Hildreth sets a marker for the season

Somerset 454 for 4 (Hildreth 191*, Langer 76, Kieswetter 53*) trail Warwickshire 500 (Bell 172, Troughton 77, Woakes 63, Ambrose 57, Phillips 4-100) by 46 runs
Scorecard

For several years James Hildreth has been classified as an unfulfilled talent who has fallen short of expectations. Could 2009 be his year? He began the season at Taunton with an outstanding innings of 191 not out, in the process overshadowing his renowned captain Justin Langer during their third-wicket partnership of 225.

On a sound pitch and against a rather innocuous attack, Somerset's run rampage was not unexpected. The first half-hour suggested the man of the day might be Marcus Trescothick. He began the morning with a superb cover drive for four off Neil Carter, and then clipped him for two more boundaries wide of deep midwicket and past square leg. Carter was to be another casualty for the visitors, limping off with a heel injury; they had already lost their captain, Tim Ambrose, to back trouble, but fortunately had Tony Frost in the side to take over the wicketkeeping gloves.

Trescothick reached his 50 off 93 balls, with nine fours, and seemed to have the entire ground at his feet, but he unexpectedly sliced a low catch into the gully for 52. It was a careless stroke, but perhaps he was afraid that his superb form might have the England selectors on his back again.

Minutes later his opening partner, Arul Suppiah, was also on his way, caught behind hooking at a ball down the leg side. Langer began scratchily, beaten a couple of times by Chris Woakes, but Hildreth was in dazzling form almost from the start, pushing the score along with fluent stroke play, especially on the off side. He soon overtook Langer and reached his 50 soon after lunch off 75 balls with a handsome four wide of mid-on off Ant Botha. He lost his fluency for a while, but did not throw his wicket away, as he has done at times in the past in such situations.

Langer, now batting with a runner due to a leg strain, also passed 50, while Hildreth, playing with care but occasionally unleashing a stroke of power and beauty, strode ahead. Just once did his old nature get the better of him, when on 84 he skied a risky leg-side shot towards deep square-leg, but the fielder was too slow to reach the ball before it landed and the batsman survived. He calmly played out a maiden over by Jonathan Trott on 99 and then reached his hundred off 134 balls.

He celebrated with sixes over long-off and long-on, but then seemed to decide that, with another hundred there for the taking, he really ought to cash in. The second new ball accounted for Langer, lbw to Woakes for 76 and Zander de Bruyn, after being bogged down, played a bad shot to be caught at second slip for 4, before Craig Kieswetter proved to be another stable partner.

There was some controversy when Hildreth had 146 and Darren Maddy claimed a very low gully catch, but the umpires ruled it hadn't carried. Kieswetter played a quiet role in support, until suddenly just before the close he reached his half century with two straight sixes off Botha, the second a massive blow right out of the ground.

The Warwickshire bowling was not as erratic as Somerset's had been, but still looked toothless on a sound pitch although Woakes and James Anyon had some good moments. As for Hildreth, he can certainly bat a bit. He finished the day on 191, resisting the temptation to press too hard for what will, if it happens, be his second career double-century tomorrow.

He showed determination and application that he has not always displayed, but in honesty his innings lacked the one ingredient - truly testing bowling, but that was scarcely his fault - that would label it outstanding. Saturday will give him the chance to produce a truly notable statistic, if he sets his sights high enough. As for the match itself, it would take some unusual circumstances to squeeze a definite result out of it.