Somerset bailed out by their lower order at Warwickshire

Somerset were bailed out by their lower order after choosing to bat against Warwickshire on the opening day of their LV=Insurance County Championship game at Edgbaston.

After rain wiped out the first session, the visitors plummeted to 37 for 6 against a disciplined seam attack led by the evergreen Chris Rushworth with 4 for 33.

But captain Tom Abell and Lewis Gregory added 56 for the seventh wicket and, after they perished with the total still short of 100, Neil Wagner (55 not out) and Josh Davey (28 not out) added an unbroken 84.

The comfort with which the ninth-wicket pair scored their runs must have embarrassed their top-order colleagues. It also suggests that, on a good batting pitch, despite Somerset's recovery, Warwickshire remain strongly placed.

Rushworth and Olly Hannon-Dalby started this match with 100 Championship wickets between them this season and took just seven overs to lift that tally to 103. Tom Lammonby offered no shot to a straight ball from Rushworth who also had Lewis Goldsworthy taken at first slip by Rob Yates. Sean Dickson fell lbw to a Hannon-Dalby in-ducker.

Both change bowlers then struck in their first over as Andy Umeed edged Ed Barnard to Will Rhodes at second slip and James Rew was caught in two minds on a pull shot and top-edged a return catch to Craig Miles.

When Barnard changed ends, he took just one ball to cause further damage. This time it was Tom Banton's turn to press the self-destruct button when he left a ball that knocked out off-stump. At 37 for 6, Somerset were in danger of recording a new Championship low against Warwickshire, surpassing their 50 all out at Edgbaston in 1951 and Taunton in 2011.

That was avoided after Abell, who had already dug in deep, found some support from Gregory, whose forceful 39 included eight fours before he lifted Rushworth to extra cover. The former Durham seamer quickly added his 655th first class wicket when Abell edged to wicketkeeper Michael Burgess.

That was 96 for 8 but Wagner and Davey batted with freedom to post a half-century stand in 69 balls. Wagner reached a fluent 47-ball fifty with four hammered through the covers off Will Rhodes and the pair remained intact overnight and ready to push on in the morning to challenge Somerset's record ninth-wicket stand against Warwickshire - 180 by Steven Davies and Jamie Overton at Edgbaston in 2020.