County Championship: Harry Swindells hits ton against Somerset for Leicestershire
- Published
After scoring a century in 186 balls, Harry Swindells went on to record his highest first-class score
LV= County Championship Group Two, The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton (day three): |
Somerset 461-9 dec: Conway 88, Van der Merwe 76, Davey 75*, De Lange 75; Griffiths 3-93 |
Leicestershire 390-7: Swindells 119*, Ackermann 67, Barnes 54*; De Lange 3-95 |
Leicestershire (6 pts) trail Somerset (7 pts) by 71 runs |
Leicestershire's Harry Swindells hit an unbeaten ton as their match at Somerset headed towards a draw on day three.
Initially anchored by Colin Ackermann's 67, the Foxes took advantage of a depleted home bowling attack and a flat pitch to avoid the follow-on.
With support from Ben Mike (40) and then Ed Barnes, Swindells (119 not out) notched his second ton of the season.
Barnes (54 not out) scored his maiden 50 as the visitors closed on 390-7, 71 runs behind Somerset's 461-9 declared.
With captain Craig Overton called into England's replacement squad for their ODI series with Pakistan and Josh Davey nursing a toe injury, Somerset's bowlers found the going increasingly difficult as the day dragged on.
The visitors had added 22 to their overnight score of 95-3 by the time Jack Brooks trapped Josh Inglis lbw for 27.
After a rain delay and an early lunch, Ackermann - who was almost run out by George Bartlett in the second over of the day - had his off stump removed by a well-pitched, late-swinging delivery from Marchant de Lange to leave Leicestershire 177-5.
Somerset then paid the price for missed chances, as Swindells was dropped on 23 by James Hildreth at first slip, and Roelof van der Merwe missed a chance to remove Mike on 17.
De Lange returned to remove Mike and Callum Parkinson - both caught in the slips - but Swindells and Barnes formed a fruitful partnership.
They accelerated the scoring in the evening session, as Leicestershire reached 350 with a four from the final ball of the 110th over to secure a fourth batting bonus point and deny Somerset the final bowling point in the process.
Swindells and Barnes had both registered career-best scores and their eighth-wicket stand was worth 118 runs by the time bad light stopped play with almost 15 overs remaining.
A draw seems the most likely outcome, meaning Group Two leaders Somerset may still need a positive result from their final match with Surrey to progress to the next stage of the County Championship.