Gloucestershire close to providing the perfect answer as Somerset wilt

SAM DALLING AT THE COOPER ASSOCIATES COUNTY GROUND : Ryan Higgins, Matt Taylor and Dom Goodman combine to leave the visitors on the brink of a first win in these parts since 1993

Scorecard

It is the question Chris Dent must have been sick of. The one that headed up his every virtual engagement since cricket emerged from the pandemic: are you disappointed there are no longer two divisions?  

You see, having used 2019 to secure a return to domestic cricket’s top-tier for the first time since 2005, Gloucestershire are still waiting for their chance to see how they fare. Whether that opportunity ever arises remains, as with much of life right now, uncertain.

But had the question been flipped to ‘how do you think Gloucestershire would go?’ the answer may have changed markedly over a fortnight. Last week a star-studded Surrey were brushed aside by eight wickets at Bristol, and now they are set to inflict defeat on Somerset on their own patch for the first time since June 2017.

If James Bracey’s sixth first-class hundred laid the foundations yesterday, their quartet of unheralded seamers built on that in nearly 66 overs on day three, rolling the home side for 149. For all the pace-hype that pre-occupies the modern mind, the Gloucestershire attack would barely cause a traffic cop to flinch. Ryan Higgins was the stand-out finishing with 4 for 29 from 16.5 miserly overs; the ball that nipped back to remove Craig Overton’s off stump the delivery of the day. 

And he was backed up by a strong supporting cast. Nineteen-year-old debutant Dominic Goodman rarely strayed from his metronomic line and length, finishing 2 for 19, while Matt Taylor bagged a pair in the right sense of the word. David Payne, was, well, David Payne.

Goodman is only playing owing to the groin injury picked up by Josh Shaw in round one and Dan Worrall’s period in quarantine but, already looks promising. "Len" to his teammates, he lacks the pace one might expect from a man of 6ft 6ins but bad balls were few and far between. His first six overs cost just six runs. He picked up the wicket of George Bartlett in his first – a trait that will endear him to captains.

^{Both sides united for a minute's silence at 3pm on the day of Prince Philip's funeral}

Higgins has flourished since moving west from Middlesex ahead of the 2019 season. He arrived in England from Zimbabwe as a thirteen-year-old, working his way onto the staff at Lord’s, and headed to the Under-19 World Cup in 2014 in a squad that included Dom Sibley and Ben Duckett.  

White-ball debuts followed that summer but it would 2017 before a first-class bow, that coming in an innings defeat of Yorkshire in which he bagged three wickets. After three further County Championship appearances he was dropped and the frustration that had been bubbling began to boil.

"I felt like I was never going to get an opportunity, I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel," he told The Cricketer last July, reflecting not with regret, but a maturity that suggests a human capable of introspection. "I really struggled with the thought that people had only started believing in me once I had performed at that level. Which I don’t think is actually the case, I think that at the time there were just players that were better than me in front of me."

It was then, Richard Dawson, then head coach, who tempted him to Bristol and since the move his trajectory has been upward only. The year 2019 was one that dreams are made of. Promotion, and with the bat he topped Gloucestershire’s red-ball averages, finishing only second to Dent in the run getting stakes. With ball he was equally prolific, taking more wickets (50), bowling more maidens (110) and with a far superior strike-rate (76.64) to anyone else. It earned him PCA Player of the Year nomination, Ben Stokes’ exploits outdoing him to the gong.  

^{Taunton was a picture throughout day three}

To misquote Vince Lombardi, pace isn’t everything but wanting it is. And how Higgins must desire that little bit extra. He lacks the height to trouble batters with bounce and so if he can find a yard from somewhere he might be capable of pushing for higher honours. At 26, age is on his side.

Gloucestershire added just eight to their overnight total, Marchant de Lange with the final two wickets to finish with 4 for 63. Somerset lead by three.

For all yesterday’s talk in the press box about the pitch flattening out, it was a rip-roaring start from Gloucestershire. Higgins, for the second time in the match, angling one across Tom Lammonby who feathered behind to James Bracey to complete a pair.

The break out player of last year’s Bob Willis Trophy, Lammonby is experiencing a touch of second season syndrome and currently lingers a failure away from an Audi. Difficult to say just how out of form he has been – his season is a grand total of 27 deliveries old – but his technique is sound enough to mean the runs will come.

Higgins, who starts his run up wide of the crease and mixes up the angle of release, then trapped Tom Abell (6) lbw, before left-armer Taylor dismissed Banton and Goodman removed George Bartlett for a duck. Somerset were reeling at 37 for 4 and by the time the players departed at 2.50pm for the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, they were seven down. 

^{James Hildreth's fifty gave Somerset some hope ahead of day four}

The Duke was a lover of the game, captaining the Gordonstoun 1stXI, before going on to serve as President of the MCC in 1949. And when county grounds are able to throw open their doors once again, there will be countless fans unable to race their fellow members to the best position behind the bowler’s arm, hundreds of club-crested cushions that will never be sat on again. They too should be remembered, their loved ones not always able to give them the sendoff they deserved.   

James Hildreth batted typically serenely for 64 – putting on 54 for the eighth wicket for Josh Davey (22) – before Goodman jagged one back into his pads. Hildreth will have to wait a little longer to overtake the late, great Bill Alley in Somerset’s list of all-time leading run-scorers. 

Gloucestershire were left 10 tricky overs to navigate in the evening, and a fired-up Overton struck early to remove Dent (9).  Had a Taunton crowd been allowed the atmosphere would have been electric: it was spicy enough without them, "straight back to Tres on the WhatsApp" came the cry as a Lewis Gregory delivery beat James Bracey’s outside edge. "It is going to be a tough couple of hours tomorrow It is a challenge you want to be a part of as a player," said Ian Harvey afterwards. 

One hundred and twenty-five runs required then for Gloucestershire to leave Taunton with the bragging rights for the first time since 1993, a game in which Bristolian off-spinner Martyn Ball out-bowled Mushtaq Ahmed, and current coaches Jason Kerr and Mark Alleyne lined up on opposing sides. The visitors are favourites but this still could go either way.  

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