Tuesday 16 June 2015 19:40, UK
Somerset are in with a chance of pulling off a massive run chase in their LV= County Championship Division One clash with Nottinghamshire at Taunton.
Having been set 401 to win, Somerset, who are bottom of the table at present, reached stumps on day three at 274-5, 127 runs short of victory and with sixth-wicket pair Jim Allenby (32 not out) and Peter Trego (26 not out) going nicely.
Nottinghamshire began the day as firm favourites, resuming on 89-4 and with a lead of 210 already in the bank after the first innings.
However, they could only add a further 101 in the morning and were dismissed for 190, Samit Patel making the key contribution with a hard-hit 46 off 34 balls.
Alfonso Thomas (2-43) took two wickets for Somerset to finish with seven for the match and Tim Groenewald took 3-65.
Having been bowled out for 200 in their first innings, Somerset seemed unlikely candidates to chase down 401 but they made a fine start as skipper Marcus Trescothick (65) and Tom Abell (72) put on 129 for the first wicket.
And, after Trescothick was caught and bowled by a diving Patel, Johann Myburgh (56) and Abell took the score to 197.
Abell, who carried his bat for 76 in the first innings, was dismissed for the first time in the match when he fell to Will Gidman (2-29), who then removed James Hildreth (4).
Tom Cooper went for a duck and it was 243-5 when Myburgh went but Allenby and Trego saw out the last 9.5 overs and the final day could be exciting.
Somerset coach Matt Maynard said: "It would have been nice had we have lost one or two fewer wickets, but we are still in a position where, if we can get a couple of partnerships together, it is going to be a very tight finish.
"We know the new ball is around the corner but if Trego and Allenby can develop their partnership and see off 10 or 15 overs of the new ball, it's going to be very exciting."
There was an entertaining second day at Arundel, where 14 wickets fell in the day and leaders Durham reached stumps with a lead of 255 against Sussex.
The visitors were 18-4 at one point in their second innings after a devastating opening spell from Steve Magoffin (4-48) but recovered to close on 168-6, thanks to Scott Borthwick (74) and Gordon Muchall (66 not out).
Sussex had earlier resumed on 44-2 and Durham seamer Chris Rushworth (6-49) reached 52 first class wickets for the season as they were bowled out for 201.
Rushworth took two wickets on Monday night and added four more, removing Luke Wright (5), Chris Nash (16), Ajmal Shahzad (15) and Magoffin (14).
Sussex were reeling on 135-8 at one point but George Dockrell got them past 200 with 37 not out.
Durham, who are looking for their sixth win of the season, then tried to build on their 100-run lead but instead found themselves on the wrong end of an incredible opening burst from Magoffin, who dismissed Mark Stoneman, Keaton Jennings, Michael Richardson (all for ducks) and Paul Collingwood (2).
However, Borthwick and Muchall then got Durham back on top with a 118-run stand for the fifth wicket.
Borthwick and Ryan Pringle fell before the close but Muchall will resume on Wednesday and has yet to be dismissed in the match, having made 81 not out on day one.
Shahzad was unable to bowl for Sussex and the injury-hit side had to employ three substitute fielders at one stage, including strength and conditioning coach Nick Lee and club coach Carl Hopkinson, as Chris Nash and, briefly, Luke Wright had to go off.
