Rothesay County Championship Division One, Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton (day four)
Essex 206 & 259: Cox 103* (retired hurt); Pretorius 3-36
Somerset 145 & 325-7: Rew 116, Gregory 57, C Overton 53*; Harmer 4-120
Somerset (19 pts) beat Essex (3 pts) by three wickets
James Rew’s 10th first-class century guided Somerset to an unlikely first County Championship victory of the season, a three-wicket success against Essex at Taunton.
Having been 78-5 at one stage in their second innings, chasing 321 to win, the home side began the final day on 216-6, still needing 105.
But Rew took his score from 65 to a superb 116, off 189 balls, with 18 fours, sharing a seventh-wicket stand of 133 with Craig Overton, who contributed 53 not out, to complete a remarkable fightback.
Overton ended the game 25 minutes before lunch with a straight six off Simon Harmer, which took him to a 111-ball half-century notable for unbroken concentration and application in a pressure situation.
Essex had let things slip with some wayward bowling the previous evening and their bowlers found scant assistance in a last-day pitch that had aided seam and spin considerably in the previous sessions.
They had to settle for three points, having been on top for long periods, while Somerset claimed a welcome 19 after a disappointing start to the campaign.
The Essex attack will have welcomed the first meaningful cloud cover of the match when play began with 12 overs to a second new ball, Sam Cook opening up from the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End and off-spinner Harmer operating from the River End.
Overton, unbeaten on four overnight, played and missed at the first delivery of the morning from Cook, but soon he and Rew were eating into the 105 runs needed for victory, the latter clipping Cook through wide mid-on for the first boundary and edging a second to third man off the next ball.
Overton reigned himself in commendably against Harmer, content to pick gaps in the field for ones and twos, while using his long reach to negate any spin. Rew, who had looked in prime form the previous evening, was the more aggressive as the score passed 250 and he moved into the 90s.
With the sun breaking through, the pair safely negotiated the opening half hour, experiencing few alarms. But there was still the matter of the new ball, taken at 258-6, with a further 63 needed and Essex under pressure to break the stand.
Cook began his second spell of the morning with it. At the other end Jamie Porter found the inside edge of Rew’s bat only for the ball to fly past wicketkeeper Michael Pepper for four, taking the Somerset man onto 97.
His 161-ball century came up with a back-foot shot through the leg side for two off Porter, a mature innings from a young player who looks destined for an international future. There was still work to do, but Somerset were starting to look firm favourites as Overton brought up the hundred partnership.
Essex quickly reverted to Harmer from the River End, who beat the outside edge of Rew’s bat in his first over with the harder ball. But it was a rare moment of anxiety for Somerset as Overton, who had moved patiently to 27 without hitting a boundary, opened his shoulders to drive Hamer through mid-off for four.
Rew also sensed victory was assured as he cut loose with some sweetly-struck shots. But his brilliant contribution ended with just nine runs required, lbw aiming to launch Harmer over the leg side.
It mattered little as Overton off-drove Harmer for four and then smashed the ball back over his head, pumping a fist as celebrations began in the home dressing room.
ECB Reporters’ Network supported by Rothesay
