Somerset
CC1 Return to the fray in Cardiff
By Grockle
May 8 2026
Jack Leach returns after a slight neck injury kept him out against Yorkshire. He replaces Thomas Rew while Jake Ball also returns for Alfie Ogborne. Other than that the batting side remains the same and we will see them first as Glamorgan - on a bit of a roll - have won the toss and will bat first.
CC1 - v Glamorgan @ Sophia Gardens Cardiff Friday 8 May 2026
The options for Somerset are pretty slim at the moment with TKC, Banton, Goldsworthy and Thomas Rew all sidelined for this match. Glamorgan are an in form side and we could have done with some of those options perhaps but such is professioanl sqaud based sport.
The side we do go in with therefore only really has bowling changes;
Vaughan, Thomas, Lammonby, Rew, Abell, Smeed, Gregory, Overton, Pretorius, Leach and Ball
Jack returns after his neck strain for the exam affected Thomas Rew and Jake Ball is in for the probably rested Alfie Ogborne. This is the first time Somerset have played im Cardiff in the Championship since 2007!!
We start on time - Timm Van der Gugten bowls the first ball to Josh Thomas from the River Taff End and there is a big appeal to a Thomas push. An actual Welshman in 18 year old Tom Norton takes the second over to the new opener in James Rew opening for the first time. Another opening partnership!! He opens his account today with a clip for four down the legside. He is the 33rd opener we have had since coming into the CC1 in 2007 and the 57th opening partnership in the same period of time.
5 for 1 on a green wicket in the Welsh capital under grey and cool conditions. We also will see Sean Dickson in this game along with ex Somerset Colin Ingram along with a prospect in Asa Tribe. News about Ned leonard for those interested, he is playing his first cricket of the season for Glamorgan seconds after an early year back injury. So on the march towards the first team as we speak.
In the 3rd over Van der Gugten gets his second ball to jag back a long way through the gate and he bowls Rew for 4 from 7 at 5 for 1. In comes Tom Lammonby at about his usual time. It was a very good delivery so at least he wasn't dismissed with a rash shot though he may need to work on the solidity of his defence if he is going to open regularly as the gate was left a bit too open with that one.
16 for 1 after 5 and the 50 arrives in the 11th with the first change coming as overseas Ryan Hadley replaces Van der Gugten from the Taff End for the 12th which starts at 52/1 with Thomas on 23 (40) and Lammonby on 21 (22). It's a double change as Zain Ul Hassan comes on at the other end for Norton. The ball is moving off the pitch quite a lot presently as we move towards the first hour of the game. But the 50 partnership arrives 3 runs later. The weather has settled a little with the sun arriving as we move into the 20th over which ends with the score on 70 for 1. Hadley is getting the ball to move in but Lammonby has a decent idea of where his off stump is and is leaving well.
In the 25th Van der Gugten returns to the attack from the Taff. In the 30th Josh produces the first six in the game to get his 50 ( 5fours and 1 six) from 97 balls and brings up the 100 at the same time. Tom Lammonby has moved to 42 at the same time as the two Somerset men look to seet a base. This is off tyhe bowling of Kellaway the spinner who was introduced into the game in the mid 20's. He finishes the spell with the 32nd at 104 for 2 with Lammonby on 42 from 81 balls and his partner finishes the first session at 53 from 106 to continue his good batting form. The weather has dried out and the sun has come out. There has been some movement for the bowlers though the two have defended the good balls well and punished loose stuff when it has come.
Ul Hassan starts the second session fromthe Taff end with Norton on the at the other end. Thomas pushes on while Lammonby operates almost as a support player for the first 2o odd minutes. In that time Josh moves on while his partner adds a significant 3. In the 39th with Thomas on 71 at 138, Hadley returns and bowls the young man with the 5th ball of his first post lunch over as he tries to cut a ball that comes in and takes the bottom edge. 71 from 129 is a good solid start from a man who is becoming an opener.
Out comes Archie Vaughan ahead of Tom Abell but it is not long before the other Tom arrives as Lammonby plays no shot to the second ball of Norton's next over and he is adjudged LBW for 45 from 104. Within an over across two bowlers we have a new partnership with Vaughan and Abell at the crease with no runs between them. 138 for 1 becomes 138 for 3. Cricket huh?
The new Somerset pair start from scratch and they push the score past 150 with a carressed drive through the covers from Tom Abell in the 43rd off Hadley moving the bat to 9 from 10 while his partner has 6 from 9. They've moved the score to 166 for 3 when Tom Norton gets his second wicket as Archie is caught behind for 17 (from 77). A good ball that made him play and then just went away. 166 for 4 brings Will Smeed to the middle.
Halfway through the 50th over Colin Ingram looks to have caught Abell on 14 at 171 for 4. The umpires reckon it bounced into his hamds, the replay is a bit vague but the best indicator is that the keeper did not appeal. Anyway the umpires decide it did not carry and we continue. 171 for 4 at 50 overs in. Smeed has got off the mark before 10 balls today (he has been timid to say the least in his innings so far this season) Abell has 14 from 24 presently.
Van der Gugten is back on for the 55th and with Smeed on 12 he gets one to deviate to Ingram in the slips and he is gone at 191 for 5 after 31 balls at the crease. In comes Craig Overton the Professional MVP for April. He helps Tom to move the score past 200 with a definite cover drive four off Van der Gugten at the end of the 57th. It moves him to 23 from 37 while COve has 8 from the 13 he has faced and the score is 203 for 5. Ul Hassan is on at the other end as wew move towards Tea.
Just before the interval however, with 4 overs left before the break, Mason Crane finally gets the nod to bowl. He takes the 60th at 216/5. He's a bustly bowler and produces a bit more pace for a spinner and he may be in tandem with Kellaway from the Cathedral Road end before the interval. The break comes at the end of the 64th with Somerset on 232 for 5 with Tom Abell moving on to 39 from 62 and Craig Overton on 21 from 29. There will be 32 overs to come after Tea
Mason Crane takes the first in the third session with Hadley taking the other end as Somerset look to move towards the 250 and a bonus point. It comes from Crane in the 71st over with Abell looking for a 50 at the same time. Overton smacks an agricultural one off the last ball of the over for four to move to 253 for 5. He goes to 28 from 44 and the first ball from Hadley allows Abell to flick the ball down the leg side with a two to take him to 51 from 90 balls at 255 for 5.
Norton is the next bowler to break through as he sends Overton on the way with the last ball of the 74th. He drives hard at a ball but simply edges it to Asa Tribe at second slip. Craig leaves for 33 from 53 at 363 for 6. In comes Lewis Gregory to act as support for Abell. The new ball becomes available with the 80th over with Somerset on 282 for 6.
Timm van der Gugten returns to the River End taking the new ball with Lewis on 6 from 21 and his partner on 67 from 113. Norton shares the new ball role with him at the Cathedral Rd End. Norton is still getting some pace from the ball late in the afternoon. Glamorgan tighten up their infield to press the new pair. Gregory is finding it hard to get the ball off the strip and Abell is driving well but the fielders are looking to cut off that scoring route. As we move into the last few overs (11) Ul Hassan comes back on to try and keep Somerset inside 300 for a significant period to frustrate the bats. He holds them to 297 for 6 with 10 overs to go.
The ball is still moving about a considerable amount and Van der Gugten has the Someret skipper playing and missing a number of times in his maiden 87th keeping the visitors on the same score for another over. The 300 arrives from a drive to an overpitched delivery from Ul Hassan at the start of the 88th. The next is also overpitched and another drive brings another four. It also takes the bat past 500 runs in 8 CC1 innings this season with an average in the 70s.
Meanwhile Van der Gugten just keeps going past the Somerset captain's bat but he can't find the target or get the edge, he is very close more than once. If Gregory goes in unbeaten tonight he'll feel very lucky. There are 7 to go tonight and it will be hard work to remain in the middle presently against the Glamorgan man. With 7 to go the score has moved to 306 for 6 as Hadley returns at the other end to take the place of Ul Hassan.
The 50 partnership arrives with 52 at 314 for 6 Gregory is in the 20s and Abell is in the 80s. The last 2 partnerships have added 123 to the total so the innings is setting bases quite well today. If this movement continues into Day 2, anything over 350 could be one hell of an investment in the final result. Van der Gugten continues to bowl maidens. The 91st is his 7th!! Hadley starts the last 5 of the day and then Ul Hassan changes ends for the 93rd of the day. Hassan has bowled 5 maidens as well, the home bowlers have worked hard and not been all that lucky.
Abell is becalmed at one end on 82 and has been there for about 4 overs. He gets back into the scoring mode with a driven four to take him to 86. However he drives once too often and edges Ul Hassan to the keeper with 3 overs to go. Somerset are 328 for 7. He faced 152 balls for his score but it is a shame that he goes with only 18 overs to go. Out comes Pretorius which is a bit of a gamble with only 3 overs to go. Migael hasn't been the most cautious of bats in his innings so far in 2026. We want him to see out tonight and then possible support before having a go tomorrow. We are getting near another bonus point we may miss out on with daft batting at this end of the innings. There are plenty of overs left to get it in and the psychological total of 350 plus is still a definite possibility.
However, Gregory does not stay about as he pokes an edge from Hassan to Asa Tribe on 37 at 335 for 8. He's been a patient bat over his 67 balls but could not leave that one away. At 335 for 8 out comes Jack Leach with the strange job to do of getting his side to the close and then getting them past 350 with a batting maniac at the other end and Jake Ball to come. He will not bat today as they only have one over left from Hadley and should a bat get out that will be the end of the day. Migael takes a single and Jack who you might expect to bat out the over also takes a single to get of the mark with one ball to go. Unfortunately Pretorius then edges the last ball to the keeper to go for 3 becuase of an excellent diving catch at 337 for 9. Jake will come out looking to get 13 for the extra bonus point tomorrow morning at 11.
Somerset's day one would say on this pitch. We are lucky to be where we are on this pitch and will be hoping to use it tomorrow to have a better bowling day than Glamorgan have had. Over 300 on this is a decent score with credit to Tom Abell once again and Josh Thomas who is doing his county proud presently. Meaningful support from others throughout the day have pout us here. We need to finish it off tomorrow and then consolidate the position with a good bowling performance.
Day 2
An interesting day in front of us as the last Somerset pair walk out into the Cardiff middle. Anthony gives us some info about the fact that the decision to put James Rew at the front of the innings was to give Archie a rest from opening the innings which he has found tasking. The management are 'aware' of England's desire to see the older Rew open with intentions to consider him in Crawley's place in the NZ Tests. However it was a club decision it seems - though it will probably be a single effort after the signing of the South African Jordan Hermann for the next 3 CC1 games
The first over is completion of the Van der Gugten one from last night as there were 4 balls left. Leach takes 2 wickets from it so Ball does not face first (Thank Heavens). The first full over is from Hadley (there are 95 in the day) to Jake at 339.
Ball steals the strike and then survives the next Van der Gugten over, even putting a four on the score and completing the 99th at 344 for 9. After a maiden, Ball drives Van der Gugten through the covers to move to 9 and takes his side within 2 runs of the evasive third bonus point. 4 leg byes take Somerset through the target score to 302 - for the first time this season with Ball at the crease. Things DO change!! 9 overs left for the next 48 runs to get another bonus point - is it worth a punt?
Glamorgan bring on Mason Crane and in the 103rd he bowls Ball for 9 from 20 with Jack Leach not out on 5 for 26 at 354. The last partnership did their job and now the real competition of the day will start.
Tribe and Ul Hassan open for the home side against Gregory from the Taff end. 2 LBW appeals in the first half of the first one!! Lewis bowls 2 no balls in his first which consists of 8 balls. The over goes for 12 (2 boundaries) with 3 wicket appeals and one narrowly past the bat. 'Eventful' start to the Welsh innings.
Jake Ball is first on at the Cathedral end and he has Tribe cutting his first ball through the slips where Overton got finger tips to it. His second has Tribe caught in the gully at 16 for 1 by Archie Vaughan. Hell of a start to this!! Out comes the Glamorgan captain Carlson, earlier than he probably expected. Jake finishes his first with 1 for 7.
Ul Hassan and Carlson are both coming off BIG scores at Southampton last week but Ul Hassan looks very scratchy and Gregory sends him on his way for 16 from 27 at 34 for 2 in the 7th over of the innings driving well outside the off stump into the hands of James Rew. Just after his third no ballof the day. In comes the young all rounder Kellaway before the usual Colin Ingram. Interesting that Sean Dickson is nowhere near the top 4 for his new county. The first ball sees him well beaten outside the off.
At 10 overs the home side have reached 49 for 2. They move to 50 by the end of the next with Kellaway on 7 from 11 and Carlson 13 from 29. This prompts the introduction of Overton for the first time today to bowl the 12th over. It is, as usual, a double change as Pretorius also comes on for the first time with the 13th from the Cathedral Rd End at 54 for 2.
There is still something in this pitch as Craig is getting the ball past both bats and after 16 they have only moved on to 58. However, it is Migael who makes the next breakthrough as Carlson departs for 21 from 48 as he is cramped up and pops the ball to Abell at wide third slip. The next man in is that man Ingram at 59 for 3. That becomes 59 for 4 as the ball is speared in and Colin misses it to be trapped plumb in front. The hat-trick ball will be delivered to Sean Dickson.
After 19 overs they are off for Lunch with 66 on the board for 4 wickets with Kellaway on 10 for 33 and Dickson on 5 from 6. There are 68 overs left in the day and Miggy P has 2 in the first spell for 6 with Gregory 1 for 28 and Ball 1 for 18. Somerset's session.
The skipper opens proceedings after the break with Miggy also continuing. All the runs in the first bit after KLunch comes from Kellaway. Dickson does not add to his 5 until the 24th over with a single while his partner has added 14. In the 25th Dickson misses one that crashes into the off stump and he leaves bowled for 6 at 93 for 5. He is replaced by wicketkeeper Cooke who adds a four and 2 singles to move his county to 100 in the 25th.
Ball comes on for the 30th at 125 for 5 as Kellaway and Cooke settle the nerves a little. Overton is doing the job at the other end as we move into the 30s. Kellaway is looking in some form as he drives beautifully for four to move himself towards 40. The 50 partnership arrives at 143 for 5 in the 32nd Kellaway is on 43 from 74 and Chris Cooke has 24 from 28. They are still 211 behind so they need 62 to avoid the follow on - though I doubt Somerset would enforce it given the position in the game and two sollid days of play after this one.
The 150 arrives in Overton's next over (35th) as Cooke straight drives him for four to go to 29 with his partner on 49 from 84. He finally goes to 50 with a single to long leg in the Ball over that follows. 50 from 88 deliveries with 6 fours. His 6th 50 in CC cricket. He's averaging 40 this season so he is having a decent season.
Somerset introduce Jack from the River for the 38th with a bit of a Glamorgan rennaisance as they move to 163 for 5 moving below the 200 needed requirement There doesn't seem ot be moch going for him but he pulls the surprise as in his second over (40th) he bowls Kellaway who gets a bottom edge onto the stumps for 59 (from 101) at 173 for 6. That breaks the partnership of 80 as Timm Van der Gugten come out with his county 181 behind.
In the next COve over the Welsh problem gets harder as Cooke plays across the line and is plumb LBW for 39 from 50 at 175 for 7. in comes Mason Crane. Jake Ball changes ends from his usual - probably to move people about though Leach is staying on for now so it is a simple change. Ball then strangles Crane down the legside. It does not look like a good decision as it might have come off his thigh pad. But he has to go for 2 from 24 at 185 for 8 still 19 from the follow on target. In comes Norton the Welshman from Abergavenny on debut.
Lewis Gregory takes over from Jack Leach to try and close this innings down and although there are few runs being made the two bats are stubbornly keeping the ball out as we move towards Tea. The last over is given to Tom Lammonby for a bit of variation. Just to keep the batting pair questioning things and move us on to Tea. The score at the interval is 190 for 8 with Glamorgan trailing by 164. Norton has 4 off 29 and Van der Gugten has 11 from 37. There will be 32 to come after the small break.
Gregory starts his third session of the day in tandem with Tom Lammonby who also continues after Tea. They will be hoping to see the back of these two and the last man in the home county line-up. It is pretty stodgy at the moment. Glamorgan need 13 to make Somerset consider batting again but they are going towards it at a snail's pace.
While scoring isn't massive, the tail is still causing us problems as they are still there. The score goes past the "150 required" point as the pair move it to 205 for 8. The issue is not that the score is progressing at a pace but we do seem to have problems getting numbers 8.9.10 and 11 out in an effective.
Finally we get maximum bowling points in the 62nd over when Norton chips the ball to Leach off Gregory after 53 deliveries where he scored 11. The score is 206 for 9 - a lead of 148 as Ryan Hadley comes out as the last man in. He is off the mark with a single off a thick inside edge. This prompts a change from Lammonby to Pretorius to have a go at the new man from the Taff End.
Lewis bowls his eighth no ball in the 64th over - it really is an issue for him. Though Miggy P is also bowling them (think he's done 2). We turn to Overton in the 66th to see if he can get rid of one of these two. Van der Gugten has 19 from 64 and Hadley has managed 2 from 13. The lead is now down to 140 and we have 21 overs left in the day minus 2 if there is a change of innings.
After trying COve, Somerset trun to Archie Vaughan as another variant with 19 overs left in the day and the lead down to 129. This is just not good enough. These are not great tailenders and we simply can't get them out!!
Finally Van der Gugten is caught behind at 229. 125 in the lead with the last man out going for 30 from 75 leaving his partner Hadley on 5 from 38. Overton finishes with 2 for 42 from 14. 15 overs are left and we will lose 2 so the Somerset openers will face about 13 before the end of the day.
Rew and Thomas are out to face the 13 overs. Norton is bowling and Timm van der Gugten - who was struck on the elbow while batting - has not taken the field. He dashed off at the end of his innings as bowlers do when an innings ends and they are opening bowlers. The new ball may show a little n=more than the old one did perhaps so the Somerset pair need to bewatchful though the first delivery is sent to the boundary by Thomas
There were 36 extras in the Glamorgan innings with 10 no balls and 8 of them were from the skipper. There were also 9 bye, 7 legbyes and 20 no balls!!
Ul Hassan takes the other end at the start of the innings and he bowls a maiden to start his second account. Thomas mistimes the first ball of the third and pops it just out of the despairing grasp of Dickson in the covers. He was surprised by that one, either it stopped in the pitch or he was just through the shot a little early. Nevertheless he survives.
In the 5th over Norton gets one to spit at Rew and he gloves it to Tribe at second slip while trying to play to leg. He departs for no score at 7 for 1 and out comes Tom Lammonby. Well that little opening experiment hasn't gone all that well has it? He'll return to number 4 I would imagine with Hermann coming into open with Thomas. Norton steams in, bowls an absolute pearler and is sends the Someret number 3 on his way for a golden duck at 7 for 2. In comes Archie Vaughan - so much for taking him out of the firing line - coming in on a hat-trick. The debutant GETS IT as he has Vaughan LBW first ball at 7 for 3. A hat-trick on debut for the 18 year old and what's more he is WELSH.
Tom Abell arrives in a usual situation for his county and plays out the over and the world returns to something close to normality as the pair look to bat out the last 8 overs to the end of the day's play. Ul Hassan is suprisingly replaced by Hadley ion the 10th. They take off the man who is showing accurate pace with only 3 overs to go? Strange but it works as Thomas can't resist a short one and hooks the Glamorgan bowler - not the most sensible shot given the present situation out there. He top edges the ball and slaps it straight into the hands of Sean Dickson in the deep to leave the field at 31 for 3 with less than 20 balls to go in this Somerset nightmare. He goes for 15 off 32 balls on the penultimate ball of the 10th over.
After this we finally see a 'nightwatchman' arrive in the shape of Jack Leach to hopefully see out the end of the game with Abell. The new pair see out the whole of the next Norton over but Hadley strikes again when he gets one to sharply bounce and take a snick off Leach which steeples to Tribe at second and our spinner is on his way without adding runs halfway through the 12th over. Will Smeed comes out to face 9 balls and at least once the 12th is over it is game over should anything else happen. He sees out the last from Hadley and there are only 6 balls from Norton to face before the end of Day 2. Will manages 4 of them before he becomes the 6th victim of this performance as he sniicks behind to Cooke again without bothering the scorers though Tom had added a single so we finish the day 32 for 6 with the Glamorgan players absolutely cokerhoop with their 18 year old debutant and a game we had dominated for 5 sessions falls apart in the space of 13 overs as we go into the second half of the game 125 runs ahead and end the sixth session a mere 157 runs ahead with only 4 wickets remaining.
Not really sure what to say about this. We have been here before and we willmost certainly be here again. Unless we show some real grit tomorrow then this game has been thrown away even more effectively than the Yorkshire game was. We once again failed to clear the tail of a side though the 25 overs it took did not significantly change the runs required aspect, it probably created the scenario where nerves became a factor batting out a short period at the end of a day and gave the opposition a bit more of a boost for the backend of the day. it seems quite obvious that the nex ball is a real factor in this game and we may not have cleared enough shine off it yet to make tomorrow any easier.
The report will start a little later tomorrow as I willnot be available until at least after midday. I can't say I'm that sorry to say that. I just hope that when I do re-commence this report Somerset will still be batting as if they are not there may well not be a Day 4.
Day 3
One thing seems pertty certain, this game will not be decided by the weather as the day dawns clear and calm and tomorrow looks the same. Tom Abell, the only half solid aspect of the Somerset second innings walks out to do battle with the next new man in Craig Overton to face the 14th over of an innings that has seen the loss of 6 wickets for the cost of 32 runs so far. 157 runs on from the first Glamorgan score the new pair have to set their sights on adding 43 to take the lead to 200 runs and then moving on from there if there is still a situation to re-assess.
The Glamorgan hero of yesterday Tom Norton will start proceddings to Overton finishing off the 13th over from last night which was cut short by the departure of the runless Will Smeed. That is painless so the first over of the day is delivered by Timm van der Gugten bowling his first over of the innings with 6 wickets down!! Overton was off the mark with a boundary from Norton so the score has at least moved on but the vetran seamer's first is ominously a maiden.
Overton takes another boundary in the next Norton over to move the score to 40 and the lead to 165. It is sollid defence and tight bowling as we move through the 'teen' overs of the innings with a third Overton boundary coming in the 18th and suggesting Somerset may break the 50 barrier at 49 for 6. That happens with a single in the next over from Abell moving him to 19 while his partner has added 14.
COve only adds one more run before the pain continues when in the next Van der Gugten over he is caught flipping a ball to Tribe at second slip, a ball he really did not need to play and he knows it, for a 22 ball 15 at 51 for 7. 176 ahead with 3 wickets left and this isn't getting a;l; that much better.
Somerset therefore recalculate and rather than sending in Lewis next, they send out Migael Pretorius. Sensible in the sense that they need a solid base at one end and should Abell be the next man out they could do with a more stable bat coming in with which ever tailender is still there. So they choose the more erratic bat first.
Migael seems to understand his role in this game a little more than in previous 2026 outings as he takes singles rather than looking for boundary shots at the start of his innings. His role is to rotate the strike and support Abell whenever possible and take NO risks whatsoever in the operation of that role. By the 23rd over he has done that, accumulating 6 runs himself and moving the score on to 63 for 7 while his partner has moved to 25. But the last ball of the Van der Gugten over gets through his defence and he is bowled for that 6. We hope that Gregory will now walk in and the change in batting order was a calculation and not because of some injury. A lead of 188 does not need Ball coming out with the skipper operating as a hobbled last man in.
Gregory is the next man in so there is still hope of something over 200 for the bowlers to chew on. He has reached 3 runs at the start of the 28th with his partner moving to 33 from the 57 balls he has faced and the lead sitting at 199. Hadley is returning to the battle for this over with present figures of 2 overs 2 for 3. Abell takes a single off the first ball and the lead hits 200. Target number 1 achieved. But it is still a very precarious position to be in.
Ul Hassan is also re-introduced into the attack but Gregory seems to have come to the game with the intent of getting the score moving and he is the man making the score move over the next few overs. By the 31st over the score is on the edge of 3 figures as the Somerset skipper has added 23 from the 33 balls he has faced while Abell at the other end has only moved on by 2 runs having only seen 2 balls since Gregory's arrival. In the 32nd over from Hadley the 100 arrives from an Abell knock into the midfield that brings 2 runs and a lead of 225.
Mason Crane is introduced into the attack for the first time for the 33rd over and by the end of his second and the 35th the two bats have tied their scores on 38 with Gregory's coming from a neat 50 balls while his partner hjas taken 68 to get to his. 114 for 8 also sees a 51 run partnership between these two experienced men though Crane is askling many questions and not going for much at all having only gone for 2 from his brace at the moment. The most dangerous bowler this morning however has been Timm van der Gugten and he is the one they have to watch as we move towards an interval.
It is in fact Van der Gugten who strikes with one that nips back in the 38th over that bowls Gregory for a 61 ball 45 at 127 for 9 - just after passing the 250 run lead mark. This pair added 64 more than doubling the Somerset second innings but that must be mostly it before the lunch break one would imagine with Abell on 42 and only Jake Ball to come.
Ball walks out and then defends enough to get his partner to 49 from 80 at the end of the 39th putting his partner on strike against Van der Gugten. Tom waits for the fourth ball and then takes the single to move to an immensely valuable 50 for his side from 84 balls with 4 fours and 1 six (that I missed entirely to be hinest). As Anthony says, he has stood firm as wickets have dropped all around him. Ball survives the 2 balls of the 40th that are left . 135 for 9 at the end of it with Jake yet to get off the mark but a lead of 260 in the book.
Norton returns for the last push before the Lunch break and the two seamers work hard to get the last man out. However Ball is stubborn and after not scoring off the 6 balls he has faced by the end of the 43rd he has allowed Abell to add another 11 to the total. He faces another 2 balls in the next 2 overs and helps his side stumble over the 150 mark to 152 for 9 as the 45th over comes to a close. Hadley bowls the 47th to Abell who has moved to 71 from his 116 faced. Ball still has not got off the mark and is being 'farmed' by his partner. Though for some reason they don't take a single off the 5th ball which may put Ball in front of Crane. Hadley bowls a very wide ball to keep the scoring bat at the wrong end. This may be the end one would imagine. Not sensible from Abell to be honest but you can't really criticise the man who has saved this innings from the disaster it was. Ball survives the over and even drives off the last ball - he doesn't take the run and leaves Tom on strike.
We are up to date now, the floodlights are on, as the game moves towards a very late lunch while we work through the 49th over at 1:20pm (because Glamorgan took the extra half hour to see it they could finish the innings). Not a lot is happening as Abell is not risking Ball and is only taking runs from the 5th or 6th ball of an over so unless he hits boundaries we are getting a run an over at best. He misses the 5th of the 49th and gets nothing from the next one so does not change ends. Mason Crane bowls therefore bowls the last over of the morning to Ball after he has helped add 30 runs to the Somerset total. Jake holds out for the last over and they go in with Ball not scoring off 21 balls while the hero Abell has 71 from 126 and the lead has moved to 282. The other great contribution was from the Somerset skipper who added 45 in a 64 run 8th wicket partnership. Phew! We are back in this game one hopes!!
Out they come after the break with Somerset NOT declaring. Hadley will bowl to Abell and has him plumb in front second ball and they all go back in again for 10 minutes with Ball unbeaten on 0 and his partner out LBW for 71 from 127 palying a significant role in a reconstructured second innings of 157 all out. Somerset are 282 ahead with 5 sessions to make or break this game after nearly throwing it away yesterday evening.
Sure enough in a short while Ul Hassan and Tribe arrive back in the middle to start the home side's second innings. It's cold and overcast this afternoon - the sunny conditions from the last two days are not there today as of yet. Gregory gets the ball at the Taff End and then Ball opens at the Cathedral Rd End. The new ball is moving about a bit from both ends and after 3 Lewis has yet to give away a run off the bat while Jake gives away 2 from his plus a leg bye.
At 9 overs, Craig Overton comes on as Tribe and Ul Hassan have settled into their job at 39 for 0 and we need the change. Pretorius comes on to complete the first bowling change at the Taff End for the 13th over. The score has moved on to 45 with Tribe on 19 and Ul Hassan on 18. In the 14th Ul Hassan drives Overton through the covers to move the score to 50 though the scoring has not been without incident as the ball has passed the bat significantly and has follen short of fielder more than once. However the pair have survived and kept the game going.
The afternoon session tends to go that way. All the seam bowlers have a go and they all get nibbles here and there but nothing that is a full blown chance or drop or anything like that. Scoring is not brisk either but the partnership continues to build and by the Tea interval after 24 overs of the innings, both openers have 35 though Tribe has scored quicker with his coming off 59 balls while Ul Hassan has taken 86 for his. the score is 80 without loss so they still need another 203 for the win but we have tried all our pacemen (except the left hand of Lammonby) and we are no nearer the 10 wicket target. It is not looking all that good as the Glamorgan partnership settles.
After the break Overton starts proceedings and immediately changes the atmosphere as he has Ul Hassan snicking his third ball to Gregory at first slip for the 35 he walked out with and with only one added to the score. It's 81 for 1 and Somerset have finally broken through. Out comes Carlson to face the rest of Craig's over before the first one after Tea at the other end from Jake Ball.
The home team pair look to progress with the captain supporting his already 'in' bat by moving the strike on and they do that into the 90s by the 31st over, though pretty slowly. Halfway though that over Big Craig thinks he has Carlson but the umpire disagrees although it was very close to the stumps and a nick. Not to be though. Ball does the business however with the first ball of the 32nd as Carlson looks to cut but simply sends the ball off an edge into Rew's gloves. He leaves for 4 and Glamorgan are 91 for 2 with Kellaway replacing his skipper at the crease.
Gregory replaces Ball after his 10 overs 1 for 29 at 96 for 2 and the Glammy's move past 100 in the 35th over which still sees Overton wheeling in for his 11th at 1 for 16. It comes from a Tribe single that taks him to 39 from 80 while Kellaway has moved to 5 from 17. Tribe completes his very valuable 50 in the 41st over off Pretorius (who has replaced Overton) with a single off his 96 ball and the score included 7 fours.
But the satisfaction is short lived as in the 45th Miggy goes from 0 for 24 to 1 for 24 as he sends Tribe back to the dressing room for 52 from 106 courtesy of another excellent diving catch from James in front of first slip. 127 for 3 and the deficit is still 156. The next man in is Colin Ingram and he will face a returning Ball for the 46th over taking over from the captain.
Miggy P keeps working and in the 49th over he removes the very dangerous Ingram from the equation for 4 runs from a mere 6 balls LBW at 133 for 4. The Somerset pressure has been pretty relentless and the South African goes to 2 for 29 from 11.2 while the home side are still 150 runs behind.
With 7 overs to go Glamorgan send their very 'number 11' to the crease as a kind of 'Nightwatchman'. The Glamorgan commentators are a little surprised by this as he is not known to be a staunch defender or any kind of bat in Welsh circles. He is their Jake Ball it seems - though he did a decent job to be fair to the man.
And Hadley does his job as the game moves on. He sees his side into the 51st over by blocking out 7 balls without bothering the scorer when Miggy does it again and sends his partner Kellaway back for 22 from 74 with another feather to Rew at 134 for 5. Pretorius moves to 3 for 29 from his 13 - he has been the key figure in this last hour of the game. Out comes Dickson with a BIG job to do. The first part of it is to survive the 5 overs and 1 ball left in this day. Craig Overton returns for a last drive before the finish. He has 1 for 21 from his previous 13 overs and has bowled well in the afternoon today.
The last pair survive the day and at the end of the 56th over Glamorgan are on 140 for 5 with Dickson on 4 from 12 and Hadley on 2 from 26. They are 143 behind with a day to go and one would probably say that Somerset would have bitten your hand off to be in this situation at this time yesterday. They have clawed their way back into this game and it is now their game to lose again.
Migael Pretorius has earned his wages this afternoon, especially in a devastating spell after tea where he got all 3 of his wickets. The middles session was a slog but things came right for the visitors in the last session and they could put this one significantly to bed in a good morning session in Day 4.
Day 4 - Happy Somerset Day
Lewis Gregory opens proceedings on the last morning bwoling to ex teammate Sean Dickson who is looking to make a statement about his red ball prowess in front of his former employees and look for the 143 runs his county need to win this game. The Somerset skipper is looking to send him and his next four mates on their way to take the win. The Glamorgan bat gets off the Day 4 mark with a driven boundary.
Overton opens at the other end to Hadley and we get into the general work of the day. The 150 arrives for the Welsh with a guided four from Hadley in the 64th over after about half an hour of play.
With 130 needed for a home win, Jake Ball takes over from the Cathedral Rd End for the 66th over. Although the bowling is tight,, the ball has gone past the bat more than once and runs have been really difficult to come by, it is not until the 78th over that there is a suggestion that there might have been a wicket. It was not a wicket and we go on at 172 for 5, only just 100 left and no wickets this morning. Somerset's hopes must now be based around the new ball in just over 2 overs. The seamers have all had a go and have all bowled very frugally but Dickson is still there on 22 from 68 and Hadley has survived exceptionally with a mere 12 runs from over 100 deliveries faced. Lewis bowls the 79th - we seem to have put the new ball attack on a couple of overs early. Overton bowls the 80th. There is cloud over the ground and 110 runs needed for the win or the same number of wickets as at the start of today for the visitors.
The do take the new ball. Gregory goes for 9 runs off the first over with the new one and they take 9 runs to move to only 100 runs needed - not the plan guys!!
The new ball plan is not working as the Glamorgan pair who started this morning are warming to their task taking the score into the 190s and moving the home side into the "favourites" column. It is not that the Somerset bowlers have bowled badly but there are very few chances being offered and though runs are coming very slowly, they are coming and the one thing that the Welsh have is TIME. It is not looking good for us as we move towards lunch. Jack Leach has not been tried yet so we do have that weapon but there has been little indication in the game so far that it will make any difference to be honest - there did not seem to be a lot there for any slow bowler yet tried in this game even though Jack did get a couple of scalps in the first innigs. Maybe we just need hiom to break this pairing - hopefully by taking Dickson's wicket.
The Glamorgan 200 arrives in the 86th over just before the Lunch interval and a pretty disappointing morning comes to an end with 81 needed for victory and Somerset yet to take a wicket on the last day. Dickson has moved on to a very solid 46 from 92 balls and his partner Hadley is looking less and less like a number 11 with 18 from 126. This is NOT looking good for us I am afraid and Glamorgan will most definitely be having a better midday meal.
It does like Dickson has done for us today as the sides come out for the afternoon session - where the game will probably be settled. Pretorius starts proceedings with the ball and he is partnered by Ball at the other end and it is off the second ball of his over that Sean flicks a shorter ball for four to move him to 53 from 99 balls with 8 fours and take Glamorgan to 209 for 5. It seems that he has passed 50 more times this season than he did for Somerset in red ball in 3 years so the fact he is doing it now simply confirms why he is elsewhere this season for his career and out four day game. Neverthless is it is probably a game winning knock and well done to him for it.
Neither of the opening afternoon partnership have any more success in their first spell and this prompts a change in the bowling with the 98th over when Craig Overton returns to the attack. We have not seen anything of Jack Leach except for a one over spell just before lunch where he almost clean bowled Hadley but they must be considering him because when their premier strike bowler comes back on the score is 228 for 5 with Dickson on 63 from 132 while Hadley has moved on to a very valuable 26 from the 158 he has faced. Gregory also returns for the 99th to replace Ball. After 100 overs therrfore the situation is that Glamorgan need 47 runs. In the 105th over we turn to the left arm of Tom Lammonby to try and buy a wicket with some variation as the Welsh focus in on the 250 mark. He has not more success but he does hold them this side of the mark by only going for one to take the total to 248 for 5. It is at that score that we do get a little bit of light as Overton breaks through in the 106th getting Sean for 76 from 154 with an LBW decision. The partnership finishes on 114 - a match winning one at that probably. 248 for 6 needing 35 to win. It's still now Glamorgan's to lose one would think.
Cooke is the next man in still with a job to do and Hadley is now in the unlikely position of being the man to get on strike!! Pretorius returns for the 109th and at 255 he adds more grist to the mill as he has Cooke LBW for 5 from 12 to take his total for the innings to 3 for 59 from 27 overs. 255 for 7 needing 28 for the win. It's exciting this isn't it? Timm van der Gugten strides out to try and win this one and Somerset are going to make them work for this giving very little away even if they can't get the feathers or the edges or persuade the bats to miss one.
On the final day Tea is fixed at 3:40 so it will be intersting how that works if the Welsh need single figures by the time that comes around unless they hit out or Somerset's luck changes. It might have been even more interesting if Lewis Gregory had held on to the one catch chance but he put it down. We move on and this game will go where it goes - as it has all the way through it.
The decision is made and the tea interval is called with the home side on 269 for 7 with Hadley leading the way (in an innings possibly more important than Sean Dicksons) of 39 from 214 balls and his newish partner Van der Gugten on 6 form 23. It's tight but it's also close. They need 14 runs and we need 3 wickets. Given the day I think I know where my money is in that equation - unfortunately.
Back after Tea and they've added 1 from an over By Pretorius after which Overton has Van der Gugten plumb with ayorker at 270 for 8. Mason Crane comes out needing 13 with Hadley on 40. but it is not to be and it is fitting that the winning runs from the first ball of the 123rd over come from the defiant bat of Ryan Hadley who hits a four to take his personal score to 50 and his side to 285 for 8. His half ton came from 231 balls. That is Glamorgan's first win on home soil in the CC1 as well. They win a damn fine game of cricket by by 2 wickets and we will look back on the awful first hour of our second innings at the end of the second day as the point where we gave the home side the door into the game when we had it in our graps to put away. We didn't and despite coming back into it on the Day 3 we didn not have the momentum to pur it away a second time and were deservedly beaten by a fighting action from the Glamorgan tail.
On we go to Sussex at home on Friday
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I'll close the report thread and add to the report over the next few days before I merge the two threads at the end of the game as usual. The commenting thread will be open
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2026:05:12:21:16:22 by Grockle.
Thomas, Lammonby,, Rew, Abell, Gregory, Smeed, Vaughan, Pretorius, Overton, Leach, Ogborne, Ball, Shaw
The top 7 batting positions look like they have set themselves for the moment so the question is which four come from the six bowling options. It would be good if Leach was back to being available as it did feel like we missed him last week. Will Ball or Shaw therefore be rota'd and who will they replace?
And a good measure of our resilience.
Grizzers
No team news as of yet. Could be a bit of an on and off day today.
Rew is also opening with Josh
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2026:05:08:11:05:44 by Grockle.
His time will come though.
Very happy with our progress this morning though.
Grizzers
Huge credit once again to Tom Abell & also Josh Thomas, who is cementing in his opening slot.
Pity about the last few overs, but still a good day. Hopefuly Jack & Jake can hang around a bit in the morning.
Grizzers
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Grizzers
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:05:09:11:35:45 by Grockle.
You beauties!
*******
I'm planning on going to Sophia Gardens tomorrow - any body know if there's free entry late in the day? I'm going all day but my wife will be in Cardiff and may have time on her hands late in the afternoon.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:05:09:20:20:21 by Grockle.
Meantime, congratulations to Tom Norton on an incredible achievement on debut, for whom today’s scorecard will be a lifetime triumph.
I just wish it had been against someone else !
Grizzers
I now wish I wasn't going tomorrow...
Hey ho...
This is why we will never be County Champions. When the line is there for us to cross we either do not have the resources to cross it or the resources forget what their job is and play like that. We were dominating this game at Tea and now we will be llucky to get out of it with a draw. I was depressed after Yorkshire - not sure where I am now to be honest.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:05:09:20:50:15 by Grockle.
I'm with Railboy (or Railway as spellcheck prefers...): decent batting from Abell, Gregory and Overton and we're in with a good shout; a repeat of this evening first thing tomorrow and, well, who knows?
Yep it is not over. But once again. It was in an entirely different universe as a competition at 4pm. If you want to be champions you can't play majestically at one part of the day and like a bunch of headless chickens at another part of the SAME day. Winners simply don't work that way.
Far too many times I have seen Somerset idiocy saved by a piece of individual brilliance or Somerset brilliance destroyed by mindless cricket by the same players.
While that is the level of our consistency then we will be ,middle table or gallant losers all our lives - as we have been for 151 years already I'm afraid and though I'll watch it with hope I rarely watch it with any level of confidence of success at 4 day level I'm afraid.
But... the experiment with Rew as an opener has not worked and deprived us of a number 4 batsman. Too much is expected of the inexperienced Vaughan. Lammonby is inconsistent. Smeed would benefit from a further period in the 2's.
Fortunately Abell has held our batting together thus far in the season. If Somerset are to win this, we could do no worse than limit the extras. And who would have guessed today that Ball outscored most of the top order?
Some good points above. I do think Simon is right about Gregory ; I can’t comment about one day cricket but four day cricket there seems to be an inability to put the boot in just when it’s needed.
And also very good to hear that our old friend Big Jim, too seldom seen at Taunton, was at the match today.
Abell, Gregory and Overton are perfectly capable of scoring a hundred between them on Sunday morning. However, if we lose this match, I fear our season may find it difficult to regain momentum and I am remined that my pact with the deity that I shall not die before Somerset win the county championship may mean that I am guaranteed immortality.
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
In those days county rugby mattered, and I remember Marques playing for Hertfordshire.
I suspect LoL would especially mention Richard Sharp: not a bad fly half, although in those days fly halves were often known as Stand Offs. He was RAW Sharp, and I quite like the idea of him being raw sharp.
By The corrupt warden Samuel NORTON and the brutal Captain BYRON HADLEY.
REDEMPTION today?
Hopefully!
Dud
Have chickened out of a second day of freezing watching cricket today and will watch Somerset from inside instead.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:05:10:10:44:09 by Des Platt.
I’ve absolutely nothing against Lewis, but I can’t help thinking that at times, we need a slightly less laid back approach.
Grizzers
P.S. Welcome back DD & OG !
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:05:10:12:16:31 by Grizzers.
My plan today to come to the game was thwarted when I woke up with a streaming nose and sore throat; luckily I hadn't bought an advance ticket to the game or for a train.
And I'm not watching it on the livestream - too stressful; I'm just dipping into the score.
I'm not making any predictions...
Thank the Lord for an in form Tom Abell and honourable mentions to the skipper's 45 and that number 11's 20 odd ball zero not out. Well blocked Jake Ball
A lead of 282 gives us a much better chance in this game and far more than I hoped I'd see when I finally got back into this one at about midday. Very sensible decision to send Migael in ahead of Lewis after Craig went. Kept the Abell train goping and that 64 between the two of them may have reset this game.
The new ball is the the dangerous one in this game and we need to take wickets with it when we get the new pill at the start of their second innings because once it dies the chances of a win look like they might die with it.
Feeling much better now though.
Now I'm starting get worried about the seond new ball, only thirty overs away...
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
LOL, I am beginning to look forward to your immortality.
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:05:10:17:52:26 by That Bloke With The Dog.
Three results still possible tomorrow.
Sloop John B
Once again we see that the CC is the greatest cricket competition.
It’s evenly balanced and I’ll settle for that tonight. My pessimism had definitely kicked in at 32 for 6 and 80 for 0.
Sean Dickson will want to make a statement tomorrow, so we need to be right on the money from the very first over.
More twists and turns ahead no doubt, but at least we now have a decent chance, which certainly didn't appear likely last night.
Grizzers
I heard something that really surprised me from one of today's commentators, namely that Glamorgan have never won a Div 1 CC match at Cardiff, better known as Suppiah Gardens. Let us hope that that sad record is not broken tomorrow.
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
![[:wor kid:]](/phorum-5.1.15/mods/smileys/images/13.gif "[:wor kid:]")
Maybe the lesson of having to move counties has been a good one for the man
Hadley has supported well. They may try Jack early in the afternoon - not sure it will make any difference to be honest though he nearly had a snifter in his only over just before lunch.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:05:11:15:37:25 by Grockle.
Some of the worst umpiring I have ever witnessed in this match.
We certainly haven't had much luck with the ball, or the umpiring.
Grizzers
Very well played Glamorgan whatever.
Well played Glam and Hadley in particular.
To the poster above who wanted his money back, I suggest you find another pastime.
Those to be congratulated must include Dickson.
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Being brought down on day 2 by an 18 year old on first class debut, who has only played one other first team game, then stitched up by a final day 50 not out off 231 balls by an overseas player, a 27 year old Aussie nighthawk of the highest order who has only played 30 professional matches with a FC best of 15* and an average south of 6. Peak Somerset. It seems that May is the new April.
Ah well, onwards to Taunton and Sussex on Friday.
Why? Because Somerset did not win a match? It isn't the first time and it won't be the last.
The big card played in this game was TIME. They had a score they could get and the time to get it without any pyrotechnics.
Well played to Sean Dickson but he showed exactly why we had to send him on his way. He has scored more 50s for Glamorgan this season than he did for us in 3 years. We gave him loads of chances. He had to go elsewhere and we had to let him.
He didn't make this game. HADLEY did that with his 50 as the last man coming in early. Norton also had a role.
But we lost this in that hour on Day 2. It stopped us putting this game beyond the Welsh and gave them the time to play the way they did.
A good game and we worked very hard to try and get it back but that 'getting over the line' problem is definitely still there and so we go on.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:05:11:17:26:22 by Grockle.
Can't wait (😲) till we play Leicestershire, with Ben Green and possibly Josh Davey....
I know Gregory knows far than me about the technicalities of cricket but I’m still utterly baffled as to why Jack wasn’t given a few overs.
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Farmer
Farmer
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
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