County Championship Round 2: Somerset v Gloucestershire

  

Preview:

After the remarkable win against the group’s #2 seeds, now comes an away match against the #1 seed.

Should anyone be feeling overconfident, in the corresponding Bob Willis Trophy match last year, Gloucestershire were shot out for 76 and 70. And in the 2020 pre-season friendly against the same opponents, lost by an innings, dismissed for 273 and 130. You get the picture. Will 2021 be different? Well, Gloucestershire had by far the better of the 2021 pre-season friendly and won both return T20s. That is not to say that the Shire are not big underdogs going into this match, but there is some room for hope that things will be different in 2021.

Kraigg Brathwaite, who was at the Bristol County Ground to watch his new teammates winning: he cannot fail to have been impressed. Brathwaite will open with Chris Dent and allow Bobby Bracey to move away from the new ball and get a break between keeping wicket and coming out to bat. With Bracey at 3 and Tom Lace or Graeme van Buuren at 4, the top order starts to look a very solid one, with a mix of styles. The pre-match assumption was that George Hankins would be the one drop out of the XI to make a space for Kraigg Brathwaite. And, with Josh Shaw’s groin injury, Jared Warner was likely to replace him in the attack, having substituted for Shaw on Sunday. Jared Warner took the new ball for the 2^nd XI v Worcestershire 2^nd XI, taking 2-44 in the first innings however, he did not bowl in the 2^nd innings, although he did come out as nightwatchman: he has been replaced with Dom Goodman, a young seamer, in the XIII. Despite Tom Smith’s good form in the 2^nd XI match and Taunton’s reputation for turn, Ian Harvey has resisted the temptation to add him to the squad, relying in Graeme van Buuren’s left arm orthodox and Kraigg Brathwaite’s off spin.

The final XI will be an interesting balance because either Goodman plays as an extra seamer, or George Scott will be promoted to fourth seamer, with an extra batsman, probably Hankins, playing.

Day 1:

Chris Dent won the Toss and inserted, as against Surrey under fluffy white clouds and plenty of blue sky, although a cold morning. Today though the issue was more divided than in the first round with five sides choosing to bat and four inserting, so Dent was bucking the trend a little.  What Kraigg Brathewaite, hands deep in pockets at First Slip, must of made of the temperature did not bear thinking of. However, seeing the umpires with gloves and mufflers gave you an idea of what the conditions were like.

Somerset went with a powerful-looking line-up. Gloucestershire went for five seamers, with Dom Goodman making a debut and Jack Taylor missing out. It did not take long for Chris Dent to see some reward. Banton took a boundary off David Payne’s first over, before Ryan Higgins took the edge of Lammonby’s bat with a beautiful delivery slanted across the batsman, straight into the midrift of George Hankins at Second Slip. Somerset 4-1. Higgins was looking threatening and passed Banton’s outside edge with a beauty of a delivery. He then induced another edge from Tom Abel that fell well short of Hankins, inducing Bracey to come up to the stumps. There were though not too many alarms for the batsmen and, with a fast outfield, anything too straight was clipped to leg and went straight to the boundary. 42-1 after 10 overs and the score was mounting faster than the Captain would have wanted. Payne, coming to the end of his new ball burst had Banton in his sights for an over. Last ball, a lovely inswinger squeezed through the gap between bat and pad. Banton lunged to try to stop it trickling onto the stumps, but too late. 43-2 and the decision to insert was beginning to pay off.

In came Dom Goodman to the attack. Very tall, not unlike David Payne. Not express pace, but rapidly he got a ball to lift past Hildreth’s nose from not very short of a length. And he beat Hildreth’s bat with a ball that lifted a little and moved away. Next ball, Hildreth drove and the bat went under the ball. Hello, Dom Goodman! Definitely a fabulous impression from his first over as he beat Hildreth’s groping bat with each of his last three deliveries. Impressive. Very impressive.

Somerset kept re-building and seemed to have steadied the ship when Abel decided to play an exaggerated leave to a Matt Taylor delivery that moved back in and took the pads in front of off. Abel out for 26, 69-3 and Somerset, if not in strife, in some difficulty. Again, a flurry of boundaries – Somerset applying the same approach that Surrey had last week – and Hildreth, who was starting to look increasingly dangerous - got a ball from Matt Taylor on off stump and clipped to Tom Lace at Square Leg who brought off an excellent catch and charged in, fit-pumping wildly in delight. Somerset 80-4 and probably not in the sort of position that they had hoped for. However, we have seen this before from Somerset: their batting starts at #9!!

94-4 at Lunch, from 33 overs. Gloucestershire’s session. Sixteen boundaries – 64 runs – in the session. Like Surrey had, you got the impression that Somerset were trying to make a point and impose themselves on these country upstarts… and losing wickets because of it. There was not enough taking singles, upsetting the bowler’s rhythm.

It did not take long for Somerset to hit a few more boundaries and lose another wicket after Lunch. Ryan Higgins to Bartlett. Bartlett tried to turn to leg, the ball cut in, LBW 22. Somerset 110-5. Payne dropped short and Davies hooked enormously for six, then next ball for four. Once again, runs were coming uncomfortably fast and, once again, the batsmen seemed to be getting on top. Would they stay there this time?

Over 50. Halfway through the extended day of 100 overs and Somerset 163-5 and beginning to dominate the bowling. Davies 46*, Overton 19* and the Shire needing to break a stand that was now past 50, with the inexperienced Goodman and Scott in harness. Out came the helmet and Bobby Bracey advanced to the stumps for Scott. Overton swung hard at Scott sending the ball into the stratosphere, but it dropped safe, pulling up before the boundary. Davies seemed to have been on 49 for an age and finally, to his relief, he drove Goodman through the covers for two (51*, 91 balls, 8x4, 1x6). The Somerset permanent attack mode was, finally, paying dividends. 200 up in the 59^th over and Somerset beginning to dominate.

Back came Matt Taylor, another swing from Davies – three fielders converged as the ball went high into the air, again falling safe. Overton’s 50 (52*, 66 balls, 8x4) came with another crunching boundary off Taylor and Somerset were 222-5 after 65 overs at Tea. The partnership 112.

Finally, the Rhino got a nice one on a fourth stump line to Overton who, obligingly, edged it straight to Hankins at Second Slip. Finally, the breakthrough. Overton 54 (88 balls, 8x4). 226-6 and the Shire back with a chance of dismissing Somerset for under 300. Ryan Higgins 18-6-47-3 and showing that his success has not been down to playing against Second Division batting.

With Davies moving into the 80s, supported by Lewis Gregory, we moved into the pre-new ball “phony war”. Scott and van Buuren in harness, resting the front-line attack and Somerset adding singles warily, in search of the second batting point. New ball taken by Payne. Somerset fans crowing in the chat. Wide one outside off. Wild slash from Gregory. Thanks very much! Scott took a good catch in the Gully. 255-7. Davies seemed frozen with fear at his approaching century and had his outside edge passed time and again by Ryan Higgins. Finally though, it was a mistimed drive to Payne that took the inside edge onto the stumps. 264-8 (Davies 87, 180 balls, 12x4, 1x6) and the day swinging back towards the North of the River Avon as the light started to fade. Would the Somerset tail wag violently, as it has so many times? De Lange whacked Ryan Higgins straight back over his head for 4 and the tactics became clear: yes, the batsmen planned to have some fun. De Lange then thumped Payne back over his head for six.

Then things went quiet again. 300 up in the 92^nd over and Dom Goodman into the attack after his excellent first spell in the morning. Just when you thought that Somerset were playing for the Close, Mark Taylor dropped a little short and De Lange hit the ball into the flats, where a gentleman with a Wyvern flag put the chance down. Finally, the moment that Dom Goodman was waiting for: 4^th stump line, maybe some movement. Big edge to Brathwaite at 1^st Slip and gone.  Out came the Taunton Lara to see off the over. Matt Taylor to de Lange. Mis-cue into orbit on the leg side and Tom Lace raced in to finish the innings.

Somerset 312ao. More than looked likely just after Lunch, fewer than Somerset would have hoped for. And 3 overs for the Shire to face under the floodlights.

Lewis Gregory with the new ball. Brathwaite to face. 4 slips and the first ball wide and going wider. Two, tucked off his hip to the second ball and he was under way. Three slips and a gulley for Craig Overton and Chris Dent cut him disdainfully to the cover boundary. 13-0 at the Close and a tricky period navigated. The game is very much even.

Day 2:

Alert Shire-watchers may have noticed that the Group 2 table shows Gloucestershire on top overnight thanks to their three bowling points. Today, the aim was batting points; much would depend today on the start that Brathwaite and Dent could provide. Most media seemed to award Day 1 to Somerset but, to me, it seemed quite an even day.

The batsmen started Day 2 busily. After a quiet first over, both Chris Dent and Kraigg Brathwaite helped themselves to boundaries, although Gregory beat the Captain’s outside edge with a beautiful delivery. However, both openers looked in good touch, with an early blitz of nicely placed boundaries. Just when you started to think of a quick fifty partnership, Overton slanted one into Kraigg Brathwaite’s pads and the umpire raised the finger. Brathwaite stayed and stared for a while, but it looked like a pretty good shout. 41-1. In came James Bracey who was to go on to dominate the day, while Chris Dent responded to the wicket with an extraordinary slash over the slips for four (although it could have gone anywhere), with the ball losing itself inside the covers. Five Somerset fielders spent several minutes searching before the ball was found!

The 50 came up in the 11^th over as Chris Dent took three consecutive boundaries off Gregory. Fourteen off the over and, despite the loss of Kraigg Brathwaite, Gloucestershire were flying with the run-rate close to 5. On came Josh Davey to replace the expensive Gregory and order was restored initially with some mean bowling before Dent and Bracey started to tuck in to both Davey and de Lange. Dent’s 50 (70 balls, 9x4) came up out of 85-1, guiding Davey through Third Man, from the last ball of the 21^st over: he is in fine form again. Finally, though, he fenced at one too many outside off and edged de Lange through to Davies (50, 82 balls, 9x4). 87-2 and the session evening-up again. Soon Jack Leach was spinning his magic web, which was a delight to watch, unless you were the batsmen or a nervous supporter. Between them, de Lange and Leach stifled the batsmen very effectively. 97-2 from 33 overs (Bracey 24*, Lace 2*)  at Lunch and progress had slowed to a crawl since the Captain went.

You got the feeling that the first half hour after Lunch would be critical. Leach was threatening and you could see two or three wickets falling quickly if the batsmen did not navigate this difficult spell. Bracey brought up the 100 with a lovely reverse sweep that was cut off on the boundary (100-2 in 35.2 overs). For some reason, 100-2 looks so much better than 99-2… or 105-3, doesn’t it? Then, Tom Lace went after Overton: his first cover drive flew to the boundary, his second, next ball, flew straight to Banton at Cover. Lace out for 7 and an unnecessary wicket. In came van Buuren. Overton dropped short and Bracey hooked him over Deep Square Leg for six. Van Buuren then got a nasty ball from Overton that cut back a little and lifted and he could only edge it to Gregory at Slip. 119-4 and the comfort of 101-2 forgotten.

However, James Bracey was still there and took run-scoring chances where he could.  Gregory to Bracey on 49*. Ball tucked off his hip. 50* (115 balls, 6x4, 1x6), Gloucestershire 137-4. Bracey and Ryan Higgins moved into “good cop, bad cop” mode, with Bracey solid and pushing the singles and Higgins looking busy and aggressive. Another boundary from Ryan Higgins and the 150 was up in the 52^nd over. Higgins was taking guard well outside the crease and keeping the scoreboard moving. Gregory then gave James Bracey a short ball outside leg that Bracey hooked magnificently for four. The partnership was getting towards 50 (and the follow-on mark was approaching), when Ryan Higgins fenced at one from Davey and could only guide the ball to Hildreth at Second Slip for 23 (46 balls, 3x4, 160-5). A promising start, but he could not convert. Slowly, Somerset were working their way through the batting. Bracey though was still there and consecutive boundaries off de Lange took the Shire past the follow-on (which some of the cheekier Somerset fans were wondering about) shortly after Lunch. Would anyone stay with him? George Hankins could not: he played around a straight one from de Lange and was LBW. 177-6 and the good start was becoming a distant memory. The Shire in danger of conceding a big lead.

In came George Scott. He played and missed his first two balls and must have been desperately close to being LBW to Davey with the third, finally getting off the mark with a lofted shot that was just out of the reach of the leaping bowler. Not the best start if you are a nervous supporter. 189-6 at Tea from 67 overs and, despite all Bobby Bracey’s efforts (79*), progress was slowing to a crawl, with George Scott hanging on, 1*. More of the same after Tea, then Leach dropped one a fraction short and George Scott launched him high and handsome over his head for six. Where did that come from? Four to Bracey from Gregory and the 200 was up and the first batting point in the 71^st over, with Bracey up to 83*. Somerset ahead, but this was no repeat of 2020. George Scott then tried a massive hoick to leg in Leach’s next over, fortunately getting away with an air shot. Steady George!!

Finally, just as he seemed to have settled down, Gregory gave him some width outside off. Scott drove without due care and attention and Overton took a simple catch. 203-7, Scott 10. And a lot depending now on James Bracey. New ball taken at 217-7, with Bracey on 92* and 23 overs left in the day. Vital to get through it. Short ball from Overton to Matt Taylor and an imperious hook for four. A two for Bracey off Overton took him to 97*. He tried to clip the next ball to leg and there was a huge shout, mainly of frustration, for LBW. A leg bye. Davey to Bracey. Clip off the hip and the ball raced to the Square Leg boundary. 101* (208 balls, 14x4, 1x6) and the Shire 239-7, with Matt Taylor giving sensible support at the other end. De Lange to Matt Taylor: width and slashed hard, but the Banton at Cover could not quite hold on to what would have been a brilliant catch. To keep up the drama, James Bracey drove de Lange and the blade snapped off the handle, but he still ran the single holding on to what remained of the bat! Out came a selection of new bats and Bracey picked his weapon. Bracey 108*, Taylor 20*, 248-7. Single to Bracey and the 250 up. Then a sweetly struck boundary to bring up the fifty partnership. De Lange did not look happy. Four to Matt Taylor off Gregory and the deficit was under 50. Finally, Gregory found the edge of Bobby Bracey’s bat and Hildreth pouched the catch gratefully. Bracey 118 (234 balls, 15x4, 1x6). 274-8, 38 the deficit. It was a fantastic innings and had put Gloucestershire right back in the match.

Still the tail wagged. It was wonderful to watch. Leach dropped a fraction short and Matt Taylor launched him many a mile over his head. Then a boundary off Gregory. 100 overs up, 292-8. Taylor on 49*, 297-8 and de Lange gave him one in the slot. Superb cover drive, 50 (53*, 92 balls, 7x4, 1x6) and the 300 up in the last over of the day. 301-8, Taylor 53*, Payne 9*. 11 the deficit and the game even thanks to a wonderful effort from Bracey and Matt Taylor.

 Day 3:

In this match situation the pressure is very much on the side batting third. Gloucestershire were, effectively at parity, obliging Somerset, who needed the win far more than the Shire, to make the pace, albeit on a pretty blameless surface. The questions for the morning were: how many runs could the last two wickets squeeze out (a fourth batting point was surely out of the question with only 8 overs remaining)? And, how would Somerset go about setting a target?

Just three runs had been added when David Payne went to drive de Lange and the tall bowler reacted well to hold on to a fine, low return catch. 304-9, Payne, 10. In came Goodman, ex Exeter University and was received with a fairly vicious bouncer, which he ducked. A single, tucked off the hip gave him his first run in First Class cricket. It was all quiet and genteel, apart from the bouncers from de Lange. When he finally bowled one in the batsman’s half, Matt Taylor played all round it. Gloucestershire 309ao, a deficit of 3. Matt Taylor LBW 56 (115 balls, 7x4, 1x6). Just eight runs added in half an hour. Effectively, we had a one-innings match with six sessions to play. What sort of target would Somerset set?

Tom Banton saw off the first over from David Payne and it was Lammonby, who was on a run of 5, 0 & 0 this season, to face Ryan Higgins. Guard half a stride down the pitch. Second delivery, the ball moved away from him. Lammonby edged and Bobby Bracey threw the ball up joyfully. Somerset 2-1 after just 8 balls. The Rhino is a kind of rich man’s Jon Lewis in that he scores centuries as well as taking a lot of wickets… but then, Jon Lewis took wickets in quantity for 16 seasons for the Shire. Then came one of the great commentary quotes of the season “despite that… I don’t see a cascade of wickets coming”. If only he had known…

Abel too was taking guard to Ryan Higgins half a stride down the pitch, apparently in an effort to negate his threat. Straight ball, Abel pinned in front and LBW 6. Somerset 18-2 and in strife. Higgins 2-7. Banton and Hildreth played sensibly for a while, pushing the singles in a way so unlike their thud and blunder first innings. Matt Taylor on as first change. Banton pushed at a ball just a fraction outside off and Chris Dent took a good, low catch. Banton 18, Somerset 36-3. In came Bartlett, with Somerset needing someone to blunt the attack for a couple of hours. Higgins got a rest and Dom Goodman came on. Bartlett got a good ball, just outside off. Edge and Bracey took a second catch. Golden duck for Bartlett. Somerset 37-4. Gloucestershire fans blinking in disbelief.

In came Steve Davies, with Somerset desperately needing him to reproduce his first innings batting. For a time, Hildreth and Davies accumulated carefully and seemed to be settling the innings. Payne and Higgins came back. Again, a good delivery in the channel just outside off, Davies edged and George Hankins pouched a fine catch at Second Slip. 68-5. What on Earth is going on here? With Ryan Higgins bowling occasional jaffas, the nerves of the batsmen were on edge and they were making mistakes. There was no extravagant bounce or movement, just nagging line and length. In fact, the whole attack was bowling superbly to plan in a way that Chris Dent could hardly have imagined possible save in imaginary games, played in Elysium. Frankly though, the Somerset batting reeked of nerves and you wondered if Graeme Gooch (he who once called Gloucestershire “Minor Counties West”) was watching this.

The Rhino to Overton: straight ball, far too straight for Overton, who played inside it and heard the death-rattle as the ball took off stump. It was the sort of ball that he must dream of delivering. 71-6, the lead 74 and Ryan Higgins 3-18. Matt Taylor to Gregory. A fairly aimless push to a delivery that was straight, but by no means lethal and the ball flew into the air towards Ryan Higgins at Midwicket (you could not keep him out of the game), who took a comfort catch. Somerset 88-6. Hildreth 32* and very little from anyone else. It must have been a relief for the batsmen when the players went off to line-up around the boundary for two minutes silence before the extended Tea break. What Prince Philip, no mean off-spinner, would have made of the Somerset batting, does not bear thinking of. Great credit to Somerset though on one front: the tribute to Prince Philip on the scoreboard during the break for the funeral was in the best traditions of respect and dignity.

The hundred came up in the 43^rd over. Hildreth (42*) and Davey (2*) playing attritional cricket against accurate bowling. Finally Hildreth broke the spell with a cover drive for four off Ryan Higgins to go to his highest score for two years (46*). There were edges, some more controlled than others and a few good shots, but the lead was increasing slowly. The consensus was that Somerset needed 180 to have a chance. On came van Buuren, Davey took a step down the pitch and the ball flew high and handsome for 4 to the long boundary. Next ball, Davey tried again and miscued for 2. Finally, Hildreth tucked Payne off his hip for the single that took him to 50 (124 balls, 7x4). Somerset 124-7. Back to attrition, with not much happening until, suddenly, van Buuren got one to bounce and turn big, beating the outside edge. Van Buuren was asking some questions and Davey’s answer was a superb reverse sweep for four. On came Dom Goodman and Hildreth drove him elegantly for 4: 140-7, Hildreth 63*. This was the critical phase of the day; for the first time, Somerset were getting on top.

Then, the unexpected happened. Goodman bowled a straight one to Hildreth, who seemed to play a half-hearted late cut. The ball hammered into the pad with the bat apparently nowhere near ball and Hildreth was out for 64 (150 balls, 8x4). Somerset 143-8 and a wicket-maiden for Dom Goodman who, once again, had made something happen. The action was so bewildering that you watched it time and again and still could not really work out the sequence of events. Somerset fans on social media were furious, believing that the umpire had robbed them of the game but, apparently there was another angle that was not shown on the live stream that demonstrated that the umpire had got it absolutely spot on. Either way, it was a very strange shot.

In came de Lange. One assumed that he would take the attack to the bowlers. Van Buuren bowled a straight one. De Lange missed, it hit the pad. Simple as that. Once again, good line and nagging length were rewarding the bowlers when a batsman made a mistake. The only doubt could have been if it would have gone under middle stump. 143-9 and Somerset were right back in the pits. The talk was of the Hildreth dsmissal and daylight robbery, but, in truth, it was an awful Somerset performance that was threatening to lose them the match, not the umpiring and Gloucestershire could point also to two LBW shouts that looked awfully adjacent but that were not given.

A push for a single by Leach brought up the 150 lead. How many could Leach and Davey add? Ryan Higgins came back. Davey edged. Brathwaite dropped it, grabbed again and finally held on. Davey out for 22. Somerset 149ao. 153 to win. It had been a sorry effort by Somerset.

Out came Kraigg Brathwaite and Chris Dent. Gregory with the ball. Bright sunshine. Single from the first ball to start the chase. Then Chris Dent played a delicious drive that just stopped short of the Long On boundary. Four off the first over and the Shire on their way. No great alarms and just ten overs to play, but Overton then gave one Dent on fourth stump line. Dent tried to leave and inside edged, exactly the same shot and exactly the same inside edge as against Surrey the previous week. Stumps akimbo and Dent furious. 10-1. Bracey came in an edged just short of First Slip. Somerset came alive and suddenly showed the passion that had been singularly missing for the last 4 sessions. As the shadows encroached on the pitch, Gregory passed Bratwaite’s bat and everyone went up. Not out, but you could not help thinking that if Somerset had shown this passion for the previous four sessions they would have been well on the way to victory by now, instead of battling to avoid defeat. Another wicket and you felt that nerves would start to shred.

A wild bouncer from Overton was signalled wide and you could see the Somerset heads dropping as Brathwaite and Bracey saw it out to the Close. 28-1, Brathwaite 8*, Bracey 10*. 125 more to win. Gloucestershire’s day by a country mile.

The match is not yet won. Gloucestershire need to come out and bat sensibly and well in the morning but, that first victory against Somerset in far too many years should come sometime after Lunch if they do. #GoGlos

Day 4:

So, le Crunch, as our French friends would say in perfect Franglais.

The equation: 125 to win, 9 wickets left, but much would depend on Brathwaite and Bracey to get a solid start. One fifty partnership should be enough to do it.

The reward: a first win at Taunton since 1993. That’s 28 years ago. Several of this Gloucestershire side were not even born then.

In contrast, Somerset needed to strike fast and frequently. Would they blow the batting away, or were they scarred by their third day implosion? Since mid-afternoon on Day 2, when they were right on top, little had gone right for the Cidermen.

A beautiful morning at Taunton, the sun shining down on the distant Quantocks. James Bracey facing. Gregory with the ball. First ball, a confident cut to Point that was stopped. The second, on leg, clipped firmly to the Mid-Wicket boundary. Bracey already looking in supreme form and confidence. Four from the first over and little sign of threat or tension. Overton to Brathwaite: a maiden, but already there were signs of some interesting mannerisms in Brathwaite’s leaves that promised to  entertain the fans through the season. Overton though was causing Brathwaite some problems outside off, although Brathwaite responded with a clip through Mid-Wicket for four. Overton bowled one down leg, James Bracey tried to guide it to Fine Leg and bowler and Slips went up in a raucous appeal that was not given. Overton was furious and threw the ball down when it got back to him. Short ball on leg from Overton and Bracey hooked it to the boundary. The 50 up in the 6^th over of the morning and the runs required down to 100.

Overton was bowling like a demon, but nothing much was happening after those early deliveries beat Brathwaite. Bobby Bracey looking solid and unfased and Kraigg Brathwaite supporting him solidly.  First half hour seen off, no wickets and Gloucestershire bringing down the runs required at a good rate. On came Leach for the tenth over of the morning. What a fine bowler he is, but this was not to be a good day for him at all. He offered a short, wide one and Brathwaite cut it powerfully to the boundary. 68-1 from 20 overs, 85 wanted. De Lange gave Bobby Bracey some width and was carved for four. The batsmen were getting on top and Bobby Bracey was clearly trying to unsettle the bowlers and managing it. Leach dropped one a little short and Brathwaite hit it powerfully through Midwicket; the magic was not there and the attack was not managing either threat or control. Another short ball from Leach and Brathwaite cut forcefully for another boundary: 82-1, Brathwaite 34*, Bracey 38*, 71 needed. Already there was an air of the last rites to the match. Leach offered one outside off that turned into Bobby Bracey a little and beat everything: four byes and just 64 wanted. Leach aiming for the footmarks outside Bracey’s off stump and, briefly, looking much more threatening.

First hour done. Somerset needed a wicket desperately and it arrived in strange circumstances. Very wide ball from de Lange. Brathwaite carved at it and got an under edge that ripped out his middle stump. 89-2, Brathwaite 36 (62 balls, 4x4). In came Tom Lace, needing a score to confirm his promise. Another wicket would makes things interesting and Tom Lace almost provided it with a nervous attempt to snatch a quick single: he was well down the pitch when he realised that Bracey had not moved. Bracey went on the attack: reverse sweep for four, an edge that was stopped just short of the boundary and then a conventional sweep for four – ten from three balls and the little bit of pressure that was built up was relieved. Bracey on 49*, Gloucestershire 99-2, 54 wanted. Paddle-sweep off Leach and Bracey had his 50 (51*, 84 balls, 8x4) and the Shire the hundred up. Bracey gave Leach the charge and hammered the ball just past the bowler, following it with another reverse sweep for four from the last ball: again, 10 off the over and the target down to 44, with Lace still to break his duck. A cover drive for two started Lacy’s account and a No Ball from de Lange brought the target down to 40. Another reverse sweep brought the target below thirty as Bobby Bracey kept on the attack. Wide ball from Leach to Tom Lace who accepted the present gratefully with a cover drive to the boundary that must have made him feel so much better; just 18 required now.

The last few runs came in a rush, as is so often the case. A lovely on-drive from Lace took a boundary from Overton, just 12 wanted, Bracey 77*, Lace 12*. Powerful conventional sweep from Tom Lace and just 7 were needed. A wild wide from Overton, 5 needed. Clip to Deep Backward Square Leg, two to Lace, just 3 needed. Lace pulled hard and the fielder on the boundary managed to cut it off. Scores level. Bobby Bracey, the hero of the match for the Shire to face. Leach in his sights. Full toss, hit through mid-wicket. Four to Bracey to take him to 83*. Lace 20*. And the win.

What a performance from the Shire!     

Retrospective:

During the afternoon session on Day 2, Gloucestershire were 177-6 and collapsing. Somerset were licking their lips and looking at a lead as large as one hundred, depending on how fast the tail was blown away by their highly-rated attack. That was the Somerset high water mark. From there, little went right for them. James Bracey and Matt Taylor showed that there was not too much wrong with the pitch and pushed Gloucestershire up to parity. From there, the pressure passed to the Somerset batsmen who had to set a target. The Somerset implosion was extraordinary. Like the Surrey batsmen the previous week, they saw demons where none existed in the pitch, a product, quite possibly, of not respecting the opposition bowling sufficiently. Although Somerset are famous for their tail-enders bailing them out of trouble, first with bat and then with ball, Gloucestershire kept to plan and made sure that there was to be no recovery.

The result was a first defeat for Somerset at Taunton in four seasons and a first Gloucestershire win at Taunton for twenty-eight.

The gap between Gloucestershire, second in Group 2 and Somerset, third, is now more than full bonus-point win points. Things could potentially get even better for Gloucestershire, as Surrey are facing a possible sanction for ball-tampering as they tried to force a win against Leicestershire.

For Gloucestershire, there were heroes everywhere. Ultimately, the plaudits went to James Bracey, who scored more than 200 runs for once out in the match, led the first innings recovery and shepherded the final morning chase. With 269 runs, including a century and two fifties already, Bracey has the fifth highest run aggregate in the land. Almost as important, though, are the 228 runs and three fifties of Chris Dent. Added to his calm captaincy in both wins, Dent has had a magical start to the season, only lacking a century of his own to be perfect. Kraigg Brathwaite did not get big runs in his debut, but his calm presence on the final morning and participation in a partnership of 79 that killed any chance of an early panic in the batting, showed what Gloucestershire have gained with him at the top of the order.

Among the bowlers, although he has not managed headline figures in any innings, only Ollie Robinson has more wickets than Ryan Higgins in the first two rounds: 13 @ 15.2. Nine wickets for Matt Taylor at 25 apiece and eight, slightly more expensive for David Payne, show how well the bowling unit has performed, while Dominic Goodman came in for a First Class debut and had a fine game (1-36 & 2-19): he will remember that debut over to James Hildreth for many years. Both Graeme van Buuren and George Scott stuck to their supporting roles and helped spell the quicker bowlers, without giving anything away, with van Buuren removing de Lange when Somerset were hoping for some violent blows from him to change the tide. The fielders, with George Hankins and Tom Lace to the fore, backed up their bowlers, holding some excellent catches. Tom Lace will also feel good for getting through a sticky patch at the start of his innings to see Gloucestershire home.

What no one can doubt is that Gloucestershire have made tremendous strides over the winter and, with Dan Worrall to join the attack at the Ageas Bowl, will have the chance to field a full-strength side for the first time in the season.

If you had looked at the fixture list and picked out Hampshire v Gloucestershire as the star game of the early rounds, you might well have been regarded as certifiable. Hampshire have spent several seasons struggling near the foot of Division 1 and many forget that Gloucestershire deservedly won promotion in 2019. However, these are the only two sides in the country that have won their first two games; the side that wins this game would start to build up tremendous momentum towards qualification for the Championship contesting group at the end of the season.