Bat on Banton, bat on

Brilliant Banton a Bazballian?

Imagine courtesy of Harry Trump - find his work online here.

Some moments make everything worthwhile. The long, slow, eyes-down trudges having nicked off without scoring. The sessions in the cold, hand warmers in pocket, cheeks rosy from the wind’s constant bite. The solitude, the disappointment, the borderline (and sometimes openly) personal insults on social media. Not much fun when you think about it, right?

All that suffering, though, is melted away by temporary glory, the times that make sense of the sacrifices, small and large. Tom Banton has opened the 2025 summer with one such moment – albeit it spanned three days and two sleeps. It may or may not forever remain Banton’s cricketing apex, but he has certainly reached one particular summit that sees him peering down at legends.

403 deliveries. 18 minutes short of nine hours. 371 runs. No, that is not a typo. 371 runs. The highest score a Somerset cricketer has ever made. The 21^st best innings in the first-class game, a position that sees Banton bookended by The Don and Mahela Jayawardene. In England, only four individual totals have ever been higher, one of those also coming in a clash between Somerset and Worcestershire at Taunton. Back in 1988 Vic Marks, now part of Somerset’s in-house live-stream team, contributed 50 overs of off-spin as the Duncan Fearnley 405 was born. Graeme Hick was the responsible batter.

Anyhow, Banton. Boundaries? 56 along the ground, plus a couple in the air for good measure. Scored here, scored there and, frankly, scored everywhere. Whether square of the wicket or straight, virtually every stroke came from the middle of Banton’s wand. The sound was sweet and barely a false stroke was offered.

50. 100. 150. 200. The numbers increased in the way, and almost at the pace, that Saturday morning cattle auctions at the now-demolished market across the way would progress. As the figure went up, interest piqued further Online viewers logged on; the turnstiles clicked. Each milestone was met with Banton’s trademark celebration, bat in one hand, helmet in the other. Each brought another smile.

Tom Banton celebrates. Again. Thanks to Harry Trump for the snap.

250. 300. As he progressed, Banton ticked off the best efforts of another of Somerset’s great and good before eventually, with just a couple of balls spare on Saturday, a boundary from Kashif Ali’s part-time spin took Banton past Justin Langer’s 342.

Banton had, when 84 not out after day one, joked with Lewis Gregory about the daunting prospect of facing 200 balls. His three previous red-ball centuries had come from 120, 172 and 174 deliveries respectively and the idea of facing 67 overs on his own was near unimaginable. The physical and mental effort required to bat for that long can never underestimated, yet Banton managed it. It may not have been comfortable out there, but he made it look so.

When 346 arrived in the early Sunday sunshine, Banton broke Jamie Cox's record for most runs in a first-class match for Somerset. It took Cox two innings, a pair of centuries, including a double, back in 1999 against Hampshire.

350 next and then, eventually, Banton’s stellar innings ended. All good things must, and this was exceptional, once in a generation, once in a lifetime maybe. A genuine ‘I was there moment’, and the number of attendees will doubtless double as tales are told over the years.

After a 10-minute break, Banton was back fielding in pads. Three balls into Worcestershire’s second dig and he was under the helmet at short leg. The game still needs winning.

Everyone at Taunton has always known of Banton’s talent. A genuine 360-degree scorer, who made 248 from 235 balls in the 2^nd XI as a 19-year-old under Peter Trego’s captaincy. A summer later, Banton was matching Babar Azam nigh on run-for-run in the T20 Blast, and scoring just as freely when Somerset ended a trophy drought with the One-Day Cup. England white-ball honours soon followed, and a life on the franchise circuit beckoned invitingly.

But Banton always wanted to play in the game’s longest format. Not just that: he wanted to succeed. He was clear on that. The hard work that has taken place away from prying eyes is immense and is now paying off. Could Banton play Test cricket? Yes. Will he play Test cricket this summer? Maybe.

It will take some time for the magnitude of what Banton has achieved to properly sink in. That will come at some point, perhaps in a few evenings in time as he is midway through a gaming session, or maybe a little further down the line.

Should Banton wish to reflect on his achievement, he could stroll into Taunton through the Sir Vivian Richards’ gates. He could find a quiet spot on the top deck of the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion and stare out over the Quantocks. Next, he could take a pew in the stands named after Lord Ian Botham or James Hildreth, perhaps via a pitstop on the benches of Harold Gimblett’s Hill. And if he wishes to exit the ground closer to town, the gates bearing the name of Brian Rose are his best bet. None of those men, though, can match what Banton has achieved in a single innings.

Amongst Banton’s many congratulators was Langer. Naturally, the message began with the compliment the feat deserved. But then, in the way that only JL could, came the challenge. Langer – albeit with a winter in-between innings – passed 300 in consecutive fixtures for Somerset, 342 runs at Guildford in late 2006 being backed up by an unbeaten 303 against Middlesex the following April. The gauntlet has been laid down. Sussex beware?