100 for Lammers on Day Two
A 10th First Class century for Tom Lammonby helped Somerset battle back on the second day of this Rothesay County Championship match with Surrey at the Cooper Associates County Ground.
Tom Abell (63*) also impressed with the bat as Somerset’s fourth wicket pair shared an unbeaten stand of 125 as the hosts finished the day on 222 for three.
Somerset began the day hunting quick wickets and the opening spells from Craig Overton and Lewis Gregory provided exactly that as three batters returned to the dressing room for the addition of 45 runs in 8.2 overs.
The fifth wicket partnership between Ben Foakes and Dan Lawrence, which had frustrated the hosts for a large part of the opening day, was finally broken for 167 when the former was trapped lbw by Overton for 64.
Somerset then claimed a second bowling point when Mahipal Lomror (10) chopped Gregory into his own stumps, and when the Somerset skipper found Lawrence’s outside edge and James Rew took a diving catch low to his right Surrey were 371 for seven.
Lawrence received a warm reception from those present at Taunton as he left the field with 139 runs to his name.
Four boundaries for Adam Thomas in the 115th over, sent down by Migael Pretorius, saw Surrey reach 400, but then Dan Worrall (5) was lbw to Jack Leach offering no shot at 402 for eight.
Reece Topley hit his first career County Championship maximum off Leach but was caught at first slip by Overton when trying to repeat the feat two balls later.
Rahul Chahar (5), who had earlier retired out on 2, was the final wicket to fall when he was bowled by Leach shortly after his return to the crease as Surrey finished on 422.
Somerset openers Lammonby and Josh Thomas survived a tricky three overs and went in at lunch with one on the board.
After the break, the score had advanced to 30 when Thomas fell lbw to Lawrence for 17.
The Somerset 50 arrived in the 13th over, but with the total on 68 Tom Kohler-Cadmore (22) picked out Adam Thomas at mid wicket off Lomror.
Lammonby and Henry Nicholls added 29 for the third wicket but the latter fell lbw to Worrall for 15.
Despite the departure of his partners, Lammonby continued to find the gaps in the field and his half century came from 94 deliveries.
On reaching 20, Abell reached 1000 First Class runs for the season and shortly thereafter the 50 partnership for the fourth wicket arrived from 111 balls.
Somerset went to 150 in the 46th over before Abell’s 48th First Class half century came from 96 deliveries.
Lammonby thoroughly deserved a hundred, and another bumper crowd at Taunton rose as one when he reached three figures from 205 deliveries.
By the close of play, the Somerset opener was unbeaten on 103 with the Surrey first innings lead cut to 200.
