James Rew continued his distinctive begin to the County Championship season to maintain England selectors’ consideration on a day the place 13 wickets fell at Utilita Bowl.
Somerset wicketkeeper Rew started the season with 64, 122 and 48 earlier than including one other half-century to again his bowlers placing Hampshire out for 238.
Jake Lehmann had been Hampshire’s lone batting star by placing 76, as Craig Overton and the fit-again Lewis Gregory picked up three wickets every.
Rew, batting at quantity 4, then replied with 77 not out by the shut – with a mean over 100 for the marketing campaign – as Somerset ended the day trailing their hosts by simply 84 runs.
Hampshire captain Ben Brown selected to bat first however common wickets in opposition to a nagging bowling assault stemmed his ambitions of getting a big first-innings whole.
Toby Albert was most well-liked to Joe Weatherley – who had solely managed 16 runs in 4 innings this season – and seemed punchy and busy on the crease.
Albert has historically had a Jekyll and Hyde strategy to his batting in several codecs. His aggressive and ingenious T20 type helped him be the main run scorer within the Vitality Blast final season.
Whereas within the Championship, he had gained a status as a blocker. Right here, scoring 42, he discovered a center floor between the 2 approaches – to offer the suggestion he could be the reply to Hampshire’s long-term opening bat conundrum.
The Somerset bowlers had zipped the brand new ball by way of, discovering Nick Gubbins providing a head excessive catch to 3rd slip, and Tom Prest edging to wicketkeeper Rew.
However Gregory’s introduction started Hampshire’s slide from a decent 72-2 to 126-7.
Gregory missed the primary two rounds of the season with a pectoral harm and struck in his fourth over when Albert pushed behind, after which in his following over, bought Ben Brown pissed off and drew a jabbed edge.
These two overs turned the momentum in the direction of the guests, as Ben Mayes, Liam Dawson and Codi Yusuf departed inside 22 balls of one another – with Overton choosing up the second two of the trio.
Going through a sub-200 rating, Hampshire’s tail wagged, with Lehmann performing because the shepherd.
Lehmann, who’s the son of Australian nice Darren however qualifies as a home participant as a consequence of his UK Passport, placed on 43 with Kyle Abbott and 62 with Eddie Jack.
The South Australian scored 76 and 92 within the victory in opposition to Yorkshire final week and thru crisp hitting, adopted it up with one other 76.
Archie Vaughan pilfered the final two wickets to bowl Hampshire out for 238 – with Rew ending up with 4 catches to underline his all-round prowess.
Somerset’s reply began with a stutter as Josh Thomas tickled Yusuf behind to the seventh ball of the innings, after which Tom Lammonby mistimed a drive off Abbott to Albert at second slip.
However Vaughan – who got here into final week’s win at Essex as a alternative to win the match with a breezy 41 – noticed off the brand new ball with Rew.
And regardless that Vaughan hooked a Sonny Baker bouncer straight to lengthy leg, the muse was set for Tom Abell and Rew to fly by way of the gears and make a large dent into Hampshire’s whole.
Rew was at his dominant greatest with wristy flicks and luscious drives to set himself up for an enormous whole on day two.
Report by ECB Reporters’ Community, supported by Rothesay.
