Lammonby, Vaughan steer Somerset after top-order shuffle

Half-centuries from Tom Lammonby and Archie Vaughan guided Somerset into a healthy position on the opening day of the Rothesay County Championship Division One match with Sussex at the Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton.

Lammonby hit 60 and 19-year-old Vaughan a career-best 70 not out as a shuffled Somerset batting line-up posted 317 for six in warm sunshine after losing the toss. James Rew contributed 46 and Tom Abell 42 on a wicket offering just enough assistance to seam and spin to keep the Sussex bowlers interested throughout the day.

There were two wickets each for Ollie Robinson and Jack Carson as the visiting attack kept a tight rein on the scoring rate for most of the three sessions. With the pitch an inviting shade of green, it was no surprise when Sussex skipper John Simpson elected to field first, despite cloudless skies and a short boundary on the town side of the ground. There was a surprise for home supporters when Josh Davey and skipper Lewis Gregory, both more used to operating in the lower order, marched out as a new opening partnership, keen to help their side overcome some poor starts in Championship cricket.

They had taken the score to 21 in the sixth over when Gregory edged a defensive push off Nathan McAndrew to Tom Clark at second slip and departed for 15. But the experiment could be deemed a success as Davey settled in to play with patience and sound technique.

He and Lammonby put together a half-century stand off 109 balls and it wasn't until the 26th over that Sussex struck again, Davey, on 28, judged to have feathered a back-foot defensive shot off Ollie Robinson to wicketkeeper Simpson, who took a good low catch.

Davey was replaced by Rew with the score 79 for two. By lunch, it had moved on to 99 for two and Somerset could feel pleased with their morning's work. Rew continued his impressive recent form as he and fellow left-hander Lammonby negotiated the opening overs of the afternoon session with few alarms.

Rew had progressed to 46 when attempting to drive a full ball from off-spinner Carson, who was finding some turn, and edging to Tom Haines at slip to make it 149 for three. A single off the same bowler took Lammonby to an impressive 120-ball fifty, including five fours, but he too perished unexpectedly with the score on 176, caught behind nicking a back-foot defensive shot off Carson.

Abell was dropped at slip on 13 off the left-arm spin of James Coles, but Sussex continued to make inroads as Tom Banton fell for six, caught at slip off Fynn Hudson-Prentice. It was another contentious decision as the ball appeared to flick Simpson's gloves as he stood up to the stumps on its way to the catcher Tom Alsop, but umpire Mike Burns also detected an edge, much to Banton's obvious astonishment.

The tea score was 193 for five, with Abell having battled his way to 16 without looking in great touch. He had been joined by Vaughan, also looking to rediscover his best form after a difficult spell opening the innings in previous games this season.

Both players blossomed at the start of the final session, accelerating the scoring rate and bringing up a 50-stand off 63 balls. A Vaughan boundary to third man off Clark yielded Somerset their first batting bonus point at 250 for five.

Vaughan had been positive from his first delivery, which he crunched through the off-side for four off Hudson-Prentice. Soon he had overtaken Abell, who fell in the third over with the second new ball, fending a ball from Robinson to Clark at second slip, just when he was starting to flow.

Vaughan moved to a fluent fifty off 79 balls with his ninth four, clipped off his toes to the short boundary off McAndrew. He then went past his previous best score of 68, made against Lancashire last season, as Craig Overton helped see Somerset to the close.