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Somerset fight back on day three
Migael Pretorius and Sean Dickson led the Somerset fight back on the second day of this Rothesay County Championship Division one fixture against Hampshire at Utilita Bowl.
South African Pretorius picked up five for 64 as Somerset restricted the hosts to a first innings lead of 152, despite Nick Gubbins’ 82 and Liam Dawson’s 72.
That advantage was whittled down to only 49 for the loss of just Archie Vaughan as Dickson reached a calm unbeaten half-century before poor light descended on the venue.
Hampshire began the day with a 10-run lead with wickets in hand with hopes of extending that advantage. However, Tom Lammonby’s work with the old ball and then Pretorius’ with the new stymied them.
Gubbins and Dawson had ground out a 76-run partnership the previous evening, but opened up a little in the morning. The stand grew to 125 in the first half an hour of the day before the visitors began to fight back.
Left-armer Lammonby found good movement with the old ball and struck three times before the 80th over.
Gubbins got stuck on the crease and was plumb lbw, Dawson couldn’t keep a cut shot down and was well held by Vaughan, and Brett Hampton lasted three balls before he was leg-before to a ball that swung back.
Ben Brown was the constant as three of the last four batters reached double-figures in quick time but couldn’t stick around.
James Fuller went first and hit 15 in 21 balls, but departed in the fifth over of the new cherry, as Pretorius nibbled one in to take the edge to second slip.
Toby Albert – who dropped down the order because a back spasm – was lbw while falling over an angled in ball from Pretorius, and after Kyle Abbott had whacked an 11-ball 20, Pretorius completed his second five-wicket haul for Somerset with a legside catch behind to James Rew.
Ogborne ended the innings when Brad Wheal had his stumps rearranged, leaving Brown on 30.
A lead of 152 would have been below Hampshire’s hopes, but still large enough to mount a victory effort. However, a stout top-order batting performance quelled their hopes.
Vaughan and Dickson raised the Somerset 50 with little fuss.
Vaughan departed after looping a catch to deep square leg, but Dickson battened down the hatches and refused to give away his wicket, reaching his fourth fifty for Somerset in 108 balls.
Bad light brought tea forward by 10 minutes, and when they belatedly returned, only four overs of spin were possible before things turned terminally dark.
