Lancashire v Somerset: Scores & match report

Match scores (Old Trafford)

Lancashire beat Somerset by 164 runs

Lancashire 1st inns: 109 all out (Livingstone 68; Overton 5-47, Groenewald 3-8)

Somerset 1st inns: 278 all out (Elgar 113*, Leach 52; McLaren 4-76, Procter 3-43)

Lancashire 2nd inns: 463 all out (Livingstone 168, Davies 130; Gregory 5-74)

Somerset 2nd inns: 130 all out (Hildreth 43, Trescothick 36; McLaren 4-37, Clark 3-12)

Day four report

Lancashire pulled off one of the great cricketing comebacks of recent memory to beat Somerset by 164 runs and record their first Specsavers County Championship win since May 2016.

Of all the results possible after the first day of this extraordinary game, a victory for the Red Rose seemed about as likely as three consecutive Mancunian days without lengthy rain delays.

But in the end we got both, with stand-in skipper Liam Livingstone and wicketkeeper Alex Davies' second-innings centuries proving as vital as Ryan McLaren's match figures of eight for 113, or the galvanising presence to the seam attack of James Anderson.

Thanks to Livingstone and Davies' third-day heroics, the hosts began this final day with a lead of 254 runs and they had extended that to 295 all out by the time Lewis Gregory had dismissed the stubborn pair of McLaren (45) and Steven Parry (44) with Tim Groenewald accounting for Kyle Jarvis third ball.

A short break for rain saw five overs lost from the day's play but with 77 overs to reach their target, Somerset faced the new ball pair of Anderson and Jarvis with some confidence.

Marcus Trescothick was dropped behind the stumps on six by a diving Alex Davies off Jarvis but Somerset went into the lunch break at 29 for nought off 10 overs and with no warning of the carnage to follow.

What did develop was a devastating spell of bowling from the host's seam attack which two hours later had left the visitors 107 for seven at tea with the 188 runs required for victory looking an impossible task and the small matter of saving the game almost as unlikely.

Anderson was superb and the selectors will have no concerns regarding his form as he removed two former England teammates in the shape of Trescothick, who edged to McLaren for 36, and wicket keeper Steven Davies, bowled for three.

Aside from England's record wicket taker, it was Jarvis who claimed the first dismissal when he pinned Dean Elgar, a century maker in the first innings, for eight.

McLaren, who had an outstanding match, then accounted for Somerset captain Tom Abell without scoring, James Hildreth for 43 and James Davey for just two in the last over before tea.

While individual figures may have hinted at otherwise, this was a team performance from the bowlers and it was Jordan Clark, who weighed in with the wicket of Peter Trego, who really found his rhythm after tea.

Gregory was the first to go for four as Clark forced an edge to Livingstone at first slip followed by Jack Leach who betrayed his good batting in the first innings with an awful top edge to Haseeb Hameed at third man without scoring.

Groenewald provided the classic denouement when he was castled by McLaren to spark wild celebrations.

Day three report

Liam Livingstone reached his highest first-class score of 168 on the third day of Lancashire's Specsavers County Championship Division One meeting with Somerset.

The 23-year-old, standing in as captain for the injured Steven Croft, has dominated both Lancashire innings, scoring an entertaining 68 on the first day before reaching a landmark 168 on Sunday.

In doing so, he and fellow century-maker Alex Davies, who made his second ton of the season, dragged their county back into this contest with Lancashire finishing the day on 423 for seven with a more-than-useful lead of 254 going into the final day.

Resuming on 152 for two under sunny skies, Livingstone and Davies both reached their centuries before batting through to lunch with few problems apart from a worrying moment when the skipper was struck on the hand by Craig Overton and required treatment.

If the injury did affect Livingstone it was not obvious, as he proceeded to smash Jack Leach out of the Emirates Old Trafford for an almighty six over midwicket before bringing up his century with another maximum off the same bowler.

Davies was slightly more circumspect but his ability to find gaps in the field and his desire to scamper for quick singles was of equal annoyance to an increasingly fed-up looking Somerset outfit.

Wickets continued to be at a premium until just before tea when two fell in one over from Somerset's Overton as this fascinating game swung back towards the visitors after almost four hours of batting dominance from Lancashire.

Overton first trapped Rob Jones lbw for 35 before, three balls later, Dane Vilas departed the same way without scoring as Lancashire went into the tea break at 357 for five with a lead of 188.

Earlier Davies had become the first wicket of the day when he fell lbw to Lewis Gregory for a superb 130 with the dismissal bringing an end to the mammoth partnership of 245 for the third wicket with Livingstone.

Livingstone eventually became the sixth wicket to fall after skying a delivery from the patient Leach to Dean Elgar, but he departed after facing 306 balls, having been at the crease for almost seven hours.

From then on Lancashire showed admirable patience as Ryan McClaren and Steven Parry set about frustrating the Somerset bowlers further following the departure of Jordan Clark, whose charge down the pitch provided Steven Davies with a swift stumping opportunity off Leach.

The pair had put on 44 for the eighth wicket by the close, setting up what could be a thrilling conclusion if the weather and Lancashire's nerve hold steady.

Day two report

An unbroken third-wicket stand of 129 between Alex Davies (pictured) and Liam Livingstone helped restore Lancashire's fortunes on the second day of their Specsavers County Championship against Somerset at Old Trafford.

After dismissing Somerset for 278, in which Dean Elgar carried his bat for 113, Lancashire were 23 for two when the pair began their stand but by the close they had taken their side to 152 for two, thus leaving a deficit of a mere 17 runs.

Davies was 78 not out at stumps while Livingstone had completed his second half-century of the match and was undefeated on 57.

This position represented prosperity indeed, given that the home side had conceded a lead of 169 to a dynamic performance from the visiting batsmen just after lunch.

Indeed, Somerset had enjoyed an outstanding morning and went from 153 for eight overnight to 276 for nine at lunch, giving Tom Abell's men an impressive lead with one wicket in hand.

Opener Elgar reached a quite superb century with a two to backward square-leg off James Anderson just before the interval. The South African had batted 328 minutes when he reached the landmark, faced 205 balls and hit 11 fours.

Elgar also passed 10,000 first-class runs when he reached 71 but his efforts were nearly matched by those of the Somerset number 10, Jack Leach, who made his maiden first-class fifty before being caught by wicketkeeper Davies off Jordan Clark for 52.

By then, though, Leach had put on 96 with Elgar and had built what may yet become a match-winning lead for his side. Several of his eight boundaries were fine cricket shots, although this was a morning which is unlikely to make the Lancashire bowlers' end-of-season video package.

In the home side's defence it might be pointed that the fresher atmosphere and bright sunlight made batting a far easier proposition on Saturday than it had been when Livingstone's team were bowled out for 109 the previous day.

In the afternoon session Lancashire lost two prime wickets but that was the prelude to Davies and Livingstone undertaking the long fight to restore their fortunes in the evening session.

Both Haseeb Hameed and Luke Procter fell to Lewis Gregory with only 23 runs on the board, at which point Lancashire's chances of even avoiding an innings defeat seemed in the balance.

Hameed was caught at slip by Peter Trego for seven when playing uncharacteristically far from his body and Procter had his off stump tickled when he played inside a good ball from the Somerset seamer.

Day one report

A painstaking 66 from Somerset opener Dean Elgar gave his side a slight advantage against a battling Lancashire side at the end of a dramatic opening day of their Specsavers County Championship Division One clash.

The South African battled his way past 151 balls, a number of which were hurled down by an impressive-looking James Anderson and an even better Ryan McLaren, who finished the day with figures of four for 46 as Somerset reached 153 for eight at the close giving them a first innings lead of 44 runs.

It could and should have been far better for Tom Abell's men after they removed both Alex Davies and Haseeb Hameed for nought to leave the Red Rose wilting at one for two as James Davey accounted for both openers.

With twin brother Jamie ruled out with a hamstring injury, Craig Overton then removed Luke Procter, Rob Jones and Dean Vilas in quick succession to leave Lancashire struggling on 39 for five and then 42 for six after Tim Groenewald got McLaren.

Stand-in skipper Liam Livingstone remained not out at lunch, facing 70 balls for his 28 alongside Jordan Clark who hit a single from his 28 balls. But - if shots were thin on the ground before the interval - the afternoon exploded into life as Livingstone began to let rip.

With Overton accounting for both Clark and Stephen Parry, the 23-year-old began to chance his arm with a succession of ramp shots and a huge straight six which cannoned off the pavilion balcony and helped Lancashire move to 109 all out by the time Livingstone holed out to Jack Leach to give Gronewald his third wicket.

With James Anderson taking the new ball for the Red Rose, all was not lost but - despite some typically accurate swing bowling from England's record wicket taker - it was McLaren who made the breakthrough with a beauty that Marcus Trescothick could not avoid edging to Davies for 20.

The former England opener proved to be the first of four wickets for McLaren, who bowled superbly throughout the afternoon as he dismissed captain Abell (one), Peter Trego (19) and Overton (eight) as Lancashire battled manfully to restrict the visitors' lead.

Aside from Anderson, who took the wicket of Steven Davies, it was Procter who proved to be the other bowling hero of the day with the all-rounder at one point eyeing a hat-trick after removing Lewis Gregory and Josh Davey in successive balls on a day when putting the ball in the right place was rewarded handsomely.