Somerset collapse leaves Warwickshire on the brink

Somerset 262 and 191 for 9 v Warwickshire 448
Scorecard

They may have dragged the match into a fourth day, but Somerset will surely stumble to their fourth defeat of a bitterly disappointing first half of the Championship season early on the final morning. With nine second-innings wickets down, they lead Warwickshire by just five runs. More was expected of a team that started the year with high hopes of a first Championship title.

It doesn't take too much analysis to work out Somerset's faults. They have a tail longer than a diplodocus and they're overly reliant on Marcus Trescothick. Zander de Bruyn, who they allowed to go to Surrey over the winter, has been sorely missed. Their bowling, with Geemal Hussain struggling to make the step-up to the top division and Charl Willoughby beginning to show signs of wear, has also lacked bite. It may yet be matters at the wrong end of the table that occupy them come September.

Here their middle-order was blown away by some well-directed pace bowling from Boyd Rankin and, in particular, the distinctly sharp Rikki Clarke. At one stage Clarke took three wickets in 25 balls. On a pitch that remains slow, flat and blameless, that's a fine effort.

Only Trescothick and Nick Compton showed any meaningful resistance. No-one else scored more than 15.

There's little that is entertaining about Compton. He's so far batted for just six-minutes short of five hours in this innings and, at one stage, was scoreless for 33 minutes. Had he been sprayed silver, passers-by may have thrown money at him.

But Somerset could do with a few more batsmen of his ilk. For, until the admirable Steve Kirby joined him in a ninth-wicket stand that thwarted Warwickshire for 53 minutes, there was remarkably little resistance from a middle-order of whom more is expected.

James Hildreth, whose hopes of forcing his way into the England side are receding by the week, was trapped in front by one that nipped back, before Lewis Gregory's middle stump was sent cartwheeling by a perfect yorker and Peter Trego played-on as he was hurried by Clarke's extra pace. Geemal Hussain, again beaten for pace, jabbed his bat down on a full ball and squirted a catch to leg gully before Murali Kartik attempted the most hideous sweep shot imaginable and departed lbw. Earlier Arul Suppiah clipped obligingly to square leg.

Maybe Somerset can consider themselves a little unfortunate. While Trescothick was at the crease, a draw looked well within their grasp. There was even some talk of a challenging fourth-innings run chase.

So to lose him in such unusual fashion was wretched luck. Middling a ferocious slog-sweep, Trescothick looked on in dismay as the ball thumped into Ian Westwood - hardly the largest of obstacles - at short-leg and somehow lodged itself in the fielder's clothes. While both Westwood and Trescothick were left in pain, the smile was far quicker to return to the face of the Warwickshire man. Trescothick was also dismissed in unfortunate circumstances in the first innings; caught down the leg side as he attempted to glance.

But Somerset can't rely on their captain to save them every time. The likes of Hildreth - who has yet to score a century this season - also need to contribute far more.

It was a particularly grim day for Craig Kieswetter. England's newly recalled keeper departs with on international duty having just suffered the first 'pair' of his first-class career. His second innings dismissal, playing across a straight one from his new England colleague, Chris Woakes, meant Kieswetter had faced just nine balls in the match. Incidentally, Kieswetter and Woakes' places on the final day of this game will be taken by Jos Buttler and Keith Barker respectively, though it's hard to see either man making much of an impact.

Earlier Warwickshire extended their first innings total to 448. It's their highest score at Edgbaston this season and the highest score they've managed anywhere in their first innings since they last played Somerset. When they wrap-up victory on the final day, it will be the first time they've achieved home and away victories over Somerset in 50 years. While it might be pushing it to suggest that their fifth Championship victory of the season will revive their title hopes, it should, at least, ensure they are not looking over their shoulders in the final weeks of the season.

Meanwhile Warwickshire finalised the signing of West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul as overseas player for the second half of the season. He'll join them from mid-July.