Somerset
Blast Game 14 - The Bristolians at Taunton
By Grockle
July 18 2025
The last of the qualifying games in this year's Blast is at home and we have the old enemy here. We have qualified already and Gloucestershire destroyed their chances against Sussex last night. We will rest some of our bowlers
Blast Game 14 - v Gloucestershire @ Taunton Friday 18 July 2025
Lewis has done the normal and won the toss but tonight they have decided to bat first!!
This will be Mike Smith's last professional game tonight.
There will be a moment of reflection and the Somerset side will be wearing black armbands in reference to the bus tragedy outside Minehead yesterday.
The side will be;
Smeed, Lammonby, TKC, Dickson, Rew(w), Gregory, Green, Goldsworthy, Overton, Ball
2 spinners and no Meredith or Abell tonight.
After a lot of rain today it was very doubtful mid afternon thgat this fixture would happen but it seems to have dried up and we may get a decent game after all. We have decided to take the visitors on - a bit of a surprise but there you go. It is a 'sell out crowd' but the Somerset stand is 60% full and other places are still pretty sparse.
Payne opens the bowling from the Pavilion as Smeed and Lammonby take up their positions. With 2 from the first, Shaw takes the leading role from the other end. We have moved on to 11 as Payne continues and we start to try to open the shoulders and move to 21 for 0 with Lammonby on 14 from 9 and Smeed on 6 from 9. Runs don't seem to be as easy as usual at the moment
Matt Taylor takes over from the River and as Tom Lammonby tries to push on he doesn't get one past Short and is caught for 15 at 23 for 1. In comes TKC who may find the need to run between the wickets not to his taste.
Shaw changes ends and Smeed changes tack and deposits him a building back from the Caddyshack boundary for the first six of the game. He then does the same to the Gimblett with the third followed by a four along the ground to the dressing rooms. That is followed by a straight one to the MT. 20 runs with a dot and 1 to come which ends with a single and Will steals the strike. Bad move as Taylor bowls him with the next ball. Smeed goes for 29 from 18 balls and at 467 for 2 in comes Rew. He drives at his first and flashes it past the keeper for 4 to bring up the 50 in the 6th.
The 'Powerplay' ends with Somerset on 52 for 2. Smith, in his last professional game, comes on to bowl the 7th and it is presently James Rew who is taking the lead role in the partnership as he moves on to 13 and Charlesworth takes over from the River. Rew misjudges the first but gets away with it.
Smith continues and Rew tries to pass the rope and fails. Hammond catches him in front of the Gimblett as the keeper looks to the heavens. He goes for 19 at 79 for 3 and in comes Dickson to face the new bowler in Price who takes the 10th. Price gets his length a little wrong but after a couple of wides he gets one closer and TKC is adjudged to have feathered it at 89 for 4. Some think he didn't but Blackwell says he did. After 10 it is 91 for 4 and Lewis Gregory has arrived.
The 100 comes from an Ollie Price wide in the 12th. After that, Jack Taylor fools the skipper with his 'legspin' and Lewis gets a top edge and skies it back to the bowler to leave for 6 at 105 for 5. In comes Ben Green and Smith finishes his last game with 4 overs for 29 and 1 wicket. At 114 Sean Dickson doesn't work out Taylor, tries to whip him around and misses [lumb in front and he goes for 14. In comes Lewis Goldsworthy with a bit of a job to do as we move towards the end of the 15th and have only 4 wickets in the banwell below 150. He may have a job to do with the ball as well given the nature of how this first innings has developed.
Short gets a bowl from the River as Glos go through all their spinners. 121 for 6 with 4 to go. Taylor frustrates Golders and he finally goes for one, straight down Hammond's at 122 and he is out for 5. They are tying down the bats very well indeed. 125 for 7 with Overton at the wicket with 3 overs left. 131 with 2 overs to go - tied our lowest score here this year. Not sure this is enough.
Taylor takes the penultimate over and people are wondering why Payne has been brought back when spin has been doing all the work. Ben then hits the first boundary (a six) since the 10th over. 142 for 7 as Taylor finshes with 3 for 19 from his 4.
Payne takes the last and Ben puts him into the Somerset to move to top scorer on 30 from 21. Overton does the same to take us over 150 to 155. Greener finishes with a straight six to take 22 off the over and finish on 164 for 7. Green 36 from 22 and Overton 13 from 9.
Gloucestershire need and we have to defend 165. Not sure this bowling attack can do that.
The Reply
Craig Overton opens from the Pavilion to Hammond - this is not going to be a 'cakewalk' that's for sure. COve shows how to do it with a maiden first up however. Lewis Gregory takes the River stint, still bowling to Hammond after the first as Short takes a single to get off the mark at the other end. Hammond flashes hard at the third and top edges for six to the Gimblett. Flukey shot but it helps take the visitors to 14 at the end of the secnd thanks to a massive Caddyshack six from Short at the end of the over.
The skipper goes for 14 and the sixes continue with the first delivery of the next over which ends up in the Somerset stand from Hammond. This is NOT going to any kind of plan and the seamers are not holding the batting line-up in check early on in this reply. Glos move to 23 after 3.
Jake Ball bowls the 4th and is hit straight back for four with ball 1. But he comes back and bowlshammond for 16 with a slow ball. In comes Tommy Boorman for his first game. Decent first over from Jake. 25 for 1 for the visitors. The young debutant gets off the mark by sending Craig into the NT stand car park. He tries to go to the other side over Gregory but the skipper plucks it out of the air one handed and he goes for 6 at 36 for 2. In comes Charlesworth to face the last ball of the 5th. 37 after 5 as Jake takes the last of the 'Powerplay' and it ends at 43 for 2.
Ben Green takes the 7th which is a change as Golders usually takes it or the skipper. Suppose that is because we have no Meredith any more. Golders takes the 8th and the over ends with them going past 50 and they take 11 from the spinner.
Jack arrives at 64 for 2 in the 12th from the River. He gets Charlesworth for 16 top edging to Ball ball number 3 - 66 for 3 and in comes Jack Taylor is slow off the mark and is run out for 0 as Jake Ball throws to Jack at the stumps. 66 for 4 and Leach has 1 for 3 after 1 with 2 wickets in the over.
Goldsworthy changes ends for the 11th and is struggling to hld the bats in check as he again goes for 11 for the second over running. We need that end to be tighter. 9 to go and they need 87. He goes for 5 in his second. The other Lewis returns from the MT needing to be tighter as well. 88 for 4 with 7 to go they need 77.
Jack has to to keep it tight but his first two balls go to the same part of the Somerset for four. We do NOT need a big over as they reach 99 and then take 2 to go to 101 with Short the danger man on 44 from 35. 102 at the end of the 14th and this game is still in the balance as Ben Green takes the 15th,
He bowls the ball and catches the return nonchalantly to send Ollie Price on his way for 18 from 30 - 102 for 5 and Greener does what Greener does. 104 for 5 61 off 5 puts the pressure on now.
Jake Ball takes the 16th and we need a good one. They are pushed and an attempt at a ramp from the last ball is just past Lewis Gregory but it goes for the boundary and Glos move to 113 for 5 with 4 to go . 52 runs is the difference as Gregory takes his third. With Short needing 1 for his 50 and Bracey yet to get moving - though we all know he can. Short goes to 50 off 42 balls (4 fours and 1 six). The next ball Bracey plays the daft one, a ramp that is too high and Leach catches to send the man back for 8 at 116 for 6. Daft shot when he needed to stay in!!
Payne joins the half centurion needing 49 from 3 as the skiper goes for 3 and takes an important wicket. Jake bowls out with the 18th. He gets Payne with his 5th ball swinging and getting a knick and it is 121 for 7 Ball finishes with 2 for 21 - no argument there. Good performance.
Ben takes the penultimate as they need 44 from 12. HIs first goes for six from Short. Green is going to bowl 6 and Short is going to swing at all of them.. Another excellent spell from 'golden arm' going for 27 of his four with 12 of them coming from this over. a big over for them but hopefully too late as they need 29 and Gregory takes the last, 136 becomes 137 and with the third ball he bowls Taylor for 7 and it is 137 for 8. The next ball takes it to 138 as Shaw gets off the mark. Short sends one to the CA scoreboard to move to 67 he then ramps a four to finish on 71 and move his side to 148. Somerset win by 16 runs. A good game and an excellent tight bowling perromance from the home side. Short ended with 5 fours and 3 sixes in a fighting innings but they came up "short".
Now we wait for our opponents in the quarter... in about 6 bloody weeks!!
Digg
Delicious
Facebook
Reddit
Stumbleupon18/07/2025 18:41
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025:07:21:20:55:31 by Grockle.
Somerset already have a home quarterfinal as (probably) thw second placed side in the South. The visitors have a 'smell' of 4th place but would love to beat us either way.
The team will be interesting given ww have people who have departed or have been called away, a return to red ball next week & no prospect of the next round for a month and a half!!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025:07:18:17:34:22 by Grockle.
Jack Taylor (c), Bancroft, Bracey, Charlesworth, de Lange, Hammond, Payne, Price, Shaw, Short, Dale, Smith, Matt Taylor, van Buuren
Smeed, Lammonby, TKC, Abell, Dickson, Gregory, Rew, Goldsworthy, Green, Overton, Meredith, Leach, Ball,
It may be that Davey and Pretorius are being rested for Tuesday as we have done all we need in the qualifying phase.
Smeed, Lammonby, TKC, Dickson, Rew , Gregory, Green, Goldsworthy, Overton, Leach, Ball, Meredith
No Tom Abell or Riley Meredith and as we already know they are resting Migail Pretorius and Josh Davey with the Durham 4 dayer on Tuesday. Will Meredith be playing in the Championship?
There will be a moment of reflection and Somerset will be wearing black armbands tonight with reference to the Minehead bus crash.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025:07:18:18:17:59 by Grockle.
1/4 Final v. Warks. on Sat 6 September at 6.30 p.m. according to the BBC.
Grizzers
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025:07:18:21:45:01 by Grizzers.
On no account should Somerset allow Green to leave the county permanently. He is a seriously good player and I think a place should be found for him in the CC team along with Smeed.
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
A good solid bowling performance after an unusually underwhelming batting performance. Solid work from Ball, Green, Overton Leach with the 2 wickets and Gregory at the end. Also solid from Smeed up front & Green at the end with the bat. We just kept the pressure on and the Bristolians folded under it.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025:07:19:11:31:40 by Grockle.
Lancashire keep their enormous temporary stand up for most of the season, even though there are few matches it will be used for.
Having to rent the stand for longer will cost more but we will, of course, recoup it from the quarter final. My original post was stupid.
Somerset are playing Warwick who played 14 and won 8 with a NRR of +0.671
Surrey are playing Northants who played 14 and won 8 with a NRR of +0.068
Somerset's NRR was +0.788 which compares with Surrey's +1.248, which was much the highest in either division. Surrey and Somerset - played 14 won 11 - had the best record in either division; Lancs had 14/9 in the North.
More Somerset headlines
- Metro50 Game1 - Welcome to the next stage - Notts at Welbeck
- Blast Finals Day Semi 1 - It's Northants Again!!
- Blast Quarter Final Here We Go at Headingley
- Blast Game 12 - Simple Beat the Pears!!
- Women's Blast Game 12 - Fanx Tara Towie
- Blast Game 11 - Northants Part 2 - Gregory Back?
- Women's Blast Game 11 - Blazing Away\!!
- Blast Game 10 - Derby to the Wire as well
- Women's Blast Game 10 - Down to the Wire v Essex
Somerset latest threads
- Metro50Game 3 - Sunday v Warks
- Poll: 2026 Best Blast Player
- Poll: Best CC1 Player Part 1
- Metrobank 50 Game2 - Home Derby
- Members online forum - the future of SCCC
- Metro50 Game1 - Welcome to the next stage - Notts at Welbeck
- Blast Finals Day Semi 1 - It's Northants Again!!
- RIP the GREAT Gary Sobers
- Metro50 NOT "Developmental" by choice
- Blast Quarter Final Here We Go at Headingley