Tom Abell leaves the field after his innings of 152 not out helped Somerset defeat Warwickshire in the County Championship on July 3, 2024, in Taunton.
After a thrilling Vitality County Championship Division One match at Taunton, Somerset defeated Warwickshire by five wickets on the last day thanks to a well-timed century from Tom Abell.
Warwickshire 412 and 281 for 8 dec (Bethell 66, Yates 57, Davies 50, Overton 4-57) lost to Somerset 284 (Banton 78, Abell 61, Hannon-Dalby 6-56) and 413 for 5 by five wickets.
The previous captain of the club scored 152 runs without losing, off 207 balls, with 14 fours and two sixes. His team easily met their enormous target, winning with 4.2 overs remaining.
Warwickshire declared on their overnight second innings total of 281 for eight, to which Tom Banton contributed 81, James Rew 57 not out, and Tom Kohler-Cadmore 49.
In Somerset’s history, it was the second-most successful fourth innings run chase. They needed 20 points from the match to move up to second place in Division One, whereas Warwickshire could only manage seven.
Somerset recognized that a strong start was essential when pursuing a target this size. Andy Umeed came into the game with a good attitude and made 30 of the 44 runs he scored by edging past wicketkeeper Michael Burgess after wafting at an Oliver Hannon-Dalby delivery.
To guarantee a strong start, Kohler-Cadmore showed excellent discipline, but when Tom Lammonby top-edged a pull shot attempt from Michael Booth and fell for 26, Ed Barnard made a tumbling catch at fine leg, and Kohler-Cadmore lost another partner.
The penultimate over before lunch, which was taken at 117 for two, saw Kohler-Cadmore open his shoulders and send left-arm spinner Jacob Bethell over long-on for six. Having restrained his natural attacking tendencies for much of the morning, the former Yorkshire star was undefeated on 35.
Abell was 25 not out as the two finished a half-century stand off 92 balls in the afternoon session. However, with the score at 144, Kohler-Cadmore took a wide shot off Hannon-Dolby over the leg side and gained a thick edge to third man, where Barnard dropped his second catch.
With an on-driven boundary off Hannon-Dalby, Abell reached fifty off 92 balls, but he and Banton wisely took few chances to ensure Warwickshire could not score any more runs before tea. Across 76 deliveries, Banton scored four fours and one six during his half-century.
Somerset needed 188 runs from at least 33 overs going into the last session. After Abell and Banton reached their century partnership in 158 balls, Banton launched an assault, hitting Bethell for six over long-on.
As the runs started to come in more frequently, Somerset began to appear favorites. On a ground that usually scores runs quickly, they needed a further 131 with 25 overs to go.
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A wicket was sorely required by Warwickshire. The effort to push a short ball from Barnard through the leg-side occurred with the score on 281 when Banton, who has made enormous advances as a red-ball cricket player this season, picked out Yates at mid-wicket. After facing 109 balls, he had struck two sixes and seven fours.
Migael Pretorius was elevated by Somerset in an attempt to score fast runs. When the South African top-edged a catch to cover off Will Rhodes, he had mustered 14 from ten balls. With five wickets at 299, the hosts needed 111 from the last 20 overs.
Rew was brought in as a result; he had trouble scoring this summer following a successful 2023 campaign. The left-hander hit a superb extra cover drive for four against Rhodes, and then Abell hit a single off Barnard to finish a chanceless 171 balls, including nine fours.
It was almost time for the second new ball to be due. After Bethell was slog-swept for four, Rew hit a straight six the next ball. The umpires said that there were at least 16 overs remaining in the game and that 85 remained to be completed.
Warwickshire took a while to take the new ball, maybe thinking it would be harder to hit a softer one for a boundary. Rhodes instead turned to Dan Mousley, handing the match’s opening bowl to the off-spinner.
A foolish risk, as Mousley’s two overs ended in a 12-run collapse. After Abell and Rew finished a half-century stand off 51 deliveries, there were just 11 overs remaining and 54 runs needed when Oliver Hannon-Dalby was given the new ball.
After that, the two let loose to end the match with a barrage of boundaries, with Abell capping an incredible day with a six off Booth and Rew finishing with a 51-ball fifty.
