Somerset struggle at Lancashire as title hopes fade
Somerset were frustrated by Lancashire's lower order in the morning session
- Published
Vitality County Championship Division One, Emirates Old Trafford (day three)
Lancashire 140 & 398: Wells 130; Leach 3-57
Somerset 146 & 204-6: Vaughan 68; Wells 2-23
Somerset (3 pts) need 189 more runs to beat Lancashire (3 pts)
Somerset’s hopes of winning a first County Championship title faded as Lancashire ended day three on top at Old Trafford.
Needing 393 for victory, Somerset closed on 204-6, still 189 runs short of their target.
Should they succeed, Somerset will take their battle with Surrey into the final week of the season.
Defeat would relegate Lancashire, who will also be playing Division Two cricket next season regardless of their own results if Nottinghamshire take 10 points from their final match at home to Warwickshire – who would also need five points from that game.
Luke Wells made 130 in Lancashire’s second-innings total of 398. The Red Rose added exactly 100 runs for the loss of their last three wickets.
Wells and George Balderson had taken their partnership to 135 when Wells was lbw to Jack Leach for 130.
Tom Bailey was also leg before to Leach for a single and the innings ended when Balderson was bowled by Brett Randell for 47.
Somerset’s pursuit of 393 began badly when Andy Umeed charged down the wicket to Bailey’s second ball, tried to drive it through the covers and had his off stump knocked out of the ground.
Opener Archie Vaughan responded with 68 to give his side some hope of mounting what would be the highest fourth-innings run-chase against Lancashire. He shared a 105-run stand with Tom Lammonby before the number three was bowled by Wells.
Somerset hopes were greatly diminished when Balderson removed both Vaughan and Tom Kohler-Cadmore after tea.
Kasey Aldridge and James Rew looked set to ensure Somerset suffered no further losses but Aldridge was caught by Matty Hurst off Luke Wells for 19 with only four balls left in the day’s play.
Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.
