Gregory stars as Somerset dominate against Yorks

Rothesay County Championship, Division One, Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton (day one) Yorkshire 162: Bean 35, Bairstow 34, Root 33; Gregory 6-43, Overton 2-42 Somerset 201-3: Thomas 136*, Abell 41*; White 2-36 Somerset (3 pts) lead Yorkshire (1 pt) by 39 runs Match scorecard 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.