Trescothick takes Surrey apart

Marcus Trescothick flayed Surrey all over Taunton as they racked up a huge score

Buy this photo

Marcus Trescothick hit a majestic 158 to guide Somerset towards maximum batting points against Surrey on the third day of their LV County Championship Division One match at Taunton.

The former England opener was in magnificent form, scoring his runs off 186 balls, with 23 fours and three sixes.

There was also a century for Zander de Bruyn, who made 109 not out, while Justin Langer contributed 72 to a first-innings total of 401 for three declared.

Another rain-affected day saw Langer close the innings immediately after the fifth batting point was secured. Surrey were left with 21 overs to bat and closed on 47 for one, 354 behind.

Trescothick began the day on 46 and swiftly moved to his half-century which came up off 69 balls, with 11 fours.

His second fifty took 79 deliveries and the third only 31 as he produced sweetly timed strokes all around the wicket.

He took 24 off an over from Pedro Collins, and later hit Matthew Nicholson for two fours and a six off successive balls.

Surrey were guilty of dropping him twice, once on 56 when Saqlain Mushtaq spilled a return catch and again on 132 when Nicholson failed to react to a sharp chance at slip off Saqlain.

Langer helped take the opening stand from an overnight 110 to 132 before falling to a top-edged pull shot off Jade Dernbach, Usman Afzal taking a fine catch running in from deep square. The Somerset captain had hit 12 fours in his 85-ball knock.

There was no respite for the Surrey bowlers as the stylish De Bruyn joined Trescothick in a second-wicket stand of 223.

The South African looked in good form from the start and produced some exquisite drives, both straight and through the covers in a textbook innings.

He faced 168 balls and hit 15 fours to celebrate the new one-year contract with Somerset he signed yesterday.

Andrew Caddick was also in the mood to mark a contract for 2009, and having agreed a new one-year deal earlier in the day the 39-year-old paceman trapped Scott Newman lbw for a duck with the Surrey total on 10.

Newman looked less than pleased with the decision, but Stewart Walters and Mark Ramprakash survived several other close calls against Caddick, Charl Willoughby and Alfonso Thomas in the closing overs.

Somerset’s bowlers looked far more threatening than their Surrey counterparts had done on a lively pitch, but could not force a second breakthrough.