And Renshaw star for Somerset
ry with a single off Brad Wheal, making his Gloucestershire debut on loan from Hampshire.
The Australian had faced 85 balls and hit 9 fours. Lammonby was particularly effective through the legside with some meaty pulls and drives as the partnership progressed to 114 off 31 overs by lunch.
The afternoon session began with Lammonby moving to fifty with an edged boundary off Higgins, having faced 94 deliveries and hit nine boundaries.
There looked to be little in the pitch for Gloucestershire’s injury-hit attack. But Chappell had stuck to his task, bowling a probing line from the Pavilion End, and was suddenly rewarded with two wickets in quick succession.
Having previously demonstrated sound shot selection, Lammonby looked to guide ball that was too straight over the slips and miscued a simple catch to gully.
In his next over Chappell produced the best ball of the day to beat Renshaw’s back-foot defensive shot with one that squeezed between bat and pad. From looking untroubled, Somerset had lost both openers and were 174 for two.
Gloucestershire’s fightback continued when Tom Banton, who had lofted left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar over long-on for six on his way to 18, edged a defensive push off Higgins through to James Bracey.
The wicketkeeper took a fine low catch, one-handed diving to his right, and at 207 for three Somerset were in danger of relinquishing their stranglehold.
Skipper Abell and the vastly experienced Hildreth, 18 years to the day since scoring his maiden first class century against Durham, steadied things and took the score to 229.
By the time Gloucestershire took the second new ball, a further 43 had been added under continuing blue skies, but with a stiff breeze blowing across the ground.
Abell and Hildreth were looking rock solid, but having reached a 96-ball fifty, the latter pushed forward to left-armer Matt Taylor and edged through to Bracey.
The stand of 85 had re-established Somerset’s dominance and Abell reached a 125-ball half-century with a glorious off-driven four.
But Gloucestershire kept decent control of the run-rate and could also take positives from an absorbing day.
Meanwhile, Brendon McCullum has been appointed as the new head coach of England’s Test side, with director of men’s cricket Rob Key telling fans to “buckle up and get ready for the ride”.
The former New Zealand captain will leave his job in charge of Indian Premier League Franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to take over a red-ball side that has fallen to bottom place in the World Test Championship after a dire run of one win in 17 matches.
Leading the revival is a sizeable task for the 40-yearold, who has never before coached at first-class or Test level, but he is renowned as one of the sport’s most progressive thinkers and dynamic leaders.
As skipper he set his own country on the path to their current golden era, which has seen them finished as runner-up in each of the last two World Cups and claim the inaugural World Test Championship, and won over the ECB’s selection panel with his passionate approach.
He saw off a strong field to earn a four-year contract, edging the Gary Kirsten, whose credentials with South Africa and India had once made him favourite to land the job.