Somerset face a massive target in their final if they are to avoid defeat at the hands of fellow strugglers Lancashire at Blackpool, after the home side had set them to get 407 for victory.

Resuming on 91 for 5 this morning Somerset wickets soon started to tumble, with Rob Turner being the first to go with the score on 96.

Mike Burns had recovered from his knee injury sufficiently to bat and with Keith Dutch took the score onto 134 for 7 before the former Middlesex all rounder was LBW to James Anderson for 35.

Burns followed one run later for 18, and shortly afterwards Somerset were all out for 140, with twenty year old Anderson ending with 6 for 41.

Batting for a second time Andy Caddick and Richard Johnson each took early wickets and Lancashire had slumped to 83 for 5 before David Byas and Chris Schofield put on 122 for the sixth wicket.

By the time that the veteran Byas became another of Caddick's victims he had scored 81 and Lancashire had reached 205 for 6. Schofield stayed a little longer but he was eventually dismissed for 77.

Lancashire were all out for 256 in the early evening and from the nine overs that they faced in their second innings Somerset had made 21 for the loss of Jamie Cox who was LBW to Peter Martin.

At the end of the day Kevin Shine told me: "It been very hard day for us today, and tomorrow we are going to be really up against it."

He continued: "It's going to need an exceptional batting performance from us tomorrow, but the boys will fight their hearts out for us, just like they have all of the season."

© SOMERSET