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Jack has Hampshire in a spin
Seven first innings wickets from Jack Leach ensured that Somerset remained on top in this Rothesay County Championship encounter with Hampshire at the Cooper Associates County Ground.
After Kasey Aldridge starred with the bat yesterday, it was Leach’s turn in the spotlight today as he claimed a season’s best seven for 69 as Somerset secured a first innings lead of 282.
The home side resumed on 381 for seven in overcast and blustery conditions and shortly after play began Kasey Aldridge and Craig Overton brought up the 50-partnership for the eighth wicket from just 56 balls.
Both batters struck the ball positively and runs continued to flow freely. The home side passed the 400-mark in the 98th over and the 100 partnership arrived from just 90 deliveries.
Maximum batting points were secured in the 103rd over, and Overton’s half century came from 42 balls.
Aldridge was eventually run out by a direct hit from Nick Gubbins at mid off for a career-best 180. It was a superb innings from the Somerset all rounder on his last home appearance for the Club.
Rightly, Aldridge received a hugely warm reception as he left the field, and it was at this point that the declaration came with Somerset on 454 for eight.
The Hampshire reply had reached 13 when Somerset Captain, Lewis Gregory threw the ball to Leach ahead of the sixth over and the England spinner repaid his skipper by removing Ali Orr (8) with the final ball of his opening over. He got one to pitch in the rough and it went on to clatter middle stump.
Whilst that was a fine piece of spin bowling from Leach, Hampshire’s second wicket owed rather more to poor shot selection as Gubbins (5) slapped a Leach full toss straight to Archie Vaughan at short third, and the visitors were suddenly 27 for two.
That almost immediately became 30 for three when Leach removed Fletcha Middleton (14) with an absolute beauty. It pitched on middle stump, beat the Hampshire batter all ends up and clipped off stump.
Toby Albert and Ben Brown began the rebuild and brought up the Hampshire 50 in the 17th over. The score had advanced to 58 when Albert (29) inexplicably slapped the ball straight back to Vaughan who took the simplest of catches off his own bowling.
At lunch, the visitors were 61 for four.
After the break, Brown and Washington Sundar had taken their side to 92 when the Hampshire Captain was bowled by Vaughan for 21.
The scoreboard ticked over to three figures for the visitors in the 38th over but Sundar was soon ousted by another superb piece of bowling from Leach. Coming around the wicket he got one to drift away and then spin back through the gate to remove Hampshire’s number six for 23 at 102 for six.
There was a moment of concern for the hosts in the 41st over when Tom Abell, fielding close in, was struck a sickening blow to the helmet from a full blooded James Fuller sweep. He walked unaided from the field to undergo the required concussion protocols.
Fuller raced to 24 from 17 balls to give the innings a sense of impetus but he fell lbw to Leach at 128 for seven. Leach then claimed his sixth when Barker (19) attempted a reverse sweep and was bowled around his legs.
The scored had moved to 172 when Felix Organ attempted to pull Vaughan into the car park but top edged miles into the sky allowing Leach to take the catch, and no addition to the total was forthcoming before Kyle Abbott (18) picked out Aldridge on the boundary on the stroke of tea.
At the conclusion of their first innings, Hampshire were still 282 in arrears and Somerset enforced the follow on.
After tea Somerset employed spin from both ends but Hampshire were rather more resolute second time around.
Orr and Middleton survived the opening exchanges and had taken the total to 35 but then Vaughan trapped Orr lbw for 27.
Rain immediately began to fall and the players left the field for the day with Hampshire still trailing by 247 runs.
