Gregory leads Somerset to tense win

LV= County Championship Division One, Wantage Road

Somerset 375 & 249-8 dec beat Northants 221 & 351 by 52 runs

Somerset 23pts, Northants 4pts,

Lewis Gregory's career-best match figures of 11-122 saw Somerset to a tighter than expected 52-run win after a fightback from hosts Northants.

Northants began day four on 108-5, still needing 296 runs to win, but Kyle Coetzer (54) and Adam Rossington's (62) 76-run stand helped gain momentum.

Rossington partnered Andrew Hall (66) for 58, before the latter and David Willey (53) added 100 to reach 351-8.

Northants' highest-ever successful fourth-innings chase remains 395-4, against Middlesex in 2010

But the pair fell in quick succession to leave their side still winless.

Northants remain rooted to the bottom of the division with nine defeats out of 11, while Somerset go top but may be passed by Notts if they beat Lancashire.

It had always looked like a difficult task on the final day for Northants and, after Gregory saw nightwatchman Olly Stone caught by captain Marcus Trescothick in the slips, Scotland's Coetzer was given a chance off the 22-year-old's bowling, dropped by Nick Compton at gully.

But Gregory had his man just before lunch with a yorker, before Rossington fell lbw to Craig Overton to break their resistance, after he had reached a career-best score.

Former South Africa international Hall then built up a strong partnership with Willey to give their side a chance of achieving their highest-ever successful fourth-innings run chase.

But shortly after their partnership beat Northants' previous ninth-wicket stand against Somerset of 98 - made by Desmond Barrick and Albert Nutter in 1952 - Willey was caught lbw by the in-form Gregory - who now has 37 wickets from seven Championship games.

And when Hall edged to second slip off Overton (2-76) Somerset went wild in celebration, knowing how close they came an improbable defeat.

BBC Somerset's Stephen Lamb:

"Northants may have finished on the losing side, but showed true grit in taking Somerset beyond the tea interval and won the hearts of their supporters by coming close to a victory which required the team's highest-ever run chase.

"To come within 52 runs of a target of 404 was remarkable and owed much to Kyle Coetzer and Adam Rossington, then Andrew Hall and David Willey.

"The dismissal of Willey after the tea interval was critical and provided the excellent Lewis Gregory with career-best match figures.

"The tension in the Somerset camp was palpable in the closing stages, but they showed sterling character to finish the job and remain in the hunt for their first-ever County Championship."

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