Somerset batters seal deserved draw led by Kasey Aldridge fifty

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Somerset 441 (Abell 151, Rew 117, Anderson 5-76) and 256 for 6 (Aldridge 58*, Rew 47, Abell 40, Bailey 3-49) drew with Lancashire 554 (Jennings 189*, Bohannon 85, Putten 82)

It was never easy, it was never serene and until Kasey Aldridge James Anderson drove some dreamy back foot fours quite late in the evening session nothing ever seemed certain but Somerset’s batsmen secured a draw they probably deserved on this one contest. last day in Taunton. And whatever they may say to the media, the county cricket director, Andy Haast, and the head coach, Jason Kerr, will be grateful for a result that would have seemed unlikely in less than ten overs the day the weaknesses of the home side’s batsmen were easy, the ball was still quite new and Tom Abell’s team was more than 60 runs behind.
With Somerset having to clear a deficit of 113, he probably would have been content to be down to two at lunchtime; instead they lost three wickets in successive overs before most people at the County Ground had finished their first coffee. The only unexpected aspect of this rapid fall was that Tom Bailey, rather than Anderson, had written two of the successes and even that did not surprise Lancashire supporters, who have long regarded Bailey as one of the best bowlers on the circuit. His removal of Tom Lammonby and Cameron Bancroft, who played a little too heavy-handed forward off the stump, were typical dismissals for a cricketer who rarely gives his opponents a rest.

Neatly squeezed between these successes was the departure of Sean Dickson, who shuffled over his stumps and then played off the line in the manner of a man clearly out of shape. Anderson will throw much better balls without a reward.

The rest of the session saw Somerset work their way to the points needed to get Lancashire back to bat, but they lost Tom Kohler-Cadmore in the process as the former Yorkshire player George Balderson fired wide of Colin de Grandhomme’s right side , only to see the New Zealander. stick out a huge paw and grab the ball. However, the satisfaction De Grandhomme felt with this grip was short-lived. A few overs later, he let go of a much easier two-handed chance when James Rew was on 9 and the deficit had not yet been cleared. Rain then forced the players to take a slightly early lunch with Somerset eight runs to the good.

Half an hour after the resumption, Abell beat cautiously, but his young colleague less so. Indeed, Rew tried to whack the ball to all parts, especially from the left arm spinner, Tom Hartley, and it should have led to his dismissal on 27 when he skied the easiest chance to point back where Anderson, a fine fielder, let it thing fall. No one, certainly not Anderson himself, could believe it. Admittedly, when he was about to catch the ball, he had taken a pose reminiscent of someone kneeling at the communion rail, but even when all the excuses have been made, it was a complete doll.

The mistake didn’t seem to hurt Lancashire’s drive for victory much. When Abell had made 40, Bailey fired a full-length ball through his defense and nine overs later Rew went too, caught on a slip by Luke Wells on Hartley for 47. Nevertheless, the 19-year-old’s match total of 164 is proof to his ability and certainly compares well to the totals accumulated by Somerset’s high-profile signings in their first three games.

And Rew’s wicket was the last to fall on an afternoon when the body language of Lancashire’s fielders suggested they had come to terms with these flattest pitches having the final say. Gregory batted wisely throughout his unbroken 87-run run with Aldridge himself playing with increasing ambition on his way to his first first-class fifty, something that will have encouraged home supporters who are already wondering when they will see their new signings score. . For a while the outcome looked doubtful and we wondered if a late chase was the solution for Lancashire. Then Aldridge stroked those two fours and it was pretty clear how the game would end.

“I’m very happy,” said Aldridge. I worked really hard on my batting over the winter. Although in recent years I have mainly been seen as a bowler, I would like to be seen as a real all-rounder. I hit the nets well, but it doesn’t matter. It is very important for me to put runs on the board in the middle. Today I just tried to give myself time, because there was enough time and there was no rush. But it was still important to get points if we ended up with a draw.”



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