MATCH REPORT: Somerset match ends in frustrating draw
Lancashire and Somerset played out a draw at Emirates Old Trafford with the visitors opting not to set a target and batting through the day to reach 398 for five, 433 runs ahead, as the final day of this LV= Insurance County Championship match meandered to a frustrating stalemate.
James Rew adding to his burgeoning reputation in making an unbeaten 118, his second century of the match, and becoming the leading run-scorer in Division One of the Championship.
Lancashire eventually rested their front-line attack, throwing the ball to their batters – and wicketkeeper – for the second half of the day before the teams shook hands at 4.50pm.
Starting on 114 for three and ahead by 149 runs, Somerset progressed steadily through the morning session, Tom Lammonby posting a season-best 78 before his failed attempt to launch Tom Hartley towards the new hotel being constructed at midwicket presented George Bell with an easy stumping.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore was the other morning departure for 11 after playing inside a Will Williams delivery that knocked back his off stump.
Rew provided some acceleration, hitting five boundaries off eight deliveries once the visitors lead had passed the 200-mark, with the nineteen-year-old reaching a 92-ball fifty early in the afternoon.
But the game drifted along from that point and just after the halfway stage of the day, with the lead now beyond 300 and no declaration forthcoming, there was the rare sight of Steven Croft and Dane Vilas sharing the second new ball. Josh Bohannon went behind the stumps as wicketkeeper Bell also undertook bowling duties.
For Croft it was a return to seam-up bowling for the first time since the early part of his lengthy career, while Vilas added eleven overs of right-arm medium pace to his previous solitary over in a Red Rose shirt.
That was followed by Bell sending down ten overs of off spin with Lancashire using nine bowlers in a first-class innings for the first time since 2003.
Rew reached his second century of the match just before tea from 196 balls while Kasey Aldridge struck an unbeaten 101 – his maiden first-class century – in a partnership of 192.
But the afternoon’s play seemed to many to be to be a somewhat farcical conclusion to the match from which Lancashire took nine points and Somerset ten.
Lancashire are not in Championship action for a month until they host Hampshire at Southport starting on June 11.
Head coach Glen Chapple was frustrated by the events of the day.
“We came in this morning thinking there was a really good game in prospect,” he said.
“Somerset were 149 in front overnight which in our minds meant that a positive session from them or a good start for us, either way there was a good chance of a game.
“Unfortunately we didn’t make early breakthroughs but we still expected to be set a score.
“It’s a good pitch but scoring quickly wasn’t easy and a good target could have been set to give both teams a chance.
“We’re trying to play positive cricket. Our scoring rates are good, we’ve got the highest run-rate for any batting team in Division One.
“Unfortunately so far with the pitches we’ve played on, and a bit of rain, we’ve not been able to force a result.
“That’s not down to how we’ve played our cricket. We set a really good declaration at Nottingham last week which, credit to Nottinghamshire, they went for it from ball one. We didn’t get over the line, but it was a good game of cricket.
“Today was the opposite. There was a good game in prospect and for some reason Somerset weren’t interested. I’ve got no explanation for that.
“I thought 260-270 from lunch would have been really challenging, but we would have gone for it. We would have even gone for 300, but that would have been a slim chance on that surface.
“They didn’t take any chances in the morning session, they were 250-odd in front and it would have taken very little more intent from them to get a really challenging target.
“The more you dangle the carrot, the more chance both teams have of winning. We would have gone all the way after a reasonable chase.”
Ken Grime
Photos: Barry Mitchell, Luke Adams
