As part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations the weekend before, a 50-foot high mechanical spider had prowled the city centre of Liverpool. Yesterday, put in to bat on an extemely seam-friendly pitch two miles up the Mersey, Lancashire were soon enmeshed in a web from which they could not escape.

Although the tail contrived 81 runs, the crash to 75 for seven after 19 overs set up the defeat that brought relegation after five years in the top flight. At the last gasp, minutes after news of Worcestershire's shock loss in Kidderminster, Somerset managed the win, with two balls to spare, that keeps them in the first division.

An undefeated eighth-wicket stand of 36 from 39 balls carried them home, Alfonso Thomas, the 31-year-old South African medium-pacer, striking Gary Keedy, a lone spinner in a sea of seam bowlers, over extra cover for two runs with the field up to save singles. Carl Gazzard, the Cornish wicketkeeper, in his first one-day match of the season could rejoice in a bacon-saving, unbeaten 30 at the other end.

Somerset and Worcestershire finished level on seven points, but the latter now go into a play-off against Glamorgan next Sunday by virtue of having won one fewer match.

With balls moving lavishly off the pitch and occasionally climbing off a length, a crowd of 3,200 crammed into the Aigburth ground remained in doubt about the result until the last but it was probably determined by Somerset's decision to drop Ian Blackwell and field a five-man pace attack. Mark Turner, one of that battery of fast bowlers to have emerged from the North East, claimed three wickets in a one-day innings for the first time as Lightning were dismissed for 156.

In Somerset's reply, Arul Suppiah was crucially reprieved on two before advancing to 33. When Keedy removed both him and Wes Durston as three wickets fell in eight overs, Somerset, at 121 for seven, were apparently lost - but Gazzard took charge.

Lancashire

L Vincent c Durston b Willoughby 11

K R Brown c Trescothick b Trego 4

*S G Law c Gazzard b Trego 7

P J Horton c Gazzard b Turner 12

F du Plessis b Turner 9

S J Croft c Gazzard b Thomas 20

G D Cross c Suppiah b Turner 2

G Chapple not out 33

T C Smith c Durston b De Bruyn 18

G Keedy st Gazzard b De Bruyn 23

O J Newby lbw b Thomas 1

Extras (b 1, lb 4, w 9, nb 2) 16

Total (39.1 overs) 156

Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-20, 3-28, 4-44, 5-68, 6-74, 7-75, 8-114, 9-155.

Bowling: Willoughby 8-1-19-1; Trego 8-2-33-2; Thomas 7.1-2-23-2; Turner 8-0-39-3; De Bruyn 8-0-37-2.

Somerset

*J L Langer c Cross b Newby 19

M E Trescothick b Chapple 8

A V Suppiah b Keedy 33

Z de Bruyn lbw b Smith 18

J C Hildreth c Horton b Smith 1

W J Durston lbw b Keedy 18

P D Trego c Cross b Croft 6

C M Gazzard not out 30

A C Thomas not out 11

Extras (lb 4, w 5, nb 4) 13

Total (7 wkts, 39.4 overs) 157

C M Willoughby and M L Turner did not bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-34, 3-61, 4-73, 5-91, 6-100, 7-121.

Bowling: Chapple 8-0-27-1; Newby 8-1-39-1; Smith 8-1-25-2; Croft 8-0-31-1; Keedy 7.4-1-31-2.

Umpires: R J Bailey and M J Harris.