Archie Vaughan takes three wickets for Somerset as breakthrough season continues

Archie Vaughan’s breakthrough summer with Somerset continued as he took the first three Surrey wickets to fall before rain intervened in the top-of-the-table clash at Taunton.

Vaughan, the 18-year-old son of Ashes-winning captain Michael, who was watching on, made 44 opening the batting on the first day of the Championship match that sees Somerset try to trim Surrey’s lead at the top of Division One. At the start of the match the gap was 24 points with three matches remaining in what increasingly appears a two-horse race.

Vaughan followed that with figures of three for 45 in 25 very tidy overs of off-spin, operating from the end named in honour of his father’s former vice-captain, Marcus Trescothick, in tandem with Jack Leach.

He picked up the wickets of former Test openers Dom Sibley, caught at midwicket slog-sweeping, and Rory Burns, lbw sweeping (the Surrey captain had already been dropped by wicketkeeper James Rew off Vaughan). As Surrey fought back, Ben Geddes made fifty, before being caught at short fine-leg off Vaughan, who has also played for England Under-19s this summer.

“Archie Vaughan has done brilliantly since coming into the team,” said Somerset coach Jason Kerr. “I think his dad was here today, which must have made his wickets even more special.

“He acquitted himself brilliantly with the bat in our innings against some quality bowlers and today he showed how talented he is with the ball as well.

“I’m not going to put any parameters [on whether he’s better at batting or bowling]. Archie is an exceptional cricketer who has already demonstrated maturity this early in his career. The sky is the limit for him.”

By the time bad light and rain brought an early end to the second day, Surrey were 169 for three, having avoided the follow-on, with hopes of getting close to Somerset’s first innings 317. Both teams will be scrapping for every point with the season so close to its end.

Kent move closer to relegation

Poor weather curtailed the Championship programme, but Kent moved closer to having their relegation confirmed by stumbling to 64 for five in response to Hampshire’s 403. Also at the foot of the table, Lancashire are struggling against Durham, for whom David Bedingham made a sixth century of the season, and Nottinghamshire are under the pump against Essex, who made 457.

In the Division Two promotion race, Yorkshire’s push for a significant win over Leicestershire was halted by the rain. Yorkshire made 379 in their first innings, and reduced Leicestershire to 35 for two, still 246 behind, in their second. A win for Yorkshire would earn them 22 points as they battle with Middlesex, who are on top against Gloucestershire.

Leaders Sussex had an excellent day against Glamorgan, building a big lead thanks to a fifth century of the season for their captain, John Simpson.