Jack Leach claimed three wickets as Somerset built a strong position on the second day of the Vitality County Championship First Division game with Durham at Taunton.
The home side began by extending their first innings score from an overnight 395 for six to 492 all out, James Rew dismissed for 103, having set out on 89, and Kasey Aldridge making 44. Callum Parkinson finished with four for 136.
By the close, Durham had replied with 272 for six, left-arm spinner Leach taking three for 103. Alex Lees hit a solid 59, but it was an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 102 between Brydon Carse (59 not out) and Ben Raine (51 not out), which kept the visitors in the game after they had slumped to 170 for six.
At the age of 20, Rew already his eight first class centuries to his name, the latest completed with a streaky edged boundary between wicketkeeper and slip off Carse early in the morning session. He had faced 112 balls and hit 12 fours and a six.
The impressive innings ended off the very next ball when another drive at Carse saw Rew edge to Ashton Turner at slip. Somerset were 417 for seven and Lewis Gregory soon signalled that intentions by smacking a delivery from Raine over mid-wicket for six.
The skipper brought up 450 and a fifth batting bonus point with a three through the off side off Carse and Aldridge, unbeaten on 12 at the start of play, celebrated the landmark by clearing the ropes off Parkinson.
The score after 110 overs was 465 for seven so Durham had to settle for two bowling points. Gregory and Aldridge completed a half-century stand before Aldridge was caught behind attempting to reverse sweep Parkinson.
Overton hit his first ball for four and then launched big sixes off successive deliveries from George Drissell before falling to the off-spinner attempting another maximum. Gregory had moved to 31 before being last man out in similar fashion, giving Parkinson his fourth wicket.
Durham were left with eight overs to bat before lunch and found themselves facing Leach and young off-spinner Archie Vaughan before the interval. It was the 18-year-old son of former England captain Michael Vaughan who struck the first blow on debut with the sixth ball of his first class career, turning a delivery pitched on leg stump and pinning Ben McKinney lbw for 15.
At lunch, Durham were 29 for one. There seemed little prospect of the collapse to come when Lees and Scott Borthwick began the afternoon session with a half-century stand off 67 balls.
But Leach was starting to threaten and Borthwick, having moved to 35, edged a back-foot shot to slip where Overton took a sharp low catch to make it 86 for two. Still Lees looked untroubled, largely content to milk singles in moving fifty off 101 balls.
Ollie Robinson made 26 in helping Lees add 42 for the third wicket before falling to an even better Overton catch, diving to his left to clutch the ball one-handed. Boosted by a second wicket, Leach struck again with the total 136 as Turner was bowled by a delivery that turned and clipped off stump.
By tea Durham were 150 for four and their plight worsened considerably in the first over after the interval. It was bowled by left-arm spinner Lewis Goldsworthy from the River End and saw Overton pouch a third slip catch as Lees pushed forward outside off stump.
The last thing Durham needed was a run out, but it happened with the total on 170 as Carse called for a quick single to cover and Bas de Leede failed to beat Tom Abell’s throw to wicketkeeper Rew.
With six wickets down, Carse and Ben Raine went on the counter-attack, Raine hitting two sixes in the same Goldsworthy over as the pair put together a half-century partnership off 71 balls.
Raine hit Leach over mid-wicket for another six and Carse cleared the ropes at long-on off Vaughan in moving to an 86-ball half century to mark his return to the Durham team after suspension. Raine followed to the same milestone of 94 deliveries just after the century stand had been completed, much to Somerset's frustration.
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