County Championship: Tom Abell century boosts Somerset against Surrey at The Oval

Somerset captain Tom Abell played some stylish strokes in his ninth first-class hundred

Somerset captain Tom Abell returned to form with an unbeaten 121 as they reached 283-6 on the opening day of their game against Surrey at The Oval.

Abell's side lost their first two Championship fixtures in three days and his highest score was only 12.

Despite that, he chose to bat after winning the toss, only to see Tom Lammonby depart cheaply.

James Hildreth (54) and Matt Renshaw (48) helped Abell secure Somerset's first batting points of the season.

Their highest score in their two previous games was only 180, but Renshaw and Abell guided them to 62-1 at lunch.

Somerset old boy Jamie Overton broke the stand on 66, with the help of a fine low slip catch by Ollie Pope, and after Tom Banton went for 16 on his comeback from injury, Abell found another reliable ally in Hildreth.

He reached his second fifty of the season off 75 balls but was then caught at point, prompting a mini-collapse as three wickets went down for 14 to leave Somerset on 237-6.

Abell was undeterred, reaching his hundred off 214 balls, and he hit 19 fours in total as he and Josh Davey (19 not out) saw out the last 12 and a half overs.

Surrey fast bowler Jordan Clark:

"We feel the pitch is quite slow so if you get your lines right you're not going to get punished.

"We stuck in reasonably well to take six wickets and we're in a decent position.

"There's a big opportunity for us if we can get some early wickets and show the same discipline and hard work."

Somerset skipper Tom Abell:

"We found it really tough to score in the morning but James Hildreth and Matt Renshaw were brilliant in helping me put together those partnerships we've been striving for.

"The most difficult thing is to trust in your process when it's not going well but the coaches have put countless hours in with me and the batting group to try and get us into a good place and the energy around us has been great.

"It's so easy to dissect your game but ultimately it's just about accessing the ball and I'm glad it's worked out for me and the team, despite the disappointing first two results."