Blast Game 5 - Up to Bristol on a Friday
By Grockle
June 5 2026
We face the 'Bristolians' with an unchanged side from the one that narrowly lost a technically strange game against our other local rivals Glamorgan last night in Taunton. Can the guys bounce back at a cold and overcast Bristol venue tonight? Jordan Hermann makes his away debut in T20 garb tonight
Blast Game 5 - v Gloucestershire @ Bristol Friday 5 June 2026
It's a June game with more of a feel of mid April tonight but a decent crowd is here to see the contest. Gloucestershire won the toss and elected to bowl first.
The Somerset side is unchanged from last night's 4 wicket defeat by the Welsh;
Banton, Thomas, Hermann, Abell, Rew T, Gregory, Sams, Goldsworthy, Overton, Ball, Shaw.
They couldn't defend 200 last night. Can they post something nearer that than 150 tonight. A surprise that Thomas Rew is still available for this game as a number of players related to yesterday 's games rushed to Grace Road last night to play against Spouth Africa A for the Lions including Asa Tribe and Thomas' older brother James. He may not be completely finished with exams and therefore did not travel last night. he is therefore with us today but is probably doubtful for Sunday's hiome game against Wwarwickshire. Jordan Hermann will make his away debut for us tonight, while Josh Shaw returns to his old county for the first time since moving. We will also face Marchant de Langer once more.
Tom Banton and Josh Thomas come out to face Matt Taylor and Tom is bowled first ball. He just failed to read the length of that one and he is on his way back to the dressing room. So Jordan Hermann is in with the opportunity to face 119 balls tonight.
3 for 1 after the first and Ollie Price takes the second. Josh puts the first one over the rope for six at the end of that one to move Somerset to 14. Jansen, one South African bowls to Jordan our South African and the Glos guy wins the contest as he has ours LBW for 3 at 14 for 2. In comes Tom Abell with a hell of a job to do. This is definitely not going well at the start.
Jansen completes a wicket maiden with that 3rd over in the 'Powerplay' and after that Matt Taylor changes ends. Josh hits him for a one bounce four off his first ball. They move to 25 for 1 and Marchant is in for the 5th and he gets the treatment from Tom A first ball as he is dimissed to the boundary. Marchant then bounces Josh who takes it on but only hooks the ball to Taylor inside the circle and he is gone for 21 from 11 at 30 for 3. The order then changes as Lewis Goldsworthy is promoted up the order to be next in. Jansen returns forthe last over of the 'first phase'. With a ball to go, Tom A flips the ball to D'Arcy Short at midwicket and he is gone for 5 from 9 at 33 for 4. Jansen has 2 for 2 !! A very poor 'Powerplay' for the visitors.
In comes Thomas Rew to face Craig Miles for the first time tonight. We move on by 4 at the end the 7th. The 8th is taken by Jack Taylor and he goes for 9 from his first. I'm not sure if Thomas will have played with MdL. He is now facing the pace of the big man in the 9th and the 50 comes up at the end of it off 52 balls. That is as far as it goes until the 10th over, the first of D'arcy Short.
At the end of the 10th we have staggered to 54 for 4 with Thomas Rew on 11 from 9 while Lewis Goldsworthy is on 10 from 19. There's a lot to do in the second half of this one to make a game of it.
Miles is back for the 11th and Thomas takes him on and moves to his highest score in T20 cricket by the middle of the over after 2 boundaries moves him to 19 from 11. Unfrotunately, Goldsworthy top edges the next one and it is so high that Bracey is able to run back and catch the ball just inside the circle. Lewis goes for 11 from 21 at 64 for 5. Out comes Lewis Gregory and he will face Short's spinion the 12th. 72 for 5 after this one courtesy of a final ball reverse sweep from the younger Rew.
Matt Taylor provides his third over for the 13th. No boundaries in this one but there was a wide so the score goes up by 6 before Rew looks to hook the last ball over the rope but he comes up short and he goes for 27 from 17 caught by Joe Phillips inside the boundary and it is 78 for 6. He looked good but you can only continue to do that IF you stay in. His highest professional T20 score but he's gone and he is replaced by Daniel Sams who will not die wondering against Taylor. However, he is beaten by the first ball and is given out LBW at 79 for 7. Overton is in midway through the 14th.The new Somerset pair make it to the end of the 14th. They then face the 15th from MdL. With 5 to go we are 85 for 7.
Taylor starts the last 25% of the innings and we take 6 singles from the 16th to move to 91 as Jansen returns with 2/1/2/2 so it is not going to be all that easy to move the score on!! They'll struggle to pass 120 at the moment. They may not get past 100 in this over even. Gregory flashes hard to the third and top edges over the keeper for four. He then carves away to the boundary for four to bring up 101 for 7. It looks like the pair are getting the long handle out. Craig nudges the last of the over to four and it is 106 for 7 with 18 balls to go.
Miles will bowl the 18th and he remains tight having only gone for 15 before this one started. The skipper looks to ramp but misses the ball and it is only 110 for 7 with 12 balls to go. Not enough I'm afraid people as MdL takes the penultimate one. It starts with a huge flipped six from his ex partner bowler COve he then gets the boss on strike. He hooks the next but he doesn't get all of it. It's a wide anyway for height. Overton get another single and the skipper guides his next towards the boundary to move into the 120s with a two. He then sixes the next into the flats however. The last ball is very well taken low catch and Gregory has gone for 33 from 27 to Phillps from MdL. 128 for 8 brings Josh Shaw onto a pitch he knows well.
Jansen bowls to Overton who misses the first and takes a single from the second. Shaw swings nowhere near the third and he gets his partner back on with the fourth. That allows Craig to six the fifth and he misses the last but they run a single anyway with Bracey missing the stumps. 137 for 8 with a bye. Gloucestershire need 138 and they will get them without too much trouble one would imagine. Craig finishes 28 from 19 and Josh was not out 1. Josgh Thomas and Thomas Rew both recorded their highest T20 scores but in a total that will not be enough most seem to believe.
The Reply
Somerset will not be able to defend this so they have to go hunting wickets as Craig bowls the first over, first to Hammond who hits his second ball for a one bounce four. His partner Short is almost run out at the non striker's end as Overton nearly get a hand to one. Short gets a single on the first he faces while the over ends with 6 for 0 missing out on the RRR on the first by 0.95 of a run. ShaW takes the second - it wasn't all that successful last night and his first is blasted by Short for four off his first. It wasn't middled but it did go and that is what matters in the end. The third IS middled by Hammond over the top of mid-off for a second boundary. He goes for 12 and they move to 18 without loss - they are ahead in the second.
In the third over Hammond comes down the pitch and he doesn't get the ball over Thomas Rew at extra cover and he goes at 18 for 1. Hammond leaves for 12 from 9. In comes Cornishman Joe Phillips to hold his end as the over ends for only 1 more run at 19 for 1. The RRR has moved up to 7 an over.
Gregory takes the fourth and 14 from Darcy Short from the bat plus 4 wides means they take 20 off the captain's first. 39 for 1 after 4 moves the RRR down to just above 6!! Craig takes the 5th and keeps the home bats honest going for only 2 and 9 from his first 3.
41 for 1 brings on Ball and he sees his first go over Hermann's head for six. The next brings up the 50 with a boundary moving Short to 31 and Gloucecstershire to 51. Before the end of the over Short sends the largest six of the evening into the crowd. The over continues with 6,4, dot, 6 ,4, dot Somerset cannot defend small targets as the 'Powerplay' goes for 61 for 1.
Craig is bowled out with the 7th (why not, we won't need him at the end). Short hits consecutive boundaries to bring up a 50 partnership which Taylor has contributed four. Short goes to 50 from 22 balls as Craig finishes with 4 overs 1 for 21 and they have moved to 73 for 1.
Sams takes the 8th as the RRR moves to 5 an over. Phillips doesn't get much and he top edges for 6 off 11 caught by the sub Ogborne (on for Tom Abell). 74 for 2 brings Jack Taylor out to bat - seemingly keeping the right hand/left hand combination. Daniel is hunting with every ball and the infield are keeping the pressure on as the 8th ends with 75 for 2.
Lewis Gregory looks to get his bowling back in line with his second with 16 to his name from the first. A bottom edge cut goes to the boundary past Banton and the 9th ends on 84 for 2. The RRR has dropped below 5 as we take the 10th. Sams sees the first of his next over upper cut for six from Taylor taking him to 15. Taylor then cuts his third ball for four and the home side need 42 from the second half of the innings at 96 for 2. Presently they'll need another 3 or four overs for that to be completed.
Shaw returns for the 11th and Taylor sixes his second ball to bring up 103 for 2. Short has hardly moved since his 50 while Taylor has 27 from 15. Josh has good balls but there is atleast a boundary in most of his overs unfortunately. They need 31 from 9 overs.
Ball is back for his second having gone for 20 from his first. He 'improves' by only going for 9!!
As Glos need 22, Sams comes on for his third and once more Thomas Rew drops a catch ion the boundary. Not easy but a professional should take it, it also squirts under him and goes for four. Short goes again next ball and Craig does take the catch at 121 for 3. Short wins the match with an excellent 63 from 33. He is replaced by Charlesworth and he helps Taylor move the score to 123 for 3. 15 needed from 42 balls as Ball bowls what might be the last as it is 1 run less than was needed when he bowled against Glamorgan last night.
He starts with a leg bye and then two dots before Charlesworth nearly dies but hits it in the air into a gap and gets 2. The next is a six off a no ball which is a foot fault and therefore a free hit with 5 required for the win. What a fitting way for this game to end. Charlesworth goes for it but misses. There is a ball left in the over and a single puts Charlesworth on strike to Shaw in the 15th needing four and he needs one ball smacking a one bounce four for the victory by 7 wickets.
That is the first time Somerset have lost three games in a row in FIVE years and we may very well be looking at when we last lost four in a row on Sunday. This bowling attack cannot defend small targets and presently our batting cannot post large ones. Very disappointing but most thought it was definitely on the cards before the game started. Oh Dear. On to a home match double header against Warwickshire on Sunday.
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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2026:06:07:15:11:00 by Grockle.
Banton
Thomas
Hermann
Abell
T Rew
Goldsworthy
Gregory
Sams
Vaughan
Overton
Shaw
Pretorius
Ogborne
Ball
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:06:05:12:53:54 by Grockle.
Well that helps, though I hope he and Josh Thomas get some catching practice in before walking out for the Bristol fixture.
Edit. Sorted now.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:06:05:19:01:18 by Railboy1.
: Josh Shaw has bowled 9 0 98 1
Average 98.00 Economy 10.88
Jake Ball 8 0 100 2
Average 50.00 Economy 12.5
If the management don’t recall Alfie and Miggy for these 2 then I despair .
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2026:06:05:22:07:59 by Devonboy70.
As I said in the report, we presently cannot defend small totals and we presently also don't have the batting chops to score big totals consistently