SOMERSET County Cricket Club's second pre-season friendly on home turf has ended in a draw.
There were a number of highlights and standout performances in the match at the Cooper Associates County Ground against Gloucestershire however come the end the spoils were shared.
Somerset head coach Jason Kerr said: “What’s really exciting about this year is that we’ve still got the overseas players to come into the mix.
"That gives us genuine competition for places with both bat and ball.
"That’s something that we’ve not quite had for a couple of years, and it will make it much harder when it comes to making those final decisions ahead of that first game at the Ageas Bowl.
"Guys are going to have to earn the right to get into that final XI and we’ve seen already this pre-season that there have been some fantastic contributions with both bat and ball.
“The guys have to be ruthless and maximise their opportunities."
Somerset finished day two at 256 for seven, helped by strong performances from Tom Abell and Tom Lammonby with the bat.
The pair shared a century second wicket partnership after Gloucestershire declared on their overnight score of 371 for five.
On the third and final day of the match it was Gloucestershire’s batters who walked out to the middle, but it wasn’t long before the Somerset bowlers were on top.
Ben Charlesworth and Chris Dent had taken the visitors to 27 when Ned Leonard found Charlesworth’s outside edge and James Hildreth took a sharp catch at second slip.
The score had advanced to 49 when Tom Abell sent Miles Hammond’s middle stump cartwheeling towards the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion, and shortly afterwards Marchant de Lange accounted for Jack Taylor in similar fashion.
Gloucestershire eventually declared on 119 for four.
Roelof van der Merwe and Ben Green opened the batting for Somerset in their second innings and the pair had reached 48 without loss at tea.
Van der Merwe retired not out on 26 during the interval, and when play resumed George Bartlett joined Green in the middle.
The score had moved to 92 when Green was dismissed for 29 at 92 for one.
Bartlett and Lewis Goldsworthy brought up the Somerset hundred in the 30th over however Bartlett was run out for 46 at 124 for three and by the close Somerset had reached 135 for three.
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