Rob Turner and Keith Dutch led a determined Somerset fight back after they had been reduced to 158-6, having won the toss at Taunton.

The pair put together an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 133 to enable the home side to close on a respectable 291-6, with both sides having claimed two bonus points.

Wicketkeeper Turner rediscovered some of the form that brought him 1200 First-class runs in 1999, scoring 71 not out, with two sixes off Peter Such and six powerfully struck fours.

Dutch leant excellent support, following up his 84 in the previous Championship match at Northampton, with a gutsy unbeaten 56.

After Jamie Cox had given Somerset a rapid start with 47 off just 42 balls, opposing skipper Ronnie Irani struck back for Essex.

He bowled an impressive six-over spell before lunch that brought the wickets of Cox and Mike Burns at a cost of just 11 runs, troubling all the batsmen with some late swing in the heavily overcast conditions.

At lunch Somerset were 92-3 and their position deteriorated quickly after the interval. Mark Ilott bowled Mark Lathwell off an inside edge, while another left-arm seamer, Justin Bishop, celebrated his Championship debut by sending back Ian Blackwell (26) and Peter Bowler (39) following a fifth-wicket stand of 50.

When Bowler was deceived by an inswinger and trapped lbw playing no shot Essex looked in control. But Turner and Dutch had other ideas, defying the bowlers for 47 overs.

Irani ended the day with 2-23 from 18 overs, while Bishop returned 2-64 from 19 overs. The start had been delayed for 45 minutes as a result of overnight thunderstorms and 12 overs were lost.

© CricInfo