Trego, Overton twins hold up Notts

When bad light brought a premature end to the day's play at Trent Bridge, Nottinghamshire were not far from a winning line they must have expected to cross it some hours earlier. Once again, it was Samit Patel's belligerence that had changed the complexion of the game.

Between them the Overton boys had helped to turn what looked at the start of play like a foregone conclusion into an intriguing enigma. Jamie made 50 as last man in, contributing to Somerset's last wicket stand of 73, then his twin Craig ripped out Steven Mullaney and James Taylor for a duck each in the first over of the innings as Nottinghamshire began to chase a target of 110. Yet again, a day of county cricket had thrillingly confounded expectations. Craig later took Samit Patel after a quick fire 41 to finish on 3 for 23.

Jamie Overton is a pretty handy No. 11. His previous first-class score was 56 against Warwickshire, though since that knock he has played two games for Devon and one for Somerset 2nds as has struggled with the accuracy of his bowling.

Patel looked like a man who would prefer not to come back to Trent Bridge tomorrow, smacking eight boundaries in a stay of just 30 balls. Earlier in the day he passed 200 first-class wickets, and this has been a great match for him.

Somerset started the day needing 187 to make Nottinghamshire bat again with seven wickets in hand. That they ended up setting them a target that wasn't a given was down to a resilient and dogged batting effort, especially at the back end of the innings. Peter Trego made 107 not out, and accompanied by George Dockrell and Jamie Overton added a combined total of 149 for the last two wickets.

It could be argued that Somerset have not had the climatic rub of the green in this match. On Sunday morning every captain around the country was winning the toss choosing to bat, and Marcus Trescothick was one of them. But although the weather was pleasant it was also muggy, and Nottinghamshire's bowlers took advantage. Had it not been for Trescothick's own 87, his side would have been in even more trouble than they were at the start of day three.

It was an encouraging early morning for bowlers, warm but with plenty of cloud in the sky. There is a theory, which has never been adequately explained, that the construction of the New Stand alongside the Bridgeford Road has turned Trent Bridge into a happy hunting ground for swing bowlers. Peter Siddle, Andre Adams, and Harry Gurney would have been licking their lips.

As it turned out it was an attritional morning. Somerset added 82 while losing two wickets. Exactly an hour into the day James Hildreth mis-timed a pull to midwicket off Ajmal Shahzad to present Andre Adams a simple catch; then Chris Jones, Somerset's mainstay in the early stages of the innings, decided to leave alone an inducker from Harry Gurney and lost his off stump.

The afternoon session was dominated by Peter Trego and his late order companions. Half of his 107 runs came from boundaries and he was strong on both sides of the wicket. His century was the eleventh of his first-class career. Craig Kieswetter contributed 54 before falling to two outstanding catches in the outfield by Alex Hales.

Somerset deserve credit for making Nottinghamshire work today, but they will need something remarkable to avoid losing on Wednesday morning.