Title-chasing Somerset build big lead over Leics

Rothesay County Championship, Division One, Uptonsteel Grace Road, Leicester (day two)

Somerset 363: Thomas 100 & 166-3: Lammonby 69

Leicestershire 157: Kelly 39; Overton 3-23

Somerset (6 pts) lead Leicestershire (3 pts) by 372 runs

Match scorecard

Somerset took a substantial step towards consolidating their Division One lead by dismissing Leicestershire for 157 before closing day two with a lead of 372 as they seek to make history by winning the County Championship for the first time.

They go into the third day at the Uptonsteel County Ground on 166-3. Josh Thomas (55) and Tom Lammonby (69) put together their third consecutive 100-plus opening partnership before spinners Rehan Ahmed and Ajaz Patel made an impact by taking three wickets in the last hour or so.

It puts them in a strong position to complete a sixth win of the season and swell their points tally to 189, five ahead of Warwickshire after the Bears' two-day win over Glamorgan, with Nottinghamshire under pressure to stay in close touch by beating Hampshire at Trent Bridge, with just two rounds remaining after this.

Craig Overton took 3-23 and Jake Ball 3-39 to increase relegation-threatened Leicestershire's woes as they were dismissed inside 52 overs, New Zealand batter Nick Kelly's 39 their modest highest score.

Nine down for 354 overnight in their first innings, Somerset were all out for 363 as James Rew became a third victim for on-loan Warwickshire seamer Nathan Gilchrist on his Leicestershire debut.

Considering Somerset had been 181 without loss in the 36th over, to take 10 wickets for 182 in the next 40 represented a good fightback by Leicestershire, although one that only underlined how poorly they had bowled in the first half of the innings.

By contrast, a Somerset attack spearheaded by Lewis Gregory and Migael Pretorius and backed up by Overton and Ball were hitting the right spots from the outset, quickly reducing the home side to 63-5.

Gregory pinned Sheridon Gumbs in front and had Rishi Patel edging behind. Overton bowled Hamza Shaikh off an inside edge before Ball combined with Rew to have Ahmed and Stephen Eskinazi caught at the wicket, the former hitting four boundaries before swishing expansively at a ball wide of off stump without moving his feet.

Kelly changed the direction of travel temporarily, hitting seven boundaries and adding 51 for the sixth wicket with Ben Cox - a partnership that featured a slightly comical interlude in which Kelly stepped away from the pitch and frantically removed his shirt, which Cox then shook vigorously.

It transpired that a wasp had found its way inside, making its presence felt by stinging the occupant twice.

Given this distraction, it was perhaps not surprising that Kelly was soon out, - although perhaps a tad unluckily - when he was adjudged leg before to Overton, who dismissed Cox in similar fashion to finish to put him on 45 wickets for the campaign, needing six more to make this season his most production with the ball in first-class cricket.

Pretorius removed Ben Mike and Ball bowled Josh Hull - in as a substitute for Alex Green, who was unwell - as Leicestershire tumbled to 130-9. Ajaz Patel's 26 at least dragged them over 150.

Gregory's decision not to enforce the follow-on surprised some around the ground given that the optimism fuelling Leicestershire's fight to avoid relegation has been dampened by the possibility of losing all 19 points accrued from last month's win against Glamorgan after being charged with preparing a sub-standard pitch.

Yet with plenty of time remaining in this match, it made sense to give the Somerset bowlers a rest while their batters went about stretching their lead, the opening pair putting on 113 before Thomas, who has 815 Championship runs for the season, was leg before to what looked an innocuous ball from England leg-spinner Ahmed, who quickly followed it with a googly to remove Archie Vaughan.

Left-arm spinner Patel had Lammonby caught at slip with five overs left in the day.

Somerset have competed in the Championship since 1891 but remain one of the three counties never to have won it, along with Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire. They have been runners-up six times, going closest when they finished level on points with Nottinghamshire in 2010 but missed out on matches won.

ECB Reporters' Network supported by Rothesay.