COUNTIES CRICKET Connell set for Somerset debut today

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Created on Tuesday, 21 July 2026 05:57

Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 July 2026 06:25

Published on Tuesday, 21 July 2026 05:57

Written by PAUL BOLTON Cricket Correspondent

Johnny Connell, who helped Berkshire win the NV Play National Counties Trophy on Sunday, has signed by Somerset for their Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign, which starts today.

Connell has been in sparkling form for Berkshire this season with a century against Sussex in a T20 Showcase match against Sussex at Horsham in May the real eye-catcher.

The former Exeter University batter followed up with a century for Sussex’s Second XI against Northamptonshire last month and he has also trialled with Essex and Hampshire this season as well as playing for the Challengers representative team.

But it is Somerset who have given Connell his first professional contract, a short-term deal to cover the 50-overs competition while their squad is depleted by call-ups to The Hundred.

Connell will link up with Somerset ahead of today's Metro Bank opener against Nottinghamshire at Welbeck with thanks to Berkshire coaches past and present, Tom Lambert and Nils Mordt, and the county’s Head of Performance Neal Robinson.

“I am really excited. It came out of the blue which was nice. I’m really looking forward to it,” Connell said.

“It’s a bit left-field but the conversations I have had with Hampshire and Sussex were potentially for an end of season signing more than the Metro Bank Cup. Somerset obviously have a lot of players going into the Hundred so I think a spot opened up there and they were pretty keen to get me involved which was nice.

“I have probably played about a year for Essex in their Second XI and then I had a couple of good knocks at the beginning of this season which caught the eye of a couple of counties.

“From there it has been choosing what environment would suit me and then just going and playing my best cricket, or trying to at least.

“At the age of 16 I wasn’t involved with Berkshire because I fell out of love with cricket a little bit.

“I played as a youngster right up until 13 and then had a couple of years off and then came back to the group with Tom Lambert and Stewart Davison who filled me with me loads of confidence and made me the player I am today.

“Nils Mordt and Neal Robinson have followed that on. I can’t speak highly enough of Lambo, Nils and Neal and how they fill all of their players with confidence to go out and express themselves on Saturdays, Sundays and during the week with the Challengers.” 

Connell, 23, made his Berkshire debut in 2022 and made a brilliant 150 to help them defeat Middlesex in a 50 overs Showcase game at Falkland that summer.

He has since gone on to make five centuries for Berkshire across the formats including one in the 2024 National Counties Championship final against Staffordshire at West Bromwich Dartmouth.

Connell also made a century for the National Counties XI against a strong Zimbabwe Emerging side in 2024 and he was part of the side which retained the European T10 title in Spain later that year. He has also played for the Challengers representative team co

Connell is the latest in a long line of players to be recruited by first-class counties for the Metro Bank Cup with Cheshire’s Rob Lord  and Lincolnshire’s Joe Pocklington (Nottinghamshire), Hertfordshire’s Andrew Neal (Hampshire), Staffordshire’s Rory Haydon and Bedfordshire’s Amrit Basra (Derbyshire) among those who have used the opportunity to secure longer-term contracts.

Mordt hopes that seeing Connell sign for Somerset will inspire other Berkshire youngsters with aspirations to progress to the first-class ranks.

“My goal when I took this job was to get players signed into the pro game. We have got Johnny into Somerset and hopefully over the next four weeks he gets embedded down at Taunton and does the special things we know he can do because I think he is one of the greatest National Counties cricketers,” Mordt said.

“We have got a couple of other young guys here following in his footsteps. I always believe that when one of their friends gets signed it just gives a little lift to everyone else.

“We have five or six guys who are desperate to be pros and seeing Johnny Connell get this opportunity just raises them a little bit to realise that at 23-24 you can still get signed and you are not going to be overlooked.

“I think Johnny is going to be special. He’s a lovely player and we are looking forward to seeing him down at Somerset.”

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