Marcus Trescothick will be 40 on Christmas Day and he bats with glasses these days but his enduring value to Somerset was shown on Tuesday when the club pushed a fresh contract under his nose.
It is just for one year (hopefully he didn’t read that as 10 when he signed on the dotted line). Next season will be his 24th at Taunton, for he arrived in 1993, when Jurassic Park came out.
In the long shadows of the early evening Trescothick compiled a masterful and unbeaten 67 as Somerset counter-attacked to dominate the opening day of their relegation-haunted fixture with Hampshire.
The losers could well go down. Worcestershire have played a game more and are bottom, with the trapdoor creaking beneath their nervous feet; this match could decide who will accompany them.
Somerset have not won in five matches, and are still smarting from their defeat by Yorkshire. No shame there. Hampshire, meanwhile, have revitalised their hopeless looking season with resounding back-to-back victories against Warwickshire and Durham, with the former West Indies fast bowler Fidel Edwards collecting 16 wickets in those matches.
They appeared to carry that confidence and momentum into this game, even after being put in to bat on a pitch looking as green as Caroline Lucas and with a heavy cloud cover.
In the morning it had been another former England left-hand opener, Michael Carberry, who appeared to hold the match in his hands, with a fluent half century. But Hampshire’s openers made gifts of their wickets. Jimmy Adams was run out with a direct hit from the extra-cover boundary by Jamie Overton as he ambled a third run and then Carberry played a careless drive and was out for an 87-ball 59, with 11 fours.
After lunch Jim Allenby swung the match towards Somerset with a slip catch and then three wickets in six balls – some effort when you consider before this he had taken just 13 wickets in 13 matches all season, at an average of 39.3.
In the third over after lunch James Vince, driving, was caught by Allenby at first slip off the bowling of Lewis Gregory; 146 for three. Then Allenby the bowler swept through Hampshire’s middle order.
It was 172 for four when Will Smith, on the front foot, was caught behind. And in his next over, with the score on 176, Allenby had two in two. Sean Ervine was surprised by one that left him and was caught behind, as was Adam Wheater who, on the front foot, gave Luke Ronchi his fourth catch.
There were three more to come for the New Zealander, who was playing his first championship match at Taunton, as he equaled Robert Turner’s club record of seven dismissals in an innings.
Jamie Overton also picked up four wickets as Hampshire lost eight for 108 runs in the morning session.
Somerset completed Hampshire’s displeasure when Trescothick and Tom Abell added an unbeaten 147 for the first wicket. Before Hampshire bowled we were told that 9.9% Edwards’ deliveries had been hit for boundaries, the highest rate of anyone to have bowled 100 overs in either division this year. To underline the point Trescothick smacked him for four fours at he start of his innings.
Ronchi said: “It was a good day for everyone. I’ve never had seven catches in an innings before. We were trying too hard in the morning but we had a chat at lunch. It was just a question making the ball swing and being boring, because there was enough in the conditions without trying to do too much.”
