Festival of Red Ball Cricket 2025

 

Well I put a date into the title but there's no guarantee that there will much red ball cricket left in the future  if certain factions have their own way...

An anecdotal impression from Taunton

They certainly had the weather for it, four days of dry, often sunny and at times hot conditions.

Somerset started the festival with a feast on Day 1, on the opening day (Sunday) of their County Championship game against Nottinghamshire, this being the best attended by paying punters. The queue for the Caribbean food vendor was as relentless as the sunshine. Activities weren't restricted to just delights for the taste-buds, there was live music being played as the gates opened at 10AM and again for the queues at lunch time for food or at a pop-up coffee vendor's van. The atmosphere was all very relaxed and happy in spite of "safety stewards'" officious manner.

Through-out the day "on the hour, every hour" there was a bat making demonstrations, there was also museum tours and kiddy based activities as well as the main course, the cricket.

I'm told that they are used to good crowds at the [insert sponsor's name] County Ground, Taunton and certainly facilities are geared up to accommodate them there.There appeared to be toilets, Gents and Ladies, at 360 degrees of the ground and even an on-site fish and chips outlet which remained open for at least the first three days of the game. There are plenty of bars with a two tier price structure**, which as a visitor always left you feeling that you were being ripped-off, serving beverages of the hot, cold, alcoholic or soft varieties as well pasties/pies and ice creams.

One major criticism, water - £3.50* for a cold bottle from a fridge or they would for refill any bottle for free from a tepid tap. After several laps of the ground, I never found a "hydration station" - other visitors said the same, yet the announcer advertised its existence each morning.

Highlight of the day was most certainly the display put on by a flock of seagulls, stopping play on occasions,  feasting on swarming ants on the outfield and flying ants high above the ground.

** "are you a [Somerset] member?" meaning if you were, prices would be subject to a discount.

Day 2 "Schools Day", the hottest day of the festival. A healthy sized crowd was boosted by approaching a thousand school children brought-in from all points of the south-west that were entertained with one the hour demonstrations and/or the tours, which class by class they all trooped-off to experience taking their regimented turns.

The pop-up coffee vendor was there again as well, under cutting the club's water at £2* for a chilled bottle from their fridge . It was a day that you needed to stay hydrated.

Shade was at a premium, so the Marcus Trescothick pavilion became very "cosy" with bodies closely packed-in but at least someone saw sense and opened-up the Somerset Stand as the sun moved around and the shade from the appartment block  grew over the afternoon.

Day 3 as it turned out was another "Schools Day", serving-up the same activities for those scholars to experience as on previous days. The day was still well attended before the addition of several more classes of school children, who were supplied with banks of water tanks to keep them hydrated, shame about the rest of us!

If the festival of red ball cricket was about attracting spectators into the ground on sunny days, it certainly worked at Taunton. It's a pity that the cricket was hampered by Mr Key's obsession with the Kookaburra ball, however.

The Taunton ground is well organised and is only spoilt by a few job's worth stewards, whereas most of the staff are otherwise welcoming and helpful. The sausage rolls and pasties were a good quality and very tasty, whereas the fish and chips weren't . The jerk chicken was excellent!

Here's looking forward to a Festival of Red Ball Cricket in 2026. HBD