County Championship: Craig Overton takes career-best 7-57 but Somerset still set for defeat against Essex
- Published
Craig Overton has taken 21 wickets in eight Tests for England
LV= County Championship Division One, Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton (day two) |
Somerset 109: Lammonby 48; Harmer 3-14, S Cook 3-17 & 154: Davies 51, Renshaw 45; Snater 6-36 |
Essex 180: A Cook 59; C Overton 7-57 & 3-1: C Overton 1-2 |
Essex (3 pts) need 81 more runs to beat Somerset (3 pts) |
Somerset's fragile batting again left them facing defeat after career-best bowling from Craig Overton had dragged them back into their match against Essex as 19 wickets fell on day two.
England seamer Overton claimed 7-57 as Essex were shot out for 180 - after resuming on 109-2 - to lead by 71 runs.
But the home batters could not maintain that momentum as they were bowled out for 154 with Shane Snater taking 6-36.
Essex reached stumps on 3-1 needing another 81 runs for victory.
On a pitch still offering plenty of encouragement for the bowlers, the tone of a manic day was set when Alastair Cook was out to the first ball of the morning - edging Peter Siddle to James Hildreth at first slip.
That triggered a slide as the Essex batters mixed misjudgement with poor shot selection in the face of some excellent probing from Overton - back in the Somerset side after being released by England.
Only Simon Harmer (25) offered any kind of resistance as Overton ran riot, bettering the 6-24 he took against Cardiff MCCU three years ago - and his previous Championship best 6-74 against Warwickshire in 2015 - as Essex lost their last seven wickets for 71.
That left a lead of 71 which quickly was made to look a lot bigger as Somerset's batting woes continued.
They soon found themselves 60-5 and worrying about a second successive innings defeat as the skiddy Snater bagged three wickets.
Australia's Matt Renshaw carved out a patient 45 before the left-hander was pinned lbw by Sam Cook from round the wicket having added 41 with Steven Davies (51) to at least make sure Essex had to bat again.
Davies went on to notch an admirable half-century but when he was out moments later - bowled trying to run Mark Steketee down to third man - Somerset were nine down and only 72 in front.
Jack Leach then chopped on to give Snater his second best first-class figures and leave Essex 84 to win.
They couldn't survive unscathed in the 12 balls until the close as Nick Browne popped a catch to mid-wicket to give Overton an eighth wicket in the match.
But with the talismanic Cook still there, Essex will be confident of closing out the win, despite the spicy surface.