Championship cricket may be new to these parts but Steven Finn is not and, as he took 4-41 to leave Somerset 185 for eight on a day deprived of 25.3 overs by a combination of murk and mizzle, it showed.
Finn played much of his age-group cricket for Hertfordshire here at Merchant Taylor’s School and on his return looked near the finished article, causing every batsman trouble, pounding in and rapping gloves and grills, testing then taking edges and castling stumps. Bowling down the hill from the Benham End, he looked rhythmical and relaxed. On Monday he has the chance to nab two more wickets before joining up with England.
In that light, that Middlesex’s Under-11s, 12s and 15s were all playing here too, not only felt highly appropriate, but gave it the feel of school sports day. This beautiful ground, overlooked by the school – which is grand in an army barracks rather than a country house way – has some wonderful quirks. The oval is ringed by trees, each of which is planted in celebration of a First XI century, while the pavilion clock is fast, meaning each session has begun four minutes early.
Finn’s timing was impeccable. Even in a frustrating morning session for Middlesex that saw a disciplined bowling performance go wicketless, he beat the bat regularly and struck Tom Abell on the hand and Marcus Trescothick on the forearm. Abell was particularly doughty, taking 51 balls to reach 10 and registering his first boundary only when Ollie Rayner bowled him a loosener in the final over before lunch. Trescothick was more fluent, driving handsomely through cover and battering an uppish cut over point. Even on a pitch that is pale in colour (but is much trickier than that suggests), 69 without loss represented a significant victory for the visitors.
That fine work was undone after the break, however, as Somerset lost four wickets for 44. First Abell feathered Finn behind, then Johann Myburgh had an unwise slash at Tim Murtagh with the same result. Finn’s pace was too much for James Hildreth, before Toby Roland-Jones pinned Trescothick plumb in front. Peter Trego twice hit Rayner through leg but was deceived by one that stayed low on the stroke of tea.
From there, it was stop-start and emphatically Middlesex. Lewis Gregory was beaten for pace, Michael Bates was hit on the helmet by Finn and the patient Jim Allenby was caught well at slip with the light fading. An over later, Murtagh had dismissed Abdur Rehman and they were off for good.
