Somerset skittle Leics to maintain title hopes

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

Somerset 363: Thomas 100 & 316-5 dec: Nicholls 100*; Ahmed 2-76

Leicestershire 157 & 145: Cox 39; Overton 4-33

Somerset (22 pts) beat Leicestershire (3 pts) by 377 runs

Match scorecard

Somerset completed a thumping 377-run victory over troubled Leicestershire with more than a day to spare, ensuring that they enter the last two rounds of the County Championship in pole position as they look to secure the title win that will make history.

After setting the home side a monumental target of 523 to win upon declaring on 316-5 in their second innings, keeping Leicestershire in the field just long enough for New Zealand Test batter Henry Nicholls to complete his maiden Championship hundred, Somerset needed only 45.1 overs to close out a 22-point victory.

Bowled out for 145, the margin of defeat was Leicestershire's biggest by Somerset and the fourth biggest by runs in the county's history. Craig Overton took 4-33 to have 49 wickets in the season.

The result - a third win in four matches for the West County side - does not extend Somerset's advantage over Warwickshire, which stays at five points after the latter's innings' defeat of Glamorgan.

Somerset's bid to be county champions for the first time in their history hinges on fixtures against Yorkshire at Headingley and Surrey at Taunton.

Warwickshire, meanwhile, are away to ailing Essex and at home to Leicestershire and third-placed Nottinghamshire take on Sussex in Hove and finish against Yorkshire at Trent Bridge.

Somerset were already 372 runs in front overnight yet stretched their lead to 522 before skipper Lewis Gregory declared 40 minutes before lunch.

A break in play prompted by a playful dog encroaching on the outfield had given him time to consider pulling out sooner, with the lead around 450 but with Nicholls looking in the mood after pulling Rehan Ahmed for the second of his four sixes, he decided against.

Tom Abell chipped Ajaz Patel to silly mid-on for 58 - leaving him just 26 away from 1,000 first-class runs for the season - and James Rew, after despatching Josh Hull for two sixes in the same over, was caught in the deep to give on-loan Nathan Gilchrist the fourth wicket of his Leicestershire debut.

By then, Nicholls, signed for the last six matches of the campaign, was motoring along, going from 50 to 100 in 34 deliveries, adding two more sixes before his ninth four completed the objective and Gregory called time.

Some Somerset supporters had fretted that not enforcing the follow-on might come back to bite him but the evidence quickly began to mount in his favour.

Leicestershire were two down for 10 in seven overs before lunch, Rishi Patel and Ahmed both nicking to third slip off the skipper's own bowling.

Gregory, who is carrying an injury, did not reappear after lunch. Nonetheless, Leicestershire slipped to 46-4 as Sheridon Gumbs was bowled offering no shot to Overton, who followed up by trapping Hamza Shaikh plumb in front.

Stephen Eskinazi, Leicestershire's stand-in captain here with Ian Holland sidelined, spent a scratchy 24 minutes at the crease before edging to third slip off Overton, who promptly had Nick Kelly caught behind with a ball that climbed unexpectedly.

Leicestershire were 65-6 and Jack Leach, whom Somerset had expected to be their key fourth-innings weapon, was barely warming up.

Jake Ball struck the next blow as Ben Mike missed a straight one, before Leach made his mark by having Ajaz Patel well caught by a diving Josh Thomas at short leg.

Leicestershire at least made it to tea at 135-8 but survived only briefly afterwards, Leach inducing a caught behind from Ben Cox and dismissing Gilchrist leg before.