HAMPSHIRE suffered a disastrous first day of their crucial LV County Championship match against Somerset at Taunton.

Captain James Vince (60) continued his fine recent form and shared a stand of 68 with Michael Carberry (59) as Hampshire reached 117-1 after being asked to bat on a green pitch.

But they were dismissed within six overs of each other before Hampshire collapsed from 172-3 to 240 all out.

By the close, the deficit was down to double figures with Somerset 147-0.

Somerset’s opening partnership of 21 year-old Tom Abell, who is 70 not out, and 39 year-old Marcus Trescothick (67no) has a blend of youth and experience that was too much for Hampshire’s attack.

But Hampshire opener Jimmy Adams’ torrid run continued.

Run out by Jamie Overton’s direct hit while going for a third, he now has just 43 runs from his last eight Championship innings.

Adams had contributed seven to an opening stand of 49 with Carberry, whose loose cover drive at a wide ball from Jamie Overton (4-37) gave Ronchi the first of his seven catches, which equalled a Somerset wicketkeeping record.

Just before lunch Vince reached a 66-ball half-century.

But the afternoon session belonged to Somerset as Jim Allenby (3-54) pouched Vince at first slip off Gregory and then picked up three wickets in the space of six balls.

Will Smith (21), Sean Ervine (4) and Adam Wheater all edged Allenby’s innocuous looking medium pace to Ronchi, the last of them for a first-ball duck. Suddenly Hampshire were 176-6 and in trouble.

Craig Overton had Ryan McLaren caught behind for 18 before his twin brother wrapped up the tail, sending back Gareth Berg (8), Mason Crane (0) and Liam Dawson, who contributed a battling 48, in the space of nine deliveries.

The dismissal of Crane second ball gave Ronchi a share in the record. But his hopes of beating it were dashed when Dawson got a bottom edge onto his stumps.

With the sun out, Somerset captain Trescothick, who has just agreed a new one-year contract at the age of 39, and opening partner Abell set about making inroads into the Hampshire total.

Neither batsman looked troubled as Somerset went a long way to ensuring they will not be playing catch-up in what is an absorbing relegation battle.

Hampshire bowling: Edwards 8-0-48-0, McLaren 9-3-29-0, Berg 7-3-20-0, Ervine 5-1-29-0, Dawson 3-0-15-0, Crane 1-0-6-0.