Abell hails a complete display from Somerset
SOMERSET’S all-round team effort saw Warwickshire beaten by an innings and 82 runs inside three days in resounding fashion in Division One of the County Championship.
After starting the campaign with three successive defeats, a run which extended to seven if last summer was included too, Tom Abell’s side are up and running after they completely outplayed the champions.
They swiftly took Warwickshire’s final first-innings wicket in the morning to secure a first innings lead of 249, then bowled them out for 167 second time round.
Jack Brooks led the way with four for 44, but it was a hugely impressive collective effort, with all five bowlers used getting among the wickets and maintaining pressure on the batters.
Sam Hain (43 from 116 balls) and Will Rhodes (29 from 93 balls) added 68 in 30 overs, but it was an isolated show of defiance in an innings in which two wickets fell within five balls on four occasions.
Abell said: “It feels very good. Results haven’t gone our way in the last two or three weeks, so this win and the manner of the performance is incredibly pleasing. It was a pretty complete performance from us.
“We scored 450 having been put in on a wicket conducive to seamers and then our bowling attack asked questions of their batsmen.
“They all executed their plans perfectly. Brooksy is one of those players who, when he gets on a roll, he’s impossible to stop and that was an unbelievable passage of play.
“The crowd really got involved and the connection between the crowd and the players was fantastic.
“It was amazing to be out there through that period. It was a very special session for us.
“That was close to how we were playing our cricket a couple of years ago, and I feel we are getting our identity back now.
“I thought we were fantastic last week without getting the result, but we’re over the moon about this.”
Warwickshire resumed on the third morning on 197 for nine and secured their first batting point in the first over, but did not get much further, Josh Davey teasing a nick from Olly Hannon-Dalby to finish with three for 30.
With the follow-on then enforced, Somerset’s bowlers were soon back out there with their tails up and reduced Warwickshire’s second innings to 21 for three by the 16th over. They were backed up by superb catching as Craig Overton took a blinder at third slip to remove Alex Davies off Davey and was then the happy bowler when Dom Sibley edged to Abell at fourth slip. When Rob Yates top-edged a pull at Brooks, Tom Lammonby judged the catch perfectly at mid on.
Hain and Rhodes batted valiantly before perishing in successive overs in mid-afternoon. Rhodes offered no shot to a ball from Jack Leach which turned sharply into his stumps, and five balls later Hain lifted a leg-side delivery from Brooks straight to short fine leg where Overton had just been deployed for that very shot.
Brooks added three more wickets in 17 balls. Michael Burgess and Danny Briggs edged to wicketkeeper Steven Davies and then Nathan McAndrew sliced to Matt Renshaw at second slip. Another two wickets in five balls finished it just after tea.
A superb grab at second slip by Renshaw disposed of Craig Miles off Overton then Matt Lamb (40 off 80 balls) missed a pull at Leach to end Somerset’s long wait for a victory.
LV= County Championship Division One – Taunton: Somerset 458 (M T Renshaw 129, T B Abell 70, T Banton 57, T A Lammonby 56; O J Hannon-Dalby 5-89), Warwickshire 209 (S R Hain 54) & 167 (J A Brooks 4-44). Somerset (23 points) beat Warwickshire (3 points) by an innings and 82 runs.