At Taunton, Jack Leach picked up seven wickets to push Hampshire close to relegation as well as put Somerset in the race for a maiden County Championship title.
After rain prevented any cricket on the first day at Taunton, Somerset finished the second day on 381-7 and eventually declared on 454-8. The resurrection from 99-5 was largely due to a 221-run stand between Tom Abell (118) and Kasey Aldridge (180). Craig Overton chipped in with a 42-ball 50 not out as well.
Jack Leach powers Somerset one step closer to County Championship title
Somerset then took 54.3 overs to bowl out Hampshire for 172. Coming on first change, Leach bowled 24.3 of these to finish with 7-69, his 34th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. Archie Vaughan (3-79) did the rest.
Following on 282 runs behind, Hampshire finished the third day on 35-1 (Vaughan took the wicket) with Fletcha Middleton (8) and Nick Gubbins (0) at the crease.
Leach replaced Overton from the River End in the sixth over of the innings and, in his first over, turned one substantially to bowl Ali Orr through the gate. He followed these with the wickets of Gubbins (reverse-swept to short-third) and Middleton (bowled) to reduce Hampshire to 30-3.
Match 110, Somerset vs Hampshire
vs
- Ball by ball Over
Toby Albert tried to counterattack, but hit a ball from Vaughan back to him. After Lewis Gregory changed the ends for Vaughan and Leach, the former bowled Ben Brown. Leach, meanwhile, turned another ball viciously to clean bowl Washington Sundar.
With 171 points, Somerset are some distance away from Surrey (189) and Nottinghamshire (188), but a win (16 points) will take them closer to a maiden title. Hampshire, meanwhile, are third from bottom with 134: they will finish above last-placed Worcestershire (90), but Durham (127) is too close for comfort. Along with Worcestershire, one of Durham and Hampshire will be relegated to Division Two.
