Starting the day on 344, Tom Banton had his sights firmly set on a historic 400. With a boundary in the first over and crossing the 350 mark in the second, the English batter looked well on course. But one mistimed shot brought it all to a halt—his journey stopped short, but his innings remained unforgettable.
Banton’s 371-run knock wasn’t just monumental in runs but also in the records it rewrote. Representing Somerset, he had already claimed the title for the highest individual score in the club’s history the day before. On the third morning of the County Championship clash against Worcestershire, he was finally dismissed for 371.
He resumed his innings by pulling Adam Finch for four on just the fourth delivery of the day. A single off Tom Hainley took him to 350 from 392 balls—making him the first-ever Somerset player to reach that landmark.
Naturally an aggressive batter, Banton kept the scoreboard ticking with boundaries and quick runs, looking to hit 400 before a possible declaration. He reverse-swept Tom Hainley for four and then slog-swept him for six while on one knee. But in Hainley’s next over, an attempted cut shot went straight into the keeper’s gloves—ending Banton’s majestic innings.
He walked off the field having scored 371 off 403 balls, including 56 fours and 2 sixes, at a staggering strike rate of 92.05. Every player from the opposition came over to congratulate him—a moment of mutual respect in cricketing history.
Banton’s innings now stands as the fifth-highest in County Championship history, behind only Brian Lara’s iconic 501*, Archie MacLaren’s 424, Sam Northeast’s unbeaten 410, and Graeme Hick’s 405.
It’s also the third-highest score ever made at Taunton, Somerset’s home ground, trailing only behind MacLaren and Hick.
In terms of Somerset’s history, Banton surpassed Justin Langer’s previous record of 342. And looking at all of first-class cricket, only 20 innings have ever gone beyond Banton’s 371.
Earlier, Worcestershire were bowled out for just 154. Somerset found themselves in early trouble at 39/3, but Banton rose to the occasion. He ended Day 1 on 84 not out and went on a rampage on Day 2, adding 260 more runs. His marathon knock finally came to an end in the sixth over of Day 3.
During the innings, he also built a massive 371-run stand for the fifth wicket with James Rew—a new record partnership for Somerset at that position.
Once known primarily as a white-ball specialist, Banton, now 26, has played 7 ODIs and 14 T20Is for England, scoring 4 centuries in T20s. Before this match, he had just three first-class centuries, with a previous best of 133. This innings, however, has rewritten his story in red-ball cricket.
Following his dismissal, Somerset declared at 670/7. Worcestershire ended the day on 280/5, still needing 236 more runs to avoid an innings defeat. Somerset, meanwhile, will be hunting for 5 wickets on the final day to seal the win.
