Warwickshire put away the home side’s poor bowling on a dismal day for Somerset who got so desperate they turned to George Bartlett after 47 overs of the first innings!
Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s optimism after close of play last night; “Hopefully the boys continue tomorrow morning and we can get up to 300 maybe” did not pan out.
With just two runs added to the overnight total, Chris Rushworth provided another catch for Rob Yates at slip off Lewis Gregory’s bat.
Jack Leach left high and dry 27* as Pete Siddle managed 10 off nine balls before Ollie Hannon-Dalby had him lbw for 10. 284 all out was a well wrapped up morning’s work inside 20 minutes for Warwickshire. The two opening bowlers earning rewards they deserved for hard yards put in yesterday.
Somerset roared into action with the flying Scotsman Josh Davey getting the first wicket in the first over. Four-time slip catcher Yates gone for two caught by Tom Lammonby at fourth slip.
But Somerset were not cock-a-hoop for long as captain Will Rhodes gave Davies company for a 68-run partnership.
Jack Leach was turned to as early as 12.30-spin wanted inside the first hour of Championship bowling of the season by stand-in-skipper Lewis Gregory. And it was his second over which saw the Rhodes misjudgement, held by Craig Overton at midwicket for 39.
The main four bowlers rotated around after lunch but could not beat Davies and Hain. Davies reaching 50 off 62 balls with multiple late cuts and dabs through the vacant third area. Lacklustre bowling making it a chanceless and easy-looking knock from the former Lancashire bat.
A back-foot punch for one off Leach saw him reach 100 off 140 balls with 17 fours and one six for his seventh first-class century and second as a Bear. Somerset having to start looking for plan b or c, or potentially even a later letter in the alphabet….
Remarkably 47 overs in and George Bartlett was turned to…not Tom Lammonby (recovering from ankle injury but still hurtling himself around the field looking fully fit) nor any of the four specifically selected bowlers, but the part-time off spinner who had not bowled in first-class cricket for four years…
Could have been an ingenious hunch from Gregory, but it did not work out so as Davies plundered him for boundaries. 13 off his two overs-a bizarre experiment.
But the next over Leach had his man. Davies had smut him for two boundaries already in the over before getting a little overconfident-missing a switch hit attempt to a straight ball.
Dan Mousley then displayed a nervous, skittish five-ball stay which showed all of; a shimmy down the wicket and drive for two, a reverse sweep and then a fatal miss onto the pads plumb in front. Leach’s third.
Siddle eventually earnt his first wicket of the English summer. Barnard playing down the wrong line to a ball that did not move off the straight. Surprisingly bowled for 19 when he too had looked comfortable.
That only brought in a man who scored a career-best 178 against Surrey in the opening match of the 2022 County Championship. Warwickshire wicketkeeper Michael Burgess kept him company until close in a rather attritional final session of play.
The new ball was taken just as the floodlights came on at 17.58 but did not give Somerset the boost they hoped it would. And with the April evening gloom, play was abandoned for bad light at 18.34.
Warwickshire 307-5 (Burgess 36*) will return on Easter Sunday pursuing an unassailable lead and maximum batting bonus points in the 11.4 overs remaining before the 110 over bonus point cut off mark.
