Livingstone basks in maiden hundred

Somerset 14 for 0 trail Lancashire 493 for 9 dec (Livingstone 108*, Croft 94) by 479 runs
Scorecard

This time last year, Liam Livingstone made headlines around the world after smashing 350 off 138 balls in a club match for Nantwich. At the time, he had not played for Lancashire's first team and it was only a couple of weeks ago that he was deemed ready for a first-class debut; now he has a maiden first-class hundred to his name and, if it won't quite make the national news, it will be warmly received back at Old Trafford, as well as in his home county of Cumbria.

Batting down at No. 7, Livingstone arrived at the crease at the end of the first over of the day and spent much of the rest of it - either side of a three-and-a-half hour delay for rain - compiling an unbeaten 108 from 152 balls. It was a crisp, invigorating knock that helped pierce the gloom in Taunton, eventually allowing Lancashire to declare their first innings in evening sunlight and have a few overs at Somerset before the close.

There might yet come a time when Lancashire supporters greet reports of a substantial middle-order contribution with the response: "Livingstone, I presume?" This was the 22-year-old's second first-class innings and, having scored 70 on debut against Nottinghamshire a fortnight ago, his average stands at 178.00. He is collecting some big numbers.

With a cover drive that practically left scorch marks on the already furrowed Taunton outfield, there looks to be much to recommend Livingstone's game - albeit this was not the most challenging of surfaces to bat on. As Livingstone approached his milestone, one Somerset supporter in the new Pavilion Stand could be heard bemoaning "This pitch is dead!" in the manner of someone discussing the future prospects of a Norwegian Blue.

Lancashire had involved Livingstone in limited-overs cricket - he played every match of their title-winning NatWest T20 Blast campaign last season - and he has expressed a desire to make an impression across all formats this year. He spent the winter playing in Perth, where he worked on his legspin with Australia's Brad Hogg, though it might be a while before he has to fall back on his second string given current form. There were also sessions with Justin Langer's former batting mentor, Neil "Noddy" Holder; here it was the Somerset bowlers who were slayed.

Livingstone's other notable episode in 2015 was to be cut by a glass during a bar-room altercation after Lancashire's Blast quarter-final win over Kent. There was nothing remotely controversial about this innings, aside from a few Pietersen-esque whips to leg as he advanced down the pitch. He went to 97 with a mighty six off Jack Leach, before nudging a couple to reach his hundred in the following over, to loud applause from the visiting balcony.

Lancashire must now buckle down to the task of taking 20 wickets if they are to force a result over the next two days. Whether you consider this sort of contest attritional or nutritional, it is going to require some fibre from the bowlers to break the game open after 34 overs were lost to rain.

At one point, it looked as if the demands on Somerset's attack would be even greater, with Jamie Overton gingerly walking off after completing his fourth over of the day. However, the arrival of several heavy showers - which gave Somerset's new drainage a good test - allowed him time to recover, although his luck did not improve as Kyle Jarvis joined forces with Livingstone during an 80-run stand for the ninth wicket.

Despite another demur showing, the surface initially appeared to be a little racier - the Ann Summers in Taunton proclaimed this to be "Spank Holiday Monday", after all - and Tim Groenewald had Alex Davies caught behind flirting outside off stump in the first over of the morning.

Lancashire avoided any further peccadillos in the first hour. After one run had been scored from 32 balls, Livingstone stroked Craig Overton through the covers to bring up the Lancashire 300, though progress remained on the steady side and no further batting points were accrued. Livingstone's second boundary was less controlled, a thick outside edge flying wide of the slips, while from the other end Groenewald got one delivery to rear sharply at Croft.

Both batsmen were content to be watchful and wait for their rewards to come, an approach that looked likely to bear fruit as Chris Rogers again wasted little time in bringing on his spinner. Leach was given no opportunity to settle, however, as his second over was pumped for 17, with Croft and Livingstone taking it in turns to cart him beyond the ropes.

Leach was swiftly replaced by Somerset's back-up left-arm spinner, Roelof van der Merwe, whose flatter, quicker delivery accounted for Croft, caught behind trying to cut six runs short of his century. Lancashire's captain punched his bat as he walked off, in frustration at missing out, but Livingstone would not make the same mistake.