Surrey have started well in their LV= County Championship tussle against Somerset at Taunton.
Jamie Overton made no concession to brotherly love on an explosive return to Taunton as Surrey bowled out Somerset for 180 on the opening day of the LV= Insurance County Championship match.
The paceman, facing his former club, claimed three wickets and also sent twin Craig and Josh Davey for concussion assessments by striking them on the helmet with short-pitched deliveries.
Craig Overton returned to continue his innings when Davey was hurt and top scored with 29, but his teammate was ruled out of the rest of the match and replaced by Kasey Aldridge.
Dan Worrall finished with 3-28 and Gus Atkinson bowled beautifully for 3-40 after Somerset skipper Tom Abell had won the toss. By the close, Surrey had replied with 56-1, Rory Burns looking fluent on the drive to finish the day unbeaten on 35.
The home side’s top order could never get going on a fast wicket under sunny skies. Jordan Clark made the first breakthrough with the total on 17 as Ben Green chased a wide one and edged to second slip.
🎥HIGHLIGHTS🎥
Somerset 180 (Worrall 3-28, Overton 3-34, Atkinson 3-40) v Surrey 56/1 (Burns 35*, Amla 19*) pic.twitter.com/jcoQKsVYcw
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) June 12, 2022
It was 21-2 when Tom Lammonby fell lbw, looking to play a delivery from Worrall through the legside, and 27-3 when Abell cut Overton straight to point.
Worrall finished a six-over opening spell from the River End with figures of one wicket for three runs and Overton was soon threatening again as Lewis Goldsworthy edged three balls in the same over just short of the slips.
Tom Banton failed to find any fluency and had made 12 from 45 balls when he was bowled shouldering arms by a delivery from Atkinson that nipped back off the seam.
By lunch, Somerset had edged up to 54-4 from 30 overs. That became 75-5 as Steve Davies, on 22, gloved a steeply rising ball from the fired-up Overton to third slip.
Lewis Gregory nicked Overton through to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith and Roelof van der Merwe was bowled by a full delivery from Worrall as Surrey turned the screw.
Hear Jamie Overton’s thoughts on a very tidy first day down at Taunton… (@backandacross with the questions) pic.twitter.com/LdcrIQjwUn
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) June 12, 2022
Goldsworthy’s two-hour resistance ended when he edged Worrall to Ryan Patel, who grasped the chance at the second attempt, leaving the hosts 95/8.
Overton had figures of 3-31 when returning at the River End to bowl to his twin for the first time in Championship cricket since leaving Somerset to join Surrey.
Craig went to pull the second ball and ended up flat on his back, having been struck on the side of the helmet. He went off for the injury to be assessed.
Davey followed in similar fashion, having ducked into the first delivery of Overton’s next over, and failed his concussion test.
It was a hostile spell from the Surrey seamer, from North Devon, back on familiar soil and looking to force his way, like his brother, into England contention.
Jamie Overton said: “Of course, I didn’t want to hit Craig. He made it clear straight away that he was okay, so I knew there was no cause for concern, but it was the first time I had bowled to him since moving to Surrey and quite a strange experience.
“To be honest, he didn’t play the delivery too well! Unfortunately, I then hit Josh Davey as well, but I have seen him since and he is okay too. I bent my back in that spell, having concentrated on putting the ball in the right areas.”
At tea, with Craig Overton batting again, Somerset were 167/8. In the final session, he fell lbw to Atkinson, who then wrapped up the innings by gaining another leg-before decision against Aldridge.
Patel fell for a duck, lifting a ball from Siddle off his legs to present a simple catch to Aldridge at square leg. But Rory Burns and Hashim Amla then put conditions in perspective with an unbroken stand of 48, Amla surviving a sharp chance to Overton at second slip off Aldridge on 12.
