Somerset hung on for a draw in gathering gloom after veteran Devon Malcolm had bowled Leicestershire within sight of victory in the CricInfo Championship clash at Grace Road.

Brought back for a second spell, 38-year-old Malcolm roared in to take three wickets in four overs and have Somerset nerves jangling as they slipped to 260 for eight with eight overs still remaining.

In the mood and form he was in, it was more than possible that Malcolm would have taken the final two wickets. But bad light and rain sent the sides off the field, and although they returned for one final over, Matthew Bulbeck survived and Somerset finished on 268 for eight after being set an unrealistic target of 404.

Leicestershire captain Vince Wells had decided to bat on for another six overs, despite an overnight lead of 361, and did not declare until his side had made 390 for seven.

The fact that Leicestershire came so close to winning suggested he should have declared earlier. But on a pitch which produced a total of 1,419 runs over the four days, the captain was defended by manager Jack Birkenshaw who said: "We were always going to bat on.

"Because of the points system these days we needed to bat Somerset out of the game. If we had set them a target and they had got it, a defeat for us in our position could have been a killer blow.

"It was an excellent pitch for batting, and sometimes you have to accept a good game of cricket can be a draw."

Piran Holloway top-scored for Somerset with 85 off 167 balls before being out lbw to occasional bowler Iain Sutcliffe. Holloway and Mark Lathwell put on 106 for the fourth wicket after three wickets had fallen for 20 runs in four overs just before lunch.

Lathwell went on to make 63 – the eleventh player in the game to score 50 or better – before Malcolm's spell set up the dramatic finale.

© CricInfo Ltd.