John Cleese, vegan curry and the media scrum: The County Championship decider rolls into town

NICK HOWSON AT TAUNTON: Somerset and Essex's duel for the title might have been dominated by rain but there is plenty of evidence that this season-ending contest is a major occasion

Taunton: (second day of four): Somerset 203, Essex 25-0

Scorecard

Simon Harmer skips up to the crease again. He bowls into the west country sun. It grips just a little, provoking a miss-timed defensive prod from Tom Abell and striking him on the pad. Umpire Rob Bailey raises his finger. Somerset are seven down on their way to 203 all out. Harmer has his 10th five-for of the season. Essex's grip on the title in growing increasingly vice-like.

At least, that is what probably happened. Positioned behind a stanchion in the temporary written media box, I can see virtually nothing. Anyone bowling from The River End is barely visible either through the rain-stained windows or the various obstructions. Moments of incident are only detectable through crowd cheers.

Domestic cricket is meant to be watched one man and his dog, not the few thousand in attendance at Taunton. The media presence is meant to amount to one man and his typewriter, not national newspapers and websites. But this it the Championship decider, the crescendo to the greatest summer in English cricket's long history. It would be wrong if it was normal.

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Though many have had this fixture noted in their calendars next to the date they plan to start their Christmas shopping for many months, Somerset have had a race against time to prepare for this showcase. Only last week did Sky Sports confirm their intention to broadcast the game, their only live domestic red-ball coverage of the season.

Aside from the substantial exposure given to the One-Day Cup and the T20 Blast (The Hundred will join that roster in 2020), the TV giant show just one four-day game a year these days. Though they are committed to the competition for the new rights cycle which starts next summer, their interest is on the wane.

But their operation here is as sophisticated as ever. They have taken over the entire press box, which usually houses the media during the regular season. Michael Atherton, Ebony Rainford-Brent and Rob Key are among their punditry team. They mean business.

^{Many of the media have been consigned to the fringes such is the interest in this fixture}

It means Test Match Special's operation is shifted into the open air, where the gaggle of photographers and various cameraman attempt to execute Sky's coverage, more than seven years on from their last Championship appearance here. Including the written press, there are over 70 media personnel alone here this week, 10 times the regular number. The catering has even been upgrading from sandwiches to a mini-buffet. There are even vegan options.

Even semi-regular John Cleese is here. Basil D'Oliveira, Denis Compton and Geoff Boycott, if you were wondering. Now you know something special is happening.

Many have rightly bemoaned the timing of this game, staged closer to New Year than to Glastonbury, which could yet be decided by the rain which has already wiped out over a day of play, with perhaps more to follow. Frustratingly, if a result is indeed not possible, the 50 minutes lost to obligatory delays when play could have continued will certainly have been key.

^{Taunton has been engulfed by rain but the clouds are set to part}

Though without the inclement weather, such a madcap game wouldn't be unfolding. Somerset have prepared a disgraceful pitch, but their defence in the wake of any ECB action will surely be the corner they were backed into in the final full week of September. Look out for how that plays out.

It means that against the backdrop of unfamiliar goings-on behind the scenes, we have an entertaining and intriguing fixture with plenty still on the line. Essex's title this certainly is not.

Dry, featherbed surfaces have dominated this season in all forms, yet we have had some of the most universally dramatic cricket seen on these shores in a generation. Though the journey has often been agricultural, the destination has made it all worthwhile.

This voyage could be the most memorable of the bunch.

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