Tom Abell: A son of Taunton

SAM DALLING: The Somerset skipper is a Taunton boy. He lives a stone's throw from the ground. He broke records for fun at Taunton School and Taunton CC

They say never meet your idols. It so often ends in disappointment. Shattered illusions. 

But cricket being cricket, sometimes that’s unavoidable. You might even line-up alongside them one day. That’s been the case for Tom Abell. 

The Somerset skipper is a Taunton boy. He lives a stone’s throw from the ground. His family home is within a Chris Gayle strike.

He broke records for fun at Taunton School and for Taunton Cricket Club. When not in action, off he’d trot down to Somerset HQ. Often James Hildreth would be the man churning out the runs.

Hildreth deliberately steers clear of the limelight. Unquestionably though he’s among the greatest never to have pulled on an England jersey.

A hamstring injury picked up against Birmingham Bears means he faces a race to be fit for the Bob Willis Trophy Final. Run out and ruled out; a cruel blow.

Hildreth’s loss will be huge, particularly against Simon Harmer. “He’s someone I’ve looked up to throughout my career,” explains Abell.

“The way I want to play my cricket is very similar to how Hildy goes about it. I’m not sure I quite have his repertoire of shots but I talk to him a fair bit and watch him practice and in games. I’m always trying to pick up little things to apply to my game.

“Without meaning to, Hildy’s had such a huge impact as a person and as a player. He’s certainly someone I’ve looked up to and tried to emulate.”

There’s a pause. Hildreth’s 47 first-class hundreds and almost 26,000 runs for the club linger in the air silently. Then Abell begins again.

“I’m reluctant to talk much about him as he hates praise. He’s an incredibly humble guy. But there’s a time and a place where you’ve got to say it as it is; Hildy is possibly our greatest ever.

“Having him at four for the last 15 years has been a bit of a luxury. What a player in all formats; some of the innings he’s played beggar belief at times.

“At no stage, despite how good he is, have his feet come off the ground. He’s the perfect role model.”

***

Sometimes sport, as with life, can be overcomplicated. But Abell has a knack of distilling things simply.

“I love playing for Somerset. I want to play every game and win every game. It gets to me when I don’t quite perform at the level I want.”

He’s a natural leader. He’d never tell you that; it’s not his style. But the way he goes about his business is telling.

Ask him a question and he pauses. He considers his answer and then delivers it. There’s no talking in clichés for the sake of it.

He places great emphasis on the collective. There’s no 'I' in team, and there’s no 'I' in Abell either.

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And many of the plaudits for the club’s recent success must go to long-serving duo head coach Jason Kerr and director of cricket Andy Hurry.

“Those two are responsible for the Somerset team that they’ve produced at the moment,” he adds.

“As a team we’re a product of the way they want to operate and go about things. I’ve got a great relationship with both Andy and Jason. They’re always looking to improve and be better.

“We’ve certainly taken that on in the last couple of years with how they’ve playing in red-ball cricket especially. They’re never content and I can’t speak highly enough of them. What they invest in Somerset cricket is immense.”

***

12 into 11 eleven doesn’t go. Neither does 13, 14 or any other number for that matter. That’s led to a tricky few months in Taunton.

England spinner Dom Bess will shortly move to Yorkshire and Jamie Overton has packed his bags for the bright lights of London.

Counter-intuitive as it sounds, those departures are testament to the county’s on-field success.  The pair desire opportunities that can’t be guaranteed at Somerset.

Despite being England’s No.1 spinner, Bess sits behind Jack Leach in the Taunton pecking order, while Overton has found prising the new ball out of the hands of twin brother Craig and Josh Davey a difficult task. He feels he needs that to push his England claims.

“It’s been a difficult few weeks with guys moving on, and that’s never nice to see because we’re building a team and want to keep it together,” Abell admits.

“But equally within that guys have their own aspirations and it doesn’t always fit into 11; it’s a by-product of a having relatively successful couple years.

“Everyone wants to be playing, everyone wants to be part of it, and unfortunately it’s come to a position where guys feel like they have to move on and seek opportunities.

“You’ve got to respect that and I completely understand but from my point of view anytime you lose Somerset player’s it’s disappointing, particularly when they’re close friends.”

Abell will feel the loss of Bess more than most. He and the off-spinner are inseparable.

“Bessy’s one of my best mates and he’s been a huge part of our success over the last couple of years.

“He’s been a pleasure to captain. He’s a great team man and we’ll miss a huge amount from that point of view. But he’s very ambitious and I’d love nothing more than to see him achieve his goals.

“It’s a great opportunity for him at Yorkshire. Don’t get me wrong, I’d far rather have him at Somerset but I wish him nothing but the best. He’s desperate to see us do well and I’m sure he’ll still be supporting the boys from afar.”

***

Somerset have built a conveyor belt of talent that’s the envy of teams nationwide. They’re similar to Essex in that respect.

In the past few years Bess, Leach, Craig Overton, Tom Banton and Lewis Gregory have all pulled on an England jersey.

Two fingers flicked firmly in the direction of those who believe the regional counties are expendable.

Abell harbours his own international ambitions and has worked tirelessly to turn himself into a three-dimensional cricketer. Four, if you count the captaincy. 

He toured Australia with England Lions earlier in the year. He was a white-ball-only pick initially but made such an impression that his stay was extended and he featured in the side that conquered a formidable Australia A outfit under the lights of the MCG. 

But when the ECB named their 55-man provisional squad at the start of the Summer, Abell’s name was noticeable by its absence.

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That might have raised a few eyebrows amongst the fanbase. But in a typically-humble fashion the man himself has no gripes.  

“I wasn’t surprised; there’s a lot of competition and there’s a lot of good players

“I’m very realistic. I didn’t take my opportunity for the Lions in Australia and I don’t expect things to be given to me.

“I’ve got to earn that right to be involved in England squads by putting in better performances more consistently. I’ll be the first to admit I’ve got to perform better if I want to be involved in that. 

“There’s no shortage of motivation from my point of view. I want to be performing at Somerset and helping the team to win. That’s my motivation but of course my dream is to make that next step.”

***

2020 is Abell’s fourth season leading Somerset. 

He was handed the role after the 2016 season at the tender age of 22. The man he succeeded? Marcus Trescothick. Big boots to fill. It was a gamble for a young man, but one that’s paying off.

He led the side to Royal One-Day Cup glory last year and is hoping to make it back-to-back Lord’s trophies this week.

But we often learn most in failure, and he struggled with the bat in his first season at the helm.

Following a pair against Hampshire, he had tears in his eyes on the coach home and dropped himself to the second team. At that point, his side were 29 points adrift at the bottom of Division One.

He returned to mastermind a remarkable final day survival. Those memories though will remain etched onto the brain forever. 

“I don’t think that experience is something that will leave me anytime soon,” he says.

“Dropping yourself as captain pretty is pretty tough, but I was fortunate to be surrounded by great people to help navigate me through that period.

“The biggest pressure is the pressure I put on myself. No one that wants to lead from the front more with the bat than I do but you’ve got to be realistic and accept that it won’t always be your day.

“Cricket is a game where there are a lot of highs and a lot of lows and it’s about trying to stay level through those. I’m now out the other side and part of a relatively successful team at the moment.”

***

In an alternate universe Abell would be reflecting on the inaugural edition of The Hundred. His selection for Manchester Originals capped a remarkable rise in the game’s shortest format.

This is a man who a few years back had just a handful of T20 outings to his name and had been pigeonholed as a red-ball specialist.

But something clicked in 2018 and he’s now a regular, his innovative stroke play and electric fielding earning praise from all quarters.

Last summer saw him notch a maiden hundred in the competition – 101* off just 47 balls against Middlesex - and of the batsman to make 200+ runs, only AB de Villiers scored at a better lick.

Ahead of this year’s tournament, no one had a better strike-rate batting at four or five since 2015.

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“T20 cricket is something I’ve wrestled with because I don’t have the power game that a lot of players have. Through the middle-order I have responsibility to maintain the tempo that the boys at the top set.

“I’ve had to figure out my way a little bit. Some guys can hit it out the park but that doesn’t come so naturally to me so I’ve got to find a way of getting those balls to the boundary.”

He’s done that alright; his scoop shot is gaining traction on social media. 

“It’s obviously been a big shot for me. It’s certainly pre-meditated and to be honest I’m just trying to get out the way and get a bit of bat on it. 

“It’s a difficult one to set a field to and so you can play with opposition but I don’t want to become too dependent on it.  You’ve got to have other options in your armoury. It’s always evolving but it’s nice to see the work I’ve put in has paid off to a degree. Don’t get me wrong though I think there’s still a lot of room for growth.”

***

If this season has taught Abell anything, it’s that Somerset are blessed with a fiercely loyal fanbase.

With the showcase final set to miss out on TV broadcast, the club’s live stream servers will no doubt be tested to the limit.

And Abell wants to give them something to cheer about from afar.

“The unwavering support for Somerset has really become apparent over the last few months,” he stresses.

“It really makes a big difference to us as a team and as players. We want to be a team that the supporters are proud of and are hopefully doing that.

“It’s no secret that playing in front of a Taunton crowd is special and it takes a bit of getting used to not having that support behind you.

“We’ve seen in the Blast a group of people outside the gates trying to watch the game and that sums up the passion for Somerset.

“Obviously they won’t be at the final, but that won’t deter us from what we’re trying to achieve;  bringing another trophy home.”

To do so they’ll have to have to get past reigning county champions Essex. The Chelmsford outfit have dominated the red-ball scene in the past three years. They win frequently and rarely lose. A killer combination.

They won the title in 2017 and clinched it again last year in dramatic fashion at Taunton exactly 12 months ago. Does that give Essex the psychological edge? 

“I don’t think so personally. How we’ve been playing our cricket fills me with a huge amount of confidence. In these sorts of games the best thing you can do is think about yourselves and your own performance rather than worrying about the opposition. 

“There’s been some big games against Essex in the last couple of years and I think that’s testament to both sides. They’ve been playing really well and are at the top of the table in four-day cricket. It should be a great game; two evenly matched sides and there’ll be no half-measures that’s for sure.”

The sound of Blackbird piercing the St John’s Wood skies come Sunday night will signify mission accomplished.

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