Somerset head coach Jason Kerr has acknowledged that his team requires a favour from Leicestershire to keep alive their hopes of securing the County Championship title for the first time in the club’s history.
The Western county slipped from the top spot in Division One last week following a heavy 185-run defeat to Yorkshire. After being set a target of 214 runs with seven wickets remaining on the final day, Somerset’s batting faltered dramatically, losing those wickets while adding a mere 28 runs at Headingley.
As a result, Warwickshire now lead Somerset by 11 points ahead of the final round of fixtures, with Nottinghamshire trailing a further four points in third place.
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Thursday will see Nottinghamshire host Yorkshire, Somerset face Surrey at Taunton, and Warwickshire entertain Leicestershire-managed by former Somerset player Alfonso Thomas.
Despite the complex permutations, Kerr emphasised that Somerset must focus on winning their own match against Surrey.
“First and foremost, what we have to do is beat Surrey,” Kerr stated. “We can’t control what happens elsewhere, but we’ll certainly need a bit of luck on our side.”
Reflecting on the final-day collapse against Yorkshire, Kerr admitted, “It was incredibly disappointing. We had belief and needed to build early partnerships. The pitch, which had shown certain characteristics on the first two days, seemed to regain unusual pace and bounce on day four, which made batting extremely challenging.”
Kerr also spoke about the atmosphere within the Somerset squad. “You can feel the significance of this game out here. We fully understood what’s at stake, but unfortunately, Yorkshire outplayed us on the day.”
With much riding on the final fixtures, Somerset will hope to restore their form and leave their fate, at least in part, in the hands of Leicestershire.