County Championship: Tom Abell hits career-best ton for Somerset at Old Trafford

Only one of Tom Abell's three first-class centuries for Somerset has been on his home ground at Taunton

Tom Abell made a career-best 135 as Somerset largely dominated after being put in by Lancashire at Old Trafford.

Abell shared an opening stand of 134 with Marcus Trescothick, who reached 1,000 Championship runs for the season before being brilliantly caught at deep square leg on 60 by Simon Kerrigan.

Chris Rogers (47) helped Abell add a further 93 for the second wicket.

But it was a different story after the new ball was taken, recalled Tom Bailey taking 4-53 as Somerset ended on 339-7.

The visitors lost six wickets for 60 - including a run of four scalps in seven deliveries for Bailey - until Peter Trego (49 not out) was joined by Ryan Davies in an unbroken stand of 52 after Kyle Jarvis had bowled last week's late-order Somerset centurion Craig Overton.

The morning session was reduced to 23 overs after two short breaks for rain. but they had caught up to the full 96-over allocation by the end of the day.

Somerset, who have only lost once in their last 15 Championship matches are up against a Lancashire side who they have not beaten in seven attempts.

Bailey and Toby Lester were brought in by Lancashire in place of Nathan Buck and Arron Lilley in the only changes from the side that lost to title hopefuls Surrey at the Oval last week.

Lancashire fast bowler Tom Bailey told BBC Radio Manchester:

"We didn't bowl too well at the start of the day having won the toss. But that evening session turned out to be a pretty good one.

"We had to make up for it after being wicketless in the first session, so to come back hard like me and Jarv did at the end there was good. We're disappointed by that final partnership but that's how Trego plays.

"I've been fit for a month now, but had to get my overs in the second team. I was quite nervous, not having played in the first team for about three months. But this evening I had settled into it."

Somerset centurion Tom Abell told BBC Radio Somerset:

"Personally, I was hugely delighted and we've had a pretty good day as a side. We had to ride our luck and it was pretty tough at the start but Tres takes a lot of the pressure off. He played superbly well as did Buck Rogers.

"They bowled really well with the second new ball and came back at us. We had a little blip towards the end of the day but the way Peter Trego played at the end has put us back on the front foot.

"No-one's been frustrated than myself with how this year's gone. It's been pretty disappointing, but we're up at the right end of the table and the aim is to keep the pressure on the teams at the top."