Archie Vaughan, the 18-year-old son of former England captain Michael, took six for 102 to shock Surrey as they pursue their third championship title in succession and bolster Somerset’s hopes of securing their first.
Vaughan combined with England left-arm spinner Jack Leach to take all 10 of Surrey’s wickets — and looked none-the-less threatening by comparison on a pitch that is turning but not excessively, as the champions took a first-innings lead of four runs.
The younger Vaughan starts his run-in by kicking up his heels and prances to the bowling crease much like his father, but has a more compact action — right arm tight into the body at the start of the delivery stride — and puts more snap into his off-breaks. He had taken three wickets in his only previous championship match; the father, definitely a batsman who bowled, never took more than four wickets in an innings.
The highlight of the Leach-Vaughan partnership was the dismissal of Shakib Al Hasan, the star Bangladesh all-rounder whom Surrey have flown in for this single game — in the reasonable expectation that if they do not lose this match they will go on to retain their title again, such is their points lead.
Vaughan, in his first over against one of the world’s best batsmen against spin, was cut for four and swept for a single but also beat Shakib with two off-breaks in succession that zipped past the left-hander’s outside edge and startled him.
Next over, Shakib shimmied down the pitch and chipped the ball back for Leach to catch.
As Surrey declined from their overnight 169 for three, Leach and Vaughan briefly used an old ball before taking the second, which bounced and turned more zippily.
Vaughan, who had taken all three overnight wickets, dismissed Ben Foakes, who has spent many unflustered hours defending against spin in Asia. From round the wicket, Vaughan had him caught at short leg as he pushed forward.
In Surrey’s 95th over, Vaughan took two uncontroversial wickets: Jordan Clark heaved a catch to a diving midwicket then, again from round the wicket, Vaughan whipped a straightish ball past a tentative Cameron Steel to hit off stump. Both are former Millfield boys, Steel of an older generation.
Tom Curran boldly succeeded with a couple of attacking shots against Vaughan, who was operating from the old pavilion end. It led to an extraordinary decision: Vaughan was replaced by the part-time left-arm spinner Lewis Goldsworthy, and Curran smote him for three sixes in his only over.
Curran, in his first championship game for two years, took the chance to accelerate to 86 off only 75 balls before he was caught at long-on, off Leach, as he attempted his ninth six.
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