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Day 1: Somerset recover from shaky start

DJ Rutnagur at Taunton

First day of four: Middlesex (61-3) trail Somerset (297) by 236 runs

In all three matches that Somerset had hitherto played at their Taunton headquarters this season, they were put in by the opposition and amassed match-winning totals of 468, 453 and 503. So Jamie Cox must have been a little suprised, having elected to bat in ideal conditions, to find his side at 60 for four.

If, despite such a faltering start, Somerset assembled a respectable total, it was thanks to two sizeable partnerships in which Rob Turner was the common factor, and a stand of 64 for the ninth wicket between Matthew Bulbeck and Steffan Jones.

The front line of Middlesex's attack, Angus Fraser and Jamie Hewitt, bowled with inspiration and discipline to make Somerset fight. But the bottom line of their scorecard rather flattered Middlesex, who earned every one of their successes through indiscretion on the part of the batsmen or flaws in technique.

Michael Burns and Turner scored 74 and 73 respectively. Turner looked the part of a batsman who has passed 50 on 11 occasions this season.

Somerset were not badly placed at the close, for Mike Roseberry was lbw to Paul Jarvis in the third over while Ben Hutton and Owais Shah were claimed by Bulbeck.

Day 2: Langer leads fight for higher ground

D J Rutnagur at Taunton

Second day of four: Somerset (297 & 28-0) trail Middlesex (355) by 30 runs

Yesterday's events in a match which is crucial to the survival of both counties in the upper division of the split championship of 2000, will prove of immense influence if Middlesex manage to hold, or improve on, their tenuous position in the table, only three places above the ominous black line ruled to separate the two halves.

Needing 148 to avoid the follow-on, Middlesex, were 114 for four an hour before lunch. But Justin Langer, Paul Weekes and David Nash came unfailingly to their aid with innings of 96, 65 and 46 not out, respectively. Tailender Simon Cook also lent a hand with some hearty strokes which earned him 37 runs.

Langer, the stand-in captain, was got out of his bed at the crack of dawn by a phone call from Angus Fraser, his key bowler and unbeaten nightwatchman, to say that he had been summoned to Lord's as cover for England's pace bowlers. Fraser had got as far as Chiswick when he was told he was not wanted and was back to his county's duty by lunchtime, having driven 330 miles.

After Andrew Strauss had fallen lbw to Steffan Jones, Langer and Weekes, left-handers both, added 119. Langer was made to fight for survival by Jones in a commendably accurate and hostile spell of eleven overs.

The Australian may have lacked fluency, but was not wanting for grit or concentration and stayed in for 265 minutes without giving a chance before Jamie Cox, his compatriot, claimed him with his occasional off-spin. Ironically, Langer's fatal drive was sweetly timed, but uppish.

Weekes soldiered on for another 18 minutes to reduce the gap to 33 and the recovery was sustained by Nash and the tailenders.

Day 3:Trescothick has his reward for labours

DJ Rutnagur at Taunton

Third day of four: Somerset (297 & 486-3) lead Middlesex (355) by 428 runs

So oppressive was the domination of the Middlesex attack by Somerset's openers, Jamie Cox and Marcus Trescothick, that the bowlers remained subjugated until the end of a hot, cloudless day, with Somerset in a position to throw down the gauntlet today.

In staging Somerset's highest opening stand against Middlesex, Cox scored 114, his fourth century of the season. The left-handed Trescothick, 125 when the alliance was ended after six hours, went on to make a chanceless 190, his highest score, and was dismissed in an unfortunate manner - out of his ground at the non- striker's end as Jamie Hewitt deflected a straight drive on to the stumps.

The author of that fatal shot, Piran Holloway, scored the third century of the innings and he and Steffan Jones, with a robust 46, rubbed salt into Middlesex's wounds with a stand of 80 in 15 overs.

How Middlesex missed Phil Tufnell, for it is possible that the parched strip might have afforded him some turn.

Trescothick had been short of runs since May and, in recent weeks, has spent hours in the nets. His dedication was rewarded yesterday.

Day 4: Cox retreats to the safety of numbers

Alan Tyers at Taunton

Somerset (297 & 523-3 dec) drew with Middlesex (355 & 271-1)

Jamie Cox, the Somerset captain, this season's arrival from Tasmania, deserves credit for galvanising the county and bringing a toughness and professionalism to his side. He has instilled a determination not to lose matches from strong positions, but this has perhaps come at the expense of boldness.

At stumps on Friday Somerset had an imposing lead of 428. Cox would not surely have been reckless in declaring. He elected, however, to bat on for half an hour in the morning, wary perhaps of the benign pitch and the menace posed by opposing captain Justin Langer.

His caution pointed to some deficiencies in Somerset's make-up, although they are certainly not problems peculiar to this county. The team lack an attacking spinner who can turn the ball away from the right-hander. On this dry track which showed a hint of uneven bounce on the last day, a top-class leg-spinner might have relished the chance to bowl.

The absence of Andrew Caddick, who Cox rates as highly as any English bowler, leaves the Somerset pace attack looking one-dimensional. In mitigation, it should be noted that Cox was unable to call upon the bowling of Paul Jarvis who had once again broken down mid-game with a groin injury.

Cox's declaration set a target of 466 in a minimum of 87 overs which never looked to be a realistic offer. With both sides hovering in mid-table the need to bank points from a draw as a bulwark against missing the cut later in the season is clearly of paramount importance.

An unfortunate side-effect of the delayed declaration was that Angus Fraser was suffered to take the field again after his 400-mile round trip for a bit part in the Tudor farce, followed by an exhausting fruitless day on Friday. He wears a tired air at the best of times but the prospect of another spell in the field would perhaps have encouraged a hangdog look in cricketers more sprightly than he.

Piran Holloway skied one to mid-off and Fraser failed to hold the catch. It was, of course, an irrelevance in terms of the play. At least Langer did not call on him to bowl.

Holloway inched his overnight score on to 114 while Peter Bowler set about the task with more verve, cutting Tim Bloomfield powerfully and reaching 36 before Cox steeled himself to declare.

The brisk medium pace of Somerset opening bowlers Jason Kerr and Matthew Bulbeck suggested that breakthroughs would be sparse. Kerr bowled a tight spell of eight overs with the reward of Mike Roseberry leg before with the score on 31. It was a false alarm, however, as Langer and Owais Shah set about compiling a large partnership.

Langer has a greed for runs that is untamed by such considerations as the state of the match. Furthermore, he has the array of shots and the temperament to feed that hunger. His square drives and cuts were sweetly timed and powerfully executed; his work off the legs clipped and assured. When he did choose to play off the front foot, straight drives disappeared past toiling bowlers. He claimed his fourth championship century of the season in fine style, one over after he had reached 1,000 runs for the summer.

While there was an air of pre-ordination in Langer's hundred, his partner Shah's century represented the first in his championship career and gave further hint towards the possible fulfilment of his impressive talents. He became more composed as his innings progressed, piercing the covers with crisp drive and, the occasional lbw appeal from Kerr aside, he looked in command of the situation. Theirs was a record second-wicket partnership for Middlesex versus Somerset. It was a fine exhibition, but was also testament to the negative attitude to run-chases and declarations necessitated by the need for securing points in this qualifying season for the two-tier championship.

Sri Lanka A enjoyed the sunshine of Chelmsford yesterday as they amassed 525 for seven in their second innings as the tour match against Essex meandered to a meaningless draw. They had trailed by 78 on first innings after the home side had scored 442.