Somerset-Warwickshire: Marcus Trescothick breaks county record to help earn draw

Marcus Trescothick made his 50th first-class century for Somerset to break the record he jointly held with the late Harold Gimblett and help earn a draw with Warwickshire at Taunton.

Despite his 106, Somerset folded after the former England opener was out, being invited to follow on when they were bowled out for 230.

Trescothick then survived a scare to hit 46 not out second time around.

He helped Somerset reach 86-1, before hands were shaken in a draw.

Having now stopped the rot of two defeats by an innings in their first two matches, Warwickshire perhaps had most to take from this rain-affected meeting of County Championship Division One's bottom two.

Young Bears seamer Grant Thornton, signed in early May on a short-term contract from Birmingham League champions Berkswell, took 4-32 on his first-class debut.

Then young slow left-arm spinner Sunny Singh, on his Championship debut, took the early second-innings wicket of South Africa opener Dean Elgar.

Warwickshire and Somerset remain in the relegation places at the foot of the table. The Bears' 12 points from the game, compared to their hosts' haul of eight, increased their advantage over the bottom club to eight.

But Ian Bell's side have played four matches, one more than Somerset, who have a chance to climb off the bottom when they host Hampshire at Taunton in a game starting on Friday (26 May).

Trescothick has not lost his touch

Trescothick's 106 was the 64th century of his first-class career. Add his 28 List A hundreds and two in T20 cricket, and that leaves him just six short of a combined career century of centuries.

It was his first hundred since hitting a double century against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in July 2016, when he equalled Gimblett's Somerset record of 49 first-class centuries, set in 1953.

He was then back in the middle for his second innings after barely half an hour's rest to add even more to his seemingly endless tally in a game in which he had already passed 25,00 runs for Somerset.

There was one awkward moment on 16 when he almost holed out on the boundary in Keith Barker's third over, but Thornton crossed the rope in taking the catch.

Warwickshire thought they had got Trescothick cheaply in the second innings, but young debutant Grant Thornton stepped over the rope in completing the catch

Somerset centurion Marcus Trescothick told BBC Radio Bristol:

"It feels very nice to have broken Harold Gimblett's record. It has been hanging around for a little while and I have had the whole winter to sit back and dwell on it.

"Now I have finally got the record and we have done the job that we needed to do. It's a very nice feeling. I have had a quick glass of champagne in the changing room with the boys and a quick toast.

"It has been a long sunny day and I am delighted personally with how it has gone. But there is a bit of work to be done to improve upon where we are."

Warwickshire captain Ian Bell told BBC Coventry & Warwickshire:

"We put in a good performance. The weather got in the way of what would have been a very good win for us.

"The new guys who came in have started to look like they can play, which is a real step forward for us.

"At the back end of our 50-over campaign we put in a couple of performances that got us a little bit of momentum and we have carried that on nicely."