Rothesay County Championship, day one: Somerset 187-4 lead Worcestershire 154 by 33 runs
Somerset all-rounder Kasey Aldridge claimed five wickets in a dramatic Worcestershire batting collapse on the opening day of the Rothesay County Championship First Division match at Taunton, writes Richard Latham, ECB Reporters Network.
From an encouraging 102 for one, the visitors were skittled for just 154 after losing the toss, tall seamer Aldridge taking five for 36 from eight overs and Craig Overton finishing with three for 24. Gareth Roderick top-scored with 58, while fellow opener Jake Libby made 30 and Matthew Waite 32 not out.
In reply, Somerset stumbled to 39 for three before closing on 187 for four, Tom Banton and Tom Abell having shared a century fourth-wicket stand. Abell contributed 52 and Banton an unbeaten 84, off 103 balls, with 17 fours.
The toss was staged under overcast skies. But by the time play started the sun was shining and Somerset’s bowlers struggled to make inroads as Roderick and Libby played with assurance.
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They put together an attractive half-century stand with few alarms, forcing home skipper Lewis Gregory to introduce Jack Leach from the River End. It was the England left-arm spinner who made an important breakthrough with the total on 70.
Libby pushed forward to a ball that straightened from around the wicket and edged to slip where Gregory took a smart low catch. Kashif Ali got off the mark in streaky fashion, miscuing a shot off Leach over cover for two, but Roderick looked untroubled in moving to a composed fifty with a square cut boundary off Aldridge.
The hundred was brought up in the 26th over and Worcestershire looked to be laying the foundations for a big score. But everything changed when Aldridge bowled Kashif with a ball that hurried through and clipped the top of leg stump.
Three balls later Ethan Brookes edged a catch to Overton at second slip and when former Somerset player Adam Hose was bowled by the inspired Aldridge for four, lunch was taken with Worcestershire suddenly 110 for four.
The procession continued after the interval, with Roderick, having faced 98 balls and hit 8 fours, fending a ball from Aldridge to second slip where Overton accepted a routine chance. It was 130 for six when Brett D’Oliveira was bowled by Aldridge shouldering arms and 151 for seven when Tom Taylor was pinned lbw by Overton pushing forward.
Waite had batted positively, with three early boundaries and six in all, but was left stranded as Worcestershire could fashion only three more runs. Ben Allison was bowled by Overton on the back foot, Tom Hinley edged the same bowler to second slip and Adam Finch fell leg before to Gregory to end the innings.
Only 45.3 overs had been bowled and the last nine wickets had fallen in just 18 for the addition of 52 runs.
Somerset were soon in trouble themselves. Archie Vaughan, watched from the boundary edge by father Michael, the former England captain, had made only 12 when nicking Taylor to wicketkeeper Roderick and Tom Lammonby, on eight, edged a loose drive off the same bowler to second slip.
Sean Dickson was bowled for 11 aiming a forcing shot to leg off Finch and at tea the hosts had work to do at 53 for three, still 101 behind. But an evening session played in warm sunshine saw Banton and Abell build a confident partnership that put Somerset firmly in control.
Banton, who has worked hard to transfer his impressive one-day batting skills to red ball cricket, was first to a half-century, off 64 balls, with 11 fours. Abell soon followed with his seventh boundary, having faced 73 deliveries.
The pair had added 101 crucial runs, but immediately after reaching fifty Abell fell to a straightforward catch, working a ball from Finch off his hip straight to Taylor at mid-wicket.
Banton went on to delight home fans in a first day crowd of over 2,000 with more meaty boundaries as he and James Rew (17 not out) cemented Somerset's position.
Kasey Aldridge said: “They weren’t my best figures because I have had a six-for, but that is the best I have bowled for Somerset. I just tried to keep things simple and bowl a bit fuller to the taller guys. My first couple of overs weren’t the best, but from then on everything went about as well as I could have hoped.”
