County Championship: Brett Hutton takes 5-34 as Nottinghamshire bowl out Somerset for 163

Brett Hutton's 5-34 was his fourth five-wicket haul of this summer's County Championship

Brett Hutton claimed a five-wicket haul to help Nottinghamshire trail Somerset by just 18 runs following the opening day of their County Championship match at Taunton.

The hosts managed 163 all out after winning the toss before Ben Slater's unbeaten 67 helped the visitors to 145-4.

Matt Carter claimed three wickets in his first red-ball match for Nottinghamshire since the Bob Willis Trophy in 2020 while Steven Mullaney (23 not out) and Slater put on 40 in just eight overs.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore top-scored for Somerset with 38 while Kasey Aldridge contributed 35.

An inability to post meaningful first innings totals has been a long-standing problem for Somerset and again there was a fragility about their top order as Hutton maintained an exemplary line and length.

Sean Dickson and George Bartlett were both dismissed shouldering arms to the experienced seamer, the former bowled for one and the latter leg before for 13 to a ball that nipped back. Sandwiched in between was the wicket of Tom Lammonby, who edged Hutton to first slip having made 24.

From 48-3, Tom Abell and Kohler-Cadmore added 40 in positive style before the introduction of Carter's off-spin. With the first ball of his second over, he had Abell caught at slip, driving, for 19.

Kohler-Cadmore was looking strong through the off-side, producing some sweet drives and depositing Carter over long-off for six. By lunch, he had helped Somerset to 106-4.

The afternoon session began disastrously for the home side as, with only four runs added, they lost first James Rew, caught at short leg off bat and pad to give Carter his second wicket and Kohler-Cadmore lbw to Dane Paterson, having faced 53 balls and hit four fours and a six.

There was no way back from 110-6, despite the valiant efforts of Aldridge, who reverse swept Carter for six, as well as striking five fours. He quickly ran out of partners as Craig Overton edged Hutton into the slips where Carter's left hand scooped the ball up for Joe Clarke to complete the catch.

Hutton returned after an opening spell of 3-27 from eight overs to mop up the tail, bowling Henry and having the advancing Aldridge caught behind to finish with 5-34.

Somerset's total looked well below par in the conditions but Henry struck an early blow in the Notts reply by beating Haseeb Hameed's defensive push and bowling him for a duck with the score on eight.

By tea, the visitors had reached 23-1 and soon Slater and Matthew Montgomery were building confidently on that total.

They had put together a stand of 71 in 23 overs, with few alarms, when Montgomery, on 33, got an inside edge onto his leg off Aldridge and was powerless to prevent the ball rolling back onto his stumps.

Slater edged Aldridge just short of wicketkeeper Rew and Somerset's fightback continued when 19-year-old off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, making his first Championship appearance at the Cooper Associates County Ground, pinned Clarke lbw on the back foot for 12 to make it 94-3.

Slater went to fifty off 104 balls before Henry struck another blow for Somerset with the total on 105, Lyndon James edging to Abell at first slip and departing for the second duck of the innings. But Mullaney hit a six and two fours off a Bashir over as Notts regained some momentum before the close.

Before the start of play, the teams lined up for a minute's applause in memory of 19-year-old local club cricketer Barnaby Webber, who lost his life in the Nottingham stabbings earlier this month. Signed shirts from both counties were laid on the pitch at the toss and then presented to his mother, father and brother as tokens of support.

Report supplied by the ECB Reporters' Network.