No Long format ECB ban so here we go!! CC1 2026
By Grockle
March 15 2026
As the ECB slap a ban on talking to any player involved in the winter Ashes about the performances we look at the county game they are furiously trying to get themselves as far away from as possible!! Somerset will start their 19th season in the 4 day top flight on 4 April. What do we have and what might we expect?
The Championship - Is it really important?
The question about the future of the 4 day game into the next decade will be one that haunts the corridors of cricket power over the next few years. Grockles personal view of the future is not all that optimistic but we'll keep track on the long term prospects. However, we start another 4 day campaign at home against Nottinghamshire in 19 days at the time of writing so where are we at the start of our 19th consecutive season in the top flight?
As I set this first 2026 season feature up the question is - "Is the 4 day squad complete?".
Many hope the answer is "No" and that there is an announcement before the official Press Day on the 30th of March of a second international bowler to join the Somerset Championship front line in the Spring. Matt Henry is not available as he is in playing in the IPL before he joins his country side to play a series of white ball games in England in the summer.
We have 2 overseas bowling choices for the Vitality Blast which I'll deal with nearer that competition start.
Presently we have the welcome return of Migael in all formats and nothing else. This is no disrespect to Mr Pretorius but the loss of a chunk of our experienced bowling attack in the winter has left a hole that needs filling. Kasey has gone to look for another environment to develop after not really kicking on at Taunton to an adequte degree. Josh D has quite rightly moved for the chance to extend his career further than Somerset were probably likely to offer and "Greener" has gone looking for more county cricket after we did not really show a commitment to playing him in our CC1 side regularly. They are all perfectly valid reasons for leaving - maybe the Ben Green loss might be the one we feel the most but we'll have to see.
However it does leave a question about the depth of our CC1 bowling resources and the lack of an announcement about another signing has people wondering about what it says regarding the club's commitment to a really serious attempt to get their hands on the only trophy supporters see as missing from the cabinet.
The Bowling
Having listened to Craig Overton at an early 2026 'Walkers and Talkers' Q and A, there is no doubt where our premier bowler's mind is. He wants to bowl, he wants to win the CC1 trophy and he wants to do it with Somerset. His captain Lewis Gregory will also be laser focused on that as an aim in the early part of the season and they will expect Migael to be keen to support that effort. However, all three of these men, while vital, are also liable to injury and people have to ask how much pressure can the club put on them and what happens if they then crack under it?
With Jack Leach in the slow bowling spot for us for the whole season, unless England suddenly realise they have no-one better and with Archie, Josh Thomas and Lewis Goldsworthy all available to extend that role when necessary we have backups there. But how valuable those bowlers will be in the early spring conditions is debatable at the best of times so we will be looking for them to more likely come to the party in a significant manner in the late summer and early autumn games when a lot of the CC1 questions may have already been decided.
So what other seam options are available to us for the very, very important early games in the 4 day season?
If we are not "in the mix" by the start of the Blast sessions then we are simply not "in the mix" at all and maybe spending our later time simply confirming (for another season) our presence in the 2027 CC1 line-up rather than pushing to be champions.
The seam resources for the start of the season after what one would expect would be our set 3 seamers in early games includes;
Jake Ball extending his time for us because of very valuable contributions in the Metrobank and later CC1 games last season. He is experienced, more solid than some expected him to be and can question bats on his day. But is he an opening partner for Craig? Probably not and as a 4th seamer he is also definitely a number 10 or 11 bat. He can make valuable contributions but can he turn a game on its head? He may be asked to more than once if he is picked.
New boy Josh Shaw, coming in on a 3 year contract from Gloucestershire, he is the real conundrum in our bowling attack for 2026. His strength is probably more white ball centered and many are unsure why we have provided him with a long contract on the basis of where he is in his game and what he has provided so far in his career.
Taunton will be new to him and how we expect to use him will probably be new to the supporters. Is he the piece we are missing from our 4 day line-up? Very little suggests that is the case based on past results but we have been here before with bowlers who have come West with little in terms of reputation and made the place their own. Fans certainly hopedfor something (as they did with Ball) when his signing was announced but I'm not sure how high those hopes are for 4 day glory. But we've put the money on the counter and Josh has signed to make his name here - we have to hope they see something in the man he has yet to show to the paying public and Taunton is going to be the place where he shows it. He will most probably start as a member of the attack in early CC1 games and we'll take it from there.
Alfie Ogborne has been waiting for this season. This is the first where he is seen as a significant frontline option in an uninjured lineup. As such it is a very important season for the left armer and he needs to show us that the winter has been one of development and that unquenchable enthusiasm he has to play for his county can be turned into real results in terms of wickets. There are those who suggest he will suffer from a lack of access because of other signings but we all have to hope that Somerset is a meritocracy and bowlers play because they are the best at what they do and add to the side more than others. If we want to keep promising new talents at Taunton, we have to offer that opportunity, alongside being honest with players if it isn't working there. This is an important season for Alfie and we can only hope the best for him and the contributions he can make to the side.
JT Langridge the other homegrown 'newbie' looking to stake a claim in the longer format this season. He came back in the Metrobank 2025 after an ordeal of fire as a teenager in the 2023 version and then a season where he was sidelined with injury in 2024. The 'JT' we saw last year was aggressive and had something else we need - pace. He could not play in the last games of the CC1 last year but we have to hope that the winter has been good to him and he takes whatever opportunities he gets in the early part of this year to make a mark that cannot be ignored. He stands with Alfie as a player we need to have faith in if he shows he merits that faith and we are looking forward to good performances from the young man as he looks to establish himself in a changing bowling attack.
Alongside this bowling roster we have others looking at the 'allrounder' category to contribute to the bowling. Tom Lammonby had a very successful Metrobank with the ball last year and is definitely another left arm option in games where he is primarily in as a bat. Tom Abell in another "W and T" session expressed his desire to get back to using the ball for Somerset when asked to after a couple of frustrating years dealing with injuries that curtailed that option if he wanted to continue to bat. Kain Roberts is most definitely eyeing up that number 7/8 spot in his future as a bat who bowls though it is probably 2027 when he looks to pounce on it. There is also James Theedom looking at making a claim in 2027 to a bowling spot as a new member of the full squad this season.
So there are options and we will need the depth. The doubts come around how much match winning quality there is in that 'depth'. Is this an exciting, developing, bowling attack looking to build on the experience of the older members and then move into their places as they retire out of them? Who is the new ball partner for Cove? Which of the bowlers we presently have will contribute over 30 wickets this season to add to those of Overton, Gregory and Pretorius? Who can we turn to when the opposition is down, to offer the bowling 'coup de grace'? Who steps up if the frontline falters and cannot do it because of injury?
There are hopes and there are doubts. The hopes would be bolstered by the signing of a significant, experienced and NOT semi 'over the hill' overseas addition to the squad. Supporters aren't looking for a 35 plus name who used to be quite good in internationals but rather a significant investment in a player at the front of their career who might come back a number of times but would provide that jolt we need when the chips are down and the trophy is on the line.
In the last couple of weeks a lot has been said about Brett Randell, the Kiwi we gave 3 games to the September of the 2024 season (he only featured in 2 of them) when he became the only man in history to take 5 wickets in 5 balls in a first class game for Central Districts against Northern Districts this NZ summer. Is he a prospect? Well not on the preformances from the autumn of 2024 but maybe on the basis of two years development since that time. We would obviously have looked at him after his time in Taunton and I'm sure if there is something there we will have kept an eye on it. We need someone of his age but we also need someone who can prove their worth quickly in the West Country. He's a name. I'm sure there are others. but time is ticking away and nothing seems to be on the horizon or if it is, it is very well hidden. Watch EVERY space in the next fortnight!!
The Batting
This is a clearer picture in some ways and still muddy in others. We have the following options for the start of the 2026 season. The following players have batting prowess worth looking at in the top six. In no particular order
Archie Vaughan, James Rew, Thomas Rew, TKC, Tom Abell, Will Smeed, Tom Lammonby, Fin Hill, Lewis Gregory, Josh Thomas, Lewis Goldsworthy
You'll notice there is no mention of Tom Banton in that list because he will not be available for any cricket with us until at best a couple of weeks before the Blast gets underway because of his IPL contract with the Gujirat Titans. Tom Kohler-Cadmore is there because family issues have meant he has chosen to stay in England rather than go to the IPL for the start of the summer. This is so he is near his family and so will be unusually available to play for Somerset in the Championship from the first game.
Therefore looking at the top six spaces, there are probably 4 spaces already inked in. Archie Vaughan will open (but with who you might ask!!). Tom Lammonby pretty much put his name strongly on the number 3 spot last year and he will most likely start there (why change a good thing?). He may be moved forward as the England influence to get James Rew into the top three may see him coming in earlier than 5 or 6 (he did do that a lot last year). Tom Abell will also be in that batting line-up. Unless Lewis Gregory is used as an opener (and that must only be an option when he is limited in his bowling involvement) one would assume he will go back to number 7. This means that 2 spots are up for grabs if these players fit where they have before.
The most important one is the other opening bat. If we assume Vaughan is one of the starting pair who is his partner?
TKC has been tried before but also found it hard last year to get into the 4 day side and Banton being out suggests that number 5 might be more of an option for him. Will Smeed rethrew his hat into the 4 day ring last season after trying a 'white ball only' contract and then realising he needed the cricket to extend his already formidable talent with a bat. Is he an opener? Josh Thomas ended last season with a much improved quality of temperament after a very successful 50 over contest with some very significant performances with the bat at times of extreme pressure. Is he the solution to this knotty problem at the front end? It would mean a very inexperienced pairing against the new shiny ball. Lewis Goldsworthy has already shown his temperament can be put to good use as a stable part of any partnership. He has the shots and he also has the experience plus the 'big boy pants' required to put it on the line when required. Maybe they'll go back to Lammonby and hope his stability at 3 can be transferred to opener now he's a little older and wiser.
Then you have the other spot. The 'masterblaster' option at 5 or 6 who is picked in the hope that the front end fires and this bat gets the option to kick an innings into high gear and take the game away from the opponents. We've already mentioned TKC as an option here. Is Will Smeed better used here than up the front end? Is he actually now ready for 4 day cricket after not really showing it as a significant aspect of his game pre the 2023 'white ball' choice. Then there is 'wunderkind' Thomas Rew England U19 50 over captain and World Cup runner-up at the age of 18 (after first starting the job at 16). He has 'A' levels this year so maybe the start of this season is a little too early but do they want to check what he has in his 4 day tank just yet? Maybe not? Lewis Gregory may move up the order from the batting allrounder spot at 7 and open that spot up for someone else?
Finally, simply on the strength of his ability to get involved in games when they became very sticky last year we have the burgeoning talent with the bat that is Fin Hill. On more than one occasion when the front end faltered in the last part of last season this young man came in, steadied the ship and took it forward with class and calm. This may not be his year but you never know and he certainly is a stubborn and talented batting prospect for the second half of the 20's and beyond so don't write him off too early.
So, there we have the first assessment of the long format side and its prospects for the new season. I'm not going to even try and create a set eleven for the first game. I will go out on a limb enough to suggest that;
Archie Vaughan, Tom Lammonby, Tom Abell, Lewis Gregory, James Rew, Craig Overton, Migeal Pretorius (if here) and Jack Leach will be in the first CC1 side. Who will joing them or replace them? Well that is for the thread that this will now head.
As a unit I do fall on the side of thinking that we do not presently have the strength in the bowling unit to make a strong claim to the 2026 CC1 title. I do believe we need more to start the season and hold the line while some of the resources we will introduce settle into a first team role and find their first team feet. I hope to be wrong but I also hope the club will calm the doubts by putting their money into a significant bowling (though overseas resoiurces don't look all that plentiful) name to join this team before the end of March.
Enjoy, comment and I'll see you on the 4th of April to start the task of getting some of the answers to the questions asked here.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:04:03:19:34:13 by Grockle.
Perhaps the club has a ‘marquee’ bowling signing up its sleeve. I don’t know whether cricket recruitment is comparable with football, but it would make sense to keep such a name secret to deter other potential (no doubt richer) suitors at bay.
Someone from the Southern Hemisphere, coming off the back of the season at home and ready to hit the ground running, would be an exciting prospect for the early CC games.
As you say, a realistic tilt at the Championship depends on three or four early wins but would be scuppered by that many defeats. It’s definitely worth pushing out the boat for the right bowler.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:03:15:14:43:48 by Wiltshire55.
Much as I think Messrs Ogbourne & Langridge will have plenty to offer, we look short of at least one experienced pace bowler, particularly having regard to the likely inevitability of injuries coming along.
Sincerely hope that there is something going on in the background to facilitate a potent addition to our team sheet, albeit time is certainly running thin.
Grizzers
Suggests to me that they don’t deem the County Championship as a priority despite the noises made by the powers that be at club.
On the seam bowlers we have available Overton and Gregory aren’t getting any younger. Both have had their injury problems. With regards to the other options, the return of Migael Pretorius is very much welcome, however he also had his injury issues last summer. Jake Ball at age of 35 brings experience and without being disrespectful his best years from time at Nottinghamshire are long gone. Our new recruit Josh Shaw’s red ball record is underwhelming and no more than average. As Grockle has alluded to I also see him more as white ball bowler. Alfie Ogborne I really hope can step up for us as he’ll be needed given the limited resources and does swing the ball so could be very useful option early season. For me JT Langridge is still quite raw and has struggled with injuried early in his career. Got good pace and another left arm option we could utilise in short spells when called upon.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:03:15:21:11:31 by Cleavo87.
I think Ned Leonard knew his position and took action for the good of his future and you can't blame him for that.
Kasey has a lot to prove at Durham but I'm still not sure he'll prove it at a consistent level.
Sonny is still a promising 'possible' and though he is getting interest because of his pace I can't yet bring myself to see him as anything but a possible bowling asset as he is just one biggish injury away from being a non starter. It's there but I'm not sure the body can make it happen regularly.
Don't personally have the same doubts about Ben. I honestly think he was turning into the batting bowler we needed for the eventual retirement of Lewis. Unfortunately the faith in him as a 4 day asset was not there, I think that was wrong and he may show us what we sent to Leicestershire before the end of the decade. But that is done.
The jury is out on where we stand but they will return with their verdict by about July unless there is more evidence to provide them before their dlieberations. Not sure how hopeful I am of a 'not guilty' verdict looking at case as it presently stands.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:03:15:20:47:10 by Grockle.
I wouldn't be surprised if Green returns at some stage, as Peter Trego did.
Being in the top division of the Championship is of more importance to Somerset as a non franchise county than any other I would suggest because our future is probably less 'determined' than some of the other 10 as long as we are a thorn in the ECB's side. We stop being that in the Second tier and that is most definitely where the present central authorities would like us to be.
This is far more of a gamble than some believe it to be IMO but hopefully, what do I know
“As per overseas, when and if we have news we will of course share through the official channels.”
Didn’t exactly fulfil me with confidence.
Noticed the club put up an interview with Jason Kerr on pre season tour in Desert Springs Southern Spain and how pre season prep was going. No mention or question on overseas recruitment oddly.
But we'll have to see in the next couple of weeks
. The second is the loss of Jack Leach's central contract (ditto, with knobs on and more fool them).
I want Somerset to win the CC as much as anyone on here. And all of those involved in running things from Somerset HQ will be the same. But it's sadly the truth that the financial success of the county depends, probably more than ever, on a successful T20 campaign. Somerset has an excellent record of selling out all their home Blast fixtures. (Was this the case last year? I seem to recall more comms from the club in my emails and on Twitter selling tickets close to the deadline than in previous years). Will the new group matches prove as "sellable" as those last year? Three of the home matches are the same fixtures as before - against Hampshire (our "out of group" home fixture), Glamorgan and them lot from up the road. The first two of those appear scheduled for Sky coverage, which might affect ticket sales. Will ticket sales for Warks/Worcs/Northants prove as easy as Surrey/Msex/Essex/Kent/Sussex?
At the end of the day, securing a home quarterfinal would go a fair way to filling the hole the ECB has made in Somerset's anticipated T20 income. As with all counties, the fruits of the magic money tree that was the 1OO sell off - a single-year, admittedly bounteous crop - can not be used for day-to-day costs. (But for the chosen seven, five of whom are now competing in division 1 of the Championship, ongoing income associated with hosting will, I'm sure, be available for them to use as they please).
This year is a crucial year financially for the non-hundred 11 (if you're wondering, I include Middlesex in here). The ECB appear to pay lip service at best to the concept of an 18-county domestic structure. In a world where some influential people make little secret of their indifference to a reduction in the number of first-class counties, Somerset's oft-trumpeted position as an example of a small county with excellent management needs to be maintained.
Of course, if the county turns round and announces another early season overseas player at noon tomorrow, I will bow my head then celebrate with the rest of you. Whilst suggesting that my overlong diatribe worked in a similar way as the "reverse jinx".
Sorry.
Grizzers
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Not enough Dukes for the start of the season. Where are they made?
So if anyone is flying home from India and can fit a couple if boxes in their luggage, get in touch with Lord's.
It's a shame they hadn't realised this sooner; I think the ECB chartered a plane to get the T20 WC squad home ftom India. I'm sure they could have found room for a few hundred balls on the flight.
)Gosh!! what an effective organiser that man is
Working so hard at getting things moving.
When is it to be?
2 days before the start of the CC season. At least it wasn't on APRIL 1st - at least he waited a day!!!
England's Brendon McCullum held a call with county cricket head coaches and directors on Wednesday amid unrest between the domestic and international game.
The relationship between England and the counties has come under scrutiny following this winter's Ashes defeat and England and Wales Cricket Board managing director Rob Key has spoken about wanting to improve relations.
Surrey head coach Gareth Batty said last month the route from county cricket to the Test team has become "misted over" since McCullum and Key took charge in 2022, while Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace has said McCullum has "no interest" in the county game.
[www.bbc.co.uk]
It's not a 'let's sort things out' meeting. It's just a piece of PR to get their 'concern' in the papers as the season started.