Ex-Yorkshire CCC batsman Tom Kohler-Cadmore leads the way against his former club
THE racism crisis cost Yorkshire much more than millions of pounds and reputational damage that could not be quantified. It also cost them players who disagreed with the mass sacking of the coaching and backroom staff at the height of the troubles, players who did not recognise the characterisation of those who won a raft of unfair dismissal claims.
One of those players was Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who decided to seek out pastures new. A three-year deal with Somerset was announced midway through the 2022 season, the first of the Darren Gough-Ottis Gibson era, and Kohler-Cadmore left at the end of that summer, scoring a hundred against Somerset, his last for Yorkshire, in one of his final appearances when these teams last met in the County Championship at Taunton in 2022.
Another century seemed likely for Kohler-Cadmore on Monday, only for the tall right-hander to depart for 76, the top score as Somerset made 155-3 on a day when 54 overs were lost to the weather. A combination of thunder, lightning and heavy rain seemed to arrive from nowhere in early afternoon, disturbing a day of hitherto glorious sunshine and one that finished with more of the same, leaving spectators frustrated if with memories of a fine performance by the Somerset opener, who faced 110 balls and hit 11 fours, along with two straight sixes off Dom Bess, once of this parish.
Aged 31, and presumably at or around his peak years, Kohler-Cadmore was as resplendent as the Quantock Hills during a typically attacking, watchable display. A feature of his innings was his willingness to come down the pitch to the seamers to negate movement and he looked a class act as he always did at Headingley.
George Hill, who took two of the wickets, said: “‘Peps’ (Kohler-Cadmore) is a very good player. He was always going to play that way and it’s tricky when you’ve got a bloke who’s constantly charging you to be really brave and hold your length.
“The pitch probably didn’t do as much as we thought it would, but we stuck at it pretty well and were pretty happy with things overall. Hopefully we rock up in the morning and there’s a bit of moisture around and it nips a bit.”
Latterly, Kohler-Cadmore has been playing for Welsh Fire in The Hundred alongside Jonny Bairstow.
An Instagram post by Bairstow on Sunday night revealed a pitch for this game that looked more green than the Incredible Hulk covered in mushy peas, which no doubt explained why the Yorkshire captain opted to insert.
The visitors were without Ben Coad (hamstring) and Matt Milnes (groin) but they were able to welcome back Jordan Thompson and Matty Revis from The Hundred in addition to Bairstow. They handed a debut to Mayank Agarwal, the Indian batsman, whom Bairstow confirmed will bat at No 3.
Somerset, themselves without pace bowlers Craig Overton and Jake Ball, who were rested ahead of T20 Finals Day, made a solid enough start against Hill and Jack White. Archie Vaughan turned Hill off his pads for an early boundary and then Kohler-Cadmore on-drove White to the foot of the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion, an ominous stroke.
Not for nothing, though, is Hill among the leading wicket-takers in Division One and the 24-year-old gave Yorkshire a foothold by removing both openers in quick succession. Vaughan, defending on the back foot, was caught behind and Tom Lammonby bowled by a good one as the hosts slipped to 30-2 in the 10th over.
It might have been better for Yorkshire but Kohler-Cadmore had a moment of alarm when his score was 18. Advancing to White, the ball dribbled off his hip and out to short-leg, from where James Wharton’s throw just missed the stumps.
Kohler-Cadmore dusted himself down and took an instant liking to Bess, striking him for two successive sixes and then two successive fours in a sudden burst of scoring. He reached his fifty from 55 balls and, by lunch, had 66 out of 114-2 from 30 overs, with James Rew, the 21-year-old wicketkeeper, unbeaten on 31.
After the break it was Rew’s turn to raise his bat to the Taunton faithful, his own fifty arriving from 91 balls with eight boundaries. The left-hander is pleasant to watch and there was a touch of the Gary Ballance about the way that he hit the ball square on both sides of the wicket.
The third-wicket stand was worth 117 inside 29 overs when Kohler-Cadmore advanced once too often, slicing Thompson to first slip where Hill took a very good catch, high to his right. It was the sort of reflex chance that could so easily have been spilled as the all-rounder found another way of proving his worth.
There was not much more play after that as Tom Abell joined Rew in the centre, rain leaving large puddles on the outfield. The players went off at 2.07pm - initially in bright sunshine as a precaution ahead of the storm - and that was it, the contest yet to take any real shape.