OLD TRAFFORD

(day two of four, Somerset won toss)

Somerset 238 (ME Trescothick 77, ID Blackwell 64, S Mahmood 3-54); Lancashire 221-9 (PJ Horton 64, LD Sutton 40, ML Turner 3-53)

Lunch

A late lunch could not come soon enough for Lancashire as they suffered a torrid period after rain delayed the start by 90 minutes. Mark Turner, the former Durham bowler, struck twice in three overs and Brad Hodge, the Australia batsman, followed for one when he poked at a ball from Charl Willoughby going on with the left-arm slant.

In awkward overhead conditions, Paul Horton, the club's Player of the Year in 2007, held firm with a 101-ball fifty against some inspired bowling by the bustling Turner, who saw at edge by Stuart Law fall just short of second slip after a late inswinger undid Iain Sutcliffe and Mal Loye fell to a ball keeping a shade low.

Tea

Somerset continued to make inroads into the Lancashire innings - including Andrew Flintoff for a first-ball duck - to leave the lower order battling to earn even a single batting point. With dampness in the air, the ball continued to seam around while Michael Munday also found some help for his wrist-spin.

Paul Horton's resistance ended with a mistimed drive against Peter Trego who then produced a ball of perfect length which Flintoff, unsure whether to go forward or back, could only tickle to Craig Kieswetter. Mark Turner accounted for Stuart Law first over back and Munday trapped Glen Chapple pushing half-forward.

Close

Ben Phillips became the second bowler in the innings to take wickets with successive balls to leave a rain-affected contest evenly balanced at the half-way stage. The damage was done in a short passage of four-overs at the end of a day deprived of 31 overs in total because of short but sharp showers.

He ended a valuable eighth-wicket stand of 53 between Luke Sutton and Simon Marshall in the first over after the re-start, Sutton playing all around a straight ball. Then Sajid Mahmood followed in similar fashion to reward Phillips for his accuracy and leave Marshall with the challenge of earning a second batting point.