Lewis injects bit of life into Somerset
SOMERSET’s ailing middleorder got a much needed shot of adrenaline last time out against Middlesex – but the man who gave it to them, Lewis Gregory, had an injection of his own to thank.
The 2016 season’s top two played out a draw in last weekend’s four-day clash, largely thanks to a mammoth 249-run sixth-wicket stand between Gregory (137) and opener Dean Elgar (158), after Somerset were reduced to 80-5.
It was the 25-year-old all-rounder’s maiden first-class ton, coming just a couple of weeks after deciding to take injections to play through the pain of a stress fracture in his back for the remainder of the season.
But while there was no hiding from the fact that Matthew Maynard’s stuttering middle-order was once again exposed – skipper Tom Abell, James Hildreth and Steven Davies all still struggling for runs – Gregory is certain they can come good.
“Of course it was a very pleasing score, Lord’s is a special place to get that first ton too,” he said.
“It’s been a long time coming for me, but I wasn’t too bad in the nineties actually; I managed to sneak through them pretty quickly, and I was just trying to build that special partnership with Dean.
“It was one of those pitches that had a bit in it and they have a good seam attack, so there was always a ball with your name on it.
“I was just grafting out for a lot of it. Deano’s a gutsy player who can do that, so I was just trying to emulate him. I knew my luck would change around, and it was great that happened when the team needed it. A few people are battling for runs and they are the same as me – they look good, but haven’t had the volume of runs we’d have liked.
“The bowling side of it has been really good so far this season, so it is the batting that’s been the big difference, but I’m backing the guys ahead of me to turn the corner. “We’ve got four or five guys who have struggled, but they are all experienced campaigners, so as soon as it turns around we’re going to be able to charge up the table.” Gregory had been sidelined during May with a back problem – not for the first time after having to pull out of an England Lions series against Pakistan in 2015.
The stress fracture threatened to derail his entire season, but after putting off surgery until the end of the summer and committing to injections in the meantime, Gregory is reaping the benefits.
He added: “When you’re in pain it’s hard to get that motivation to go out and hit balls or bowl in the nets to be in the best possible place. It has a positive effect on your mind when you’re playing as well; you’re in a much better space mentally.
“It wasn’t a great time in the year to have the surgery – I would have missed pretty much the whole season – and the conversations with the consultant were clear.
“There isn’t a huge amount that could go wrong with it, and if the fracture does get any bigger, the procedure that I will have wouldn’t change.
“So having injections were a nobrainer; it’s a lot of trial and error, and hopefully they hold off the pain for another couple of months.”