Author: Mike

“Stadium tours at Somerset County Cricket Club with families enjoying not only a superb look behind the scenes with our expert tour guide, but a chance to explore the best cricket museum in the country – Somerset Cricket Museum as well, and see some of the best historical cricketing items in the world including the bat used by Lord Ian Botham in the 1981 Ashes series. If you’re in the Taunton area it’s absolutely a museum you’ve got to visit.”

“Just one of the many highlights on our Rexel Family Fun Day yesterday”.

Snippet and Video courtesy of Sean Owens – Rexel.

On the 2nd September 1973 Ian Botham made his Somerset debut against Sussex at Hove.

A famous story is told of Sir Richards’ days, playing with Lord Botham, at Somerset when Glamorgan seamer Greg Thomas beat Viv thrice in three balls. Thomas, being cheeky, reiterated a description of the ball to Viv: “THAT’S CALLED THE BALL – IT’S RED, IT’S ROUND, AND WEIGHS ABOUT FIVE OUNCES; YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO HIT IT, IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING”.

Viv was fired up. He came down the track and smashed the next ball out of the park, some say it it went into the sea. He leisurely strolled down the pitch and threw a reply to Thomas: “GREG, YOU KNOW WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, NOW GO FIND IT.

Contributed by Mark Windsor

JOEL GARNER: 🟥I had great times at Somerset. The money was incidental: we had fun. I remember playing against Sylvester Clarke at Bath and he bowled two bouncers at me. I said, “Boy, you’re not going to get me out. This game’s going to finish and there’ll be other games when I’m bowling to you. Don’t you bowl these bouncers at me.” He came off and Roger Knight came on and I told him that if Sylvester Clarke couldn’t get me out then he wasn’t going to get me out either. I hit him for three sixes over long-on and we won the game. This was a one-day game in the middle of a four-day match – so we had two days left of the four-day match when this had finished. Sylvester was expecting and waiting for a bouncer. It never came. Later in the year, we had a return game at Surrey. I knew Sylvester had forgotten. I said to Sam Cook, the umpire, “watch this”, and I bowled a slower-ball bouncer and he gloved it behind. He stood and waited for the decision and Sam just said to him, “What are you waiting for?” That’s how we played.🟥

Note Big birds words… money was incidental..
Cricket was played with a passion..for the sport…

Contributed by and with acknowledgement to Mark Windsor

On This Day 3rd August 1977 – 11,000 spectators crammed into the Ilkeston ground for this Gillette Cup quarter final between Derbyshire and @Somerset – 5 Test cricketers on either side – a game which Somerset won.

Four Test cricketers on either side. Somerset: Ian Botham, Viv Richards, Joel Garner, Brian Close; Derbyshire: Eddie Barlow, Mike Hendrick, Geoff Miller, Bob Taylor. Brian Rose (Dec 1977) & John Wright (Feb 1978) are yet to make their first Test appearance.

Borrington and Wright batting for Derbyshire and Ian Botham bowling, Viv Richards and Brian Close at slip with Joel Garner at long leg. Serious cricket!

And a comment from David Jenkins ”I was there, had the pleasure of driving the Chairman Len Creed to the match. What an innings from Rosie and a great win. Fred Swabroke a left arm dismissed Viv much to.the disappointment of the Somerset fans. Great days back then.”

and one from Mike Kerswell ”I remember it as the first time I saw Joel Garner playing for Somerset.”q

and this memory from a Derbyshire supporter ”I did my paper round first and was in the ground at 7am. Sat in front of the Somerset players in the pavilion which is where I got Viv’s autograph. Bought Closey’s benefit brochure and got Botham’s autograph at the close of play…15 years old, 45 years ago, and it feels like yesterday! ….Botham had just made his Test debut and his wife was pregnant. We queued for his autograph at the end and there must have been several hundred wanting his signature – Kathy marshalled the queue to make sure we only got one signature each!!

The Scorecard can be found here

A video link to a 1949 BBC film on making cricket bats from trees grown near Street .

With James Rew making his first team debut and Lewis Goldsworthy making his maiden first class century it was also pointed out in an article by Paul Edwards that the two young players set a fifth-wicket partnership record of 145 for Somerset against Lancashire, thereby overtaking that set by Sammy Woods and Henry Martyn at Taunton in 1905.