Patel & Read keep Notts level

Nottinghamshire 278 for 5 v Somerset 517
Scorecard

Craig Kieswetter hit his first County Championship half-century of the season as Somerset reached 517 all out on the second day against title-chasing Nottinghamshire at Taunton. It was only the wicketkeeper's ninth innings in the competition due to England one-day commitments, but he will still have been relieved to hit 73 after a spell of poor form with the bat. Peter Trego made 54 and Darren Pattinson took 5 for 95. By the close Nottinghamshire had replied with 278 for 5 and required a further 90 to avoid following-on.

Samit Patel (92 not out) and Chris Read (75 not out) led a determined fightback from 130 for 5 after Matt Wood had made 72 against his former team. Somerset began the day on 423 for 6 and Peter Trego was given a life on 38 when Wood dropped him at long leg off Pattinson. Trego went on to reach his fifty from 61 balls with eight fours and Kieswetter followed him to the landmark in the same over, having faced 87 deliveries and hit six fours.

Pattinson claimed his fifth wicket when Trego drove a catch to Mark Wagh at deep cover. Trego and Kieswetter had added 113 for the seventh wicket, but worryingly for Nottinghamshire the ball was starting to turn, as Kieswetter found to his cost when bowled by Patel.

Alfonso Thomas added an unbeaten 30 at the end of the innings and Nottinghamshire were left with six overs to face before lunch, which they reached at 15 without loss. Wood and Alex Hales extended their opening stand to 41 before Hales was caught at slip by Marcus Trescothick off the fifth ball of Murali Kartik's first over.

It was 48 for 2 when Wagh, on four, drove Trego to Zander de Bruyn at short extra cover, one of several imaginative field placings in catching positions in front of the bat placed by Trescothick. Wood reached his half-century from 87 balls with nine fours, punishing anything short with some attractive off-side shots, but with the total on 119 he edged another left-arm spinner, Arul Suppiah, to Trescothick at slip.

It was 128 for 3 at tea and Nottinghamshire looked to be slipping into deep trouble when Charl Willoughby struck twice in the first over of the evening session. First he had Dave Hussey taken low down by Trescothick, his third slip catch. Then two balls later Alistair Brown lifted a good length ball straight to De Bruyn at cover.

Read survived a difficult chance to Kartik at slip off Willoughby on five and gradually helped Patel turn the innings around. Patel's reached his fifty from 103 balls, with eight fours and a six, while Read's half-century came from just 58 deliveries and featured 11 boundaries. By the close they had put on 148 in testing circumstances to keep Nottinghamshire in the match.