Century for Thomas as Somerset turn the screw
Somerset, resuming two down, declared their second innings at 355 for seven to leave Nottinghamshire an improbable 473 to win – or a minimum 114 overs to survive – in the Rothesay County Championship at Trent Bridge. The champions were groggy, on 47 for three by the close.
Thomas Rew attacked for the visitors with a massively impressive maiden hundred earlier, posted after a 68-run fifth-wicket alliance with his brother James, who made 50, was followed by 69 with Archie Vaughan.
Left to negotiate the last 75 minutes after Rew junior finished unbeaten on 127 from 151 balls, Nottinghamshire lost Ben Slater to Jake Ball, their old teammate, who started with a wicket-maiden as first change. Freddie McCann was then caught behind by Thomas Rew off Craig Overton’s fourth ball before Hutton fell lbw to Jack Leach seven balls from the close.
Before Somerset had begun their charge to a declaration, the day’s first delivery had ironically undone Lewis Goldsworthy, resuming on one but immediately edging Hutton behind. Indeed the opening 30 minutes produced only four runs off the bat. With 73 for two overnight, however, giving a 190-run lead, time was on Somerset’s side.
Hutton remarkably completed a spell of eight consecutive maidens and the day’s twentieth run had only arrived in the 18th over when Dillon Pennington had the Alfie Ogborne badly missed at second slip on 13. Next over, the bowler himself reprieved James Rew from an extremely hard caught-and-bowled before Rew reached double figures from 63 balls.
It was Ali who finally yorked Ogborne for 17 next over, 30 minutes from a lunch taken on 148 for four with the Rew brothers now picking up the tempo. They went on to add their 68 in 15 overs before James, having taken one of his six fours with a reverse ramp, reached 50 from 103 balls only to fall without addition two balls later.
Feeling for a Lyndon James ball outside off stump he edged to the ‘keeper, leaving brother Thomas to pass his own fifty from 75 balls, including a mighty six off Liam Patterson-White driven high into the stand at long-on.
It was the left-arm spinner, however, who halted the stand with Vaughan who advanced to one that turned past his bat to bowl him for 23 immediately before the new ball was taken – and was promptly dropped on the mid-wicket boundary, letting off Craig Overton and denying Hutton a second wicket.
Tom Rew’s only escape hitherto was from a very difficult chance to the ‘keeper off Pennington on 59 and he was 79 by tea, taken at 272 for six. In the interval it was decided that skipper Lewis Gregory would be unable to take the field after pulling his hamstring on Saturday and that Ball would officially come in as substitute.
Overton went lbw to Fergus O’Neill for 20 but the younger Rew coolly brought up his century, including three sixes, from 135 balls. It was an innings long to be recalled, and he had added another three sixes in happy concert with Jack Leach before the innings closed, Leach throwing the bat for 28 as the unbroken eighth wicket belted 63 from the last nine overs.
Not content with his efforts, Thomas took the wicket-keeping gloves from James, who had kept through Saturday, in the high tension towards the close. His last contribution was the catch that removed McCann.
At the close of play, Thomas Rew said:Â “It was a very special feeling for me getting the hundred, and a great day for us to be in such a commanding position at the close.
“They reckon in the dressing room that James just beat me to his first century at a younger age but we’ll have to check out the exact number of days! I loved every second of it, all the experienced players at the other end helped guide me through. I love the length of time you can allow yourself in red-ball cricket and it was realy good at the end of the innings after the hundred when Leachy and I could let ourselves go.
“We just really wanted to get a good score on the board and be sure that only two results were possible before the declaration. There’s a bit of up-and-down bounce now but we’ll still have to work hard on the last day”
