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Overtons channel sibling rivalry to Somerset’s advantage - The Incider
1. 9/9/2015 Overtons channel sibling rivalry to Somerset’s advantage The Incider
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BY JEREMY BLACKMORE JUNE 3, 2015 BLOGS
Overtons channel sibling rivalry to Somerset’s advantage
Together the Overton twins dominated
the third day of last week’s Championship
game against Yorkshire, while separately
both have had individual moments of
glory so far this season. Jeremy Blackmore
takes a look back over the brother’s
careers to date and finds two cricketers
who have really started to come of age.
Neither Craig nor Jamie Overton have
been short of admirers since they first
entered the consciousness of the cricket-
watching public in their teens.
Both twins are special talents and both
have made crucial contributions for
Somerset, earning call-ups to various
England development programmes. But
injuries have restricted the occasions they
have appeared in the same side, leaving
fans to only imagine what a team
containing a pair of fit and in-form
brothers could do for Somerset’s fortunes.
Last week a half-term holiday crowd at
Taunton got a mouth-watering glimpse of
that future as they watched the 21-year-
olds dominate the third day of the
LV=Championship match against reigning
county champions Yorkshire.
Those hoping to see the brothers bowling in tandem got their wish as the pair bowled an excellent spell
after tea with Craig taking three key wickets, getting the ball to reverse in dry conditions, while Jamie
bowled a tight, hostile spell to keep the pressure on at the other end.
Perhaps more crucially in the context of the game, the twins played a big role with the bat, sharing in a
tenth-wicket stand of 76 to give Somerset a slender 47-run lead and put Yorkshire on the back foot as they
began their second innings.
They came together before Somerset had achieved parity with Yorkshire’s first innings 438. But in just
under half an hour before lunch, the pair completely transformed the state of the game, striking 76 runs
from only 5.5 overs.
The hitting was remarkable. Sibling rivalry channelled into some of the most exciting strokeplay; anything
you can hit, I can hit harder. Craig took four consecutive boundaries off one over from Steven Patterson to
take Somerset into the lead before Jamie hit 4 fours of his own off the next over from Adil Rashid, during
which the 50 partnership came up off 25 balls.
Jamie hit two enormous sixes off the next over from the Yorkshire spinner, one over mid-wicket and the
2. 9/9/2015 Overtons channel sibling rivalry to Somerset’s advantage The Incider
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other over the Trescothick Stand into the River Tone to bring up his 50 off 18 balls with 7 fours and 3 sixes.
He finally fell, next ball, to a catch at slip. It was the quickest half-century by a number 11 batsman in first-
class cricket since the number of balls were recorded in 1983.
Craig meanwhile, finished with a barely more sedate 31* off 25 balls. In 29 minutes together, the brothers
had advanced the score from 409-9 to 485 all out.
Maybe they were also making up for lost time. This was the first time the pair had been able to appear
together in the same match this season.
And indeed their fortunes have ebbed and flowed at opposite times for much of their short professional
careers.
Craig, the older of the two by three minutes, lost the majority of his 2013 season to injury, and had to watch
Jamie rise to prominence and critical acclaim, earning a call-up to the England squad for the ODI series
against Australia, aged just 19 with only 13 List A games to his credit. Although Jamie did not play, he was
selected for the Lions tour to Sri Lanka but then had to pull out due to a knee injury.
Craig forced his way back into the Somerset first XI in 2014 and was a regular feature throughout the
season, winning a call-up for the Lions tri-series in August and then a place on the tour to South Africa in
the winter. Jamie meanwhile, on his return from injury, found himself out of form and out of the first XI,
playing for the seconds and for his club side in North Devon as he sought to lose the waywardness that had
3. 9/9/2015 Overtons channel sibling rivalry to Somerset’s advantage The Incider
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Craig Overton took six wickets and hit a magnificent 55 off just 31 balls in
the game against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge
crept into his bowling, but without compromising any of his raw pace which made him so exciting a
prospect.
In January this year, Craig returned home early from the Lions tour following the reoccurrence of an old
ankle injury and quickly underwent surgery before starting a period of recovery. Jamie meanwhile, started
the season for Somerset, but was forced to pull out mid-way through the Championship match with
Middlesex with a sore heel. It seemed fate would again deny us the chance to see the brothers in action
together.
Craig announced he was
back with a vengeance in
the game against
Nottinghamshire at
Trent Bridge in mid-May,
playing a pivotal part in
Somerset’s first
Championship victory of
the season with both bat
and ball.
His belligerent 55 off just
31 balls under overcast
skies on a green surface
helped Somerset post
312, which proved
decisive in the
conditions.
He displayed a full range
of shots, hitting the ball upishly through cover point, unfurling some classic cover drives, clipping the ball of
his legs and bringing up his half-century off just 28 balls with a hook shot for his tenth boundary.
Craig had started to earn as many plaudits in 2014 for his batting as for his bowling, and while he
personally picked out his five-fer against Durham at Taunton as his personal highlight, innings of 99 against
Lancashire and 86 against Sussex showed he was developing into a true all-rounder in the Botham
tradition.
However, if not at quite the same speed as his brother, Craig has proved an effective force with the ball.
Bowling with real pace and accuracy, he took six wickets at key times in the victory at Trent Bridge. His spell
late on the second evening dragged Somerset back in the game and changed the face of the match, much
as his batting had on day one. He finished that evening with impressive figures of 12-5-27-3 and had left an
indelible mark on the match which allowed Somerset to press home the advantage on day three, effectively
kick-starting their season after losing their opening three matches.
Craig revealed that his early return through injury from the Lions’ tour winter had turned out to be a
blessing in disguise.
Had he not gone on the trip, he said, the injury would not have been noticed and he would have ended up
missing half of the English domestic season instead, denting any immediate hopes of being re-selected as
part of an England squad.
Overton said: “Obviously it was disappointing, but looking at it in a good way, we wouldn’t have noticed it if I
hadn’t gone away.
“So the fact that I went away and bowled, meant that I could come back early and get it sorted ready for the
season, rather than miss half the summer. Then I probably wouldn’t have a chance next winter [with
England], so it worked in a good way, so we’re quite happy with that.
4. 9/9/2015 Overtons channel sibling rivalry to Somerset’s advantage The Incider
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Jamie spent the winter with the England Performance Programme
along with fellow Somerset fast bowler Lewis Gregory
Jamie Overton has generated significant pace in spells for Somerset
this season. Photo:AlexanderDavidson
“My ankle’s all fine now. Obviously there’s still a bit of scar tissue there, but I’m feeling confident with it. I
just need to get back bowling, get a bit of rhythm and I’ll be pretty happy.”
Meanwhile spending last
summer out of the game,
working with coaches Andy
Hurry and Jason Kerr seems to
have paid dividends for Jamie,
along with a spell with the
England Performance
Programme over the winter.
So far this season in limited
outings in four-day cricket he
has shown real signs of being
able to combine his pace with
the accuracy that so eluded him
last summer.
He seized back the initiative for
Somerset in dramatic fashion on
day two of the Championship
encounter with Middlesex at
Taunton in late April. Bowling
short spells in an extended final
session, Jamie proved the key difference between the two sides, taking three wickets for 42 to help regain
control for his side after an attritional afternoon’s cricket in which Middlesex found runs increasingly easy
to come by.
At times Overton was genuinely
unplayable, generating significant
pace and getting the ball to shape
away. He immediately troubled
Nick Gubbins who had looked set
to reach what would have been
his maiden first-class century. The
six-foot left hander was forced to
duck and weave and at one point
found himself forced onto the
ground on his haunches.
While he’s still not quite the
finished article – few are at 21 –
that evening Jamie got it just
about perfect. Most of his
bouncers were extremely well
directed and it was no surprise
when he ultimately found the
shoulder of Gubbins’ bat with an
absolute snorter of a delivery to
have him caught at slip. Given the
new ball, he bowled John Simpson
and then two balls later one of Ollie Rayner’s stumps was sent cartwheeling out of the ground as he fell
without scoring.
After a difficult 2014 where he was plagued by injury and poor form, it was heartening and genuinely
5. 9/9/2015 Overtons channel sibling rivalry to Somerset’s advantage The Incider
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Craig Overton was delighted after the twins’ best day in
the Somerset side together.
thrilling to see him bowling like this. Clearly the plan is to deploy him in short bursts this summer and as
such he can be a really potent weapon for Somerset.
Fellow fast-bowler Lewis Gregory, who shared the second new ball with Overton, said afterwards: “It was
seriously impressive to watch someone bowling that quick, with that shape that he’s got as well.
“Jamie’s a serious talent and when he hits his straps he’s sometimes unplayable and brilliant to watch. I’m
really pleased for him and where he’s come from last year, it’s a huge step forward, so hopefully he can
hang onto that and keep developing.”
Gregory added: “He can blow through teams. When you get a guy in your team who can bowl 90mph plus
and shape it away, if he hits his areas, it’s impossible to play and towards the end there it was something
special and hopefully he can continue to do that for the rest of the summer.”
Speaking after day three of the game with
Yorkshire last week, the delighted Overton
twins talked about what they reckoned was
their best day in the Somerset side together.
Jamie said: “Yes it was nice to have a bit of
fun out there and to have Craig out there
with me helped play, so it was nice to get
some runs with him.”
Craig said: “I wasn’t surprised to see Jamie
hitting it to all parts [he has scored centuries
in club cricket batting in the top order]. I
asked Jamie what he was going to play and
he said he’s going to have a go from the start.
I know what he can do when it’s like that and
it showed today. He struck it cleanly and
played sensible shots and got us into a good
position.
“It’s great to be batting with him because
when he gets going so do I and he got a lot of
runs in a short space of time as well.
“Normally when you go at a run a ball you are
doing well but he was going at a lot more
than me, but that is just the way it happens
and I am happy be able to contribute with the
bat.”
Talking about his bowling Jamie said: “I gave
Craig good support in the final session and I
am getting back to where I was, even though I
get a bit sore occasionally. It is going in the right direction and building pressure gets wickets. He managed
to get the wickets and I didn’t but that’s the way it is and as long as we get wickets that’s what is crucial to
the team.”
With Trescothick expertly rotating his men and using the twins in short sharp bursts and Matt Maynard
rotating his strike bowlers throughout the summer, the policy at Somerset is to ensure their Overtons and
their fellow Devonian Lewis Gregory stay fit for the duration of the English summer.
So while the Overtons may not play together in every match, importantly both are emerging as more
mature, well-rounded cricketers in their own right, able to stamp their authority on a game and make it
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But clearly some friendly brotherly rivalry goes a long way too.
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