Allow me to begin with an apology. I’ve been an absentee scribbler for a few weeks, largely due to getting married (yes, cricket was played on the beach at Llandudno between afternoon and evening sessions) and honeymoon. Life is coming at me rather wonderfully rapidly right now, what with a baby due in September, so it is likely that at some point I will disappear for a while. I can’t wait. During that time there may well be no written updates, but the podcast will live on.
Now then. Personal announcements done, on with the cricket. I had the good fortune of being up at Chester-Le-Street yesterday. I’d say it all went rather well, wouldn’t you?!
For Somerset cricket fans, few, if any, sights can top that of Jack Leach twirling away, grin etched across his chops. For ten glorious overs in the north-east, that smile was omnipresent, Leach producing career-best figures of 6 for 26 to seal a 133-run victory.
Leach’s work was a mere two balls old when he removed Colin Ackermann with a little tickle. Later that same over, Michael Jones fell hanging back to a delivery he ought to have lunged at. A second double wicket over arrived soon when first Bas de Leede played down the wrong line and next Jonnie Bushnell got done by a quicker yorker. Victims five and six arrived later, both Paul Coughlin and Hayden Mustard snicking into James Rew’s classy black gloves.
Up in the commentary box, Mustard senior – still known only as Colonel – waxed lyrical about Leach and his qualities. There are clearly many in cricket who rate him highly. It was a devastating spell, a right-hander’s nightmare with nigh on all 60 deliveries pitched in line with the stumps. Batters had no option but to play, and that was precisely what Leach wanted.
Readers of this publication are doubtless well aware of the hardiness Leach has shown just to be here. He has had the kitchen sink chucked in his direction, and the dishwasher too for good measure. Concussion, illness, injury, and being dropped by England are amongst a multitude of obstacles that have landed in front of him. Leach has overcome each with class and determination. He has the resilience chromium and the sparkle of a diamond.
Inescapably, Leach has not been in the setting he had hoped over the past few weeks. He is an international quality spinner, and he would expect to be playing international cricket. The constant narrative about him, Shoaib Bashir and Somerset’s selection policy, is mere noise, and Cider Press is not going to engage with the click-bait social media commentary here. Leach has been around far too long to pay any notice, and his only feeling towards young Bash will be delight and pride. One suspects Leach is amongst the first to contact Bashir whenever he does well.
And the flip side for Leach is that this competition means he gets games of cricket, and games of cricket for Somerset. That is the beauty of someone like him, a man who adores representing his home county. For all his experience, Leach is a relative newbie to white-ball cricket. In 13 summers since his debut, he has played just 26 short-form games for Somerset, eight of which came this July. By way of comparison, he has appeared in 36 Tests. He therefore occupies a mini circle on the Venn diagram whereby experience meets up-and-coming, and he will relish being both a leader and a learner.
Leach’s fellow left arm spinner Lewis Goldsworthy had set the victory up with a curious 93. It wasn’t faultless, and he was in fact caught behind off a no-ball when on just seven, yet it was still a superb hand. Anything short was treated with disdain, while several cover drives drew admiring gasps. Ryan Campbell, Durham’s head coach, noted what a productive summer Goldsworthy is having, and so he is clearly turning noggins. Get that contract typed up.
A quick glance at the scorecard might suggest Goldsworthy’s runs, made from 134 balls, were a touch sluggish. But that would be inaccurate. Goldsworthy quickly got the measure of a tacky pitch and realised that 240 would be a decent score: 241 proved far too many.
Credit must go to others, too. George Thomas shared a second-wicket partnership of 119 with Goldsworthy. His 48 was well made. Kasey Aldridge and Josh Davey helped finish the innings with a flourish, while Davey and Ogborne contained Durham early in their reply.
Durham had got off to a decent start, reaching 40-0 before losing two wickets in three balls. Davey got Alex Lees with a beauty, and Sean Dickson – who himself made 37 at better than a run-a-ball – deserves caps lifted in his direction for resisting the urge to turn to another bowler after an expensive Davey over.
It was a day that made the seven-hour slog back to the west country a tad easier. On that coach was Charlie Cassell who has been signed for the tournament after taking a record-breaking 7-21 on his Scotland debut 10 days back.
Somerset have begun this competition promisingly. Already just one shy of last year’s tally of three victories, a knock-out berth is not beyond this group. Lancashire arrive in Taunton on Friday for a game under the lights. Despite the presence of Venkatesh Iyer and Chris Green, they were skittled for less than 100 at Derbyshire yesterday and have also lost Keaton Jennings to the Hundred. Riley Meredith is back in Taunton and the hope is he will feature. Two matches in three days might be a stretch for him workload wise, so expect to see him play one, miss one. Both Lancashire and Sunday’s visitors Derbyshire will be keeping their fingers crossed!