By Satish Sekar © Satish Sekar (April 9^th 2025)

The Record Breakers

Tom Banton now holds the record for the highest score ever made for Somerset in County Cricket. He heads the élite of Somerset’s batsmen: Lionel Charles Hamilton (LCH) Palairet, Harold Gimblett, Sir Vivian Richards and Justin Langer all held the record before him from 1895 to the present day – the latter three all holding it with triple centuries. Langer made two during his stint there.

Banton’s score of 371 against Worcestershire this week is the fifth highest total in English County Cricket – the other four all hit over 400. Worcestershire’s Graeme Hick hit 405 not out against Somerset at Taunton in 1988. Sam Northeast bettered Hick’s total with an unbeaten 410 for Glamorgan against Leicestershire in Leicester in July 2022. Lancashire’s Archie MacLaren, who captained Palairet in the Somerset batsman’s only appearances in Test Matches for England in 1902, took a liking to Somerset’s attack and plundered an incredible 424 at Taunton in July 1895. His record stood for almost a century – just over a month under 99 years. It took the only quintuple hundred ever hit in first class cricket to erase MacLaren from the summit of English cricket – Brian Lara’s unbeaten 501 for Warwickshire against Durham at Edgbaston, Birmingham in June 1994.

Somerset’s Top-Scorer – 1896-1948

Banton now heads an exclusive list of the finest batsmen to grace Somerset’s cricket. Lionel Palairet is revered in the annals of cricket, especially in Somerset, even though his greatest innings took place in the 19^th Century. His statistics may not look extraordinary, averaging 33.63 with just 27 centuries; he accumulated 15777 runs in his career with two double centuries to his name.

His highest score and first double century, 292, against Hampshire in July 1896, was not only his best score, but was a record for Somerset which stood for over half a century, lasting until August 1948. It was the last time Somerset’s individual highest score was under a triple century. Palairet scored 292 out of 519 all out – Ernie Robson’s 54 was the next highest score.

Hampshire made 262 all out in their first innings and 270 in their second innings after following on. That set Hampshire a target of 14 to win, which they achieved for the loss of two wickets. Palairet’s innings was by far the performance of that match. Nevertheless, Palairet’s reluctance to tour limited his opportunities to play Test Matches. He only played twice for England, making just 49 runs in four innings.

Palairet’s Test Match Début

Despite his heroics against Hampshire, it took six years for Palairet to make his England début, but he only played the fourth and fifth Test Matches of Australia’s 1902 Tour of England at Manchester’s Old Trafford and the Oval. He failed to impress on the international stage.

Australia won the Old Trafford Test Match by just 3 runs on Palairet’s début to clinch the 5-match series 2-0 with just the Oval’s Test Match remaining to play – England won the final Test Match of that series with a legendary final wicket partnership between Yorkshire greats George Hirst and Wilfred Rhodes. The tourists made 299 all out, led by 104 by Australian great, Victor Trumper. He was supported by half centuries by Clem Hill, 65, Reggie Duff, 54 and their captain Joe Darling, 51.

England, captained by Archie MacLaren, responded with 262 all out in their first innings. Stanley Jackson made 126, supported by 65 by Len Braund. Palairet made just 6 in his first innings in Test Match cricket. In their second innings Australia was dismissed for a paltry 86, Darling top-scored with 37, setting England a target of just 124 to win, but England fell short. MacLaren top-scored with 35, but England was all out for just 120.

Palairet made 17, once again dismissed by Jack Saunders, who took 4 for 52 from 19 overs and four balls to go along with his 3 for 104 from 34 overs in the first innings. Hugh Trumble took 6 for 53 from 25 overs to accompany his 4 for 75 from 43 overs in the first innings, giving him match figures of 10 for 128 from 68 overs.

Palairet took a catch in each innings, but it was not a great début.

The great Wilfred Rhodes[1] took 4 for 104 from his 25 overs in Australia’s first innings while Bill Lockwood claimed 6 for 48 from 20 overs and one ball. In the second innings Rhodes took three wickets for 26 from 14 overs and four balls while Lockwood claimed his second 5 wicket haul – 5 for 28 from 17 overs to claim very impressive figures of 11 for 76 in a losing cause. Perhaps redemption awaited in the final match of the series.

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[1] Yorkshire and England great Wilfred Rhodes made his début for England in 1899 aged 21. Incredibly, his Test Match career of 58 matches lasted over three decades, ending in 1930 aged 52.