Somerset CCC season review 2018, featuring director of cricket Andy Hurry

There was a time during Andy Hurry’s previous tenure when Somerset became almost sick of being runners-up, so accustomed had they become to competing for major honours in the ‘bridesmaids’ era around the turn of the decade.

One thrilling finish to the season in 2016 aside, Somerset have not tasted those heights since and, though this campaign ultimately ended with no additions to the trophy cabinet, the signs of progress are both tangible and encouraging.

There was a rather large bump in the road before a ball had been bowled, when overseas signing Cameron Bancroft was seen applying sandpaper to the ball being used in a Test match between Australia and South Africa in Cape Town.

Amid increasing furore, Somerset replaced Bancroft with his compatriot Matt Renshaw and promptly won their first two Championship matches for the first time since 1993. Renshaw scored centuries in both and the team’s pre-season practice in a marquee on the outfield instantly paid off.

FLAMBOYANT: Matt Renshaw was an instant hit (Pic: Alex Davidson/SCCC)

Victory over Nottinghamshire in June lifted Somerset to the summit, leaving players and supporters alike daring to dream. Captain Tom Abell, whose improvement this summer mirrored that of his team, bullishly declared that he “backs us against anyone in the country”. They couldn’t, could they?

As it transpired, no. Surrey inflicted Somerset’s first defeat of the season at Guildford in a nine-match winning streak which saw them become worthy champions.

Both there and at Taunton the Londoners emphasised their superiority and showed the chasing pack how much ground there is to make up, though Somerset director of cricket Andy Hurry believes his side are “not too far away”.

“We have certainly made progress and it has been very encouraging,” he said.

“We have seen development in the players and we have, more often than not, played the style of cricket we want to play.

“I share frustrations that we have not managed to win anything and we still have work to do.

“It is those key sessions in games which we perhaps need to improve in if we are to cross that line.”

One of those ‘key sessions’ came against Lancashire in Taunton in early September. Had Somerset eked out just one more run and been successful in their pursuit of 78, the race would still have been on going into the final three matches of the season. 

Somerset’s failure to chase that modest target, on an admittedly difficult pitch, burst their bubble and the hangover continued into a heavy defeat at Hampshire and the T20 semi-final reverse against Sussex.

Returning to finals day in the Blast after a six-year absence was a fine achievement, but the swashbuckling way Somerset qualified topping a competitive South Group before seeing off holders Nottinghamshire in the last eight – made their semi-final no-show all the more frustrating.

BACKING: Somerset's support at finals day (Pic: Alex Davidson/SCCC)

“I still think we were the best team in it,” Hurry said.

“In the lead up to the semi-final, no matter what the situation, our depth and quality shone through. Finals day was disappointing, but it will be a valuable learning experience.”

The Vitality Blast campaign saw notable improvements in the club’s homegrown talent. Abell is rapidly becoming a three-format player, captain Lewis Gregory middled everything in sight for a month and Jamie Overton – one wild over at finals day aside – impressed with his variations in pace. 

The latter two are among four Somerset players in this winter’s England Lions squad, while Abell will not be far away from similar recognition if he takes this season’s form into next year.

Jack Leach, meanwhile, will deservedly tour Sri Lanka with the Test squad after once again overcoming setbacks to bowl Somerset to victories. James Hildreth remains overlooked on the international stage - England’s loss is very much Somerset’s gain.

For as long as the club remain nearly men on the silverware front, however, there will be inevitable frustration, perhaps even scepticism, at the prospect of jam tomorrow.

This is the third time Somerset have finished second in the past seven Championship seasons – each of the previous two were followed by a season of struggle next time around.

The challenge, therefore, is for Somerset to build on and compliment what they have with some wise old heads who have been there and done it. One such player is Jack Brooks, a seamer who has won two County Championship titles with Yorkshire.

ARRIVAL: Jack Brooks (left). Pic: Alex Davidson/SCCC

“When we met him, that [experience of winning trophies] was the key strength he thought he could bring to us,” Hurry said.

“You can see from Jack’s end to the season with Yorkshire how he will add value with bat and ball. We need a strong stock of strike bowlers, especially next year with the World Cup and the Ashes, which some of our bowlers may be involved with.”

Marcus Trescothick will also be back for his 27th season with the club, though the search remains on to find his long-term replacement; neither Eddie Byrom, Ben Green nor Tom Banton have yet made it their own.

“Our youngsters have had opportunities and they are learning all the time – there is no substitute for the challenges presented in First Class cricket,” Hurry said.

“We still have some distance to travel with regard to knowing our best Championship team, but that presents opportunities and the players are excited for what is to come.”

Somerset may have had an enjoyable season but there is still plenty of uncertainty surrounding the domestic game as a whole.

The make-up of the season from 2020 onwards is anyone’s guess, with ‘The 100’ still to be fitted in among the three existing formats. The costs for the new tournament are spiralling amid increasing unrest among the counties, several of whom – including Somerset – are resembling turkeys who voted for Christmas.

Next season may also see just one team relegated from Division One and three come up from Division Two, with the general feeling – one echoed by Hurry – being that a quarter of the eight teams in Division One going down is too many.

Such a change would mean Division One sides do not all play each other twice, leading to concerns about the integrity of Championship cricket – something already compromised by the bulk of the season being played in the margins of summer.

Next year, then, maybe the last of its kind. It could be the last time everyone in the top division faces each other twice, and the last time rounds of four-day fixtures are unaffected by the Western Wurzels taking on the Midlands Meerkats in ‘The 100’. 

Could it also be the first time the Championship pennant flies above Taunton? The thought alone will be enough to keep Westcountry minds alive during these long winter months.