Cricket Somerset’s wait for a first victory of the season continues
SKIPPER Sam Whiteman’s first Northamptonshire century batted them to safety on the final day of the LV= Insurance County Championship match with Somerset at Taunton on Sunday.
The visitors managed to extend their second innings from an overnight 66 for one to 311 for eight, with the rock-solid Whiteman leading from the front with an unbeaten 130 off 269 balls, with 14 fours and a six.
The Yorkshire-born Aussie lefthander, in his first season as a Championship player, batted throughout the day, receiving excellent support from Tom Taylor, who contributed 53 to an eighthwicket stand of 79 that finally frustrated a Somerset attack.
Jack Leach finished with three for 77 and match figures of six for 92.
By the time the players shook hands at 5.40pm, Northamptonshire had a lead of 154, with a possible 11 overs remaining. They took nine points from the rain-affected contest, while Somerset, yet to win this season, claimed 12.
The home bowlers expected to toil for every wicket as Northamptonshire began the day needing 91 to avoid an innings defeat, with nine wickets in hand. So it proved on a pitch which offered little seam movement or turn on day three.
The opening attack of Craig Overton and Lewis Gregory went past the bat several times early on, but Whiteman and nightwatchman Jordan Buckingham survived and started to look comfortable.
Buckingham marked his Northamptonshire debut with an invaluable contribution, sharing a halfcentury stand with his skipper and facing 66 balls for his 17 runs before being bowled advancing down the pitch to Leach. By then Whiteman had reached a 104-ball fifty, with five fours and a six over mid-wicket off Leach. More importantly, 20 overs of the day had elapsed before
Somerset made the breakthrough.
There was no shortage of effort or accuracy from the bowlers. Leach struck another blow when Hassan Azad, who had retired hurt with a hand injury the previous evening, offered a low return catch having made only four.
It was 147 for three at lunch, with Northamptonshire still 10 runs behind. A Saif Zaib reverse sweep off Leach early in the afternoon session levelled the scores.
A draw was looking increasingly likely, but, having moved confidently to 33, Zaib carelessly lifted a ball from Overton to fine leg where Leach held a testing catch.
At 174 for four, Northants were only 17 in front. But Whiteman was well set and a pulled boundary off Gregory brought up the 200.
With a further 10 added, Rob Keogh, on 14, failed to keep down a leg glance off Kasey Aldridge and Gregory held a sharp catch at backward short leg.
It was 211 for six when a thinner glance saw James Sales depart for one to Gregory, wicketkeeper James Rew diving full-length to his left to hold a one-handed catch inches off the ground.
Harry Gouldstone quickly followed for a duck to another fine catch, this time by Tom KohlerCadmore at first slip, his task made more difficult by Overton diving in front of him to try and take the ball at second slip. The lead was only 62. But Whiteman had just completed his hundred, a study in concentration occupying 179 balls, and found a more reliable partner in Taylor, who helped take the score to 254 for seven at tea.
Somerset’s last hope was the second new ball, available one over after the interval. A chance slipped by with three runs added as Cameron Bancroft failed to hold a low catch offered to his left at second slip by Taylor off Gregory. It was an error the hosts could not afford. Taylor progressed to a 96-ball halfcentury, and by the time he was caught by Rew down the leg-side to give Peter Siddle his first wicket, the lead was 141.
But it was Whiteman’s day. Unbeaten on 29 at the start of play, by the close he had occupied the crease for more than six-and-threequarter hours, offering just one difficult chance to slip off Leach with the draw all but secured.
Afterwards, Somerset director of cricket Andy Hurry said: “The weather took time out of the game, which went against us, but had we taken our chances in the field things would have been a lot easier. There’s a real hunger for success in our dressing room and the players showed it by keeping going and working for each other.
“We were the stronger team and put our opponents under pressure, so that is progress from where we have been earlier this season. Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s century (130) was fantastic and I was getting excited this afternoon at the thought of us chasing any target.
“He has set down a marker for the rest of the summer and we know we have great fire power in our batting. It hasn’t been an ideal start for us. To win the Championship you have to win matches. But we aren’t far away and Matt Henry is due to fly in tomorrow and be available for our visit to Old Trafford later in the week.”