an average of 54.71 in the competition so far this summer.

Kyle Abbott’s five wickets against Ben Foakes side saw his tally surpass 50 for a third consecutive season, his total of 51 scalps at an average of 19.25 seeing him sit third in the list of top wicket-takers with two games remaining in 2019. Fidel Edwards has also enjoyed a fantastic season thus far, picking up 46 wickets at just 24.80 apiece, and both seamers are sure to be crucial to the chances of claiming back-to-back four-day victories.

The Opposition:

Nine wins from their 12 fixtures in this year’s competition has pushed Somerset to first-place in Division One and the visitors in prime position to claim their first Championship title heading into the penultimate round of matches next week.

Tom Abell’s side were ruthless in securing victory over Yorkshire at Taunton last week, securing victory by 298 runs in a good team performance. That has been the story of their season so far with several players making valuable contributions throughout the year and the squad’s depth ensure there are plenty of dangers to be wary of with both bat and ball.

Somerset will be without Jack Leach who is currently with England, although Craig Overton, who featured in the fourth Ashes Test, is available for selection. 

Full Hampshire Squad:

Coverage:

A live match stream, ball-by-ball coverage and match highlights will be available via the Hampshire Cricket App and at ageasbowl.com/cricket.

There will be ball-by-ball commentary available on BBC Radio Solent online at bbc.co.uk.

Weather Forecast:

Please follow the link for the latest weather forecast for The Ageas Bowl: http://ow.ly/O85t30p4xiB

Tickets:

Tickets for all four days of Hampshire’s match against Somerset at the The Ageas Bowl can be purchased online: https://www.eticketing.co.uk/ageasbowl, via the Hampshire Cricket App, over the phone on 0844 847 1863, or by visiting the The Ageas Bowl’s Ticketing & Membership Office via normal working hours.