Story perspectives

Tom Banton Targets Somerset’s First County Championship Win

By Drooid · Sep 23, 2026, 10:26 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Tom Banton, 27, says winning Somerset’s first County Championship is his main goal before quitting red-ball cricket this summer.
Somerset County Cricket Club has never won the County Championship in its 136-year history.
The club finished runners-up six times this century, including 2016, 2018 and 2019.
Somerset placed third in the 2024 and 2025 championships.

History

Historical Context

Somerset, a historic South-West county whose roots trace to Anglo-Saxon Wessex, has repeatedly reshaped its governance—from the 1889 creation of Somerset County Council, through the 1974 split that formed Avon, to the 2023 consolidation into a unitary Somerset Council. This pattern of adaptation mirrors the cricket club’s recent push for its first County Championship title.

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Story summary

Tom Banton, 27, says winning Somerset’s first County Championship is his main goal before quitting red-ball cricket this summer.
Somerset County Cricket Club has never won the County Championship in its 136-year history.
The club finished runners-up six times this century, including 2016, 2018 and 2019.
Somerset placed third in the 2024 and 2025 championships.

1 / 2