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Josh and Craig claim two on day one
Josh Davey and Craig Overton both claimed two wickets on the opening day of this Vitality County Championship Division One clash against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.
On a rain affected first day, the hosts recovered to finish on 277 for six.
Needing a win to maintain their pursuit of Division One leaders Surrey, Somerset chose to bowl and their seamers reduced the home side to 165 for six, but Jacob Bethell (60 not out) and Michael Burgess (63 not out) added an unbroken 112 in 30 overs to get their side back into the game.
The seventh-wicket pair bailed out a top order which contributed little apart from Rob Yates (69) whilst Overton (two for 59) and Davey (two for 49) were the pick of the visiting attack.
Warwickshire were grateful for the work of Bethell and Burgess as they try to build a position from which to push for their first Championship victory of the season.
After Overton, captain in the absence of Lewis Gregory who is suffering with a slight groin injury, won the toss, Warwickshire openers Alex Davies (27) and Yates added 52 in 13 overs before the former departed after edging a footwork-free waft at Kasey Aldridge to wicketkeeper James Rew.
On a pitch offering some, but by no means lavish assistance to the seamers, Warwickshire advanced to 94 for one before Will Rhodes, having moved to 22, was bowled off-stump by Overton before three more wickets followed for 19 runs in 44 balls.
Hamza Shaikh, making his maiden First Class appearance for Warwickshire, collected his first boundary with an on-drive off Jake Ball but fell in the fast-bowler’s next over when he sliced a drive to Tom Lammonby at backward point. Yates, having struck 13 boundaries, played on to Davey who then produced a peach of an outswinger to find Ed Barnard’s outside edge.
Bethell and Dan Mousley added 21 in 65 balls before the latter was drawn into a drive at Overton and Andy Umeed held a stinging catch at second slip.
At 165 for six, the home side were in jeopardy, but Bethell and Burgess dug deep. Bethell reached his fifth First Class half-century from 107 balls and laid the perfect platform for Burgess, who passed 50 from 66 balls, to attack at the other end.
At the close of play, Somerset Head Coach, Jason Kerr said: “Overall, it was a pretty good day. It is obviously a very good surface and we did well to get them to 160 for six but the last partnership was very frustrating. A lot of credit has to go to Bethell and Burgess who played very well as the ball got older but I can’t fault our guys. On their first day back into four-day cricket I thought we were very good.
“We chose to bowl because there was a lot of grass on the surface, albeit dead grass, and it felt really hard so we thought there would be a little bit more pace in it than it transpired. There is also a short boundary so hopefully we can get a chance to capitalise on that on the final day.
“We knew it was going to be attritional cricket. There have been five Championship games here this year and five draws, so we expected more of the same and just thought our best chance of winning may lie in chasing.”
