| County Championship Division One, The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford (day one): |
| Essex 216: Cook 80; Leach 3-30, Overton 3-43 |
| Somerset 32-1: Abell 22*; Porter 1-17 |
| Essex (1 pt) lead Somerset (3 pts) by 184 runs |
| Scorecard |
County Championship leaders Somerset bowled out Essex for 216 on the opening day at Chelmsford, despite a fine 80 from ex-England captain Alastair Cook.
After a solid start the hosts collapsed from 126-1 to 216 all out, with Cook the only batsman to pass fifty.
Jamie Overton (3-43) and Lewis Gregory (2-48) tore through the top order, before England spinner Jack Leach took each of the last three wickets.
Somerset closed on 32-1, with Azhar Ali the man to fall for eight.
Fellow opener Tom Abell (22 not out) was joined by nightwatchman Tim Groenewald for the final five overs and the pair survived unscathed.
Captain Abell’s side are currently 24 points clear at the top of the Division One table, having won five and drawn one of their opening six fixtures.
It was Essex who enjoyed a dominant morning session at Chelmsford, however, with Nick Browne the only wicket to fall for 29.
They looked set for a big total while Cook and Tom Westley (36) remained at the crease, but the latter’s departure, caught behind off Overton, sparked a flurry of wickets throughout the afternoon.
Cook struck a typically resilient 80 from 186 deliveries before falling to Tim Groenewald and Leach polished off the tail to leave the visitors 16 overs to bat before the close.
Sam Cook faces six weeks out
Meanwhile, Essex seamer Sam Cook will be out for up to six weeks after sustaining a side strain against Hampshire last week.
“Sam is going to be a big miss for us over the next month and a half,” said head coach Anthony McGrath.
“He’s an important part of our bowling attack, but we’re lucky to have a really talented squad with players ready to step up and fill his shoes.”
