Ooo it isn't Liam Dawson but fast bowler Kyle Abbott from the Hotel End.

You would imagine Dawson will replace Felix Organ from the Rod Bransgrove Pavillion End, despite a maiden from the off-spinner.

Ethan Brookes scores the first runs off the bat of the day with a thick outside edge to the boundary, which is followed by a one-handed square drive for another four. An enterprising start from the first innings centurion.

Craig Overton defends the hat-trick ball as Luke Wells tries another googly.

The tall Somerset bowler then drives through the covers for the first boundary and runs of the day.

What a start for Lancashire.

Anthony Gibson
BBC Radio Somerset

"That was the googly which came back in to Gregory and knocked his off stump back - and that has just about knocked Somerset's hopes on the head."

Five wickets or 277 runs? Someone is surely winning this.

Liam Dawson has been bowling at a batter-less wicket in the middle for the last 15 minutes, he ended last night so he'll have to wait to get going.

Fellow spinner Felix Organ delivers a blocked first ball of the day at Ethan Brookes, before following up with an lbw shout.

Somerset’s last hopes, you feel, lie in a big stand between wicketkeeper James Rew (24 not out) and Lewis Gregory.

Skipper Gregory will take guard for his first ball from Somerset's chief irritant of day three, Luke Wells.

Having dismissed Kasey Aldridge with the second ball of yesterday’s final over, Wells (2-23) will start things off by completing his 10th over of the innings.

The visitors need 189 more runs, with four wickets in hand, to take the title race into the final round of fixtures next week.

Defeat will present Surrey with a third straight title.

Lancashire, let’s not forget, need to win to keep alive any realistic hopes of avoiding the drop.

Here we go.

Image source, Rex Features

At this time of year, we always give you the chance to pick your own County Championship team of the season.

The voting module is slightly different for 2024, but you can find the list of names by clicking here.

Get your votes in now - and tell all your cricket-loving pals - to do the same and we'll reveal the final XI chosen by you next week.

Here's the team you selected in 2023: Alex Lees (Durham), Jake Libby (Worcestershire), Josh Bohannon (Lancashire), Tom Westley (Essex), James Rew (Somerset), Leus du Plooy (Derbyshire), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Simon Harmer (Essex), Jordan Clark (Surrey), Brett Hutton (Nottinghamshire), Jamie Porter (Essex).

BBC Sounds

If you love listening to the County Championship action, you can access our ball-by-ball radio commentary on most smart speakers, as well as via the 'Watch & listen' link at the top of this page.

Simply tell your smart speaker to ask BBC Sounds to play the fixture of your choice and the day of play. So, for example, today you could say "ask BBC Sounds to play Lancashire v Somerset day four".

Anthony Gibson
BBC Radio Somerset

"It's been an extraordinary game of cricket and just shows what an influence the pitch can have on how a four-day game turns out. It's now pretty flat which means Somerset still have some hope - it's only a silver of hope, but it's there."

Image source, Rex Features

Somerset's Archie Vaughan believes victory is still possible on the final day at Old Trafford, where they need to score another 189 with only four wickets remaining.

Vaughan made 68, his maiden first-class half-century but a slump from 109-1 to 155-5 turned things in Lancashire's favour in a game Somerset must win to stay in the title race.

"We're not in the position we wanted to be in but we've got confidence in the batters - Lewis (Gregory), Craig (Overton), everyone bats and Rewy (James Rew) at the crease is pretty well set - and if we get off to a good start, we'll have a sniff, all it takes is one big partnership," the 18-year-old told BBC Radio Somerset.

"The odd one is doing a bit, the odd one staying low, so it's not a belter of a pitch but it's definitely got better from the first two days."

Image source, Rex Features

Lancashire all-rounder Luke Wells believes they are "in the box seat" to wrap up victory over Somerset following an excellent third day at Old Trafford.

Wells hit 130 as the relegation-threatened Red Rose set Somerset a target of 393 and then took 2-23 - including the wicket of Kasey Aldridge with the final ball of the day.

"Of course we don't want to go down, we're fighting to stay up in the division. We know it's going to be really tough, especially with Notts winning (yesterday)," Wells told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"We've been able to put a game together here where we've been able to get wickets and runs, which we've been lacking in recent games. We haven't been able to get many wickets or runs recently so it's no surprise we've lost by an innings in the last three games."

Image source, Rex Features

All Surrey eyes will be on Old Trafford today after the Division One leaders wrapped up a 10-wicket win over Durham with a day to spare at The Oval.

They will be confirmed as champions unless Somerset beat Lancashire, and would become the first team to complete a hat-trick of titles since Yorkshire in the 1960s.

England all-rounder Sam Curran, who took 4-23 in Surrey's second innings, hailed the influence of captain Rory Burns, who hit the winning runs.

"He runs a tight ship. He's got an amazing bowling department, he set some creative fields and we just hung in there," Curran told BBC Surrey.

Image source, Rex Features

Liam Dawson could become the fourth player in County Championship history to score a century and take 10 wickets in a match three times.

He needs three wickets today to hit that milestone again.

Yesterday, the left-arm spinner claimed his 50th wicket of the season, and his head coach Adi Birrell told BBC Radio Solent: “Liam has been fantastic all season. We’ve always said he’s been capable of getting 50 wickets in a season but he has shown over the last few years how much he has improved."

In the bigger picture, Hampshire need five wickets for victory, Worcestershire require 277 more runs.

Worcestershire's Amar Virdi said: “The chase is still on. There is no reason why we can’t do it.”

Image source, Rex Features

Yorkshire captain Jonny Tattersall hailed Ben Coad as a "class act" as the pace bowler took 4-30 to put Yorkshire in sight of a vital victory at Sophia Gardens.

If they finish the job on the final day, they will regain second place in the Division Two table - and take a 15-point advantage over Middlesex, in third, into next week's final round of matches.

“Ben Coad’s an absolute class act in whatever he does, no matter what pitch we play on he seems to find some movement," Tattersall told BBC West Yorkshire Sport.

"But all the bowlers bowled well, everybody’s done a job for the team and that’s what we’ve been about in these last four or five matches, we’re playing some really good team cricket."

Division One

Hampshire 462 & 204 v Worcestershire 273 & 117-5

Worcestershire need 277 with five wickets standing

Lancashire 140 & 398 v Somerset 146 & 204-6

Somerset need 189 to win with four wickets standing

Division Two

Glamorgan 239 & 141-7 v Yorkshire 361 & 273

Glamorgan need another 255 with three wickets standing

---Thursday's results---

Kent 225 & 230 (f/o) v Nottinghamshire 433 & 28-0

Nottinghamshire won by 10 wickets

Surrey 415 & 25-0 v Durham 262 & 177

Surrey won by 10 wickets

Derbyshire 173 & 119 v Middlesex 358

Middlesex won by an innings and 66 runs

Gloucestershire 109 & 195 v Sussex 311

Sussex won by an innings and seven runs

Northamptonshire 383 & 137-1 v Leicestershire 203 & 316

Northamptonshire won by nine wickets

Image source, Rex Features

So it comes down to this.

If Somerset beat Lancashire, they stay in the title race and the Red Rose are relegated.

If Lancashire beat Somerset, they cling on to hopes of staying in Division One and the title eludes the Cider Boys for another season.

We also have games ongoing at Southampton and Cardiff, so welcome to our coverage of the final day in the penultimate round of Championship matches. Play starts at 10:30.