Somerset complete victory over Warwickshire despite nervy finish

Lewis Gregory finishes with 4-48 as the Division One leaders cement their position at the top after some resistance from the visitors

Taunton (third day of four): Somerset 209 & 164, Warwickshire 135 & 189 - Somerset won by 49 runs

Scorecard

Somerset needed just over two hours of the third day to wrap up a 49-run victory over Warwickshire at Taunton and consolidate their position at the top of the Specsavers County Championship.

Sam Hain ended unbeaten on 92 and featured in a last-wicket stand of 49 with Oliver Hannon-Dalby (13) before the visitors were bowled out for 189 in their second innings, Lewis Gregory claiming 4-48

Somerset took 20 points from their third Championship victory in four games, while their opponents had to settle for three and remain anchored at the foot of the First Division table.

Warwickshire began the morning on 103 for 6, needing a further 136 to win on a pitch that had assisted the seamers and, to a lesser degree the spinners, throughout the game.

The target never looked reachable as Henry Brookes was caught low down by wicketkeeper Steve Davies for two in the third over of the morning, bowled by Gregory from the River End.

Craig Overton opened from the Somerset Pavilion End. Hain, who had played impressively the previous day, picked up the first boundary of the day with a sweet cover drive.

But it was soon evident that the ball would continue to nip about off the seam. Jeetan Patel joined Hain and got off the mark with a four to third-man off Gregory.

A decent crowd took advantage of the free admission and were treated to the unbroken sunshine of the first two days. But their day looked certain to be a short one when Overton brought one back off the seam to remover Patel’s leg stump with his score on four in only the sixth over.

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It was 128 for 8. Hain was dropped on 49 by Davies after getting an inside edge to a ball from Gregory and the resulting single brought up his half-century from 106 deliveries, with eight fours.

He deserved the slice of luck, having shown the patience and technique to contribute the highest score of the match on such a testing strip.

Liam Norwell drove Overton through mid-off for a boundary. At 132 for 8, Somerset introduced the spin of Jack Leach from the River End, while seamer Tim Groenewald had replaced Overton.

Norwell cover drove Groenewald for four and then survived a tough caught-and-bowled chance in the same over. When the same batsman took a single to long-off off Leach the target dipped below 100.

But in Groenewald’s next over Norwell edged a back of a length ball through to Davies and departed for 13.

Hain continued unperturbed as Somerset captain Tom Abell introduced himself into the attack in place of Leach, while last man Hannon-Dalby leant equally solid support.

On 84, Hain was given another life when Groenewald misjudged a top-edged hook off Gregory at fine-leg and allowed the ball to drop over his head before bouncing over the rope.

Lunch was delayed by half an hour and it was all over when Hannon-Dalby drove at a wide ball from Gregory and Overton took a sharp catch at gully, giving Somerset the quick victory they were seeking to offer more preparation time ahead of Saturday’s Royal London One-Day Cup final against Hampshire at Lord’s.

Courtesy of the ECB reporters network