‘Nobody expected that’ – match-winner Barker
Keith Barker played key roles with bat and ball as Hampshire completed a resounding ten-wicket LV= County Championship win over Somerset inside three days at Taunton.
The 35-year-old left-arm seamer began by contributing a valuable 36 to help his side extend their first innings total from an overnight 144-5 to 280 all out, Aneurin Donald making 57 and James Fuller a rapid 38.
That gave Hampshire a lead of 69. Barker then got to work with the ball, combining extravagant swing with nagging accuracy to claim 6-27 from an unbroken 13-over opening spell as Somerset crashed to 25-6 before being bowled out with the scores level.
The hosts’ 69 was the lowest team total recorded in the Championship this year.
Opener Felix Organ hit the required single for victory off the fourth ball of Hampshire’s second innings and his team took 21 points to Somerset’s four to enhance an impressive start to the Championship campaign.
Hampshire are now just two points adrift of top flight leaders Surrey after winning four of their opening six games.
And Barker, with 27 victims at 16.74, is the joint second highest wicket-taker in the Championship. Only Durham’s Matt Potts has taken more (35 Division 2 wickets).
It was also Barker’s second best first class figures, beating the 6-40 he took against
Somerset at Taunton while playing for Warwickshire a decade ago.
‘At the start today nobody expected what has happened,’ said Barker. ‘We were just trying to get ahead with the bat. We knew that if we could get a lead of 50 or 100 it would be very difficult for them, but we were never expecting ten wickets in a session.
‘The pitch offered a lot throughout the whole game. I just kept on plugging away and it was my turn to take wickets this innings.
‘We changed our lines a little bit today and it seemed to work for us. Even so, it was a surprise for the game to finish on day three, especially with yesterday (Friday) when it rained for quite a long time.’
The T20 Blast tournament now takes centre stage for a while in the county calendar, with Hampshire returning to Championship action against Yorkshire at The Ageas Bowl on June 12.