Wednesday 17 June 2015 20:13, UK
Somerset claimed just their second win of the LV= County Championship Division One season after beating Nottinghamshire in a fantastic match at Taunton by two wickets.
Needing 401 for victory, Somerset began the final day on 274-5 and eventually triumphed after a very tense morning, reaching their target when Abdur Rehman hit Matthew Carter for three boundaries in four balls.
A Somerset success had looked very unlikely on day two when they were dismissed for just 200 in their first innings, to trail by 210.
However, having decided not to enforce the follow-on, Notts were bowled out for 190 in their second knock and Somerset made a fine start to their chase on Monday, setting up Tuesday’s enthralling finish.
Jim Allenby (62) and Peter Trego (79) were in fine form at the start of the day for Somerset, with Trego batting in a particularly fluent fashion as they saw off the second new ball.
They had taken their sixth-wicket stand to 116 and the score to 359-5 when Allenby finally fell, trapped lbw by Samit Patel (3-57) as he pushed forward.
There were 42 runs still needed at that point and Trego went just six runs later, caught by Steven Mullaney at slip off Carter (3-139), and then dragging himself off the pitch in crestfallen fashion.
Tim Groenewald and Michael Bates then added 16 for the eighth wicket, taking the score to 381, but the game was back in the balance when Groenewald played across the line and became another lbw victim for Patel.
Rehman (15 not out) joined Bates (14 not out) with 20 runs still needed and the pair edged Somerset towards their target.
But the coup de grace then came in a hurry as debutant Carter, who took seven wickets in the first innings to put Nottinghamshire firmly on top, was hit for three fours by Rehman, Somerset reaching their huge target just before 1pm.
And, having endured a tough Championship season so far, Marcus Trescothick’s men have climbed off the bottom of the table after this amazing win.
Despite defeat, Carter enjoyed a fine first class debut and finished with match figures of 10-195.
Meanwhile at Arundel, Durham set Sussex a target of 514 in their County Championship Division One clash to close on their sixth win of the season.
The visitors resumed their second innings on 168-6, with Gordon Muchall (115) and John Hastings (91) leading the way, Muchall scoring his first century since May 2014 as they reached 413.
Muchall was eventually trapped lbw by Wells and despite Steve Magoffin (5-89) impressing with the ball, Sussex struggled without injured seamer Ajmal Shahzad.
Hastings took advantage as he smashed 91 off 72 balls, including five maximums, George Dockrell taking much of the punishment as his loan spell ended with figures of 0-180.
Paul Coughlin (64) was more circumspect in his approach but still lodged his second half-century from two Championship games while Chris Rushworth added 48 with Hastings for the ninth wicket with few alarms.
Graham Onions proved just as resolute and although Hastings recorded a new Championship best, a maiden hundred eluded him when he swung across the line at Tim Linley's slower ball.
Sussex made a positive start in their pursuit of an unlikely victory target as Wells and Mike Yardy put on 60 for the opening wicket, their team's highest of the season.
Yardy then gave his wicket away when he drove at Coughlin's fourth ball to depart for 28 and Hastings picked up the wicket of Matt Machan (24) when he got a thin nick trying to get inside the line.
But Wells and Ed Joyce held firm in the remaining 14 overs with Wells reaching an unbeaten 53 just before stumps to leave Sussex on 114-2, 399 runs adrift of Durham.
