- BATSMENRBM4s6sSR1.1 outstanding take from Wheater! Perfect line from Cook, just back of a length and seaming away, a tentative poke from Vijay but the best was yet to come, a thin edge, dipping quickly into the cordon, but the keeper flung himself across first slip to cling on inches from the ground. Now then! 7/13.6 ping, next batsman please! Oh my word... the wickets are tumbling and the spinners haven't even begun to flex their fingers yet. Angling into the left-hander, thumping the pad ... Alex Wharf takes an eternity to make his decision, but that is certainly not going over the top ... missing leg? At a pinch ... but it looked pretty adjacent! 14/244.3 gone baby gone! Abell is beaten in flight, pinned on the back foot as Harmer bites one out of the rough, and thumps the knee-roll plumb in front of middle! It was turning square by the time it reached him, so might have been middle-and-leg at best, but it's more than good enough for Harmer's fourth, and his 82nd of the season! 126/720.4 hit on the pad again, and Bailey gives it this time! Very full from Harmer from very wide on the crease, Hildreth drops deep in the crease looking to whip it to leg and is pinned dead in front, the umpire has a long old think about it and then raises the finger! Harmer is in on the action 61/320.6 trapped on the pad again, and Banton falls second ball! Turns a mile from outside the off stump, Banton plays forward with a straight bat and is struck on the pad, and the finger is straight up this time! Somerset are approaching Harmergeddon... 61/428.5 got him this time, nudged straight to leg slip! Bartlett turns and walks as Bailey raises his finger... He was stuck in the crosshairs throughout that over, didn't seems to have a method for the ball spinning in to him, and eventually surrendered his wicket via a deflection off the shoulder of the bat 75/533.1 NOW THAT'S OUT!! Gregory pads up to a straight one! Not sure what he was thinking there, if he was thinking at all, but he shuffled down and then tried to leave a ball hitting the middle of middle. Pretty straightforward for Alex Wharf, that one 96/649.1 splat! Splinters of wood everywhere, as Bess braces himself on the back foot, and receives a scuttling in-dipper that curls wickedly and low through a half-cocked block. This opening gambit is nearly closed... 144/944.6 you can't say he wasn't warned! Quick and flat, biting the deck hard and thumping the pad as Overton slides back French-cricket style onto his stumps! He looks a bit grumpy as he departs, but that was as plum as an orchard, and Harmer has his tenth five-for of the season! EDIT: HawkEye says that was bouncing over the top of leg! As plum as an apple orchard, then ... 130/861.4 oh, there she blows... misses with a reverse-sweep and Nijjar hits off stump! Nevertheless, that's been a potentially game-changing knock from van der Merwe, thrashing the highest score of the innings from No. 10! Roll on, Roelof. Somerset in the game 203/9Extras15 (b 8, lb 3, nb 4)TOTAL203 all out (61.4 Overs, RR: 3.29)Fall of wickets: 1-7 (Murali Vijay, 1.1 ov), 2-14 (Steven Davies, 3.6 ov), 3-61 (James Hildreth, 20.4 ov), 4-61 (Tom Banton, 20.6 ov), 5-75 (George Bartlett, 28.5 ov), 6-96 (Lewis Gregory, 33.1 ov), 7-126 (Tom Abell, 44.3 ov), 8-130 (Craig Overton, 44.6 ov), 9-144 (Dom Bess, 49.1 ov), 10-203 (Roelof van der Merwe, 61.4 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ WD NB JA Porter 11 0 43 0 3.90 0 2 SJ Cook 19 9 26 4 1.36 0 0 SR Harmer 27 5 105 5 3.88 0 0 ASS Nijjar 4.4 0 18 1 3.85 0 0
- BATSMENRBM4s6sSR21.6 got him, caught between the knees! Jabbed into the midriff of Hildreth at silly mid-off and he just manages to cling on! Browne may feel a little unfortunate, but he has to head off. Finally the breakthrough comes for Somerset 35/149.4 but he's gone now, deflected gently to short leg! Cook turns to walk even as the finger goes up. Looking to defend but he couldn't get to the pitch and it turned to flick the inside edge before looping off the front pad for a simple catch 102/264.2 tossed up, draws the edge, deflects off Davies' gloves to Gregory at slip! Westley is gone after a gritty innings, it spins sharply off the pitch to nick the outside edge, and flies through off the keeper to the close fielder. Just the 14 wickets to go... 126/649.6 gone - two in the over for Leach! Lawrence playing without foot movement and steering low to COverton at gully! Do Somerset still believe?? Turn for Leach and Lawrence wasn't committed either way, brilliantly snapped up above the grass 102/356.4 loopy, spinny, hits the splice - snapped up at silly mid-off! Essex lose another, Bopara's jittery 21-ball stay ended by van der Merwe. Somerset refusing to go quietly here! 111/463.1 got him! Tendo pushes at a length ball which spills out into the off side. There's so many men around the bat that one of them has to get a hand on it, and Abell - at a sort of backward silly point position - takes a sharp catch. Muted celebrations from Somerset, who know the game is realistically up 126/568.2 gone this time! Wheater rocks back, looks to whack it away, and bottom-edges it through to the keeper! 141/1064.6 got 'im! Length ball, vicious bounce off the pitch, and edged apologetically to Vijay at slip! They couldn't, could they?! 126/767.2 tossed up, big shout, and given! Nijjar goes lbw. Reasonably full, prodding forward, struck on the pad and Nijjar is outta here! 137/867.3 cleaned him up! Cook's gone first ball! Full and straight, yorker length, and this clatters into the bottom of the off stump. A touch quicker, decent turn again, pitched on leg just in front of the boot and spun sharply to hit off. Leach on a hat-trick... 137/9Extras15 (b 12, lb 1, nb 2)TOTAL141 all out (68.2 Overs, RR: 2.06)Fall of wickets: 1-35 (Nick Browne, 21.6 ov), 2-102 (Alastair Cook, 49.4 ov), 3-102 (Dan Lawrence, 49.6 ov), 4-111 (Ravi Bopara, 56.4 ov), 5-126 (Ryan ten Doeschate, 63.1 ov), 6-126 (Tom Westley, 64.2 ov), 7-126 (Simon Harmer, 64.6 ov), 8-137 (Aron Nijjar, 67.2 ov), 9-137 (Sam Cook, 67.3 ov), 10-141 (Adam Wheater, 68.2 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ WD NB L Gregory 5 1 14 0 2.80 0 1 C Overton 4 1 7 0 1.75 0 0 MJ Leach 25 9 32 5 1.28 0 0 DM Bess 17 5 34 1 2.00 0 0 RE van der Merwe 17.2 7 41 4 2.36 0 0
- BATSMENRBM4s6sSR16.2 Bess strikes, taken at second slip! The presence of Tresco was enough! Somerset have chipped one out, Browne lured forward and only managing a thick outside edge... But is it too late? (Surely, surely it is) 38/1Extras4 (lb 4)TOTAL45/1 (18 Overs, RR: 2.5)Fall of wickets: 1-38 (Nick Browne, 16.2 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ WD NB MJ Leach 7 2 13 0 1.85 0 0 DM Bess 7 3 8 1 1.14 0 0 RE van der Merwe 4 0 20 0 5.00 0 0
Match Details
Toss
Somerset , elected to bat first
Series result
Essex won the 2019 Specsavers County Championship Division One
Season
Hours of play (local time)
10.30am start, Lunch 12.30-13.10, Tea 15.10-15.30, Close 17.30
Match days
23,24,25,26 September 2019 (4-day match)
Umpires
TV Umpires
Points
Somerset 9, Essex 8
Close of Play
- Mon, 23 Sep - day 1 - Somerset 1st innings 75/4 (TB Abell 24*, GA Bartlett 5*, 27.5 ov)
- Tue, 24 Sep - day 2 - Essex 1st innings 25/0 (NLJ Browne 16*, AN Cook 5*, 11 ov)
- Wed, 25 Sep - day 3 - no play
- Thu, 26 Sep - day 4 - Essex 2nd innings 45/1 (18 ov) - end of match
Match Coverage
All Match NewsSomerset's 12-point pitch penalty deferred to 2021
Club were docked points for 'poor' pitch in title decider against Essex
Ryan ten Doeschate drinks in the emotions after Essex seal dream double
Captain heralds blend of youth and experience after sealing Championship crown
How Essex and Somerset share values that English cricket squanders at its peril
A commitment to homegrown talent and embedded local support show county game in best light
Somerset force Essex to fight for draw to seal title on dramatic final day
Jack Leach, Roelof van der Merwe give hosts a glimpse of a miracle before Sir Alastair Cook restores order for Essex
Somerset refuse to give up on maiden title despite third-day wash-out against Essex
Belief and positivity are just about the only weapons left to Somerset; they may as well use them