Durham fall to just a third Vitality County Championship defeat of the season, going down on the final day to Somerset.
Jack Leach completed match figures of 12 for 174 as Somerset maintained their challenge for a first ever Vitality County Championship title with a crushing 293-run victory over Durham at Taunton.
The left-arm spinner claimed seven for 50 in the visitors’ second innings total of 126 all out, aided by teenager Archie Vaughan, whose off-breaks reaped two for 40. Nightwatchman George Drissell top scored with 33 in an otherwise disappointing Durham batting effort.
Somerset took a maximum 24 points from the game to Durham’s four and, with Surrey up next at the Cooper Associates County Ground next week the second placed Cidermen will have the chance to close the gap on the Division One leaders.
Play began under overcast skies with Durham 15 for three. Somerset fears that the weather might scupper their victory bid appeared justified when rain started falling after just 5.4 overs, with their opponents having added 14 to the overnight score.
Seven overs were lost from the half hour interruption and nightwatchmen Drissell and Callum Parkinson continued to offer stout resistance when the match resumed, taking the score to 63 in the 26th over.
Drissell used his feet well against spinners Leach and Vaughan, while Parkinson dealt effectively with most deliveries on a good line and length, only to fall for 18 to a leg-side ball from Vaughan, which saw him pick out Lewis Goldsworthy, who took a tumbling catch at backward point.
It was 70 for five when Ollie Robinson edged a turning delivery from Leach and Lewis Gregory took a sharp slip catch, diving low to his left. With seven runs added, Drissell’s battling contribution ended in similar fashion, Gregory pouching a more straightforward chance off Leach.
By lunch, Durham were struggling on 94 for six, their hopes of salvaging a draw resting largely on the weather, the seventh-wicket partnership between Ashton Turner and Bas de Leede, which was worth 17 runs at the interval, and first innings centurion Brydon Carse.
Leach had been extracting considerable turn from the River End, while teenager Vaughan maintained exemplary accuracy on an impressive first class debut. Neither gave away cheap runs and skipper Gregory was able to stick with attacking fields.
It was Leach who struck again early in the afternoon session, this time finding the edge of Turner’s bat. Overton accepted the straightforward chance at second slip, his sixth catch of the game, to leave Durham 108 for seven.
With 16 added, including a Carse six over mid-wicket off Leach, the rain returned and Somerset faced further frustration. Carse had appeared to survive a chance to wicketkeeper James Rew on two, Leach being the unlucky bowler.
Play resumed at 2.50pm with a further seven overs lost. The first delivery saw Carse push forward to Leach and edge to second slip where Overton again made no mistake diving to his right.
At 124 for eight, the Durham cause was almost lost. Ben Raine could add only two to his first innings half-century before being caught at short-leg to become Leach’s sixth victim of the innings.
The next delivery clean bowled last man Daniel Hogg, sparking celebrations among the Somerset players. Within moments the rain was falling again, but it was too late to dampen spirits in a jubilant home dressing room.
Day 2 – Somerset 492AO lead Durham 272/6 by 220
A century stand from Brydon Carse and Ben Raine gave Durham a much needed fightback at the close of play on day two of their Vitality County Championship First Division game against Somerset at Taunton.
The home side began by extending their first innings score from an overnight 395 for six to 492 all out, James Rew dismissed for 103, having set out on 89, and Kasey Aldridge making 44. Callum Parkinson finished with four for 136.
By the close, Durham had replied with 272 for six, left-arm spinner Leach taking three for 103. Alex Lees hit a solid 59, but it was an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 102 between Brydon Carse (59 not out) and Ben Raine (51 not out), which kept the visitors in the game after they had slumped to 170 for six.
At the age of 20, Rew already his eight first class centuries to his name, the latest completed with a streaky edged boundary between wicketkeeper and slip off Carse early in the morning session. He had faced 112 balls and hit 12 fours and a six.
The impressive innings ended off the very next ball when another drive at Carse saw Rew edge to Ashton Turner at slip. Somerset were 417 for seven and Lewis Gregory soon signalled that intentions by smacking a delivery from Raine over mid-wicket for six.
The skipper brought up 450 and a fifth batting bonus point with a three through the off side off Carse and Aldridge, unbeaten on 12 at the start of play, celebrated the landmark by clearing the ropes off Parkinson.
The score after 110 overs was 465 for seven so Durham had to settle for two bowling points. Gregory and Aldridge completed a half-century stand before Aldridge was caught behind attempting to reverse sweep Parkinson.
Overton hit his first ball for four and then launched big sixes off successive deliveries from George Drissell before falling to the off-spinner attempting another maximum. Gregory had moved to 31 before being last man out in similar fashion, giving Parkinson his fourth wicket.
Durham were left with eight overs to bat before lunch and found themselves facing Leach and young off-spinner Archie Vaughan before the interval. It was the 18-year-old son of former England captain Michael Vaughan who struck the first blow on debut with the sixth ball of his first class career, turning a delivery pitched on leg stump and pinning Ben McKinney lbw for 15.
At lunch, Durham were 29 for one. There seemed little prospect of the collapse to come when Lees and Scott Borthwick began the afternoon session with a half-century stand off 67 balls.
But Leach was starting to threaten and Borthwick, having moved to 35, edged a back-foot shot to slip where Overton took a sharp low catch to make it 86 for two. Still Lees looked untroubled, largely content to milk singles in moving fifty off 101 balls.
Ollie Robinson made 26 in helping Lees add 42 for the third wicket before falling to an even better Overton catch, diving to his left to clutch the ball one-handed. Boosted by a second wicket, Leach struck again with the total 136 as Turner was bowled by a delivery that turned and clipped off stump.
By tea Durham were 150 for four and their plight worsened considerably in the first over after the interval. It was bowled by left-arm spinner Lewis Goldsworthy from the River End and saw Overton pouch a third slip catch as Lees pushed forward outside off stump.
The last thing Durham needed was a run out, but it happened with the total on 170 as Carse called for a quick single to cover and Bas de Leede failed to beat Tom Abell’s throw to wicketkeeper Rew.
With six wickets down, Carse and Ben Raine went on the counter-attack, Raine hitting two sixes in the same Goldsworthy over as the pair put together a half-century partnership off 71 balls.
Raine hit Leach over mid-wicket for another six and Carse cleared the ropes at long-on off Vaughan in moving to an 86-ball half century to mark his return to the Durham team after suspension.
Raine followed to the same milestone of 94 deliveries just after the century stand had been completed, much to Somerset’s frustration.
Day 1 – Somerset 395/6
Tom Abell made it back-to-back centuries at Taunton as Somerset ran up 395 for six on the opening day of the Vitality County Championship First Division game with Durham.
Having hit a career-best unbeaten 152 in the previous home game against Warwickshire, Abell scored 124 off 181 balls, with 18 fours, sharing a stand of 185 with Tom Banton (73), which was a record for Somerset’s fourth wicket against Durham.
James Rew was unbeaten on 89 at the close, while there were two wickets each for Daniel Hogg and Callum Parkinson.
Somerset gave a first class debut to all-rounder Archie Vaughan, the 18-year-old son of former England captain Michael Vaughan, following his appearances in this season’s Metro Bank One Day Cup.
Skipper Lewis Gregory returned after injury for the home side and won what looked an important toss, electing to bat first on a pitch expected to take spin. He then saw his team make the worst possible start as Andy Umeed edged the first ball of the match from Ben Raine straight to Ashton Turner at second slip.
It was 25 for two when Tom Lammonby was hurried by a steeply rising ball from Hogg and could only fend a simple catch to Ben McKinney at mid-wicket. But Lewis Goldsworthy, promoted to open with Umeed, soon looked at ease and Abell appeared in excellent touch from the start of his innings.
That was demonstrated by two sweetly-struck back-foot boundaries through the covers off the same Bas de Leede over as the pair took the score to 68 in the 16th over before Goldsworthy was caught behind for 38, edging a delivery from Brydon Carse.
Spin was introduced at 72 for three when Parkinson began operating from the River End. When George Drissell took over, Banton greeted him with a towering six over long-on and soon he and Abell had added 50 off 86 balls, taking the total to 120 for three at lunch.
The partnership flourished in warm afternoon sunshine at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Abell going to a 92-ball half-century and Banton following to the same landmark off 73 deliveries, surviving one scare when a miscued pull shot off Carse landed between two converging fielders.
Abell looked in total control, timing the ball well on both sides of the wicket. A pulled single off de Leede took him to three figures off 148 deliveries, with 16 fours, before a cut for two off Parkinson took the stand with Banton to 172, beating the previous Somerset record fourth-wicket partnership against Durham, the 170 put together by current club chief executive Jamie Cox and James Hildreth at Taunton in 2004.
Just when it seemed the pair would bat through the afternoon session, Parkinson took a hand, dismissing both with turning deliveries, now bowling from the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End. First Abell edged to Scott Borthwick at second slip and the left-arm spinner struck again in his next over, with Banton falling in identical fashion, having faced 129 balls and hit 7 fours and a six.
Somerset were 260 for five at tea. Vaughan scored his first Championship runs off the second ball of the final session with a leg glance off Parkinson and was soon sharing another profitable stand with Rew, who cleared the ropes over long-on off the same bowler.
By the time the second new ball was taken after 80 overs, Rew, the senior partner at the age of 20, was on 42 and Vaughan 28, having added 66 together in rapid time. The teenager fell for 30 with the total on 328, lbw to a full delivery from Hogg, but could reflect on a more than handy debut knock.
Rew tucked Raine off his legs for a boundary to reach a fluent fifty off 71 balls. It was the consistent left-hander’s third half century in his last six Championship innings, which also included two scores of 49.
Soon he was striking Carse majestically through the off side for three boundaries in an over as Somerset finished the day on a high, Kasey Aldridge contributing 12 to an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 67.