Rob Turner and Richard Johnson rescued title-challenging Somerset with an eighth-wicket stand of 109 on an action-packed second day of the CricInfo Championsip match with Leicestershire at Taunton.

Leicestershire's total had reached the unlikely heights of 277 in the morning session after Devon Malcolm, with a run-a-ball fifty, and Scott Boswell had put on 69 for the last wicket.

It was the second half-century of Malcolm's 17-year career and the former England paceman was only one short of his highest score, made for Derbyshire against Surrey in 1989, when he cut a Steffan Jones delivery to Ian Blackwell on the backward point boundary.

Somerset found their own lower order hero in Johnson, whose 70-ball innings of 68 dominated the partnership with Turner and included 12 fours and a six.

He also fell within a run of his previous best, made for Middlesex against Essex last year, when he carved a ball from James Ormond to Trevor Ward at third man. Johnson had been given two escapes when he was dropped in the deep by Shahid Afridi and Ward on 38 and 48 respectively.

But there was nothing fortunate about Turner's 140-ball innings of 93, which contained 13 fours.

He received more good support from Jones in a ninth-wicket stand of 46 before he was denied his second century of the season by Darren Maddy's catch at mid-wicket off Boswell.

Earlier, Somerset had lost skipper Jamie Cox for a duck when he was run out by Iain Sutcliffe's direct hit from mid-wicket.

Four wickets fell in seven overs soon after lunch and when Ian Blackwell was then caught at slip off Malcolm, Somerset had slumped to 84-6.

But Keith Dutch helped Turner put on 57 for the seventh wicket, before being caught behind down the legside, and then Johnson took charge to swing the game slightly Somerset's way.

Johnson had the final say on an absorbing day when he bowled Sutcliffe in the last over to leave Leicestershire on 19-1.

© CricInfo Ltd.