Wickets tumble at Old Trafford as Somerset take control

Lancashire recovered from being bowled out for 109 against Somerset by taking eight wickets on an entertaining first day at Old Trafford. 

Captain Liam Livingstone's lone effort of 68 was the sole highlight in a frustrating batting effort for the Red Rose, but Ryan McLaren (4-46) and Luke Procter (3-36) starred with the ball to minimise the Somerset lead to 44 by the close.

Somerset's seamers made the most of friendly bowling conditions after opting to bowl first, with Lancashire falling to 1/2 inside the first four overs of the day. 

Much like Livingstone, South-African batsman Dean Elgar became the pillar of Somerset's reply, hitting an unbeaten 66 to steer the visitors to 153/8.

Craig Overton proved to be the chief destroyer for Somerset, claiming 5-47 with the assistance of Josh Davey (2-33) at the top of the innings and Tim Groenewald (3-8) to mop up the tail.

Openers Alex Davies and Haseeb Hameed both fell without scoring in the opening minutes of the match, with the Lancashire faithful subjected to a disastrous first session of the season on home soil.

Hameed's second duck in a row came after he edged Davey behind to Steven Davies, while his namesake Alex was caught by Marcus Trescothick at first slip. Procter, who was the only other batsman to reach double figures in Lancashire's innings, showed signs of leading a comeback with 24, including three boundaries.

However, he was the first of three quick wickets for the deadly Overton, as he reduced the hosts to 39/5 with lunch still 45 minutes away. Procter was lured into an edge behind to Davies, while Rob Jones survived just eight balls before he was wrapped on the pads without scoring.

Dane Vilas (4) marked Overton's third breakthrough in four overs, as he too found himself trapped on the crease with an emphatic lbw appeal. McLaren (2) departed five balls later with an edge which flew low to Elgar off Groenewald, leaving the hosts in a dire situation at 42/6.

There was a degree of support for Livingstone's defiance in the shape of Jordan Clark, who helped steer Lancashire to lunch without another setback. However, a rampant Overton returned after the interval to put a stop to his resilience, forcing an edge to skipper Tom Abell to send Clark back to the pavilion for 9.

Overton took his figures to 5-26 with the wicket of Stephen Parry at the start of his next over with a sharp caught and bowled chance, as the Lancashire spinner became the fourth batsman to fall for a duck. 

Groenewald's efficient nine-over spell - including six maidens - brought Somerset three wickets and he continued to make a dent in the tail-end by having Kyle Jarvis (1) caught at first slip by Trescothick, leaving Livingstone with little option but to throw the bat and buy as many runs as possible.

The stand-in skipper went to his first fifty of the campaign in 88 balls in some style, clobbering a huge six into the pavilion, taking Lancashire into three figures with a hard-fought vigil containing 11 boundaries. He was, however, the final man to fall, with Jack Leach holding onto the catch at deep mid-wicket and bring Lancashire's innings to an end. 

Somerset's openers started in stark contrast to Hameed and Davies, with Elgar and Trescothick reaching 42 before the first scalp arrived for Lancashire. McLaren's first victim was the veteran and former England opener Trescothick, who edged behind to Davies for 20, while Somerset's young skipper Abell (1) fell soon after when he was judged lbw to McLaren.

Procter backed up his sturdy effort with the bat by removing the potentially dangerous James Hildreth with the final ball before tea, as he was bowled for 21 with Somerset on 63/3. James Anderson will have been frustrated with his lack of wickets before the break given the friendly conditions for his seam talents, but he struck the first blow after tea by accounting for Steve Davies (1), extracting an edge through to Alex Davies.

Elgar carried his bat until the close, reaching an invaluable fifty in 111 deliveries, but wickets continued to fall at the other end after a frustrating 52-run stand with Peter Trego. Somerset lost four more men for 36 runs before the end of an incredible opening day, with Trego (19) also trapped lbw by McLaren.

Procter chipped in with three important wickets and two scalps in back-to-back deliveries to get Lewis Gregory (9) and Davey (0). Overton (8) followed his teammates with a contentious lbw decision at 145/8, before Elgar and Leach steered Somerset to close with a handy lead of 44 runs.