Blast Game 8 - Rapidly to Worcester
By Grockle
June 28 2026
Up the Motorway to Worcester on our 'away game' tour over the next week or so. Jake Ball misses out as we add Alfie Oghborne to the side from Friday. TKC won the toss and has decided to bowl first this afternoon.
Blast Game 8 - v Worcestershire Rapids @ New Road 28 June 2026
Somerset have won the toss and will field first with a side that has just one change from the Friday victors against Gloucestershire;
Banton, Smeed, TKC (c), Rew J, Rew T, Goldsworthy, Sams, Overton, Shaw, Meredith, Ogborne
Worcester get off to a good start taking 15 off Ogborne's first with Overton taking the other end. After his first Meredith takes the third but it is COve who gets first blood as Kashif Ali clothes one in the 4th to Tom Banton for 10 off 9 at 31 for 1. Craig provides a wicket maiden to add insult to injury.
Worcester complete the 'Powerplay' on 47 for 1 with Issac on 34 and the new man Roderick on 1. Sams takes the 7th as his first of the game and has imediate success as he has Isaac LBW with his first ball to make it 47 for 2. Adam Hose, once of this parish, is the next man in. He helps Roderick take his county to 50 in the 8th over off the bowling of Goldsworthy.
Craig bowls out with the 10th which the home side start at 74 for 2. He begins it with 1 for 16 from 3. He completes it giving away another 6 and at halfway the Rapids are 80 for 2.
Dan Sams starts the 11th and has Roderick caught for 29 by Overton to bring Raza to the crease at 80 for 3 - took a wicket with his first, took another with his first return ball. Lewis returns as well and Hose goes after him and he skies it for 6 to 'Buckethands' Overton out comes Brett D'Oliveira
Alfie is back for the 13th and nearly has the new man with the first ball of HIS return over but it is popped over the head of the infielder. They move past 100 for 4 from the 5th ball. Alfie is very 'not happy' after he goes for 12 off the over with two close boundaries where the ball just beat the fielder in both cases.
Sams takes the 15th and ends it at 2 for 15 at 118 for 5 and with 5 to go Raza has an ominous 17 fro 10 with D'Oliveira on 19 from 14. However they take 13 off the next Goldsworthy over with 2 huge sixes from raza making a dent in LG's 4 - 1 for 35 at 131 for 4 and Raza moves on to 30 of 17.
Meredith takes the 17th with Raza going for it. He gets some but Riley wins as he has him caught for 46 from 22 at 144 for 5 just as they bring up the 50 partnership off 23 balls.
Henry Cullan comes to the middle and helps his county pass the 150 mark in the 18th with D'Oliveira on 20 and Ciullen on 4. Meredith ends on 1 for 45 and Sams bowls out with the last at 166 for 5. They take 14 off the last and move to 180 and Sams finishes on 2 for 28 with D'Oliveira ends with 41 from 25 with Cullen on 12 from 8. Somerset need 181.
The Reply
Banton and Smeed face Taylor as first up for the Rapids. 9 off the first as Will sends the last ball to the rope. Waite takes the New Road end second over and they move to 13 but in Taylor's next, Will Smeed opens his shoulders twice but as Taylor takes the pace off the ball, he tries again and failes to clear the fielder - Allison and Somerset are 21 for 1 with Smeed back in the hutch for 15 from 7. Out comes the skipper TKC who will face the 4th from Allison. At 24 for 1 Tom KC give it the charge, cloths it and is the second victim for Worcestershire for 1 from 3 - idiotic batting I'm afraid.
James Rew comes out once more after the front end has failed to set an adequate base. He works to change that and by the end of the 'Powerplay' he has 14 from 10 and the score has moved to 42 for 2
The 50 arrives in the next over as James hits 4 boundaries off 5 balls as he goes after Mir and moves to 24 off 14 taking Somerset to 52 with a sweep for 4. Banton then starts to accelerate and Mir's next (the 9th) see bioth of them hitting out and they move to 73 for 2. Raza will return to take the 10th and they have move to 81 for 2 at the break. Rew has 35 from 26 and Banton has 28 from 22.
But it is not for James to win this one though he has moved his side on from where they were. He clips a ball from Wiate to Ali and departs for 356 from 28 at 84 for 3. This brings out his brother to replace him. This is a big ask from this side and Bants tries to push it on against Mir and he dies to D'Oliveira coming down the wicket and not missing the fielder - he goes for 30 from 26 at 86 for 4. This may be down to Thomas as there isn't a lot coming in to help him. In comes Sams before Overton and two balls later the yojnger Rew is LBW to Mir at 87 for 5 for 2. In comes Craig Overton needing 93 from 48 balls as D'Oliveira takes the ball. Too big an ask one would suggest.
They pass 100 before the 15th comes up and at 110 they lose Sams trying to find the boundary but only finding Kashif for 11 and bringing Lewis to the crease but he only stays for 5 balls scoring 3 before he is caught by Raza off Waite at 117 for 7. With 18 balls to go they need to score 63 and this game is all but over.
Overton and Shaw have a bit of a go but it's not enough, wickets fall and we lose pretty decisively. Firstly Craig goes in the 19th for 26 off 18 caught by Allison bowled by Waite at 136 for 8. Alfie comes out and he gets 4 in the over he is there before he is caught by Mir off the bowling of Allison taking his side into the last over and leaving the last 3 balls to Shaw and Meredith with no chance of making up the required runs. Josh ends with six and his partner manages 2 and the final score is 144 for 9- 36 runs short and we take the loss.
On a difficult pitch, the Rapids got away at the end of the game and we couldn't replicate it in our innings and so we move on to Derby in the mid week.
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Closed until the end of the game added to when possible
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2026:07:03:11:35:58 by Grockle.
Today's squad is
Banton, Smeed, TKC, Thomas, Rew J, Rew T, Goldsworthy, Sams, Overton, Shaw, Meredith, Ogborne, Ball, Leach
Interesting additions in the spin of Jack and Alfie included, hopefully after work on his delivery stride in the last week or so
Have the interesting task of watching the women this afternoon while also covering the livestream of the men up the motorway.
Grizzers
Sloop John B
Jason Kerr says Jake Ball (I think that's who he was referring to) has also picked up an injury to his quad muscles, further reducing our bowling options:
[somersetcountycc.co.uk]
Alfie's continuing difficulties with his run up and follow through add to our challenges.
Ho hum.
Grizzers