Somerset 395 for 6 (Abell 124, Rew 89*, Banton 73) vs Durham
Tom Abell made it back-to-back centuries at Taunton as Somerset ran up 395 for 6 on the opening day of their County Championship match against Durham.
Having hit a career-best unbeaten 152 in the previous home game against Warwickshire, Abell scored 124 off 181 balls, with 18 fours, sharing a stand of 185 with Tom Banton (73), which was a record for Somerset's fourth wicket against Durham. James Rew was unbeaten on 89 at the close, while there were two wickets each for Daniel Hogg and Callum Parkinson.
Somerset gave a first-class debut to allrounder Archie Vaughan, the 18-year-old son of former England captain Michael Vaughan, following his impressive appearances in this season's Metro Bank One Day Cup.
Their captain Lewis Gregory returned after injury and won what looked an important toss, electing to bat first on a pitch expected to take spin. He then saw his team make the worst possible start as Andy Umeed edged the first ball of the match from Ben Raine straight to Ashton Turner at second slip.
It was 25 for 2 when Tom Lammonby was hurried by a steeply rising ball from Hogg and could only fend a simple catch to Ben McKinney at midwicket. But Lewis Goldsworthy, promoted to open with Umeed, soon looked at ease and Abell appeared in excellent touch from the start of his innings.
That was demonstrated by two sweetly-struck back-foot boundaries through the covers off the same Bas de Leede over as the pair took the score to 68 in the 16th over before Goldsworthy was caught behind for 38, edging a delivery from Brydon Carse, back after serving three months of a suspension for historical betting violations.
Spin was introduced at 72 for 3 when Parkinson began operating from the River End. When George Drissell took over, Banton greeted him with a towering six over long-on and soon he and Abell had added 50 off 86 balls, taking the total to 120 for 3 at lunch.
The partnership flourished in warm afternoon sunshine at Taunton, Abell going to a 92-ball half-century and Banton following to the same landmark off 73 deliveries, surviving one scare when a miscued pull shot off Carse landed between two converging fielders.
Abell looked in total control, timing the ball well on both sides of the wicket. A pulled single off de Leede took him to three figures off 148 deliveries, with 16 fours, before a cut for two off Parkinson took the stand with Banton to 172, beating the previous Somerset record fourth-wicket partnership against Durham, the 170 put together by current club chief executive Jamie Cox and James Hildreth at Taunton in 2004.
Just when it seemed the pair would bat through the afternoon session, Parkinson took a hand, dismissing both with turning deliveries, now bowling from the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End. First Abell edged to Scott Borthwick at second slip and the left-arm spinner struck again in his next over, with Banton falling in identical fashion, having faced 129 balls and hit seven fours and a six.
Somerset were 260 for 5 at tea. Vaughan scored his first Championship runs off the second ball of the final session with a leg glance off Parkinson and was soon sharing another profitable stand with Rew, who cleared the ropes over long-on off the same bowler.
By the time the second new ball was taken after 80 overs, Rew, the senior partner at the age of 20, was on 42 and Vaughan 28, having added 66 together in rapid time. The teenager fell for 30 with the total on 328, lbw to a full delivery from Hogg, but could reflect on a more than handy debut knock.
Rew tucked Raine off his legs for a boundary to reach a fluent fifty off 71 balls. It was the consistent left-hander's third half century in his last six Championship innings, which also included two scores of 49.
Soon he was striking Carse majestically through the off side for three boundaries in an over as Somerset finished the day on a high, Kasey Aldridge contributing 12 to an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 67.
