Match preview: Somerset vs Lancashire, Metro Bank One-Day Cup
Somerset v Lancashire
Metro Bank One-Day Cup, Group B
Sunday August 10, 2025, 11am
The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton
Lancashire will hope to get out of the starting blocks in the West Country having had Tuesday’s opening game against Northamptonshire washed out without a ball bowled at Sedbergh.
The Red Rose gained two points from their No Result.
Steven Croft’s side now face the first of four successive away games through to next Sunday. That marks all of their away games in this group stage.
They follow this with trips to Yorkshire, Sussex and Kent.
Somerset have played twice this week, winning both.
They beat Middlesex by six wickets at Radlett on Wednesday, chasing a target of 290. Captain James Rew hit an unbeaten 106. They then beat Durham at Taunton under lights last night by four wickets chasing 256.
New-ball seamer Alfie Ogborne took five wickets to limit Durham to 255-9 before Thomas Rew, younger brother of captain James, top-scored with a middle-order 84 not out.
This will be only the second List A meeting between the Red Rose and Somerset since the end of 2011.
Opposition
Somerset were runners-up last year, beaten finalists by Glamorgan at Trent Bridge.
They dealt with a significant number of players heading to the Hundred, and whilst it is fewer this season they will still have to deal without eight players.
The Taunton side won six of eight group matches last year, but they narrowly missed out on success in all three trophies.
They will be captained by highly-rated wicketkeeper-batter James Rew, who was called into England’s Test squad for their early-summer clash with Zimbabwe without playing.
The 21-year-old has already captained Somerset in the Championship this summer as well as leading the England Lions.
His younger brother Thomas is also in the England system having starred with the bat for the Under 19s.
They have an exciting mix of youth and experience at their disposal, from the Rew brothers to England Test left-arm spinner Jack Leach, who was their leading wicket-taker last season with 15 wickets.
With Boltonian coach Jason Kerr at the Hundred, they have an interim in charge in Paul Tweddle.
South African fast bowling all-rounder Migael Pretorius, their overseas player, is available to them.
Opposition player to watch
Somerset are captained by England fringe wicketkeeper-batter James Rew.
Aged 21, Rew has already scored 14 senior centuries, 11 of them in first-class cricket and three in List A.
His latest was an unbeaten 106 in the opening day win over Middlesex at Radlett, off 90 balls from number four in the order. He is classy and dynamic with the bat.
Of those aforementioned 14 hundreds, three of them have come against Lancashire in the Championship - in the space of a month at the start of 2023.
That included two hundreds in the draw at Emirates Old Trafford that season.
Previous meeting
Somerset beat Lancashire by eight wickets at the start of last August, with a stunning 6-33 from 7.1 overs for seamer Kasey Aldridge the difference between the two sides.
The Red Rose were bowled out for 218, including a patient opening 58 from George Bell and a breezy 65 from Chris Green in the lower middle order.
Lancashire, inserted, slipped to 167-9, but Green hit four fours and as many sixes and was last man out having dominated a 10th-wicket stand of 51 with Charlie Barnard.
In reply, opener George Thomas’s unbeaten 106 off 142 balls was the key contribution in extinguishing hopes of a Lancashire fightback. It was his first and only first-team century to date. The 21-year-old has since moved to Sussex.
James Rew also hit an unbeaten 60 from number four, the pair sharing an unbroken third-wicket stand of 147 from 73-2 in the 14th over. Victory was sealed in the 41st over following wickets for Jack Blatherwick and Charlie Barnard.
What they said
Steven Croft has hailed the recent run-scoring form of George Bell as he hammers on the first-team selection door.
Bell is second on the leading run-scorers’ list in the Second XI Championship competition with 469 runs from five innings. The 22-year-old is averaging a staggering 156.33.
In mid to late June, he posted scores of 284 not out in a draw against Worcestershire at Southport, batting at four, and then 54 and 111 not out in a win over Sussex at Horsham. He batted at three in the latter game.
Bell has not played a first-team match since late May, in the Rothesay County Championship. But that is set to change in this Metro Bank One-Day Cup.
“It was unfortunate for George,” said Croft. “In my first four-day game in charge, selection was between him and Michael Jones (Kent at Blackpool, draw late June).
“We went with Jonesy, and he’s performed well from there on in.
“But Belly’s scored a shed load of runs in the second team, and it’s great to see.
“Obviously, it’s been a little bit unfortunate for him, but that’s how I like to see players react, and I feel he’s been raising the standard from beneath. You do feel that as a player with the shirt, that pressure from beneath.
“It’s just about keep knocking on the door for any player. Get your runs or your wickets and say, ‘I’m here’.
“This comp has come at a great time for Belly, and he deserves to play.”
How’s Stat!
Lancashire’s director of cricket performance Mark Chilton starred with a fine century the last time the county beat Somerset in a List A fixture, at Taunton in 2003 - in the days of the 45-over National League.
The Red Rose won by 24 runs on the back of a 310-7 total which included an opening 103 off 109 balls for Chilton. Stuart Law scored 51, Carl Hooper 82.
In reply, Somerset were bowled out for 286. Glen Chapple took 4-60.
Somerset have since won five, with the other a No Result, across competitions such as the Pro40 League, the Clydesdale Bank 40 and the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.