Cricket Somerset on the back foot after Hampshire’s seamers impress
KYLE Abbott led an impressive display by Hampshire’s seamers on the opening day of the LV= Insurance County Championship match with Somerset at Taunton.
Having won the toss, the home side were restricted to 211 all out, with Abbott claiming 3-60. He was well supported by Mohammad Abbas, Ian Holland and James Fuller, who took two wickets each.
Somerset were unable to break loose from the stranglehold imposed by the disciplined line and length of their opponents, combined with swing and just sufficient movement off the pitch.
Matt Renshaw, Tom Lammonby, Tom Banton, Steve Davies and Craig Overton all got starts. But Overton’s 44 proved to be top score in a disappointing batting effort.
By the close, Hampshire had replied with 29 without loss.
With the pitch at the Cooper Associates County Ground showing tinges of green, particularly in one narrow strip down the middle, eyebrows were raised when Somerset skipper Tom Abell elected to bat first. But there looked nothing wrong with the decision when Renshaw and Lammonby, fresh from century stands in the previous two games, made a solid start.
Abbott made the first inroad with the score on 37 when Lammonby, on 16, edged a full delivery to second slip.
Renshaw was looking in good touch. But, having reached 27, he chased a wide delivery from Holland and presented a second catch to Liam Dawson.
Somerset were 55-3 when Abell fell in unfortunate circumstances, defending a ball from Abbas and watching the ball trickly back to remove his off bail.
James Hildreth could contribute only eight before falling lbw to Abbas pushing forward, the decision being made by his former Somerset team-mate Ian Blackwell.
Banton curbed his attacking instincts to play responsibly for 24 off 77 balls before falling lbw on the back foot by Abbott with the total on 94.
Lewis Gregory edged a third catch to Dawson, off Fuller, and
Somerset were in a deep hole at 113-6.
Davies overcame an uncertain start to lead a mini recovery before becoming the first player in the match to succumb to spin, edging Dawson’s seventh delivery to slip and departing for 29.
At tea, the scoreboard read 154-7, with Overton unbeaten on 22. Josh Davey had hit Dawson for a straight
six and the pair continued to be positive at the start of the final session. Overton rode his luck at times, but also struck four fours and two sixes in his breezy 54-ball innings before lofting Abbott into the onside and falling to a catch by Felix Organ.
Jack Leach and Peter Siddle had their stumps disturbed by Holland and Fuller respectively, leaving
Davey, who had looked as technically proficient as any of the players who went in ahead of him, unbeaten on 22.
Hampshire were left with 14 overs at the end of the day. Somerset’s seamers went past the outside edge on numerous occasions without either Organ or Holland getting a nick as the visitors completed a highly satisfactory day.