Somerset County Cricket Club has issued a formal apology following repeated floodlight failures during their thrilling Vitality Blast match against Glamorgan on Thursday night at the Cooper Associates County Ground in Taunton.
The floodlights unexpectedly went out on three separate occasions — twice early in Glamorgan’s innings and once again with only four balls remaining — disrupting what was an electrifying contest. Despite the interruptions, Glamorgan secured a dramatic four-wicket victory on the last ball.
Somerset, batting first after losing the toss, posted 202 for six. Captain Lewis Gregory led the charge with an explosive 54 off 28 balls, sharing a vital 90-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Tom Abell, who contributed 41 runs. Dan Douthwaite was Glamorgan’s most effective bowler, taking two wickets for 35 runs from four overs.
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In their reply, Glamorgan reached 194 for five from 19.2 overs. Sean Dickson stood out with a quick-fire 63 off 36 balls, while Asa Tribe added a valuable 48. The match was ultimately decided by Jimmy Neesham, who smashed the winning boundary off the final delivery despite the floodlight interruptions.
This was not the first time Somerset experienced lighting issues this season. Earlier in the County Championship against Sussex, similar unpredictable outages occurred. In response, club officials commissioned expert investigations and carried out extensive tests on the lighting infrastructure and power supply. Although no direct faults were found, additional preventative measures were put in place within the distribution room to tackle potential problems.
A statement from Somerset acknowledged the issue and outlined their commitment to resolving it: “Significant time has been devoted to investigating the floodlight failures, but the exact cause remains unknown. We will undertake a deeper intervention involving our floodlight supplier, Musco, and the National Grid power provider to diagnose and rectify the issue promptly.”
The club apologised to all attendees, players, officials, and broadcast partners for the disruptions that affected the match experience. They also thanked supporters for their patience and praised the unwavering atmosphere at the ground.
On the field, Somerset’s innings began with a rapid 50-run opening partnership between Tom Banton and Josh Thomas. Banton was particularly aggressive, hitting five fours and two sixes in his 39 runs before being caught off former Somerset bowler Ned Leonard, who conceded 50 runs in three overs.
Despite Glamorgan’s early setback of losing two wickets for 29 runs, they fought back fiercely. Kiran Carlson launched two sixes off the bowling of Craig Overton and Josh Shaw in the opening overs. Although the floodlight failures caused disruptions, play resumed with one of the lights still off.
Sean Dickson capitalised on a missed catch to accelerate Glamorgan’s innings, reaching his fifty in 33 balls. Daniel Sams then dismissed Dickson with a clever slower ball, but Asa Tribe continued to build momentum with boundaries before being caught off a full toss.
Coming down to the final over, Glamorgan needed 16 runs off six balls. Dan Douthwaite hit a six but was soon caught after another blackout. This set the stage for Jimmy Neesham to clinch the win with a boundary through the leg side.
Following this dramatic loss, Somerset also suffered defeat against Gloucestershire the next day, casting doubt over their prospects of defending their Vitality Blast title. They will look to rebound when they host Warwickshire on Sunday afternoon. Their next floodlit fixture is scheduled for Friday, June 26, against Gloucestershire.