Hosts Put Up Little Resistance as Hampshire Take Control

Jimmy Adams made an unbeaten half-century to put Hampshire in control on day one

Report from day one of Hampshire's LV= County Championship match against Somerset at Taunton

Somerset v Hampshire
LV= County Championship
Day One: Wednesday 31 August 2011
Taunton

Summary: Hampshire trail Somerset by 80 runs
with nine wickets remaining in the first innings
Somerset: 204
Hampshire: 124
Full Scorecard

Hampshire Team
Adams, Carberry, Dawson, Ervine, McKenzie, Vince, Bates⁺, Cork*, Mascarenhas, Tomlinson, Tahir

Somerset Team
Suppiah, Barrow, Hildreth, Jones, Trego, Meschede, Snell, Thomas, Kartik, Willoughby, Kirby

An excellent opening session in which the visitors reduced Somerset to 86-7 saw Hampshire take early control of this LV= County Championship match on day one at Taunton.

All their attack joined in the fun during an increasingly warm day in the West Country with James Tomlinson (3-40) and Dimi Mascarenhas (2-42) particulary catching the eye, but the spin of Imran Tahir (2-22) also paid dividends in the limited capacity in which he was used.

And despite a spirited fight-back from Somerset pinch-hitter Murali Kartik (59 not out) to get his side to 204 all out, twin fifties from Jimmy Adams and Michael Carberry made sure their side were clearly in control as they went in on 124-1.

The two sides will resume on day two with Hampshire trailing their hosts by 80 runs.

James Tomlinson reacts to a good first day at his "favourite" ground

Having won the toss, Jimmy Adams – standing in as captain for the rested Dominic Cork – took the unusual decision (at “batsman-friendly” Taunton) to bowl first. If he needed a reason, it would have undoubtedly been the overcast skies above and green-tinged wicket below. If he needed justification, it came within the first seven overs as, first, James Tomlinson then Chris Wood struck to bowl Arul Suppiah (3) and trap Chris Jones (0) lbw respectively; Somerset 12-2.

The hosts were missing a raft of batsmen with Marcus Trescothick (ankle) and Nick Compton (side strain) ruled out through injury while Jos Buttler and Craig Kieswetter were both on International duty (though the former is expected to return to his county to play in this match from tomorrow). And yet, Alex Barrow – opening up in place of his captain – looked like he might do a decent impression of the Championship’s top run-scorer, making 36 in 57-run partnership with James Hildreth... until, that is, he edged Dimitri Mascarenhas to Michael Bates behind, the youngster given another opportunity behind the stumps in place of the also rested Nic Pothas.

And, believe it or not, that would be as good as it got for the hosts in the morning session as Hildreth (32) and, before him, Peter Trego (4) edged to the slips. Then, as if he needed to bamboozle the opposition batsmen further, Adams brought Imran Tahir into the attack, and in his first over of spin, he sent down a googly to see off Craig Meschede (2) leg-before.

The icing on the cake was when Tomlinson (below) – recording figures of 3-22 off his 11.2 overs so far back at his favourite ground – made a mess of Somerset’s on-loan wicketkeeper Steve Snell’s (4) stumps. Lunch was immediately called, the hosts going in on 86-7; though, were it left up to them, they might have been waving the white flag based on their performance so far!

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Unfortunately for Hampshire, one team that wasn’t giving up was survival rivals Worcestershire who had league-leaders Lancashire 80-8 ten minutes before their own break. What they needed was for the Red Rose’s famous tail to wag - and this was done, with Kyle Hogg and Gary Keedy making the best part of a 50 partnership for their 10th wicket before being all out for 161.

Back at Taunton, Somerset were putting up some resistance of their own, Murali Kartik responding to Adams’ five slips by smashing the first six of the day. Then, the field drawn back, his second maximum brought up Somerset’s own 50 partnership between Kartik and Alfonso Thomas. And though Thomas (27) and his replacement, Steve Kirby (6) would both edge to Dawson in the slips, by the time Charl Willoughby (4) also went Somerset had bagged a batting bonus point and Kartik a county-best score. Somerset were all out for 204 – a score that, though perfectly respectable on first inspection, counts as something of a let-off by Hampshire given the situation they had been in.

What was needed, then, was some assured hitting and despite the early loss of Dawson, lbw to Willoughby for a duck, that was exactly what Adams and Carberry did, safely guiding their side through two sets of bowling changes by the time the 50 was up. And, seemingly pacing themselves against each other, the pair scored blow-for-blow until stumps, Adams bringing up his half-ton (off 95 balls including seven fours) just before Carberry brought up his (99 balls, nine fours) and the Hampshire hundred in the next Trego over.

Adams will resume in the morning on 57; Carberry on 65. Hampshire will feel very much in control at this early stage.

Words: Simon Vincent
Images: NJM Photography (Adams) /
Getty Images (Tomlinson)