Match Preview: Somerset (A)

After three successive home fixtures, Derbyshire head back out onto the road and a trip down the M5 to face Somerset at Taunton in their fifth Metro Bank game of the summer.

Heritage Officer David Griffin previews the match.

Derbyshire and Somerset have met 48 times in one day cricket with three of the matches abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Derbyshire have won 18 games and Somerset 29, although technically Derbyshire won one additional game which ended as no result but concluded with a bowl-out.

That game took place in 1993 when the two sides met in the quarter final of the Benson and Hedges Cup at Taunton.

The match had two spare days set aside to cater for potentially inclement weather, and it was clear on arrival in the south west that rain was going to be the biggest stumbling block to getting the game finished.

Play began after a delayed start and Derbyshire reached 69 for no wicket after 20.3 overs, but then the rain came, and no further play was possible.

Both captains, Kim Barnett and Chris Tavare debated – at times forcefully – the options for a restarted game, the umpires at this time not being the sole arbiters of conditions being fit or otherwise for play.

Agreement could not be reached and so it was decided that a bowl-out was the only way to determine the winners of the tie.

In 1991, Derbyshire had been the first county to suffer a bowl-out defeat at the hands of Hertfordshire at Bishop’s Stortford in a NatWest Trophy tie, but lessons had been learned from that disaster.

Instead of using specialist seam bowlers, who had bowled standard, just outside the top off stump deliveries at Bishop’s Stortford, Barnett turned to Vandrau (off spin), Adams, Bowler and himself, plus Cork to each deliver two balls.

A mixture of slow non-spinning deliveries and full tosses were the order of the day as Vandrau (1), Adams (2), Barnett (1), Cork (1) and Bowler (1) struck the unguarded stumps 6 times to win the bowl-out 6-3.

It was a wholly unsatisfactory way to decide a cricket match, but there was no alternative; three days had been scheduled to complete the game, but the rain simply didn’t relent long enough for the match to take its normal course. Even the bowl-out took place in terrible conditions.

Three years earlier, a Sunday League match took place between the side on the same ground which produced a thrilling finish. After Barnett and Kim Barnett had both scored hundreds, South African allrounder Adrian Kuiper smashed the final ball out of the ground with just a single required for victory.

In 1986 Derbyshire were mere onlookers as Somerset’s internal civil war approached a conclusion. Vivian Richards and Joel Garner had both been told that they would not be returning to Taunton in 1987 and Ian Botham, in solidarity with his colleagues, announced his departure too.

That Sunday League game in September 1986 between Somerset and Derbyshire was the final game together for this outstanding trio of cricketers and the ground was packed to capacity several hours before the scheduled start. A light plane flew over the ground trailing a banner which read “Botham Richards Garner Don’t Go” – all to no avail. Somerset won the game, but Botham left for Worcestershire and New Zealander Martin Crowe arrived to take the single overseas berth.

Derbyshire’s highest innings score was 303 for seven at Taunton in 1990, while Somerset’s best of 333 for five was at Derby in 2023 when Andy Umeed made a magnificent 172 not out off 147 balls, the highest individual one day score ever made against Derbyshire.

It was the ninth one day ton for Somerset against Derbyshire, James Hildreth being the only player to score two.

For Derbyshire, there have been 11 hundreds, Barnett, Peter Bowler and Morris both making two apiece, with Bowler’s 138 at Derby in 1993 being the highest.

Although Derbyshire hundreds have been plentiful against Somerset, no bowler has taken five wickets in a match. Three took four wickets – Phil Russell in 1972, Trevor Smith in 1999 and Jon Moss in 2005 – with Russell’s four for 36 at Taunton in 1972 the best.

Four Somerset bowlers have taken five wickets in a match with the best coming in an early season Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy game in 2004 when Simon Francis took eight for 66, the 16^th best one figures worldwide.

Heritage Officer David Griffin previews the match.

Derbyshire and Somerset have met 48 times in one day cricket with three of the matches abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Derbyshire have won 18 games and Somerset 29, although technically Derbyshire won one additional game which ended as no result but concluded with a bowl-out.

That game took place in 1993 when the two sides met in the quarter final of the Benson and Hedges Cup at Taunton.

The match had two spare days set aside to cater for potentially inclement weather, and it was clear on arrival in the south west that rain was going to be the biggest stumbling block to getting the game finished.

Play began after a delayed start and Derbyshire reached 69 for no wicket after 20.3 overs, but then the rain came, and no further play was possible.

Both captains, Kim Barnett and Chris Tavare debated – at times forcefully – the options for a restarted game, the umpires at this time not being the sole arbiters of conditions being fit or otherwise for play.

Agreement could not be reached and so it was decided that a bowl-out was the only way to determine the winners of the tie.

In 1991, Derbyshire had been the first county to suffer a bowl-out defeat at the hands of Hertfordshire at Bishop’s Stortford in a NatWest Trophy tie, but lessons had been learned from that disaster.

Instead of using specialist seam bowlers, who had bowled standard, just outside the top off stump deliveries at Bishop’s Stortford, Barnett turned to Vandrau (off spin), Adams, Bowler and himself, plus Cork to each deliver two balls.

A mixture of slow non-spinning deliveries and full tosses were the order of the day as Vandrau (1), Adams (2), Barnett (1), Cork (1) and Bowler (1) struck the unguarded stumps 6 times to win the bowl-out 6-3.

It was a wholly unsatisfactory way to decide a cricket match, but there was no alternative; three days had been scheduled to complete the game, but the rain simply didn’t relent long enough for the match to take its normal course. Even the bowl-out took place in terrible conditions.

Three years earlier, a Sunday League match took place between the side on the same ground which produced a thrilling finish. After Barnett and Kim Barnett had both scored hundreds, South African allrounder Adrian Kuiper smashed the final ball out of the ground with just a single required for victory.

In 1986 Derbyshire were mere onlookers as Somerset’s internal civil war approached a conclusion. Vivian Richards and Joel Garner had both been told that they would not be returning to Taunton in 1987 and Ian Botham, in solidarity with his colleagues, announced his departure too.

That Sunday League game in September 1986 between Somerset and Derbyshire was the final game together for this outstanding trio of cricketers and the ground was packed to capacity several hours before the scheduled start. A light plane flew over the ground trailing a banner which read “Botham Richards Garner Don’t Go” – all to no avail. Somerset won the game, but Botham left for Worcestershire and New Zealander Martin Crowe arrived to take the single overseas berth.

Derbyshire’s highest innings score was 303 for seven at Taunton in 1990, while Somerset’s best of 333 for five was at Derby in 2023 when Andy Umeed made a magnificent 172 not out off 147 balls, the highest individual one day score ever made against Derbyshire.

It was the ninth one day ton for Somerset against Derbyshire, James Hildreth being the only player to score two.

For Derbyshire, there have been 11 hundreds, Barnett, Peter Bowler and Morris both making two apiece, with Bowler’s 138 at Derby in 1993 being the highest.

Although Derbyshire hundreds have been plentiful against Somerset, no bowler has taken five wickets in a match. Three took four wickets – Phil Russell in 1972, Trevor Smith in 1999 and Jon Moss in 2005 – with Russell’s four for 36 at Taunton in 1972 the best.

Four Somerset bowlers have taken five wickets in a match with the best coming in an early season Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy game in 2004 when Simon Francis took eight for 66, the 16^th best one figures worldwide.