Skipper Lewis Gregory claimed six wickets and rookie opener Josh Thomas hit a brilliant maiden century as Somerset dominated the opening day of the County Championship Division One match with Yorkshire at Taunton.
After losing the toss, Yorkshire progressed to 124-3 under overcast skies, with Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow going well, only to lose their last seven wickets for 38 runs, Gregory taking five of them in completing 16 probing overs for figures of 6-43.
Root made 33 and Bairstow 34, while opener Fin Bean contributed 35 to a total of 162. In reply, Somerset slipped to 35-3 before 21-year-old Thomas led an impressive recovery with 136 not out off 150 balls that saw them close on 201-3, Tom Abell unbeaten on 41.
Somerset gave a Championship debut to 18-year-old Thomas Rew, the England Under-19 captain taking time off from his A Level studies at King’s College, Taunton, to join elder brother James in the team
A green-tinged pitch offered pace and movement for the seamers and Yorkshire had already lost Adam Lyth, lbw to left-arm seamer Alfie Ogborne, when the floodlights were switched on at 11:20 BST.
James Wharton spent 19 balls on nought before edging Gregory to wicketkeeper James Rew, the delivery after being dropped at second slip by Craig Overton, to make it 48-2. That became 64-3 when Bean nicked another catch to Rew in Migael Pretorius’ second over.
Root and Bairstow demonstrated their quality with a half-century stand off just 42 balls, Root blossoming from a cautious start with three straight driven fours in an Ogborne over.
Bairstow was aggressive from the outset, but had a life on 22 when the normally reliable Overton spilled another slip chance, this time off Pretorius in the final over before lunch, which was taken at 115-3.
With ten runs added in the afternoon session, Gregory pierced Root’s defence and bowled him off an inside edge. It was 140-5 when Overton responded to dropping Bairstow by taking his wicket, courtesy of an inside edge through to Rew.
Gregory then struck three times in the 37th over, bowling Matthew Revis, shouldering arms, with the first ball before pinning former Somerset team-mate Dom Bess leg before with the fourth and then having Logan van Beek caught at third slip off the sixth.
The inspired Somerset captain had George Hill dropped on one by Abell at first slip before clean bowling Jhye Richardson aiming an airy drive. Overton finished the Yorkshire innings by having Hill caught for 18 off a top-edged pull.
Somerset’s reply began badly when Archie Vaughan fell for seven, caught behind edging a defensive shot off Jack White and Tom Lammonby followed for five, trapped lbw by some late inswing from Richardson.
When James Rew was well caught low down by Bean at third slip off White for seven, the hosts were in trouble. But Thomas counter-attacked with an array of sweetly-timed shots just before tea, which was taken at 63-3.
The left-hander continued to flourish after the break, reaching his half-century off 54 balls, with nine fours. On ten, he had edged Richardson between wicketkeeper Bairstow and first slip at catchable height and it proved a big moment.
A pulled six off Revis took Thomas past his previous best Championship score of 86, made against Essex at Chelmsford last season. Another pulled boundary off the same bowler brought up a memorable hundred, off just 109 balls, with 14 fours.
Abell was a reassuring presence at the other end as the pair put together a century partnership off 149 deliveries. He too cut loose with six over long-on off Bess to take Somerset into the lead. By stumps the stand was worth 166.
Report by ECB Reporters’ Network, supported by Rothesay.
