Trescothick boosts Somerset

Marcus Trescothick combined with Justin Langer © Getty Images

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A century partnership between Marcus Trescothick and Justin Langer helped Somerset reach 157 for two and claim a lead of 92 on the second day of their LV County Championship Division One clash with Kent at Tunbridge Wells.

Trailing by 65 runs on the first innings, the west country side came storming back thanks to an unbeaten 71 from Trescothick from 146 balls, while Langer bounced back from a first-innings duck to hit 42.

Nightwatchman Steffan Jones was unbeaten on 20 at stumps.

The first Somerset wicket to fall was Neil Edwards for 16 when he sliced his drive to James Tredwell at gully off Ryan McLaren in the ninth over.

Thereafter, the play was dominated by the two former international opening batsmen Langer and Trescothick.

Trescothick's innings was unblemished with excellent shot selection on either side of the wicket which eventually brought him eight fours and a straight six off Tredwell.

He reached his half-century from 90 balls. It is the fourth time he has exceeded a score of 50 or more in the championship this season.

Langer was more steady, playing fewer attacking strokes than his partner.

He was fortunate not to be caught behind on 22 when his top-edged shot off Robbie Joseph went over the wicketkeeper with Jones only managing to get his hands to the ball.

But on 42, he went down the pitch to drive Tredwell and was smartly stumped with the total on 136.

Earlier, resuming on the overnight score of 85 for three, Martin van Jaarsveld was well supported by nightwatchman Martin Saggers.

He stayed at the crease for 45 minutes for his two scoring shots, both bringing him boundaries before Peter Trego uprooted his off-stump but van Jaarsveld, playing fluently, had taken the total to 121 before losing his partner.

In contrast to Saggers' patient innings, Darren Stevens was quite prolific having got off the mark with a drive to the extra-cover boundary from the first ball he received.

He continued to strike fours, hitting Trego and Jones to cover and then two consecutive fours took him to 39, the first to mid-off and the next was a straight drive again off Trego who missed the chance of holding a return catch in the 56th over when the batsman was on 41 and the total was 170 for four.

Stevens' ninth boundary, a cover drive, off Ben Phillips took him to 45 and his 44-ball innings ended with him on 46 when he shuffled across his stumps to be lbw to Jones.

Justin Kemp struck a six, the only one of the Kent innings and a four, both off Jones, before being trapped lbw by Phillips and that was 188 for six.

Van Jaarsveld did not get much of the strike while batting with Stevens, in particular, and he was in his 40s for well over an hour before the half-century came from 130 balls.
By then he had batted for a little under three-and-a-half hours.

He lost Geraint Jones (18) on 230 before he was finally dismissed - driving casually to extra-cover off Trego an hour after lunch - just five short of what would have been his first Championship hundred of the season having hit three centuries in the Friends Provident Trophy.

With his wicket falling, Kent were 265 for eight before Charl Willoughby wrapped up the innings eight runs later.

Kent's last six wickets went for 98. Trego was the pick of the bowlers with 4-52.