JAMES Rew made the 10th century of his young career during which he shared crucial partnerships with skipper Lewis Gregory and vice captain Craig Overton to see the Cidermen to their first Championship victory of the season when they beat Essex at Taunton by three wickets just before lunch on Monday.

In a game in which Somerset could only muster 145 in reply to Essex’s first innings total of 206 they found themselves chasing what seemed a highly unlikely 321 for victory.

The chase had not started well and they soon found themselves 78 for five and staring at another likely defeat.However, Rew and Gregory then started a rearguard action and together added 101 for the sixth wicket in 23 overs before Gregory was out for a patient 57 off 87 balls with eight 4s.

Overton came to the wicket on Sunday evening and by close of play the seventh wicket pair had taken the total onto 216 for six, needing what still looked a highly improbable 105 runs for victory and a whole day’s play remaining.

Rew, who is still only 21, began the day on 65 while Overton, who is 10 years his senior, started the morning not out four. Batting cautiously particularly against the new ball the two applied themselves to the challenging task that faced them. Rew brought up the 50 partnership with back to back boundaries off Cook, and the new ball was taken at 258 for six.

With 63 runs still needed for victory Essex were in desperate need of a wicket but try as they may it was not forthcoming. Batter/wicket-keeper Rew went to his century off 161 balls by which time the target had been reduced to 42.

Rew took his own score onto 116 which came off 189 balls and included 18 fours before he eventually departed, having shared a match winning seventh wicket partnership with Overton. As he left the field he was given a standing ovation.

In the end it was left to Overton to finish things off and he did so in style when he straight drove Harmer and then hit him back over his head for six to take him to 53 off 111 balls and clinch victory by three wickets, 25 minutes before lunch.

Somerset took 19 points from the match, which sees them climb to seventh place in the Division One table while Essex were forced to settle for just three.

Afterwards a jubilant Rew said: “Its an incredible feeling to have won our first game of the year. We’ve had a couple of tough weeks leading up to this so to have won here is very special.

“I have always said I wanted to get a 100 chasing and its happened today; the partnerships I had with Lewis and Craig were just incredible. To be out there and get over the line with this sort of support is a really good feeling.”

Overton said: “To get across the line in that situation was massive. The start we’ve had to the summer is not what we wanted and we knew that this was a big game.To get the win and hopefully we can build on it in the couple of games we have before the T20 starts.”