By Satish Sekar © Satish Sekar (August 11^th 2025)

Somerset’s Top-Scorer – 1985-2006

The great Sir Vivian Richards joined Somerset in 1974 and left in 1986 in a sadly acrimonious exit a year after scoring 322 against Warwickshire he deserved a far better exit. His 322 broke the previous record of 310 set by the aggressive opening batsman, the late Harold Gimblett against Sussex in 1948.

Gimblett was the first Somerset batsman to hit a triple century. Lionel Palairet’s record of 292 against Hampshire had stood for just over 52 years, while Gimblett’s lasted just over two months shy of 35 years, but fell to perhaps the best batsman ever to play for Somerset, Viv Richards. The West Indies great had already played for the county for a decade – interrupted in 1984 for the Windies’ tour – but Richards’ knock was well worth the wait.

Somerset scored 566 for 5 declared from 100 overs – an excellent scoring rate, much of which was due to Richards. He scored the new Somerset record.  Richards’ score of 322 was achieved in less minutes at the crease, 294, and from less balls than he faced, 258, than the number of runs accumulated.

He hit a majestic 8 sixes and 42 fours in that innings before he was bowled by Anton Ferreira who went on to hit an unbeaten 101 in Warwickshire’s reply of 442 for 9 declared.  Meanwhile, Richards claimed the wicket of Andy Lloyd for 61. Richards did not bat in the second innings. Somerset declared at 224 for 5, setting Warwickshire a target of 351 to win. Warwickshire made 181 for 2 to draw the match. Nevertheless, Sir Vivian Richards[1] remains one of the greatest batsmen ever to grace English cricket, especially for Somerset.

A Very Rare Talent

However, despite his flamboyant attacking batting which had seen him amass 14698 runs in first class cricket along with 7349 runs in one day cricket for Somerset, which included 58 hundreds and five trophies – two Gillette Cups, two Benson and Hedges Cups and a Sunday League (the John Player League) – not to mention his performances for the West Indies – Richards’ departure from Somerset left a deep rift in the team.

Founded in 1875 Somerset was considered a minor county at first. It took until 1890 for it to be recognised as a first-class cricket team. They never won the County Championship – still haven’t – but under the captaincy of Brian Rose, they won their first major trophy, the Gillette Cup in 1979, which they won again in 1983.

It was a one-day competition that has had name changes – Somerset won it again in 2001 (the C&G Cup) and 2019 (the Royal London One-Day Cup). In 1979 Somerset also won the Sunday League (now known as the National League). In 1981 and 1982 Somerset won the now defunct limited overs competition the Benson & Hedges Cup. They have also won the Twenty20 Cup in 2005 and again in 2023 when it was known as the Vitality Blast. Somerset has won more trophies with Richards than without him.

Despite his contributions Somerset chose to force him and Joel Garner out in 1986 to recruit the late New Zealand icon Martin Crowe, who had replaced Richards in 1984 while the West Indian legend was touring England with the West Indies. Crowe played well for Somerset, representing the county in 48 matches, with an excellent average of just under 60.

Crowe was undoubtedly a great player, but in 1987 his arrival came at the cost of Richards, Joel Garner and Ian Botham as well – Lord Botham as he now is left Somerset in protest at the way the county had treated Richards and Garner. Their departure – the way it was achieved – caused great bitterness, which took years to heal.

Richards played for Glamorgan in 1990, 1992 and 1993. He helped them win the Axa Sunday League in 1993 and is the only non-English cricketer apart from the great Sir Donald Bradman to hit a hundred hundreds – 114 to be precise. After many years of bitterness, the wounds over the departure of Richards, Garner and Botham began to heal at least with Somerset. However, the rift between Richards, Garner and Botham in particular and the captain at the time. Peter Roebuck, never fully healed.

The Roebuck Controversy that Never Healed

Roebuck did not make the decision, but knew of it. However, he agreed with it, but was not allowed to communicate it. It destroyed his friendship with Botham for ever. He accused Botham of putting a sign in the dressing room calling him a Judas. Roebuck claimed that Somerset’s team had been falling apart before 1986, but it came to a head then.

Robuck said that he never wanted to speak to Botham again and that he had been supportive of him over other issues. That rift can never heal as Roebuck is deceased. He went into journalism, but fell into far more serious controversy. Accused of sexual assault, Roebuck committed suicide in Cape Town, South Africa, in November 2011 – he was 55 at the time.

The Rift with Somerset Healed

There’s no doubt that both Richards and Garner were deeply hurt by the way they had been treated by Somerset, and that Botham was very angry on their behalf. At the time, the rift with Somerset looked permanent, but time healed it.

In 1998 a stand was named after Botham and in 2003, after he had been knighted, gates at the ground have been named after Richards. Somerset acknowledge that Richards was the county’s greatest ever batsman. He helped the county win five trophies after a wait that had lasted over a century. All three had life memberships conferred on them in 1991. Good as Crowe was, nobody could replace Richards, Garner and Botham. That should have been obvious then as it is now.

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[1] For details of Richards’ performances for the West Indies see A Different Story in Test Matches which will be published shortly.