EIGHTEEN wickets fell on the opening day of the County Championship Division One match between Somerset and Worcestershire at Taunton.

Australian Matt Renshaw marked his Somerset debut with 101 not out in a total of 202 all out after an uncontested toss.

James Hildreth contributed a breezy 48 while the County's Ed Barnard claimed 5-52 from 16 overs for his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.

In reply, Worcestershire plunged to 48-5 with Lewis Gregory claiming three wickets in his opening spell.

They closed on 153-8 with Travis Head making 49.

There was only a single on the board when Renshaw walked out after Marcus Trescothick fell lbw to Steve Magoffin in the fourth over.

Eddie Byrom went cheaply to Joe Leach and things would have been worse for the hosts had Ben Cox not dropped Hildreth on 13 and 20 with the first reprieve coming when the wicketkeeper misjudged a skyer.

Hildreth soon decided that with the ball swinging the best tactics were to attack.

He picked up Magoffin over mid-wicket for six and then cleared the third-man boundary for another maximum off Josh Tongue.

Having shared a stand of 92 with left-hander Renshaw, Hildreth fell just before lunch, edging Barnard to Joe Clarke at third slip with the total on 99.

Somerset progressed to 134-3 in the afternoon session before Barnard played a key hand.

The seamer had Tom Abell lbw for 10 and removed Gregory, Craig Overton and Josh Davey on his way to career-best figures.

Renshaw watched the carnage from the other end as the pitch continued to offer assistance to the bowlers on a gloriously sunny day enjoyed by a 2,000-plus crowd.

Showing good judgement in leaving what balls he could, the Middlesbrough-born Aussie Test player was also positive in taking advantage of anything loose.

Having played and missed a few times in the morning session, he reached a chanceless century off 137 balls with 13 fours and a six.

Despite the cloudless skies, batting was never easy and soon Gregory was ripping through the Worcestershire top order, dismissing Daryl Mitchell (5) and then Brett D’Oliveira (3) and Clarke for a golden duck with successive balls.

Tom Fell (21) went to Davey and Overton had George Rhodes (1) caught at short-leg.

Cox contributed 21 before edging Tim Groenewald to second slip but Head looked relatively untroubled and hit eight fours before being bowled by Davey off a bottom edge aiming a pull shot.

Leach looked to attack but chipped a catch to Renshaw at mid-off, having made only eight.

Davey ended the day with 3-38 and Gregory 3-43.