Somerset Batsman Dominate on Day One

The Somerset batsman have dominated on day one of the LVCC match at the Kia Oval, with two of them scoring centuries.

The team selection was generally expected, but it was a surprise to see George Edwards play instead of Dernbach, even though George did do well last week. Somerset elected to bat on the first sunny morning for a while and Barrow and Suppiah got off to a solid start, on an easy pace pitch. Jordan and Lewis couldn’t get an early breakthrough, and Barrow in particular was ticking over at a quick pace for the visitors. However, Meaker was introduced, and made the breakthrough, having Barrow caught in the gully.

The current highest run scorer in the country, Nick Compton, joined Suppiah, and looked at home at the crease straight away, with batting looking relatively easy. The pair took their side to lunch just 1 wicket down, in what was definitely their session.

After the break, Suppiah started to accelerate, going to his 50 off 88 balls. He found the boundary with ease at a regular occurrence against some wayward bowling from the Surrey attack. The opener raced to a very good century, with the second 50 off just 41 balls, and just 12 overs after raising his bat for the first time. Compton moved towards his half century in a calmer manner, but before he could get there, Suppiah set off for a run, but was sent back, and Maynard and Batty combined to run Suppiah out for 105.

Compton then went to his fifty, and was looking ominously good yet again. He found a reliable partner in Hildreth, who was ticking over at nearly a run a ball. The pair took Somerset over 250 before tea, but in the last over before the break, Zander de Bruyn got one to come back in to Compton and trapped him LBW. A wicket that to be honest, didn’t look like coming.

Kieswetter joined Hildreth and the pair didn’t slow down after the wicket of Compton, and began to take the day, and possibly the game, away from Surrey. Hildreth was the more fluent of the two, seemingly dealing in boundaries only, and was racing towards a fantastic century. The new ball was taken, and even though it initially didn’t make a difference, Lewis broke the partnership on 108, getting Kieswetter LBW.

Hildreth was still going, and soon after bringing up the Somerset 400, he brought up his own hundred. He and Trego continued in their merry way until just before the close, de Bruyn had his second, as Hildreth was adjudged LBW. Trego and nightwatchman Dockrell took their side to the close on 441-5.

A difficult day for our guys then, but in all accounts, the pitch was a belter. A pitch that a certain Ramps may have enjoyed. Obviously a great toss to win, and still with 5 wickets in the innings left, Somerset will, if they haven’t already, bat Surrey out of the game. However, if Surrey can somehow skittle the Somerset lower order for under 475, they will be confident of getting somewhere near the total, and bowling better in the second innings.