Somerset 262 for 5 (Abell 114, Bartlett 46, Renshaw 43) vs Yorkshire
Tom Abell's third LV= Insurance County Championship century of the season led Somerset to 262 for 5 on the opening day of the match with Yorkshire at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton.
The skipper ended the day unbeaten on 114, having faced 217 balls and hit 14 fours and 2 sixes. Other important contributions came from Matt Renshaw (43) and George Bartlett (46).
Matthew Waite was the pick of the Yorkshire seamers, with 2 for 35 from 16 overs, while former Somerset off-spinner Dom Bess took 2 for 29 from 18.
It was decided before the start not to employ the suggested 4.30pm finish on day one because of the forecast extreme heat and to stick to the normal hours of play. In the event, much of the morning session was played under cloudy skies and during the lunch interval it started raining.
Somerset had progressed to 25 in the seventh over when Tom Lammonby, on four, edged a drive off Jordan Thompson to Tom Kohler-Cadmore at first slip.
Kohler-Cadmore, bound for Somerset next season, was making his first Championship appearance of the summer for Yorkshire following a long battle to overcome the effects of concussion, which saw him sidelined until the Vitality Blast campaign.
Renshaw made a confident start and looked in good touch, but began to encounter problems when Waite produced an excellent seven-over spell from the River End. He beat the Australian twice in the 19th over and then pinned him lbw for 43, with a ball that nipped back in his next, before ending the stint, which included four maidens, with figures of 1 for five.
Abell spent 29 balls on 11, studiously attempting to lay the foundation for a meaningful first-innings total.
By lunch, the Somerset skipper had progressed to 21, with Bartlett unbeaten on 15 in a total of 99 for two from 28 overs.
The resumption was delayed until 3.30pm by rain, with 20 overs lost and tea set for 4.30pm.
Abell and Bartlett brought up a half-century stand off 67 balls before the latter was dropped on 26 by Kohler-Cadmore, two-handed low to his left off Shannon Gabriel with the score 127 for 2.
Abell reached a solid fifty off 101 balls, with his seventh four, a leg-glance off Matthew Revis,
By tea, the Somerset pair had added 98 and taken the total to 164 for 2 from 42 overs. Batting was looking comfortable with the sun shining.
The final session comprised 34 overs and began at 4.50pm. It saw Bartlett bring up the hundred partnership with a four to fine leg off a loose ball from Bess.
Making good use of the square cut, Bartlett hit 8 fours in his 87-ball innings before, with the total on 197, he top-edged a pull shot off Waite to be caught by Revis at long leg.
Kohler-Cadmore atoned for his earlier error with a stunning one-handed catch, diving to his left at slip, to help Bess dismiss Lewis Goldsworthy and at 210 for 4, Abell's staunch work was in danger of being undone. His response was to dig in again on 80 before cutting loose with two swept sixes in the first three overs sent down by off-spinner Jack Shutt.
James Rew fell to another sharp Kohler-Cadmore catch off Bess after Abell had reached a 198-ball hundred with a two off his former colleague.
