Somerset make their title statement with innings win over Glamorgan

Leach, Overton, Gregory claim three wickets each to heap pressure on rivals

Somerset 441 (Lammonby 95, Vaughan 68, Thomas 59, Rew 52, Crane 4-95) beat Glamorgan 194 and 183 (Tribe 49, Dickson 47, Overton 3-29, Leach 3-46, Gregory 3-68) by an innings and 64 runs

Jack Leach, Craig Overton and Lewis Gregory shared nine wickets as Somerset stepped up their challenge for a first ever Rothesay County Championship title with victory by an innings and 64 runs over Glamorgan inside three days at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton.

Left-arm spinner Leach finished with three for 46 and seamers Overton and Gregory three for 29 and three for 68 respectively to restrict the visitors of 183 all out in their second innings from an overnight 30 for one. Asa Tribe top scored with 49, while Sean Dickson made 47, but the Welsh county were comprehensively outplayed in all department.

Somerset took 23 points from the game to heap pressure on rivals Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire in what is building towards the most thrilling finale to the title race in years. Glamorgan had to settle for three points and their challenge appears to be petering out.

The hosts did not have to wait long for a breakthrough when play began five minutes late because of a shower. With 12 runs added to the Glamorgan total, skipper Kiran Carlson nicked a forward defensive push off Migael Pretorius to wicketkeeper James Rew and departed for a duck.

It was 65 for three when Ben Kellaway, on six, got a thicker edge to Overton and presented a waist-high catch to Gregory at third slip.

Colin Ingram survived a run-out scare when Leach missed the stumps at the bowler's end from mid-on with the Glamorgan player short of his ground attempting a quick single.

But there was no stopping Somerset as Leach turned a ball sufficiently from the River End to find the edge of Tribe's bat and Overton pouched the chance at first slip. The opener had faced 108 balls and hit eight fours.

Ingram was next to go, feathering a defensive shot off Overton through to Rew and at 81 for five Glamorgan required a further 166 runs to avoid an innings defeat.

Much rested on the experienced partnership of former Somerset player Dickson and Chris Cooke. By lunch, they had added 30, not without alarm as Leach began to extract regular turn. Dickson was unbeaten on 20 and Cooke nine.

The afternoon session saw the Glamorgan sixth-wicket pair extend their stand beyond the half-century mark as Dickson reverse-swept a boundary off Leach and followed up with a pulled four in the same over.

But, having fought his way to 20 off 46 balls, Cooke was tempted to hook a short ball from Overton and directed the ball into the safe hands of Josh Thomas at fine leg to make it 143 for six. With only five added, Dan Douthwaite fell for a first ball duck, lbw to a delivery from Leach that pitched on leg stump from around the wicket and turned sharply.

Dickson's 74-ball resistance ended when he aimed to cut a wide ball from Gregory and Tom Abell took a smart catch two-handed above his head at second slip. With the scoreboard reading 150 for eight, Somerset's work was almost done.

Gregory found a way through Connor O'Riordan's defences to bowl him for the third duck of the innings and the match ended at 2.40pm when the Somerset skipper had Timm van der Gugten caught at cover.