Somerset 288 (Rew 86) and 288 for 8 (Abell 101*, Rew 59, Baker 5-62) beat Hampshire 238 (Lehmann 76) and 336 (Gubbins 83, Brown 66, Lehmann 50, Gregory 5-42) by two wickets
Ex-captain Abell controlled a chase of 288 with a flawless, unbeaten 101 to give Somerset the spoils in a match which had veered one way then the other.
Somerset earned 20 points and extended their lead at the summit to 21 points – having played a game more than Nottinghamshire and Sussex – after starting the season with two away wins and a draw.
Somerset needed 148 runs to win on the final day, but they certainly didn’t hold down the accelerator to get to their target. They followed the old adage of ‘slow and steady wins the race’ in the morning session, with Hampshire accurate in their bowling to pile the pressure on.
The 21-year-old had chipped 89 runs off the target with Abell, but the wicket didn’t change the calmness that Abell exuded at the crease.
Hampshire’s bowlers found a tight channel to prevent easy runs and added further questions to the batters with variable bounce when bowling from the Rod Bransgrove Pavilion End. Only 34 runs were scored in the first hour, and just 84 came before lunch.
However, the 49 runs Smeed had contributed with Abell kept Somerset pointing in the right direction, although when Craig Overton was bowled, missing a hack, it soon appeared the hosts might have clawed back the momentum of the day.
Gregory, who had already contributed 8 for 87 with the ball in the game, was the last recognised batter, and another 91 runs wouldn’t have been guaranteed with the tail. It wouldn’t be plain sailing.
Gregory almost chopped onto his own stumps, while Tom Prest’s single over before lunch brought three catching opportunities.
But after lunch, the duo’s experience, and deep adoration for Somerset were displayed; both are desperate to bring a first-ever Championship title to Taunton, and a second victory of the season would increase hopes of quelling 135 years of near misses and failures.
Hampshire’s hopes relied on the second new ball, which materialised with 42 runs still required. That number had ticked down to 25 when Baker came alive against his former county.
He uprooted Gregory’s middle stump to end a 65-run stand and, in the following over, had his former housemate Alfie Ogborne caught behind.
Abell, who captained the county from 2017 to 2023 before passing on the baton to Gregory, managed the last few runs with grit. He only scored eight boundaries in his 229-ball, 314-minute vigil before slotting the winning runs through midwicket.
