Rew and Leach maintain Somerset control against Durham

James Rew completed a century before Jack Leach claimed three wickets as Somerset built a strong position on the second day of the County Championship Division One game with Durham at Taunton.

The home side began by extending their first-innings score from an overnight 395-6 to 492 all out, Rew dismissed for 103 having set out on 89, and Kasey Aldridge making 44. Callum Parkinson finished with 4-136.

By the close, Durham had replied with 272-6, left-arm spinner Leach taking 3-103.

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 170-6.

At the age of 20, Rew already has 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.

His impressive innings ended the next ball when another drive at Carse saw Rew edge to Ashton Turner at slip to leave Somerset on 417-7 but they secured a fifth batting bonus point as Aldridge, Lewis Gregory (31) and Craig Overton (19) powered the hosts towards 500.

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.

Lees and Scott Borthwick (35) helped Durham recover to 86-1 but Somerset looked to have taken control as Durham lost both players, plus Ollie Robinson, Ashton Turner and Bas de Leede, to fall to 170-6.

However, Carse and Raine then went on the counter-attack to frustrate the home side, although Durham still trailed by 220 runs at stumps.

Match report supplied by ECB Reporters’ Network.