County Championship: Lancashire take 14 Somerset wickets on day two
- Published
Lancashire paceman Jack Blatherwick is making only his fourth first-class appearance, having played twice on loan to Notts in 2019
LV= County Championship Division One, Taunton (day two): |
Lancashire 373: Wells 103, Croft 71, Bailey 63; Brooks 4-77 |
Somerset 90: Azhar Ali 39; Blatherwick 4-28 & 226-4: Lammonby 100; Wells 3-8 |
Somerset (3 pts) need a further 57 runs to avoid an innings defeat by Lancashire (7 pts) |
Lancashire are in control against Somerset after bowling them out for 90 before claiming crucial late wickets.
Lancashire lost their last two first-innings wickets quickly on day two at Taunton to be bowled out for 373.
Paceman Jack Blatherwick then returned career-best figures of 4-28 as Somerset were skittled in just 38.2 overs.
After Lancashire asked them to follow on with a lead of 283, opener Tom Lammonby hit 100 but Luke Wells claimed 3-8 as the hosts closed on 226-4.
Part-time leg-spinner Wells removed Lammonby, captain Tom Abell for his second duck of the day, and Azhar Ali in an inspired spell as Somerset collapsed from 194-1 to 199-4.
It was still a good fightback by the hosts in their second innings having looked all at sea first time around, with Blatherwick and Tom Bailey (3-9) starring for Lancashire.
Led by 21-year-old opener Lammonby, they scored at almost five an over to close 57 behind.
Lammonby made six in the first innings to leave him with just 222 runs this season at an average of 13.
But he decided to take the attack to Lancashire's bowlers when he batted again after lunch, bringing up his fourth first-class century off 99 deliveries with a straight six off Matt Parkinson.
The left-hander was given out lbw a couple of overs later, although he may have been hit outside the line of off stump, and Abell chipped Wells to mid-wicket three balls later.
Wells then got the big wicket of Pakistan batsman Azhar, stumped, before James Hildreth and Lewis Goldsworthy saw out the final 10 overs.
With his score on 12, Hildreth overtook Peter Wight's tally of 16,965 runs to move to third place behind Harold Gimblett (21,142) and Marcus Trescothick (19,654) in Somerset's list of all-time highest first class run scorers.
Somerset centurion Tom Lammonby:
"The season has not gone as I would have liked, so there was an element of relief when I connected with the six that brought up my century.
"Lancashire's bowlers had things their way in or first innings, so the intention second time was to be positive and take the fight back to them. It worked well. We definitely still have a chance of winning.
"James Hildreth's achievement is amazing. I can only wonder, like many others, why he has never played Test cricket."
Lancashire's Jack Blatherwick:
"It felt fantastic to get my first wickets for Lancashire in what was effectively my Championship debut for the club and after a frustrating wait through injury.
"For the last couple of weeks, I felt I've been bowling well and was able to take that confidence into the game. Tom Bailey was bowling really well, so I felt I had to go on and back him up.
"It has been a strange match, almost like a 50-over game at times. Tom Lammonby took the attack back to us with a brilliant innings, but Luke Wells has produced a great spell at the end of the day and we are in a good position."