Lancashire dominate opening day at Taunton

Lancashire enjoyed an excellent first day with bat and ball at Taunton in their three-day warm-up match against Somerset.

The visitors reduced Somerset to 208 all out and finished Day One on 132/1 as Luis Reece made an unbeaten 64 to guide Lancashire in the right direction.

Somerset had enjoyed a similar start to their innings, reaching 112/1 before lunch, but the hosts lost their way and surrendered their nine remaining wickets for just 96 runs.

Australian-born Tom Cooper (61) shared a partnership worth 99 runs for the second-wicket with Marcus Trescothick after Somerset had lost Johann Myburgh (10) to Tom Bailey (1-31) early on in the day.

The hosts were invited to bat first and lost debutant Myburgh with the score on 13/1 to an edge through to Alex Davies. Cooper and Trescothick then led an eye-catching recovery, as the pair found the fence a number of times in between countless lbw appeals.

The two teams were treated to glorious sunshine at Taunton and the hosts enjoyed the better of the morning session despite losing Trescothick (35) just before the lunch interval. 

Lancashire’s new captain Tom Smith (2-22) had only just had an lbw appeal rejected by the umpire, a decision which didn’t prove to do too much damage as Trescothick was again hit on the pads and this time given out with Somerset on 112/2.

Cooper reached a half-century in 75 balls, the majority of his runs coming from the ten boundaries he managed, but the lunch interval proved to be the turning point for both teams. James Hildreth (5) had joined Cooper moments before lunch was taken, but was soon walking back to the pavilion when Smith collected his second wicket, as Reece took a smart catch at point with the score at 123/3.

This started a procession as Somerset went on to lose five wickets for just 14 runs and eventually their final nine wickets for 96 runs. Kyle Jarvis (2-33) was next in line to claim a wicket when he trapped Jim Allenby lbw for just one and Cooper’s fine innings came to an end when he was also struck on the pad in front of his stumps, as Jarvis collected two in quick succession.

The next wicket brought back memories of a stunning and historical run out in 2011 as Ashwell Prince’s direct-hit removed Peter Trego for no score, although when Gary Keedy ran out Gemaal Hussain that dismissal carried far greater importance than it did in this friendly match.

Now on 126/6, Somerset had capitulated after lunch, but recovered slightly as Alex Barrow and Lewis Gregory made 24 for the seventh-wicket before the former was bowled by Jordan Clark for 9. Gregory (24) soon followed, also to Clark (2-37) when he feathered an edge down the leg side through to Davies, as the hosts reached 169/8.

Somerset managed to scrape their way over the 200-mark as Tim Groenewald enjoyed a late-innings cameo alongside Pakistan International Abdur Rehamn (12). Groenewald finished unbeaten on 29 as Rehman attempted one shot too many before he skied a Luke Procter (2-32) delivery to Jarvis at mid-on, before Procter brought the innings to a close as he bowled Jamie Overton for 4.

Lancashire’s response started after the tea interval and the visitors enjoyed a positive start to their innings, as Reece and Paul Horton managed a partnership of 72 runs for the opening stand. The duo scored evenly in the evening session as the sunshine continued to treat the crowd to unseasonable warmth.

But their eye-catching partnership was halted when Horton’s lofted drive was mistimed and the ball flew to Myburgh at point, as the Lancashire opener fell for 29. But Karl Brown played a mature innings to assist Reece in his superb innings, as he finished the first day on 24 not out.

Reece had been playing Grade Cricket in Australia for Gosnells over the winter enjoying success with the ball, but today he made his mark with the bat at the top of the order, reaching a deserved fifty in 86 deliveries with nine boundaries just before close of play.

Lancashire could not have hoped for a batter day. They showed accuracy and tenacity with the ball and recovered well after lunch to be able to reduce their first-division opponents to 208 all out. They will also be thrilled to have started well with the bat after a number of disappointing efforts with the bat last season.