Tom Banton made the highest first-class score in Somerset’s 150-year history as he struck a staggering unbeaten 344 in the season opener against Worcestershire.
Banton broke the club-record score with the penultimate ball of the second day, pulling Kashif Ali to the midwicket boundary for his 53rd four, to go with a single six. That took him past the 342 which club legend Justin Langer, the Australian opener, made against Surrey at Guildford in 2006.
Banton’s was the eighth triple-century made by a Somerset batsman, and first since James Hildreth’s 303 against Warwickshire in 2009. Banton dwarfed his previous best first-class score of 133.
All this from a batsman who has admitted that he has considered retiring from the red-ball game in order to focus on T20. But Banton enjoyed a breakthrough season in the red-ball game in 2024, making 891 runs at 49.5 having found a new home in the middle order.
An emphatic celebration from Tom Banton as he scores his maiden double century pic.twitter.com/Vu0RHg3K2H
— Rothesay County Championship (@CountyChamp) April 5, 2025
That, and strong form in franchise cricket, contributed to a recall in white-ball internationals for the first time in three years in India in February. Increasingly, it feels like Banton is a candidate for higher honours not only in white-ball internationals, but Test cricket, too. The first-class method he has found suits Brendon McCullum – with whom he once worked at Kolkata Knight Riders – down to the ground.
While Banton scored quickly throughout – his strike-rate was north of 90 – this was a mature innings. He came to the crease at 39 for three on Friday but fluently made it to stumps 84 not out that night. He shared 371, a Somerset record for the fifth wicket, with the England Lions wicketkeeper-batsman James Rew, who made 152, and carried Somerset to 637 for six at stumps.
“It’s a weird feeling and I was a bit emotional up there in the dressing room,” said Banton. “This is the best day I’ve had in cricket and will probably be the best day I’ll ever have. It feels special and you cannot take it for granted.
“I won’t lie, I was pretty tired out there and I kept saying to myself ‘just keep batting, keep going’. There were a few moments when I felt I wanted to be back in the dressing room, but I thought this wasn’t going to happen again, and I wanted to go for the record tonight, so I tried to play my shots when possible.
“I’ve had a weird red-ball career really. I didn’t do well at all, but I’ve found something that works for me and hopefully that continues.
“You try not to get too high [when things are going well], but on a day like this I think I will have a beer.”
