ready and abell_ somerset make long term investment in tom’s promise - the incider
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9/9/2015 Ready and Abell: Somerset make long term investment in Tom’s promise The Incider
http://www.theincider.co.uk/readyandabellsomersetmakelongterminvestmentintomspromise/ 1/7
BY JEREMY BLACKMORE JULY 5, 2015 BLOGS
Tom Abell acknowledges the applause for his second half-century of
the match against Nottinghamshire at Taunton last month.
Photograph by Alexander Davidson.
Ready and Abell: Somerset make long term investment in Tom’spromise
Somerset recently awarded a
new four-year contract to
opening batsman Tom Abell,
which will keep him at the club
until 2019. Jeremy Blackmore
profiles the rising star and
speaks to those who have
followed his progress from a
schoolboy prodigy to first class
cricketer.
Few at Taunton Cricket Club
will forget the first glimpse
Tom Abell gave of just how
special a young talent he is.
The 21-year-old, who has just
been awarded a four-year
contract by Somerset, has
played for the league club
since his childhood and as the
club’s current vice-captain Ben
Orr says, it was clear from the
outset that he was a cut above
most young batsmen of his
age.
“A fantastic technique and a natural ease to run scoring on the pitch, partnered with a well-mannered,
friendly approach off it, made it hard not to be enthusiastic about a decent young man,” says Orr.
But no-one was prepared for the innings Abell played at the age of 17 on a scorching summer’s afternoon
in August 2011. Playing away to Warminster, Taunton lost the toss and were made to toil in the field as they
conceded well in excess of 300.
Few in the visitors’ dressing room gave much for their chances, but having given the bowlers plenty of
support throughout the heat of the afternoon, Abell was straight back out with bat in hand.
Orr takes up the story: “Now none of us expected to come close to the target, and whether Tom went out
there to chase down those runs or just have a bat only he will know, but we came awfully close. Tom scored
exactly 150 and, as has become the norm, there was nothing in the air.
“After an innings of bashing, big hits and massive sixes from Warminster, the way Tom set about tackling
the huge total was mesmerising, just pure class and timing; back foot drives, square drives, the tuck off his
legs all yielded beautiful boundaries, which raced away for four.
“Truth be known it was probably only Tom from our side that was disappointed that we had not chased
down the runs [Taunton lost by just 17 runs] as the rest of us were in awe of his innings.”
9/9/2015 Ready and Abell: Somerset make long term investment in Tom’s promise The Incider
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Tom Abell on first-class debut for Somerset against Warwickshire last
summer when he made an extremely mature innings of 95.
Fast forward three years and it
was a similar story when Abell
made his first-class debut for
Somerset late last summer
against Warwickshire at
Taunton.
The stage was perfectly set.
Playing in the town of his birth
for the club he supported as a
boy, the match situation
demanded someone to
demonstrate the kind of
application and concentration
that had been much in
evidence throughout Abell’s
fledgling career with Somerset
Seconds, Taunton Cricket Club
and Taunton School.
If the weight of expectation
weighed on his young
shoulders, it didn’t show.
Despite losing his partner Nick
Compton to the first ball after
Abell arrived at the crease –
and wickets continued to fall regularly at the other end throughout the remainder of the day – the young
debutant calmly made his way to a maiden first-class fifty.
By late evening, he was in sight of becoming the first Somerset man since Harold Gimblett in 1935 to make
a century on debut when he chipped Jeetan Patel to William Porterfield at short midwicket, an agonising
five runs short.
It had been an extremely mature knock under real pressure as no other batsman, with the exception of
Lewis Gregory, had been able to apply themselves and make a score of any size.
In all Abell batted for four hours 40 minutes, facing 188 balls and gave some of his more experienced team
mates a lesson in how to occupy the crease and build a score.
He went on to contribute two more half centuries in his next three Championship matches at the end of
last summer, including the final game of the season away to champions Yorkshire at Headingley.
His talents were honed during his time at Taunton School where, as a prolific scorer, he was awarded the
Young Wisden Schools Cricketer of the Year honour for a 2012 season in which he accumulated 1,156 runs
at the extraordinary average of 193. He made seven hundreds in 11 innings that summer and passed 50
every time. He also won the Cricket Society’s Wetherell Award for best all-rounder in school’s cricket in 2012
and found time to have an England trial for hockey at under 16 level.
But it was more than quantity of runs which was attracting attention; it was the way he scored them, his
temperament and application.
Simon Hogg, master in charge of cricket during Abell’s time at Taunton School had the “pleasure and
honour” of watching Abell score more than 3,600 runs for the first XI, including 17 centuries.
Hogg said: “He has always been a very elegant batsman, who rarely hits the ball in the air, but is capable of
scoring runs all around the wicket. From a young age, his timing and placement have been outstanding and
his intelligence has helped him to understand his own game particularly well. Thomas’s powers of
9/9/2015 Ready and Abell: Somerset make long term investment in Tom’s promise The Incider
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Tom Abell returned to his old school, Taunton School, in April to
present the traditional baggy blue caps to cricketers making their first-
team debut against Bristol Grammar School.
concentration have enabled
him to bat for long periods of
time.”
Abell’s club chairman at
Taunton, Jon Kerslake agrees:
“I’ve been lucky enough to play
with some wonderful
emerging cricketers over the
years, including the likes of
Graham Thorpe, Mark
Ramprakash and Aftab Habib,
but I’ve never seen anyone
stroke the ball with such
purity, grace and timing so
consistently and from such a
young age as Tom.”
Kerslake, who’s known Abell
since he arrived at the club as
an eight year old says he
cannot speak highly enough of
him in the way he conducts
himself both on and off the pitch. “The great thing about him is that he’s such a fantastic young man –
extremely hard-working, modest and kind. He’s an absolute credit to himself and his family and friends.
He’s held in so much affection and there’s so much good will for him to do well.”
It’s a theme repeated time and again as you speak to people who’ve known and played with the young
batsman.
Ben Orr: “It wasn’t hard to see Tom was destined for big things. As always though, Tom went about his
business with humility and class. He is always the first to play it down and bring the focus back onto others
or the game at hand.”
Taunton School Director of Sport Hayley Mortimer gave her assessment: “Tom was and always has been a
very focussed and hard-working player, modest of his talents across the board in all sports. He is an
excellent role model to all current pupils at the school and I am pleased to see that his hard work has paid
off. It is thoroughly deserved.”
Somerset Director of Cricket Matt Maynard has acted quickly to secure Abell’s talents for the long haul. “I’ve
seen something I really like in Tom. I like his character, I like what he has to offer and he’s got a lot of talent.
We are delighted that he’s signed a contract that will keep him here until 2019. He is highly thought of and
hopefully in the years to come, we will see him go onto big things, because he certainly has the
temperament to do it.”
Abell, who has recently completed a degree in French and sports science at Exeter University, was delighted
to sign his new contract: “To say that I’m chuffed to bits is an understatement,” he said. “Matt Maynard took
me to one side when we were heading up to Durham [for the County Championship fixture] and outlined
the club’s plans, so I was over the moon to sign.
“It’s been a bit surreal to be honest. Playing for Somerset is always something that I have wanted to do and
this gives me the platform to hopefully progress over the next few years and establish myself in the team.”
He quickly rewarded that faith in him, by scoring back to back seventies in the County Championship
victory against Nottinghamshire at Taunton, which helped kick start Somerset’s season. In the first innings,
Abell defiantly carried his bat and was the only batsman to make a sizeable score as Somerset were shot
9/9/2015 Ready and Abell: Somerset make long term investment in Tom’s promise The Incider
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Abell has earned extensive praise for both his technique and
his temperament.
out for 200. He faced the media at the
close of play press conference that
day with great maturity, answering
questions about a difficult day’s play
and the team’s position, languishing
at the foot of Division One.
As he had at Warminster four years
earlier, Abell expressed confidence
that his side could chase down a huge
score – this time in excess of 400 – to
win. His belief turned out to be fully
justified and it was fitting that it was
his second innings half-century which
set up the platform for Somerset to
achieve the second highest run chase
in their history.
Abell followed that up with an innings
of 88 as Somerset overwhelmingly
beat Hampshire at Southampton a
week later. If he is yet to reach three
figures in first-class cricket, it is surely
only a matter of time.
Speaking after that game against
Hampshire, skipper Marcus
Trescothick, who now also coaches at
Taunton School, said: “Tom Abell is a
pleasure to watch from the other end.
He got runs in the first innings and
was not out in the second and his
fielding and catching were superb.”
Typically for such a grounded young
man, he still finds time for his old
team mates at Taunton, where he has
been a prodigious scorer, even
though his appearances for his
league club are likely to
become fewer and fewer as his
first-class career takes off.
Last year he made 770 runs for
Taunton in the West of
England Premier League, with
a highest score of 185* at an
average of 128.33 to help the
club earn promotion.
Ben Orr: “It won’t come as a
surprise to any that know Tom
(even just a little) that
whenever possible he is down
supporting the boys. Never shy
9/9/2015 Ready and Abell: Somerset make long term investment in Tom’s promise The Incider
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Abell played some glorious shots in his two seventies against Notts at
Taunton last month. Photograph by Alexander Davidson.
« New contracts for young stars as Somerset
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to show his support, you will
often find Tabes popping his
head round the Vale sports
hall door on a cold February
night to dish out some encouragement to the keener among the TCC ranks.”
Jon Kerslake recounts a recent example: Typically on the back of his runs against Notts, he was down at
Gipsy Lane the following evening, copping a bit of stick from our boys about his ‘jug evasion’ on missing out
on three figures. No doubt he’ll have a bit more of that to look forward after his 88 against Hampshire! One
thing’s for sure though, that maiden first-class hundred for Tom is only just around the corner and when he
gets it, there’ll be many, many more to follow.
There is no doubt among those who have watched his progress that Abell has the ability to go all the way in
the game. Somerset are making a wise investment for the future in securing his services for the next four
years.
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