Somerset lead by 290 after day three
Somerset took seven wickets to put themselves on top on a rain interrupted day three of this Rothesay County Championship match against Sussex at the Cooper Associates County Ground.
Although the home side are the better placed of the two teams, a poor weather forecast for tomorrow suggests that the draw is the most likely result come Monday evening.
The visitors resumed on 22 for one under cloudy skies and had added 27 to their overnight tally when Craig Overton found Jack Carson’s outside edge. A tumbling Tom Abell did the rest at second slip.
The Sussex 100 arrived in the 28th over, but shortly thereafter Migael Pretorius was brought into the attack and he struck with his fourth ball, trapping Tom Clark lbw for 31 at 105 for three.
Heavy rain began to fall just after 12:30 and the players scurried from the field to the sanctuary of the Andrew Caddick Pavilion.
Play eventually resumed at 13:50 and Daniel Hughes brought up his half century from 69 deliveries.
The 50 partnership for the fourth wicket between Hughes and Jack Leaning arrived from 64 balls but shortly after the landmark was achieved, the players were forced to leave the field again because of rain at 14:35.
Play finally got back underway at 16:45 before another shower interrupted proceedings after 17 minutes.
The players were back out seven minutes later and it didn’t take long for Hughes to reach three figures from 133 balls.
Lewis Gregory threw the ball to Tom Lammonby and the left-armer removed Hughes with the third ball of his second over. The Sussex opener had reached 107 when he edged through to Gregory at first slip to depart for a fine 107. As he left the field, he received a warm ovation from the Taunton faithful with the scoreboard showing 204 for four.
There was more success for Lammonby in his next over when he bowled Leaning for 31 for the addition of just one further run to the total.
With the score on 212, John Simpson inexplicably chipped one from Archie Vaughan straight back to the bowler before Pretorius bowled Charlie Tear for one at 213 for seven to put the home side in the ascendancy.
When Fynn Hudson-Prentice edged Gregory to Abell at first slip in the final over of the day that signaled the close of play.
Sussex will start the final day on 236 for eight still leaving Somerset with a good deal of work to do to if the draw is to be avoided.
