County Championship: Somerset chase 401 to beat Nottinghamshire

Peter Trego has spent his entire 15-year career with Somerset

Somerset pulled off the second-highest County Championship run chase in their history to earn a thrilling two-wicket win over Nottinghamshire at Taunton.

Resuming on 274-5 with a victory target of 401, Peter Trego and Jim Allenby (62) extended their stand to 116 before Allenby was trapped lbw by Samit Patel.

Trego soon fell for 79 with 36 runs needed, but Abdur Rehman saw the hosts to 402-8 with three fours in an over.

Somerset's biggest successful run chase was 479-6 against Yorkshire in 2009.

Victory completed an impressive turnaround for Somerset, who faced a first-innings deficit of 210 after being bowled out for 200 on day two.

Any early morning nerves the hosts may have had were settled by all-rounders Allenby and Trego, as they took the attack to the bowlers with a flurry of boundaries.

Trego punished anything that was full as he launched a series of crunching drives down the ground and through the off-side as he brought up his half-century off 63 balls.

Australian Allenby soon brought up his own fifty but when he departed and Trego edged Matthew Carter to slip three overs later to give the teenager 10 match wickets on debut, Somerset were tottering on 365-7.

Patel gave Notts further hope when he removed Tim Groenewald leg-before with 20 runs still needed, but wicketkeeper Michael Bates (14 not out) and Rehman's 15 off 12 balls made sure there were no more alarms.

Somerset's second victory of the season saw them move off the foot of the Division One table, while Notts remained second from bottom.

Somerset all-rounder Peter Trego:

"Abdur Rehman has saved me a few sleepless nights. I was devastated at not seeing the job through, so it was a huge relief to see him hit the winning runs.

"I desperately want to give something back to the Somerset supporters who are supporting my benefit year and hopefully that has happened today.

"It hasn't been my best season so far, but I always feel I am only one innings or one good bowling spell away from regaining top form.

"This was a massive win for us and sometimes there is no substitute for experience."

Notts director of cricket Mick Newell:

"It isn't the first time this season that we have let a game slip from a winning position and it is not good enough.

"The third innings of the game cost us. It was the right decision not to enforce the follow-on, but we knew big totals are possible on the final day at Taunton, and we did not bat well enough to put Somerset out of the game."