Somerset make Notts pay as Leach turns the game

There aren’t many days where spin bowlers take wickets at regular intervals as Jack Leach did here today. This was far from an unplayable turner that Taunton has been accused of producing of late.

Notts weren’t beaten by sharp turn but a bowler who knows what he is doing and some bizarre decisions by batsmen and depending on where your loyalties fall one umpiring call.

The first hour of play was fairly mundane. Ben Slater and Luke Fletcher the night-watchman went calmly about their business. A fifty partnership and Somerset turned to Leach. Instantly he made the breakthrough as Slater looking to dominate the spinner early on advanced down the track and changed his mind through the shot tried to block it and Steve Davies wasn’t going to miss the stumping.

After the fine game earlier in the week Joe Clarke’s fortunes could not have been more different this week. He was three short of a second innings hundred when Steve Mullaney declared on his against Yorkshire. In this game, Clarke only scored 4 runs. His two in the second innings saw him misjudge the line of Leach and his off-stump was flattened.

Fletcher had batted most of the morning and played well for 21 before he looked to clear cover off Leach only for it to fly in between extra cover and cover and two fielders converged. Craig Overton took the catch and Notts poor morning continued.

Notts were always behind the game after Tom Abell and George Bartlett added over 200 to the Somerset score of 408. They still had two of their most experienced batsman Mullaney and Samit Patel at the crease at lunch.

Leach continued his spell after the break, and he bowled tight lines that the Notts batsman could not disrupt.

Mullaney was the next to fall he prodded at a Leach delivery and while it looked like his feet had not moved Davies had whipped off the bails and the umpire agreed that Mullaney was stumped. The Notts captain took an age to leave his crease and was far from happy with the call.

Notts capitulated after that and with the tail offering little resistance. Any chance they had of making Somerset bat again went with Patel who was lbw to Leach for 24.

Leach finished with figures of 6 for 36 from a spell of 17 overs each side of lunch. All 10-second innings were taken by bowlers called Jack as Brooks mopped up the last two wickets with Stuart Broad the last man to go.

This result will start to make those down in Taunton and the surrounding area think that this could just be their year. There is, of course, a long way to go by things are looking rosy for Somerset.