Somerset spinners beat Durham to boost title hopes

Archie Vaughan, 18, is little more than half Somerset spin twin Jack Leach's age

Vitality County Championship Division One, Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton (day four)

Somerset 492: Abell 124, Rew 103, Banton 73; Parkinson 4-136 & 263-5 dec: Abell 56, Banton 46

Durham 336: Carse 104*, Raine 62, Lees 59; Leach 5-124 & 126: Drissell 33; Leach 7-50, Vaughan 2-40

Somerset (24 pts) beat Durham (4 pts) by 293 runs

Match scorecard

England's Jack Leach finished with a match haul of 12-174 as Somerset maintained their challenge for a first-ever County Championship title as they crushed Durham by 293 runs at Taunton.

The discarded Test left-arm spinner claimed 7-50, to add to his first-innings 5-124 as Durham were skittled for a second innings total of 126 all out, aided by teenage debutant Archie Vaughan, whose off-breaks reaped 2-40.

Somerset take a maximum 24 points from the game and, with Division One leaders and reigning champions Surrey up next at Taunton on 9 September, the second-placed Cidermen will have the chance to close the gap.

Play began under overcast skies with Durham already 15-3, amidst home fears that the weather might scupper their victory - especially when rain started falling after just 5.4 overs.

Seven overs were lost from the half-hour interruption and nightwatchmen George Drissell and Callum Parkinson continued to offer stout resistance.

Drissell used his feet well against spinners Leach and Vaughan, while Parkinson dealt effectively with most deliveries on a good line and length, only to fall for 18 to a leg-side ball from Vaughan, which picked out a tumbling Lewis Goldsworthy at backward point.

It was 70-5 when Ollie Robinson edged a turning delivery from Leach and Lewis Gregory took a sharp slip catch, diving low to his left before nightwatchman Drissell went for 33 off Leach.

By lunch, Durham were struggling on 94-6 for six, with hopes now resting on a seventh-wicket stand worth 17 between Ashton Turner and Bas de Leede, as well as the presence of first-innings centurion Brydon Carse.

But Leach struck again early in the afternoon session to have Turner caught at second slip by Jamie Overton, his sixth catch of the game.

With 16 added, including a Carse six over mid-wicket off Leach, the rain returned. But, after a further seven overs lost, Carse pushed forward to Leach to the first ball after the restart who claimed the 30th five-wicket haul of his career when Overton again made no mistake.

Leach then finished it in successive balls, having Ben Raine caught at short-leg before clean bowling last man Daniel Hogg, to spark home celebrations just before the rain started falling again.

Somerset left-arm spinner Jack Leach told BBC Radio Somerset:

“I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I am as determined as I ever have been to play for England. It would be nice if both Shoaib Bashir and myself could make the Pakistan tour and there is no reason why that can’t happen.

“I totally understand the reason why Bash has been selected. I rate him really highly. He is already a very good bowler with a lot of promise for the future. We have worked together a lot and I am very proud of him and want to see him flourish.

"But, if England need me, I am more than happy to go. I'd imagine they will take more than one spinner and I feel I am getting back to my best after almost a year with niggles that have taken some overcoming. Long spells like I've had against Durham certainly help in that respect.

“In the meantime, I want to do all I can to help Somerset win the Championship. We are all excited at the prospect of facing Surrey at Taunton next as one of three hugely important remaining games.

“We are still right in the fight, which is where we wanted to be at this stage of the season. The pitch against Durham suits our style of cricket. You had to be patient as a bowler, but if you kept putting the ball in the right place you were rewarded.”

Durham head coach Ryan Campbell told BBC Radio Newcastle:

“We have been outplayed in all facets of the game, which is disappointing. We came here on the back of a really good win against Notts and losing the toss was massive.

“After being in the field for a couple of days last week, having to go out and do it again first up was probably a bridge too far for some of our youngsters. But we will bounce back.

“Jack Leach was unbelievably good. He is a world class bowler.

"For our spinners, it was a great learning curve watching him because of his consistency in conditions we don’t often encounter in county cricket.

“Just because the pitch turns, it doesn’t mean spinners only have to turn up to take wickets. If you haven’t bowled on that type of wicket often, you can try too hard and feel a bit of extra pressure."