This article is a summary of 2,789 first-class cricket matches played by Somerset County Cricket Club to the end of the 2023 season.

First-Class Status

Somerset is generally regarded as a first-class team from 1882 to 1885 and from their entry into the County Championship in 1891.

The record is complicated by a number of matches that W G Grace played for Gloucestershire against Somerset between 1879 and 1885. Wisden and Playfair recognise all of these as first-class and they are included in Grace's career figures, which have been his accepted figures since 1916 and are used in the Wikipedia article about Grace. The earlier matches in the series are not regarded as first-class by some statisticians and this article on Somerset CCC matches does not include the matches that are in dispute. For more information about this issue, see Variations in First-Class Cricket Statistics.

Some publications also include a match organised by Somerset against Cambridge University at Cambridge in 1892. Somerset only had 10 players and enlisted two additional players (Gregor MacGregor and Norman Cooper) in what became a 12-a-side match (although only 11 players fielded). The match was retitled Cambridge University v H.T. Hewett's XII, Hewett being the captain of the visiting side. The match was won by Hewett's team.

Notes

The 23 inter-county matches played between 1882 and 1885 were before the County Championship started. All inter-county contests since 1891 have been in the Championship except for the following 8 friendly matches:

  • 1919 v Worcestershire at Worcester
  • 1919 v Worcestershire at Bath
  • 1948 v Glamorgan at Newport
  • 1949 v Glamorgan at Taunton
  • 1950 v Glamorgan at Cardiff (Arms Park)
  • 1951 v Glamorgan at Taunton
  • 1957 v Sussex at Bristol (Imperial)
  • 1957 v Sussex at Hove

Worcestershire did not compete in the Championship in 1919.

All but six of the first-class matches played by Somerset have been eleven-a-side. The six others were twelve-a-side matches played against Oxford University in 1893, 1896, 1899, 1902, 1903 and 1904. Twelve Somerset players played against the South Africans in 1912 when Harry Chidgey was replaced by Bruce Hylton-Stewart after being injured. In 1885 against Hampshire at Southampton, Somerset only had nine players.

Most first-class matches have been of three-day duration. From 1988 to 1992 six Championship matches each season were four-day matches and from 1993 all Championship matches have been of four days. The first four-day non-championship match was that against the Australians in 1997. Since then the matches against New Zealand (1999), West Indies (2000), Australians (2001), and Sri Lanka A (2004) have been four-day matches. Four matches against M.C.C. between 1882 and 1891 were two-day matches as were the 15 matches played in 1919.

Two matches played under the single-innings rule for matches which have delayed starts have ended in results, both defeats for Somerset. The 1954 victory by Yorkshire at Bradford is included as a draw while the 1986 victory by Derbyshire at Taunton is included as a defeat for Somerset. This is in line with the Championship tables at the time.

Summary against each opponent

In the following table the County Championship summary is limited to matches played from 1891. Inter-County matches played between 1882 and 1885 are listed separately as are County friendly matches. Bob Willis Trophy games are included in the County Championship totals.

OpponentSeasonsHomeAwayAll
FirstLastPWLDTAPWLDTAPWLDTA
Derbyshire1912201362182717–266182424––128365141–2
Durham1992201617836––18369––3511816––
Essex1895202373142930–1762231221–15036605311
Glamorgan1921202075221835––73162532–1148384367–1
Gloucestershire18912022102363036––99233937–1201596973–1
Hampshire18952023103253246–1105273840––208527086–1
Kent1891202383253028––82164818––165417846––
Lancashire1891202381183725118084131–116126785612
Leicestershire1920202151191022––52151819––103342841––
Middlesex1891202383173927––83114626––166288553––
Northamptonshire1912202361201823–164131833––125333656–1
Nottinghamshire1892202367251329––67142033––134394062––
Surrey1891202389223037––89124928––178347965––
Sussex18922015902625381–90224028–118048656611
Warwickshire1905202372262026––72122139––144384165––
Worcestershire1901202089303227––882826331117658586011
Yorkshire1891202292154136––89125225––181279361––
County Championship1290366434488261293272541478252584636975968411
Gloucestershire188218852020––3030––5050––
Hampshire188218854400––4040––8440––
Kent18841010––1010––2020––
Lancashire188218842020––2020––4040––
Surrey188318852020––2020––4040––
Inter-County 1882–188511470001201200023419000
Glamorgan194819512002––2011––4013––
Sussex19571001––1010––2011––
Worcestershire19191100––1001––2101––
County Friendlies410300402200812500
Oxford University189220004310––2871011–132101111–1
Cambridge University1895200814635––13445––2710710––
Cardiff MCCU201220192101––2101––
Durham MCCU200520152002––2002––
Leeds/Bradford MCCU20141001––1001––
Loughborough UCCE200320073102––3102––
Australians188220132911612––2911612––
Indians1911201111227––11227––
New Zealanders1927201513067––13067––
Pakistanis195420168134––8134––
South Africans19012008131102––131102––
Sri Lankans199119982011––2011––
West Indians1923200017287––17287––
MCC188218912101––2011––4112––
Philadelphians189719032101––2101––
Australian Imperial Forces19191010––1010––
Combined Services19591100––1100––
Pakistan Eaglets19631001––1001––
Young Australians19951010––1010––
South Africa 'A'19961001––1001––
Pakistan 'A'19971010––1010––
West Indies 'A'200210001–10001–
Sri Lanka 'A'20041100––1100––
All First-Class18822023143438849554536135228159049726277567310591038512

The match against Oxford Universities in 2000 (which included Oxford Brookes University) is included here in the Oxford University totals. The match in 2008 against Cambridge University UCCE is included here in the Cambridge University totals.

Summary on each home ground

Currently first-class matches are only played at Taunton. Only 2 other first-class matches have been played on the following grounds. These were matches played at Taunton between East Africa and Sri Lanka, after both teams had played in the 1975 World Cup, and a West Indies A v India A match in 2018. Bob Willis Trophy games are included in the County Championship totals.

In the following table click on the 'CA' to access the Cricket Archive Records section for the ground.

VenueRecordsSeasonsCounty ChampionshipOtherAll First-Class
FirstLastPWLDTAPWLDTAPWLDTA
Taunton, County GroundCA18822023791220258311221182048491–90724030636032
Bath, Recreation GroundCA18972006234718281–421687––255779088–4
Bath, Lansdown CC (Combe Park)CA18841100––1100––
Bristol, Imperial Athletic GroundCA195719668224––1001––9225––
Frome, Agricultural ShowgroundsCA1932196118972––18972––
Glastonbury, Morlands Athletic GroundCA19521973185211––185211––
Knowle, Knowle CCCA192619283111––3111––
Stratton-on-the-Fosse, Downside SchoolCA19341001––1001––
Street, Millfield SchoolCA19611010––1010––
Taunton, Taunton ValeCA201220152002––2002––
Wells, Rowden RoadCA1935195111452––11452––
Weston-super-Mare, Clarence ParkCA19141996188516968––3030––191517268––
Yeovil, West HendfordCA193519395131––5131––
Yeovil, Johnson ParkCA1951196712246––12246––
Totals1882202312743584314832614427595710141838549054036

Between 1882 and 1885 10 inter-county home matches were played at Taunton (3 won, 7 lost) and 1 at Bath, Lansdown CC (won). Since 1891 2 friendly inter-county home matches have been played at Taunton (2 drawn), 1 at Bath, Recreation Ground (won) and 1 at Bristol, Imperial Athletic Ground (drawn).

Season by season summary

In the following table the final position is given together with the number of teams in the County Championship so that 5=/9 means that Somerset were equal 5th out of the 9 teams competing. From 2000 the County Championship has been divided into two divisions shown here as D1 for Division 1 and D2 for Division 2. Bob Willis Trophy games are included in the County Championship totals.

County ChampionshipAll First-Class
HomeAwayAllPosition
YearPWLDTAPWLDTAPWLDTAPWLDTA
18828161––
18837151––
18846150––
18856150––
18916240––6321––12561––5=/913661––
18928512––8341––16853––3/917863––
18938224––8260––16484––8/918594––
18948323––8350––16673––6/917674––
18959531––8152–117683–18=/14196103–1
18968134––8242––16376––11/1419397––
18978242––8152––16394––11/14183105––
18988044––8161––161105––13=/14172105––
18998233––8053––16286––13=/1518297––
19008251––8260––164111––11/15174112––
19019243––8260–1174103–112=/15196103–1
19029423––9351––18774––7=/1520776––
19038314–19351––17665–110/1519766–1
19049351––9261––185112––12/15205132––
19059144––9063––181107––15/16191108––
19069243––9261––184104––11=/16184104––
19079360––9063––183123––14/16193133––
190810154––10181––202135––16/16202135––
19098233––8242––16475––11/1617485––
19109081––9072––180153––16/16180153––
19118161––8071––161132––16/16171142––
19128143––8143––16286––14/1618297––
19138143––8170––162113––16/16162113––
19149270–110190––193160–115/16193160–1
191963111–6123––124341–5=/15155451–
192010460––10343––207103––10/16227114––
192111362––11551––228113––10/17258143––
192212381––12336––246117––10/17256127––
192312552––12462––249114––9/17259124––
192411353–111623–122976–28/17241086–2
192513085––13373––263158––15/17273168––
192613148––132551–2639131–14/1727310131–
192713148––13256––263914––14/172731014––
192812156––12363––244119––14/172541110––
192914383––14095––283178––15/17304188––
193014437––14086––2841113––13=/173041214––
193114356––14365––2861111––13/172961112––
193214635––14248––288713––7/17298813––
193313346––13364––2661010––11/172761011––
193412246––12165––2431011––15/172531111––
193513265––13355––2651110––14/172851310––
193613634––13373––269107––7/172810108––
193714473––14374––287147––13/17297157––
193814824––14275––281099––7/172910109––
193914365––143551–28611101–14/1730811101–
194613715––13553––261268––4/17281468––
194713652––13274––268126––11=/17288137––
194813292––13355––265147––12/17295177––
194913580––13373––268153––9/17298165––
195014554––14338––288812––7=/17308913––
195114383––14275––285158––14/17305169––
195214257––14077––2821214––17/172921215––
1953141103––14194––282197––17/17292198––
195414194––14194––282188––17/17292189––
195514464––140113––284177––17/17294187––
195614455––140104––284159––15/173041511––
195714464––14581––289145––8/17329158––
195814851––14446––281297––3/172912107––
195914743––14194––288137––12/173110138––
196016169––16457––3251116––14/173451316––
196116565––16592––3210157––10/173411158––
196216637––16646––3212713––6/173414713––
196314428––14644––2810612––3/173110714––
196414455––14437––288812––8/17298912––
196514752––14167––288119––7/173091110––
196614752––14626––281378––3/17301479––
196714338––14248––285716––8/17305817––
196813274–114347––2751111–112/172951113–1
196912138––12066––241914––17/172511014––
197012345––12264––245109––13/17245109––
197112606––12147––247413––7/17257414––
197210019––10415––204214––11/17214215––
197310505––10226––207211––10/17217212––
197410523––10127––206410––5/17236512––
197510136––10352––20488––12/1722598––
197610442––10343––20785––7/1722796––
197710424–111227––216411–14/17227411–1
197811722––11227––22949––5/17249411––
197911407––10118–1215115–18/17246117–1
198010235–111128––213513–15/17234514–1
198111425––11605––2210210––3/172411211––
198211236––11434––226610––6/17236611––
198312138––12246––243714––10/17253715–1
198412318––12363––246711––7/17267811––
198512147––12039––241716––17/17271818––
198612345––11038–1233713–116/17253715–1
198712219––120210––242319––11/17242319––
198811146––11425––225611––11/17235711––
198911335––11137––224612––14/17234613––
199011236––11119––223415––15/17243516––
199111128––11137––222515––17/17242616––
199211416––11137––225413––9/18235513––
19938440––9432––17872––5/1818882––
19949621––8152––17773––11/1818774––
19958332––9423––17755––9/1820776––
19969333––8233––17566––11/1819577––
19978125––9216––173311––12/18204412––
19989423––8251––17674––9/1818675––
19998413––9234––17647––4/1819658––
20008107––8143––162410––5/9(D1)184410––
20018314––8314––16628––2/9(D1)17638––
20028125––8053––16178––8/9(D1)171781–
20038323––8161––16484––7/9(D2)18486––
20048134––8323––16457––4/9(D2)18558––
20058143––8332––16475––8/9(D2)17476––
20068143––8251––16394––9/9(D2)16394––
20078503––8512––161015––1/9(D2)171115––
20088125––8206––163211––4/9(D1)184212––
20098107––8215––163112––3/9(D1)163112––
20108404––8224––16628––2/9(D1)16628––
20118431––8242––16673––4/9(D1)17674––
20128404––8116––165110––2/9(D1)175111––
20138134––8224––16358––6/9(D1)17368––
20148215––8215––164210––6/9(D1)174211––
20158224––8242––16466––6/9(D1)18477––
20168413––8206––16619––2/9(D1)176110––
20177232––7232––14464––6/8(D1)14464––
201874021–7322––147241–2/8(D1)147241–
201975020–7430––149320–2/8(D1)1510320–
202022000–3201––64020–Runner-up64020–
202171330–7322––144550–6/6(D1)144550–
202272320–7133––143650–7/10(D1)143650–
202371150–7232––143470–7/10(D1)143470–
Totals1290366434488261291272541478252584638975967411278967610631045512

Abandoned matches

  • 1895 v Lancashire at Manchester
  • 1901 v Worcestershire at Worcester
  • 1903 v Hampshire at Bath
  • 1914 v Northamptonshire at Taunton
  • 1924 v Essex at Bath
  • 1924 v Glamorgan at Cardiff
  • 1968 v Derbyshire at Bath
  • 1977 v Derbyshire at Taunton
  • 1979 v Gloucestershire at Bristol
  • 1980 v Lancashire at Bath
  • 1983 v Oxford University at Oxford
  • 1986 v Sussex at Horsham

All these matches were abandoned because of bad weather, except for the match in 1914 which was abandoned because of the impending war.

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