QUINIX Sport News: County Championship: Final day of four games – text & radio

Kevan James
BBC Radio Solent commentator

Liam Dawson is already into his seventh over of this innings, he did open up.

Five wickets in the first innings, another marathon effort from him.

Derbyshire are off to a fine start in their pursuit of 338 off 65 overs.

Caleb Jewell and David Lloyd are going at more than five an over – exactly what they need.

Luke Hollman has done well particularly since Stephen Eskinazi limped off and has now reached a half century in 107 balls.

Matt Parkinson versus the left handed Luke Hollman is a fascinating battle and one which the Middlesex batsman is winning at the moment.

The leg-spinner is aiming for the footholes outside off stump but Hollman is being positive and getting to the pitch.

Parkinson strays a bit in line and Hollman bunts it through midwicket for four.

Scott Read
BBC Radio Lancashire

There were a few fireworks when Ajeet Singh Dale was bowling this morning.

He bowled beautifully for Gloucestershire.

Harry Everett
BBC Sport from Taunton

Craig Overton shared a seventh-wicket stand of 133 with James Rew and finished unbeaten on 53.

“To get us across the line in that situation was massive, particularly after our start to the season,” Overton said.

“It’s going to be massive, when you get in a rut of losing games, when you get a win against the odds it just gives everyone a lift, a boost into two weeks time here against Sussex. Hopefully we can get on a run.

“The wicket was almost perfect, we needed that live grass on it to give any pace for the seamers, there was still a bit in it on day four even with three days of roasting sun, it didn’t really spin today, but we found the right balance and hopefully we can keep doing so.”

Harry Everett
BBC Sport from Taunton

Here is what Somerset match-winner James Rew had to say after his innings of 116 helped his side to victory.

“It’s an incredible feeling, very special, I’ve always wanted to get a hundred chasing,” Rew said.

“It was just a case of trying to stay out there, trying to bat and then see where we are at.
Lewis [Gregory] took a lot of pressure off me as he scores so freely, with low risk boundaries to help me start my innings.

“Yesterday morning was massive for us, if they’d got to 350 or more it’d have been real tough, but the boys with the ball did really well to restrict them.

“With the batting line up we have, we were due a chase.”

Image source, Harry Everett at Taunton

All eyes looking to the skies at Lord’s, players included, but not for rain.

The VE Day fly past is under way en route to Buckingham Palace and that looked like a Lancaster Bomber as one of the first.

Emilio Gay takes guard and Liam Dawson takes aim as we are into the middle session.

Image source, Rex Features

Josh Bohannon and Matty Hurst are back under way after lunch for Lancashire.

39 is the deficit. When will Lancashire start to feel comfortable?

I think we’re a long way off that.

Glamorgan declared during the lunch interval.

Derbyshire require 338 off 65 overs.

Could be some chase…

George Garrett will get things up and running from the Nursery End and he has Ryan Higgins in his sights.

What a first session that was for Middlesex as they didn’t lose a wicket.

Ben Kellaway and Chris Cooke upped the tempo for Glamorgan in the half-hour before lunch to take the lead to 337.

Kellaway went on the stroke of the interval for 74, with Cooke unbeaten on 49.

Will a declaration come at lunch?

Felix Organ fires down a fairly rapid maiden over and that is lunch at the Utilita Bowl.

Durham have extended their lead out to 55 after a fairly untroubled start to their second innings. Alex Lees and Emilio Gay walk off unbroken.

Another eight points for both seems the likely outcome to add to Durham’s five bonus points and Hampshire’s four.

But we will return to see whether a twist can be chiselled out of this contest after lunch.

Lancashire go to lunch still trailing by 41.

Gloucestershire will surely be pleased they picked up three wickets on what is still a batter-friendly surface.

The draw is probably still favourite, but you never know!

Few spots of rain are enough to cut short Matt Parkinson’s over after one ball and an early lunch is being taken.

Luke Hollman has done well to reach 39 but the injury blow to Stephen Eskinazi was something Middlesex could have done without.

Judging by the agony he looked to be in there seems little chance of him returning today even with some intense physio.

His exit leaves Middx effectively four down although one of those was a nightwatchman, Henry Brookes.

Anthony Gibson
BBC Radio Somerset

What a remarkable turnaround and what a game of County Championship cricket as well which has ebbed and flowed, swung this way and that and in the end, one of the most memorable victories I think I have ever commentated on for Somerset because they were so far behind.

The victory has been secured and who knows how important this could be in Somerset’s County Championship campaign.

MASSIVE wicket just before lunch at Old Trafford.

Spinner Graeme van Buuren fires the ball wide outside off stump, Marcus Harris steps past it and James Bracey whips off the bails with the Australian out of his crease.

Lancashire are still 50 behind and three down.

Stephen Eskinazi is down clutching his lower back and is not going to continue.

The Middlesex man has nudged Matt Parkinson and set off for a single but reached for his back halfway down the wicket and looked in a lot of pain.

He was going well on 39 but that is a blow, not only to the batsman, but to Middlesex.

Image source, Getty Images

19 points for the home side, three for the away.

What a four days of cricket, the pitch always flattens out at Taunton, however green it looked on day one.

The toss was important of course, but not as important as a 133-run partnership off 237 balls across last night and into today.

“A real heist, I am slightly gobsmacked as to how tranquil this game has been won” says my colleague Vic Marks, very few thought this possible when Somerset toiled for most of the first three days.

The post tea partnership with James Rew and Lewis Gregory, then Craig Overton set this up for this wonderful finish today.

Somerset now have a week off to recover, though maybe they would have preferred to take the momentum from this momentous win into another match on Friday.