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Essex on top after day two
Bowlers continued to dominate proceedings on the second day of this Rothesay County Championship Division One match between Somerset and Essex at the Cooper Associates County Ground, but a half century from Jordan Cox tilted the game in the visitors favour.
11 wickets fell on the opening day with a further 12 tumbling today but Cox’s unbeaten 61 helped Essex finish the day on 163 for four, a lead of 224.
Somerset resumed on nine for one on the second morning with Andy Umeed and Josh Davey surviving the opening barrage from the Essex attack. The two Somerset batters looked relatively assured and composed as the visiting bowlers sought to impose themselves.
The Scottish international pair had taken their partnership, and indeed the total, to 46 and were seemingly on the way to putting their side in the box seat but Umeed looked to attack Simon Harmer and was bowled for 20.
Tom Lammonby made his way to the middle and brought up the Somerset 50 by dispatching Harmer to the boundary in the 22nd over. Unfortunately for the hosts, the landmark didn’t prove to be platform but rather heralded a cluster of wickets.
Jamie Porter got one to evade Josh Davey’s (27) outside edge and clip his off stump at 56 for three which soon became 63 for four when Tom Abell edged Harmer to Jordan Cox at first slip.
Lammonby then fell in similar fashion at 78 for five, and when Tom Banton (12) looked to drive Kasun Rajitha only to drag on the hosts were 86 for six.
James Rew edged an absolute beauty from Rajitha behind to depart for nine, and when the lunch interval arrived Somerset were 106 for seven, trailing by exactly 100 runs.
Two runs had been added to the lunch total when Lewis Gregory fell lbw to Sam Cook when offering no shot for 14. This brought Migael Pretorius to the crease and he looked to bat positively, moving to 24 from just 20 deliveries.
The South African all rounder’s presence at the crease gave the Somerset faithful hope. However, he fell to a stunning catch from Harmer who threw himself to his right to grasp one off his own bowling to finish with four for 43.
When Cook held a diving catch at mid on to remove Craig Overton for 12 off Porter, Somerset were all out for 145, a deficit of 61.
Somerset needed to make early inroads into the Essex second innings and Davey obliged by trapping Paul Walter lbw for 0 in the third over with just three runs on the board.
At 32 for one Dean Elgar survived a vociferous appeal for caught behind but the former Somerset opener eventually fell for 23 when he was bowled by Lewis Gregory off an inside edge with the score on 45.
By the time the tea interval arrived, Cox and Westley had advanced the score to 59 for two.
After the break, the total was 72 when Cox called for a quick single. Leach picked the ball up on the run and his direct hit appeared, to the Somerset faithful at least, to have run out Westley, but the verdict was not out.
The third wicket stand had progressed to 57 when Westley’s luck finally ran out and he was lbw to Overton for 26 at 102 for three.
Cox continued to thrive where so many others had floundered and reached his 50 from 88 balls.
Somerset needed a boost before the close of play and it was provided by Leach in the final over of the day.
Matt Critchley’s fourth wicket partnership with Cox was worth 61 when Leach found the former’s outside edge and Gregory took the catch at first slip. It could prove to be a crucial wicket in the context of the match.
