Somerset 404 for 4 (Goldsworthy 122, Lammonby 109, Kohler-Cadmore 68*) vs Kent
Somerset's Tom Kohler-Cadmore celebrated his England call-up with a savage assault on Kent's injury-hit bowling attack on the third day of the LV= Insurance County Championship match at Taunton.
Summoned to take part in the ongoing ODI series against Ireland at the conclusion of the game, the uncapped 29-year-old smashed eight sixes in scoring 68 not out from just 31 balls as the home side extended their first innings total to 404 for 4 before rain washed out the last two sessions.
Lewis Goldsworthy marked his first Championship appearance of the season with 122, his second first-class century, and Andy Umeed contributed 49 to a Somerset run blitz that saw them add 190 to their overnight 214 for 2 in an extended morning comprising 32.4 overs.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore is motoring along in Taunton!
— LV= Insurance County Championship (@CountyChamp) September 21, 2023
He reaches 50 from just 27 deliveries, including a four & seven 6s#LVCountyChamp pic.twitter.com/sjs2fdcvwD
But it was Kohler-Cadmore's onslaught that did most to shatter the morale of a Kent side battling relegation and without Michael Hogan, who was added to their lengthy injury list on the opening day. Coming in at 310 for 3, the former Yorkshire player hit his second ball for six and went on to reach fifty off 27 deliveries.
After a second day washout, play began in more sedate fashion with Goldsworthy looking to build on his overnight score of 70 after a frustrating season in which his only previous first-team cricket had come in the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
Having left out their specialist spinners and seen Hogan limp off after bowling only 11.2 overs in the innings, Kent again proved powerless to capitalise on a green pitch.
There was an extraordinary incident with the total on 245 for 2 and Goldsworthy on 79. He jammed down on a yorker from Jas Singh and saw part of the toe of his bat fly off and dislodge a bail, before dismay over a bizarre dismissal turned to relief at the umpire's call of no-ball.
Have you ever seen anything like this?
— LV= Insurance County Championship (@CountyChamp) September 21, 2023
Lewis Goldsworthy loses a chunk of his bat which goes on to hit the stumps! Luckily for the Somerset batter it was a no ball from Jas Singh#LVCountyChamp pic.twitter.com/NUyfsCSQbn
Umeed, like his partner looking to lay down a marker for next season, blossomed from a watchful start, hitting two fours in an over from Daniel Bell-Drummond, before a leg-glanced boundary off the same bowler took Goldsworthy to his hundred off 177 balls, with 12 fours.
After so much second XI cricket this summer, it was a reminder of the form that had previously made the 22-year-old Cornishman a first-team regular across all formats of the game at a tender age.
Umeed cleared the ropes over wide long-on off Jack Leaning and was one short of a half-century when the Kent skipper took revenge with his offbreaks, wicketkeeper Harry Finch accepting a thin edge.
Kohler-Cadmore made his intentions clear from the start, lofting Leaning over long-off. He cleared the ropes seven more times, including twice in a Joe Denly over and three times in one from Arafat Bhuiyan, losing the second new ball by blasting it into and beyond a car park.
Kent had delayed taking it, but were forced to do so when two extra overs of spin from Leaning and Denly saw Somerset add 29 runs. The second over with new ball saw Kohler-Cadmore hit 6, 4, 6, 6 off successive Arafat deliveries and, together with four byes and a leg-bye, it cost 27.
The second of those sixes, launched into the top tier of the Ondaatje Pavilion at the Cooper Associate County Ground, took Kohler-Cadmore to a memorable half-century, which pressed his case to be more than a spectator when joining the England squad this weekend.
Goldsworthy had been wisely content to play a supporting role and an attempt at a bigger shot proved his downfall, caught at cover by Leaning off Singh, having faced 203 balls and batted for four and a half hours without giving a chance.
Kent were then presented with the sight of James Rew, the highest scorer in the Championship First Division this season, walking to the crease. He had added three runs to his season aggregate, taking his tally to 1080, by the time lunch was taken at 12.40pm.
During the interval rain began falling and became heavier. It continued for much of the afternoon and umpires Tom Lungley and Martin Saggers abandoned play for the day at 4.50pm, with Kent having secured just one bonus point in their desperate battle for First Division survival.
