Somerset
Metrobank 50 Game2 - Home Derby
By Grockle
July 24 2026
Lewis Goldsworthy returns as captain in the Metrobank and probably isn't the smallest Somerset player in this side. Our first home game is against Glos so it'll be full and fun. Five debuts in this format for us today with Sav Perera, Johnny Connell, Ben Church, Josh Shaw and believe it or not Migael Pretorius who has never yet played a 50 over gamer at home. Ther sun is out the placve is well attended and off we go.
Metrobank50 Game 2 - v Gloucestershire @ Taunton Friday 23 July 2026
Glos win the toss and put us in at the later 2pm start for this game. So we open against William Williams (yes you read right) from the River end with 2 changes to the side that turned out at Welbeck.
Perera, Vaughan, Thomas, Lammonby, Goldsworthy (c), Connell, Church (w), Roberts, Shaw, Pretorius, Langridge,
The question seems to be why is Josh Shaw being preferred. One can understand not really requiring Jack if there is little spin in the pitch and we have the batting spinner as captain. Jake Ball is not in this side for some reason. There are questioning looks and smiles from the Bristolians - we'll have to hope the selectors know something they all don't.
Luke Charlesworth takes the second over from the Pavilion. The pitch is well over to the Somerset Stand side of the ground and we went for the long boundary as Archie hit the first ball of the game to the Caddyshack and we have 9 without loss after 2. No Marchant this year as he was contracted for T20 only
The Somerset 50 arrives in the 9th over off a flipped four from Sav to take him to 15 from17 and Archie wth 35 from 32.
At 69 in the 12th Perera flips one straight to mid off and he goes for 19 caught by van Buuren bowled by the 3rd ball from Daz Ahmed as he and van Burrentake over the bowling. In comes Tom Lammonby and he helps his opening partner move to 50 from 47 balls with 8 fours at 88 for 1 in the 15th.
In the 22nd Olly Price drops a C&B double attempt as Lammonby send the ball straight back at him on 31 a 125 for 1. However they get more luck in the next over as Taylor gets Archie to drive and he does so into the diving hands of Will Williams who holds on well and he goes for a confident 69 at 127 for 2. This brings in the skipper and he is off the mark with a single from the second ball he faces.
The Somerset 100 arrives in the 17th of the bowling of van Buuren and he is followed byu the introduction of Olly Price from the Pavlion end. Jack Taylor then opens his account from the River with the 19th.
In the 20th over the 50 partnership arrives at 119 for 1 from 50 balls and the 20th over ends on that score. with Vaughan on 63 and Lammbo on 30.
In the 22nd over Olly Price tries twice tohold on to a return catch from Tom Lammonby and fails both times. It is balanced out by Taylor in the next over getting Archie to drive the ball into the diving hands Will Williams who holds on well and sends Vaughan on his way with 69 to his name at 127 for 2. In come the skipper who definitely looks taller than Sav Perera!!.
We reach 25 overs at 136 for 2 and though the 300-ish score looked on after 20, the middle order batting does not suggest we will get much over 250 if we continue to lose bats. After the established bats now in, we are looking at a mix of young potential and bowling all rounders from 4 wickets down onwards. No disrespect to Kian Roberts or Ben Church but we may need them to go up a level if we lose two more wickets .
The requirement of the middle order to come to the game becomes more important as at 150, Lewis Goldsworthy departs for a very pedestrian 9 from 18 balls caught by Taylor off the bowling of Price. Thgis brings in the last 'recognised' bat with Josh Thomas at the crease, the rest is presently speculative as Miles Hammond starts his afternoon's bowling . His first delivery sends Tom Lammonby to 50 off 48 balls with 5 fours and a six at 154 for 3.
At 30 overs it's 168 for 3 and has slowed down a little. At 30 you usually expect to double thatr and so we ought to be looking at something over 300 but that will be an achievement given the present scoring rate and could be determined by how long these two are at the crease. Misfields that go for four are not going to help and that is what happens as Kamran Dhariwal gets one all wrong. As is always the way, the next drive is also straight into his zone and he gets a cheer when he collects it and fires it back to the keeper.
The Somerset 200 arrives with a Lammonby boundary taken them to 203 at the end of the 34th. The 50 partnership comes with it from 34 balls with Tom on 70 and Josh on 27. At 35 the score has moved to 215 for 3 off the bowling of Williams.
Price finally puts paid to the fight of Tom Lammonby though the shot was nothing to write home about. He threw the kitchen sink at one from Price and Ahmed said 'Thank yo very much' at Third. 220 for 4 in the 36th bringing Johnny Connell to the crease and TL leaves with 83 to his name. At the end of the 40th the two bats have move the score past 250 to 253 as we start the final phase of the innings with Josh looking for 50 and Johnny moving to 22 as Jack Taylor returns to the Glos attack.
Josh goes to 50 from 37 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes at 266 for 4 and he needed that innings to get himself back on a forward path in the season so well done to him. It's only the 42nd over so he does need to stay there because in these games losing bunches of wickets in the run in to 50 overs can cause massive problems to the final score as there is then no time to get organised so the plan to use the last 10 overs requires the people established to stay in. The 50 partnership arrives in a timely fashion at 270 off 36 balls so the pace is being maintained at the moment.
Johnny Connell illustrates his capability in the 42nd over as he deposits Taylor into the flats with a massive six which has the full force of his bat behind it. impressive as he moves to 33 from 27 balls. Josh then hits Charlesworth for a four and a six to the same side to move Somerset to a hair's breadth from 300 and completes the task in the same over (44th) with a four to take him to 72 (from 47) and Somerset to 302.
With 6 to go van Buuren returns and immediately sends Connell back to the dressing room for 33 caught at Short Third with a swipe off a wide one by Charlesworth at 302. In comes Kiaran Roberts and he is off the mark with a single as Josh moves past his best List A score of 54 by a significant margin. With 5 to go Will Williams returns and we take 14 from him. Van Buuren continues and his first ball is sixed into the Somerset where it hits a fan straight in the face. Josh also finds the boundary in the over but Kian misses one and is bowled for 11 from 9 balls at 329 as Ben Church comes out to help Josh see this inings out with 3.2 overs to go and Thomas on 83. He is off the mark as the 47th ends.
In the 49th over we go past our highest List A total against Gloucestershire beating 233 for 4 in 2008. At 242 Church slogs at one and is caught at backward point by Taylor off van Buuren for 7 from 6. With an over to go we send in Migael Pretorius as Thomas faces needing 12 for a 100. He takes 2 to move to 90 and then he straight sixes Williams to bring up the 350 and move him to 96 with 3 balls to go. He takes a single and will finish on 97 as he puts Pretorius on strike. They finish with a single at 352 for 7. Well played Josh Thomas 97 from 66 balls a really good knock and it is ashame the 100 wasn't quite there - all credit to him for taking a single when he thought he couldn't hit the boundary himself.
We would have taken that 50 overs ago. BUT can we defend it.
The Reply
Bancroft and Bracey open for Glos - a considerable opening partnership for Shaw to open against from the River. His first goes past Church to the boundary and Bancroft is off the mark with a four - it was a close run thing to be hinest but the next is also dispatched to the boundary. Anther unlucky one comes later but it also goes to the boundary past the outstretched arm of Ben. The first goes for 14 and we welcome JT Langridge at the Pavilion for the first time this season. He bowls Bancroft with a very speedy full toss off a big inside edge. Olly Price replaces the Australian. 14 for 0 after 1 turns into 19 for 1 after 2.
Shaw continues and the runs keep coming as he goes for 25 from 2 to allow the score to move to 29 from 3. JT also stays on and he starts to go as well as his initial 4 has 14 added to it with the first 3 balls of his second. It's a depressing 44 for 1 after 4 and things are not looking all that promising.
Josh finally seems to get his radar sorted in his third which goes for only 1 run - a decent comeback if he can keep it going from here. JT also needs to come back in his third and he gets Bracey after a very effective over. He is caught behind (after missing 2 earlier deliveries by a wax coating) for 32 at 45 for 2. JT does bowl at some pace and if it is in the right place... he can worry bats. In comes Hammond and Langridge finishes a wicket maiden .
After looking like they were going to fly out of the gate, Gloucestershire finally pass 50 in the 8th after looking like they would do it in the 5th. In the 9th over Josh gets a Price inside edge and the bat falls to an excellent catch from Church and it is 54 for 2. In comes skipper Taylor to bat out the 9th.
After 10 Migael is introduced at the River with 66 on the board for the loss of 3 wickets. Kian Roberts comes on at the Pavilion and at least one he bowls is described by a club official as a 'pie'. The very short Somerset stand boundary makes any poor delivery an almost certain six and this will keep the game open. Hammond and Taylor put up a 50 partnership at 106 for 3 just after passing 3 figures.
In the 16th we turn to spin from Archie Vaughan. Coupled with some excellent infield work from the players we keep them in check but they do keep finding ways to pass the boundary on the Somerset side. Hammond then goes to an individual 50 off 35 deliveries with a quick single where he really ought to have been run out (but we never hit the stumps when it matters I am told) at 133 for 3.
Hammond looks to go 'big' but doesn't go ';big' enough and is caught in the outfield by Roberts at 135 off the bowling of Archie in the 20th. The new man is Eckland and the next bowler to be introduced for the first time is Lewis from the River end. Taylor looks to put the ball into the Somerset but he only succeeds in finding Josh Thomas and he leaves with 36 from 37 at 137 for 5 - a key wicket. In comes Van Buuren and suddenly we have a new batting partnership in the middle with very little product between then all of a sudden.
The skipper is now bowling in tandem with Archie as he bowls his fourth and we are hoping this is the press that wil frustrate the Glos bats as wwe move to the halfway point in the innings. They are most definitely still in this competition and should be close to halfway there at the end of 25 overs - the key factor however may be the number of wickeets that have gon down for the visitors which will mean the management of the second half will not be as easy for them one might imagine.
The visitor's 150 arrives at the end of the 24th (151 for 5) and they have moved it to 156 by the mid point drinks break. After this Josh Thomas takes over from Archie to bowl his first of the game. The dual spin option continues though as Golders continues from the River.
In the 27th a Somerset fielder hits the stumps when it is important and Eckland is run out by Josh Thomas who is having some game!! Eckland goes for 18 at 168 for 6 and is replaced by Dhariwal. He doesn't make much of an impression as he fires a ball from the skipper straight into the hands of Archie on the Somerset stand boundary for 2. Vaughany didn't have to move to be honest. He could have put that anywhere else. So 181 for 7 as Ahmed arrives at the middle with 169 still needed to win in 19 overs as we have just passed the 31st over.
Lewis starts his 7th at 2 for 24 and finishes it at 2 for 27. In the 35th over Gloucestershire pass the 200 mark followed by a sicx and a four from van Burren to worry those fans who think this game is over as a contest. They are sorely mistaken as Goldsworthy's 8th goes for 13. The visiting bats are starting to get the measure of our spinners and we start to go for double figures per over again as Josh also experiences the 'long handle'. Double 'Nelson' with 14 overs to go.
Not surprisingly we revert back to Migael Pretorius his first is a half track short ball that goes straight into the Somerset. He does it again and gets the same result as van Buuren and Ahmed hit a 50 partnership from just under 5 overs - 7th wicket partneship by the way!!
We return to pace from the Pavilion as well as JT returns. He does well until he insists on bowling a short ball and it goes to the boundary for four. Ahmed now has his best List A score (in his first season) at 41 wth his partner on 45. He goes to 50 from 55 off a no ball so the next ball is a free hit as Migael does not get it right. Gloucestershire now need less than 100 with 11 overs left so this is most definitely on for them. Good outfielding saves some of the boundaries but there are a lot of them that are getting through. JT bowls the 40th and he nearly gets Ahmed with a caught and bowled which would have been an instinctive catch at best. here is to much short and loose stuff and we have yet to re-introduce Josh Shaw into the attack which will have to happen unless we use Tom Lammonby Ahmed passes 50 from 28 balls with 3 foiurs and 4 sixes.
With 10 overs Gloucestershire are 270 for 7 and need 83 runs ffrom the last 60 balls as we see Josh Shaw return to the attack from the River. Lewis tries to stem the flow with the 42nd from the Pavilion as we leak runs and the 7th wicket partnership heads for Gloucestershire's highest (106 by the way). It's 291 for 7 at the end of it and the visiting side need 62 from 48.
We denigrate Shaw in the Press Box and he bowls Ahmed wth the first ball of the 43rd - 291 for 8. The partnership of 110 is the highest for Gloucestershire in List A. Josh Shaw then goes one better as he has William Williams LBW first ball. Shaw is on a hat-trick against Luke Charlesworth but he survives it. 292 for 9 after the 43rd. They need 61 with 1 wicket left as Goldsworthy bowls out in the 44th starting at 2 for 48. He finishes with 2 for 50. But that is him done. it is now in the hands of others.
Shaw is bowling and van Buuren is the man who could still take this game away. At 10 an over they will win this as long as they don't lose the last wicket. Charlesworth chips it into the air but it drops short in No Man's Land and he survives. 298 for 9 has put the ask to 11 as they go back to JT to bowl his 8th. The 300 arrives in the 46th.
Van Buuren needs to get a ton for this game to be lost by the home side. He moves to 94 and they need 39. you don't see Charlsworth getting these but it is possible. The bat in the 90s farms the strike and still keeps the Bristolians in the game as JT bowls his 9th and starts with a wide. He needs to produce a good length ball to a man who is not known for being a good number eleven. It has to be said that we're not sure the bats need to be as the bowlers don't seem to know what to produce in order to get them out. All that is clear is that the short ball bouncer is NOT the ball.
FINALLY he gets Charlsworth to flap one to Lammonby close in and he holds on. 3 wickets for JT Langridge Van Buuren finishes on 96 off 82 not out and Charlesworth finishes on 4 of 17. Somerset finally win by 35 runs - it was closer than we would have liked it to be but the bowlers did come decent in the end. Josh Shaw still seems a little inconsistent but he did come good in the end and half his overs were definitely better.
We managed to defend 320 but one has to say that unless we can score 330 at away fixtures, being able to defend 320 is not a skill that will win us matches. We have to keep the opposition in sight and defend our totals, not hope they will make mistakes while we go at something over 6 an over for the duration of 50 overs.
It's a win but I'm not sure it was a good one.
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We have five possible home debutants in the squad with Sav Perera, Johnny Connell, Ben Church, Josh Shaw and believe it or not Migael Pretorius (who has only played away games for Somerset so far in the 50 over tournament all up to play their first 50 over game at Taunton.
The whole squad named for the game includes;
Perera, Vaughan, Thomas, Lammonby, Connell, Goldsworthy (c), Church (w), Pretorius, Roberts, Shaw, Leach, Theedom, Langrdige, Ball
Kian Roberts is named despite suffering a match ending injury after two overs in Welbeck on Tuesday. Skipper Lewis Goldsworthy returns after the concussion protocol from the Blast Quarter Final. James Theedom who subbed for Kian on Tuesday is also included in the 14 player group. The club preview for the game is below - it is a Beer and Cider festival evening. Details are included
Glos 50 Preview
Quote:Scrumper
If Roberts plays tomorrow I want to know who his faith healer is.
Yep they carried him of on Tuesday it seems. Maybe they are just naming all the squad? His long term prognosis may not yet be determined.
Quote:Scrumper
If Roberts plays tomorrow I want to know who his faith healer is.
Looks like you’d better get on the phone Scrumper !
Grizzers
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:07:24:14:50:03 by Grockle.
Is there a live stream today (and don't tell me there's one at Welbeck)?
Think this is IT
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:07:24:15:18:24 by Grockle.
We would have taken that - highest List A score against the Bristolians.
Grear batting by Lammonby and Thomas.
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Grizzers
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:07:24:21:32:57 by Devonboy70.
Smeed`s 51 second highest score for winning Birmingham Phoenix, Banton`s 67 highest for Trent Rockets; and tidy bowling by Overton for the Phoenix and a wicket by Gregory for the Rockets.
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