Alife and James put Somerset on top on day three
Career-best First Class figures for Alfie Ogborne plus an unbeaten partnership in excess of 200 for the second wicket between James Rew and Tom Kohler Cadmore helped to ensure that Somerset finished the third day of this Rothesay County Championship Division One clash against Nottinghamshire at the Cooper Associates County Ground with a lead of 223.
Ogborne finished with three for 81 from his 21 overs whilst Rew reached his 12th First Class century as Somerset had the better of the day’s play.
Mercifully, Taunton escaped the worst of Storm Dave, and despite heavy overnight, rain play got underway as scheduled at 11am.
The visitors resumed on 218 for three and Craig Overton opened the bowling from the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End. He ensured that Somerset got off to the best possible start.
The fifth ball of the day saw the Somerset skipper entice Jack Haynes into a shot which was feathered through to James Rew behind the stumps. The Notts batter had to depart for a well made 55 with just two runs added to the overnight total. His partnership with Joe Clarke was worth 92.
The score had crept to 226 when the players left the field for the first rain delay of the morning.
When the players returned to the field, Kyle Verreynne was given a life after he edged Migael Pretorius through to first slip but Tom Kohler Cadmore was unable to cling on to a difficult chance low down to his left. Nottinghamshire reached 250 in the 78th over.
Ogborne was then brought into the attack at the River End and he struck twice in his second over.
Verreynne was trapped lbw for 25 by a lovely delivery which angled across the batter and swung in at the last moment. If that ball was a beauty then the one that accounted for Clarke was even better.
Clarke was beginning to look like he was immovable, but he had to make his way back to the pavilion when he was comprehensively bowled when just eight runs short of his century.
Rain resulted in an early lunch with the scoreboard showing 274 for six but that didn’t deter Ogborne.
Upon the resumption of play, it was the Somerset left-armer who removed Lyndon James for 10 curtesy of a catch by Rew at 284 for seven.
The Nottinghamshire 300 arrived in the 91st over but with 314 on the board Pretorius removed Liam Patterson-White for 17. The batter looked to flick one off his pads but he was undone by a good tumbling catch by Rew.
Robert Lord (22) edged Jake Ball to Kohler Cadmore at first slip at 332 for nine, and the same combination accounted for Dillon Pennington (5) as the visitors were dismissed for 338 as Somerset secured a slim first innings lead.
The home side’s second innings got off to the worst possible start when Josh Thomas (6) was trapped lbw by Pennington in the fourth over with the total on just seven. However, Kohler Cadmore and Rew weathered the storm (no pun in tended) and took the hosts to 32 for one at tea.
The 50 partnership for the second wicket arrived from 73 balls and Rew reached his second half century of the match from 69 deliveries.
The Somerset batters made the most of the best batting conditions of the match and the century stand was reached from 145 deliveries before Kohler Cadmore secured his seventh First Class half century for Somerset from 81 balls.
The 150 partnership arrived in the 39th over
Rew’s century came from 147 balls whilst Kohler Cadmore finished unbeaten on 94 as Somerset closed on 214 for one.
The pair will resume their partnership of 207 in the morning, but will Somerset be able to force a victory inside three sessions?
There’s only one way to find out.
