Newell jubilant at 'finest 10 days'

Nottinghamshire's director of cricket Mick Newell hailed what he regarded as his best 10 days in the job as a six-wicket defeat of Somerset took his side level on points with Yorkshire at the top of the table.

Notts remain second by virtue of losing more matches, but that was not about to dampen Newell's spiirts after they had inflicted upon Somerset their first defeat of the season and taken a maximum 24 points from the game.

Somerset's first defeat of the campaign brought them only three bonus points and leaves them 26 points behind the leaders but with a game in hand.

Notts' win was their fourth in just over a week, following a Championship success against another title contender, Middlesex, last Tuesday and NatWest T20 Blast wins against Leicestershire and Derbyshire which have revived their flagging challenge in the North Group

Newell said: "We've been very, very good recently. We knew June was going to be a challenge for us in four-day cricket, playing against the best sides, but we've risen to that challenge.

"We've also also put together some good wins in the T20 Blast competition, so all in all it's been perhaps the best 10 days of my career in terms of running this team.''

Nottinghamshire began the final day requiring only a further 44 runs and needed only a further 40 minutes to race to 111 for 3 to complete their victory.

Phil Jaques, who had made 113 in the first innings, ended on 42 not out, with Ajmal Shahzad closing on an unbeaten 23. Jaques, who had made scores of 65 and 150 not out when the sides met at Taunton last month, took his total to 370 in four innings against Somerset this season by finishing on an unbeaten 42 from 65 deliveries, with six fours.

Craig Overton had delayed the inevitable on the third evening by making early inroads into the Nottinghamshire top order but he could not inflict any further damage and finished with figures of 3 for 48.

Somerset's best opportunity came from the final ball of the first over. Jaques and Shahzad, who had been sent in the previous evening as nightwatchman, had a complete misunderstanding from the final ball of the opening over.

Shahzad pushed Craig Meschede into the off side, set off for a run that was never on and stood helplessly in the middle of the strip as George Dockrell's shy from 12 yards narrowly missed the unprotected stumps.

Somerset captain Marcus Trescothick concluded the damage was done early in the game.

"It's always tough to rebound against a good team after being shot out for 150 or so in the first innings,'' he said. You can't win a game on the first day but you can certainly lose it. Winning the toss and batting was clearly a big mistake but it's our first loss and we've got to take it on the chin and move on.''