Somerset 179 for 5 (Overton 50*) lead Essex 149 (Allison 49, Elgar 41, Shaw 3-30) by 30 runs
Smeed, 24 and yet to make his first-class debut despite plentiful experience in white-ball cricket, had just posted an unbeaten 209 for Somerset seconds against Cardiff students at Abergavenny when he got the call that he was required to come over and replace Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who had damaged his hand taking a catch.
At the start of an eventful day in front of a bumper crowd of 3128, it had taken just eight overs for Overton’s decision to bowl first on a green-tinged wicket to bear fruit – and a further 43 overs to complete Essex’s downfall.
Jake Ball had looked lively from the start and made inroads with two wickets in three balls. Paul Walter had not looked particularly comfortable before falling lbw trying to whip a ball to leg that straightened. Wiaan Mulder’s first knock on home debut was over before it had begun as he received one that jumped up and took the edge to provide a catch so sharp high to Kohler-Cadmore’s right at first slip that it ended the fielder’s participation.
Dean Elgar and Charlie Allison brought a sense of relative calm to the Essex batting for 22 overs, while putting on 68 for the third wicket. But, as before, and again later, one wicket begat another.
Elgar fell into a carefully baited leg-side trap and chipped up tamely a Tom Lammonby delivery to the fine-leg boundary. Three balls later, Matt Critchley, the star turn last week in Essex’s innings victory at Hampshire with 173, tickled behind to depart without scoring.
Allison looked the most assured of the Essex batters, hitting six boundaries in his 49, until diverting a ball from Migael Pretorius low to first slip, a position now occupied by Tom Abell.
Michael Pepper hammered Shaw for two sumptuous cover-drives to the boundary but was bowled through the gate by Overton. The Somerset leader struck again two balls later when Simon Harmer was lbw to a ball of full length. And it got worse for Essex with a third wicket in 10 balls as Luc Benkenstein dragged on a wide ball from Shaw, who then accounted for Shane Snater and Jamie Porter.
Somerset sent in Jack Leach to open with Kohler-Cadmore now unavailable but the ploy failed as the erstwhile No. 11 was bowled 12th ball by a straight one from Porter. Lammonby went in short order, edging Essex captain Sam Cook low to first slip. And they were quickly three down when Josh Thomas nicked Cook.
Abell and Rew steadied things either side of tea, adding 57, before Abell nibbled at one from Snater. Rew was sensible in his resolve before Harmer turned one that took the left-hander’s outside edge. The first of two straight sixes by Overton off Harmer took Somerset into the lead.
