Sutton sticks knife in Somerset

Former Somerset player Luke Sutton dented his old club’s hopes of a first County Championship title with a battling innings for Lancashire on the second day at Taunton.

The wicketkeeper finished unbeaten on 49, having faced 162 balls, as the visitors were bowled out for 248, a first-innings lead of 46.

Mal Loye progressed from an overnight 26 to 61 as Andy Caddick claimed 4-79 and Charl Willoughby 3-36.

Somerset had lost openers Justin Langer and Marcus Trescothick with only 33 on the board in their second innings. But Zander de Bruyn and James Hildreth saw them to the close at 66 for two, 20 in front.

The day began with Lancashire 56 for four and Langer surprisingly opted to use Alfonso Thomas and Steffan Jones, rather than his opening attack of Caddick and Willoughby.

His plan backfired badly as Loye and nightwatchman Gary Keedy added 53 before Caddick was introduced. With his fifth delivery of the morning the 39-year-old former England seamer had Keedy caught at second slip by Trescothick for a valuable 25.

It was 119 for six when Steven Croft shouldered arms to Jones and was bowled for a duck.

Mal Loye's fifty kick-started Lancashire's fightback

That brought in Sutton, who launched his career with Somerset back in 1997 before moving on to Derbyshire and then Lancashire.

Loye had reached his 50 off 71 balls, with six fours, and was then caught off a Caddick no-ball as the pair added 22 in watchful fashion either side of lunch.

Loye looked a shade unlucky when lbw to the left-arm spin of Ian Blackwell stretching well forward with the total on 141.

But Glen Chapple came in to strike a confident 36 off 50 balls, with five fours, to help Sutton take the total to 192.

Jones ended Chapple’s resistance through a catch by Langer at first slip, but by then batting conditions had improved and Tom Smith was soon carrying on where his predecessor had left off.

The tall seamer also hit five boundaries in his 29 as Lancashire picked up one batting point and went in search of another.

They were just nine short when Caddick had Smith caught behind, but Willoughby quickly clean-bowled last man Oliver Newby for two, leaving Sutton one away from a deserved half-century.

He had hit five fours while displaying great concentration, and the value of his innings was soon evident as Newby and Chapple dismissed Somerset’s potentially dangerous opening pair.

Langer was caught at first slip by Paul Horton driving at Newby for six, while Trescothick played an even looser stroke to edge a wide ball from Chapple through to Sutton, having made 19.

Hildreth (16 not out) and De Bruyn (23no) played sensibly to the close and the game remained in the balance.