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A cricket club in Essex is pursuing legal action against its local league in a move that could have far-reaching consequences for the recreational game

George Dobell26-Jul-2017A cricket club in Essex is pursuing legal action against its local league in a move that could have far-reaching consequences for the recreational game.Frinton-on-Sea CC are seeking an injunction against the Two Counties League (TCL), which is open to clubs in Essex and Suffolk, on the grounds of discrimination after they were penalised for fielding an overseas player deemed to be ineligible.The case is due to be heard in court in Chelmsford on Thursday and, if Frinton win, it could eventually set a precedent that would clear the way for many other players to return to action in club cricket across England and Wales. While around 110 players are understood to be directly affected by the ruling, the consequences for future generations could be far reaching.At the heart of the case is a largely unspoken intention to reduce the reliance upon overseas players in leagues and create more opportunities for young, England-qualified cricketers. At the same time, however, there is a growing realisation that such a policy could compromise the intention to encourage those same young, England-qualified cricketers from gaining experience overseas.The issue has been brought to a head by the case of Blake Reed. While Reed, a 22-year-old Australian, was initially registered without complication by both the TCL, an ECB feeder league, and the East Anglian Premier League (EAPL), an ECB premier league, in May and holds a Youth Mobility Visa (granted in April 2016 and valid for two years), which allowed him to play as an amateur at Exeter CC last year, Frinton were informed in mid-June that he should not play until further documentation was provided supporting his eligibility claim.The TCL was concerned that, as Reed had played six times for the Western Australia Under-19 side in 2013, he had been on a “player pathway”, which had effectively made him a professional player. As a consequence, he was not eligible to be considered as an amateur. The judgement, which was supported by the ECB, suggested that anyone who had played Grade cricket in Australia (the equivalent of ECB premier league club cricket) would also be considered to have been on a pathway and effectively end their hopes of ever playing as an amateur in England or Wales.Officials from Western Australia have confirmed that Reed was never paid by them and has not been considered part of their pathway since 2013.When legal advice taken by Frinton-on-Sea, who have hired an experienced QC, suggested Reed should be deemed an amateur, they decided to play him once more on July 1. As a consequence, the TCL imposed a points penalty upon them on the grounds that Reed was an ineligible player.Now Frinton-on-Sea hope the injunction will allow them to field Reed, a top-order batsman and seam bowler, until there has been a thorough hearing into the issue on the understanding that they will pay any losses incurred by the league should the club lose the case.Frinton claim there is no mention of “player pathways” in the relevant Tier Five visa regulations and that such stipulations cannot be added once the visa has been granted. They also claim that such an interpretation should not have been made without parliamentary approval. Reed would not, they say, have flown to the UK had his registration not been accepted. They further claim the ECB is aware of numerous cases of English players being paid to play club cricket while still being considered as amateurs so the “inconsistent” action against an Australian is discriminatory.They also claim that, if the measures are enforced, it could lead to other nations – particularly Australia and New Zealand – applying similar policies to UK passport holders. That could lead to a situation where young players from the UK would no longer be eligible for Grade cricket, where so many have honed their skills over the last few decades.The ECB declined to comment.

Tim Gruijters could play his first matches for Netherlands in more than two years after he earned a recall to the Dutch squads to play Afghanistan and Nepal in the next round of the Intercontinental Cup and WCL Championship

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2016Tim Gruijters is in line to play his first matches for Netherlands in more than two years after he earned a recall to the Dutch squads for the four-day Intercontinental Cup match against Afghanistan from July 29-August 1 and the two WCL Championship matches against Nepal on August 13 and 15.Gruijters has not played for his country since he went home early from the 2014 World T20 in controversial circumstances. Officially, Netherlands management applied to have him replaced after scans revealed a back injury. Gruijters’ injury opened the door for Tom Cooper to arrive as a replacement player and he wound up as the tournament’s second-highest scorer behind Virat Kohli. However, Gruijters claimed he was bullied into going for a scan in order to have Cooper enter the squad when the Australian-based batsman became available after South Australia failed to reach the Sheffield Shield final.Despite the ill-will between Gruijters and team management at the time, the two sides have since reconciled to open the door for his way back into the Dutch side. He is joined by Shane Snater, a former Zimbabwe junior representative who has yet to make his senior team debut for Netherlands. Sikander Zulfiqar has also been named in the squad for the Nepal matches.Making way for Gruijters and Snater from Netherlands most recent WCL Championship and Intercontinental Cup squads are batsmen Michael Swart and Rahil Ahmed. Cooper and Logan van Beek, who were part of Netherlands’ 2016 World T20 squad in India, have also both been omitted.Paul van Meekeren, who impressed at the World T20 and recently signed to play for Somerset for the rest of the current English County season, has made himself available as has fellow Somerset team-mate Roelof van der Merwe.Netherlands currently sit in second place on the Intercontinental Cup table, 14 points behind Ireland but five points ahead of third-place Afghanistan. Afghanistan have won both prior meetings in the four-day competition, by one wicket in 2009 and three wickets in 2012.In the WCL Championship standings, Netherlands are in first place at 10 points after six games and hold a one-point advantage over Hong Kong. Netherlands are currently undefeated, having swept the UAE and Papua New Guinea while their series against Scotland last September ended with a pair of no results after rain ruined proceedings.Netherlands squad for Afghanistan match: Peter Borren (capt.), Wesley Barresi (wk), Mudassar Bukhari, Ben Cooper, Tim Gruijters, Quirijn Gunning, Vivian Kingma, Ahsan Malik, Stephan Myburgh, Michael Rippon, Pieter Seelaar, Shane Snater, Timm van der Gugten, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van MeekerenNetherlands squad for Nepal matches: Peter Borren (capt.), Wesley Barresi (wk), Mudassar Bukhari, Ben Cooper, Tim Gruijters, Vivian Kingma, Ahsan Malik, Stephan Myburgh, Max O’Dowd, Michael Rippon, Pieter Seelaar, Shane Snater, Timm van der Gugten, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van Meekeren, Sikander Zulfiqar

There will be not just a new look but a new approach from England’s ODI team in the series against New Zealand, according to their interim coach, Paul Farbrace

George Dobell03-Jun-2015There will be not just a new look but a new approach from England’s ODI team in the series against New Zealand, according to their interim coach, Paul Farbrace.Farbrace has promised that, with bat and ball, England will play a far more aggressive style of cricket than they have demonstrated over the last few years.The talk has been heard before. Ahead of the World Cup there was talk that England would play a more aggressive brand of cricket but, under pressure, they struggled to turn the words into actions. England were the monochrome team in the age of high definition colour. Truly, you are never far from a new era in England cricket.But there is a freshness to this side. There is a sense, this time, that the talk is genuine and that the change is real. And, even if some of the names are not new, it seems likely that Ben Stokes, for example, will be given the freedom to bat in the top six and play his naturally aggressive game.What the players will not be expected to do is change. So the likes of Jason Roy and Alex Hales, young men who have made their name with explosive innings at county level, will be asked to relax and play in exactly the same manner for the national side.”The message will be, you’ve been selected because of the way you play at county level,” Farbrace said. “You have to go and do exactly the same at international level. The players who have the guts to do that will be the ones who make a success of it. I want them to go and enjoy playing international cricket and express their skills.

Farbrace on…

Trevor Bayliss

“We’ve chatted a lot. He’s had an influence in this one-day side. We chatted prior to selection and he’s had quite an input. He’s relayed some thoughts as to how he would like to see us working even though he will not be here. He’s watching and keeping a close eye. He knows a few of the players pretty well. He’s had an influence from afar.”

Defeat at Headingley

“The basics of the game we didn’t do well. We didn’t hold our line and lengths particularly well and we didn’t catch very well. You can’t afford to have to create 13 or 14 chances an innings to bowl a team out. We have to do the basics better.”

Senior players

“I couldn’t ask for any more from Broad and Anderson. There have been times when I’ve said, ‘we really need you to run in this session’ and they’ve done it. They have been excellent. And that’s what you need, your senior players giving you everything in the dressing room and supporting the young, less experienced players and making sure they are learning all the time.”

Slip catching

“Last summer, we missed a few chances in Leeds against Sri Lanka. So halfway through the India series, we put Ian Bell back in at second slip and started catching brilliantly. But we haven’t caught well in these games, so if we have to look at that – and the personnel involved – we will do so. I think it’s a confidence thing.”

Gary Ballance

“He has had a really good time at No. 3. Yes, he’s had a period where he hasn’t scored runs but he has played very well at No. 3 in the past so moving him down the order isn’t something we’ve discussed at the moment.”

“We need to move our one-day game forward. We need to look at other players. You only have to look at the last few months we’ve had in one-day cricket. There are people who need a really good go in this series. If you look at the way one-day cricket is evolving, we need powerful strikers right the way through the side and we need a left-arm seamer.”That left-arm seamer is David Willey. While Willey is not as quick as Harry Gurney, who seems to have been jettisoned for good, he does offer variation that England lacked at the World Cup and some powerful hitting in the middle-order.An obvious weakness of England’s World Cup campaign was the lack of potency with the ball. It was shown throughout the tournament that, if batting sides had wickets in hand going into the last 10 overs, they could cause havoc and add in excess of 100 runs. So Farbrace hopes that this squad will prove to have more bite and, in the absence of James Tredwell (injured) and Moeen Ali, who has been released to find red-ball form, has given another opportunity to legspinner Adil Rashid.”In one-day cricket we need to be taking wickets all the way through the opposition innings,” Farbrace said. “That’s why Adil Rashid is in there. We want wicket-taking bowlers to keep the opposition under pressure. If you don’t and teams have wickets in hand, then 100 to 150 is quite possible in the last 10 overs. And that takes games away from you.”While the batsmen in the squad are likely to be available for all five games, some of the bowlers – especially Mark Wood – might be rotated to ensure they are fresh for the Ashes.”We have to be careful with Woody,” Farbrace said. “He will probably play only two or three of the ODIs. We want him to be available for that first Test. We need to look after him. Liam Plunkett could easily play his role. We want some pace in there.”The basics of one-day cricket don’t change that much. But it is moving towards a power game. A strength game. And you have to have bowlers who can take wickets.”Reflecting on the Test series, Farbrace admitted England remained a developing team and that some patience would be required before results reflect any improvement.”We have a lot to do before we can be a consistent side that are winning games and series on a regular basis,” he said. “It takes a lot of hard work and it takes a lot of patience. But there’s no lack of hard work in this group. They give everything.”But you can’t just keep patting people on the back and say ‘keep going’ There are times when you have to say ‘that’s not quite good enough’ and look at ways to improve.”Meanwhile, the ECB have confirmed the availability of England players for the next few weeks of domestic action. Moeen, Gary Ballance, Adam Lyth, Stuart Broad and Ian Bell are all available for the next couple of rounds of Championship cricket, while all players – with the exception of Anderson and Wood – will be available for domestic NatWest T20 Blast action this weekend.That means Joe Root and Jos Buttler will face each other in the Roses match, while Broad, Taylor and Hales will all be available for Nottinghamshire’s match against Leicestershire on Friday. Taylor and Hales have also given permission to play on Sunday before joining up with the England squad 24-hours later than their colleagues.Alastair Cook will play for Essex in their Championship fixture against Derbyshire starting on June 14, which means a chance for Mark Footitt, the left-arm fast bowler who continues to flourish in country cricket, to impress against him.

A measured innings by Steve Smith and a punchy one by Brad Haddin helped guide New South Wales to first innings points over Queensland on day two of the Sheffield Shield match

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2012
Scorecard
A measured innings by Steve Smith and a punchy one by Brad Haddin helped guide New South Wales to first innings points over Queensland on day two of the Sheffield Shield match in Canberra.After Doug Bollinger’s four wickets helped tip out the Bulls for 243, the Blues stumbled to 4 for 109 before Haddin added 125 with Smith to take their side to the cusp of the lead.While Haddin perished when swinging Nathan Hauritz to deep midwicket on 73, Smith held his nerve and his wicket, forming a useful stand with the captain Steve O’Keefe that has the chance to grow with the NSW lead on the third morning.Smith’s maturity was demonstrated by the pacing of his innings, playing the reserved partner to Haddin before expanding his array of strokes later on in the company of O’Keefe. Hauritz and Luke Feldman grabbed two wickets apiece for the Bulls.

About 100 cricketers contracted to Sri Lanka Cricket, including the national players, have not been paid their salaries since Sri Lanka co-hosted the 2011 World Cup, BBC Sinhala reported

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2011About 100 cricketers contracted to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), including national players, have not been paid their salaries since the 2011 World Cup, co-hosted by Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh, BBC Sinhala has reported.There were also doubts over whether the SLC would be able to pay salaries in the next two months. “There is a truth in those media reports to a certain extent,” SLC chairman Upali Dharmadasa was quoted as telling BBC Sinhala.Dharmadasa said efforts were being made to pay the players as soon as the SLC received the remaining payments from the ICC for staging the World Cup. “The ICC still owes us $4-5 million,” he said.The board had revamped the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and built two new grounds in Pallekele and Hambantota for the tournament in February and March, and the capital expenditure incurred is reported to have left it in debt.

Ashish Nehra, one of India’s first-choice seamers in the shorter versions of the game, has made himself available for Test cricket, six and a half years since he last turned out in the whites at the highest level

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2010Ashish Nehra, one of India’s first-choice seamers in the shorter versions of the game, has made himself available for Test cricket, six and a half years since he last turned out in whites at the highest level.”I had never said that I will not play Test cricket again,” Nehra told . “It was just that initially after my comeback, I wanted to concentrate on the ODIs and Twenty20s. Now that I am back in the national side for one and a half years, I feel confident to make a comeback in the Test fold. I will like to make myself available for selection during the South Africa Test series.”A spate of injuries in the mid-2000s pushed Nehra out of the Indian team, but he clawed back into the reckoning with a watershed performance in the 2009 IPL in South Africa, where he stood third in the wickets chart with 18. He has since become a regular in India’s ODI plans and sporadically featured in Twenty20 internationals. His susceptibility to injuries, however, has kept him out of the Test team.Since his international comeback in June 2009, Nehra has played 36 one-dayers, picking 54 wickets at an average just under 30. More importantly, he has not missed a single game due to fitness issues or injuries, and Nehra hopes that he can carry that durability into the longest version. He is headed to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore to follow a fitness program that will prepare him for the upcoming tour of South Africa.”I am planning to play one Ranji Trophy for Delhi before the New Zealand ODI series to check how my body is holding. I am enjoying my cricket at the moment and I don’t see any reason why I can’t make a comeback.”For me the top-most priority is the World Cup next year. That is why I have been so choosy about playing in the longer version. But after World Cup, there is lot of Test cricket to be played as India would be playing against England, West Indies. I will like to again play Test cricket with the same intensity that I used to at the start of my career.”While Nehra is keen to return to Tests, it remains to be seen whether the selectors, who have treated India’s fast-bowling talents on a case-by-case-basis, will include him in their plans. Zaheer Khan is currently the only seamer who walks into the side in all three formats, but, of late, he has been used selectively in a bid to prolong his career. Nehra, on the other hand, has slotted well into the one-day side, with his ability to move the new ball and deliver yorkers in the closing stages. Ishant Sharma and Sreesanth, who have been lacklustre in the shorter versions, have been persisted with for Test cricket. Both bowlers have reposed that faith with strong performances in recent times, and Nehra will have to stave off competition from them to enter the Test side.

Andrew Flintoff may have turned down a central contract but has insisted that England remains top priority for him, ahead of several domestic Twenty20 deals

Cricinfo staff16-Dec-2009Andrew Flintoff may have turned down a central contract but insists that England remain his top priority, ahead of several domestic Twenty20 deals.Flintoff retired from Tests after the successful Ashes campaign and had rejected an ECB incremental contract soon after. There was speculation that he would become a Twenty20 freelancer, playing full-time in various domestic leagues around the world. He is already the IPL’s most expensive player – along with Kevin Pietersen – after signing an annual US$1.55m deal with the Chennai Super Kings earlier this year.Twenty20 may be more lucrative but England comes first, he told . “I would never turn down England,” he said. “I have shown more than enough passion over the years, and that’s not something you lose because I don’t have a contract.”If I didn’t think I was going to play for England again, I would not have had this latest operation, no way. It is all about playing for England. My intentions are to play every one-day and Twenty20 game for England. It is never going to be a case of picking and choosing.”A series of injuries were one of the reasons behind ending his Test career. He is currently recovering from a post-Ashes knee surgery, which forced him to be on crutches for nearly 12 weeks. Flintoff is still in doubt for England’s tour of Bangladesh in February, but was hopeful his best years in limited-overs cricket were still ahead of him.”I’m not sure I have even played my best yet, especially in one-day cricket – so now I am having this break I think I have got the chance to get better as a player. I am not going to just get by. I genuinely think I can now play my best ever cricket.”After turning down the England contract, Flintoff was linked with domestic Twenty20 deals in Australia and South Africa, sparking concerns that more players may decide to put cash before country. “I don’t think other players will follow what I’ve done,” he said. “There is a real misconception at the moment – people go on about the riches involved in Twenty20 cricket – but you earn your reputation playing Test cricket.”Everyone wants to play that, and then maybe later on in your career some players will have a choice – especially bowlers, who can’t play everything forever.”

With the series already wrapped up, India’s captain will be keen on marking his Mumbai homecoming with a big performance

S Sudarshanan01-Feb-20251:05

Manjrekar: Talents like Samson should be allowed a long patch of failures

Big picture: Homecoming for SKY

A new captain, and a homecoming at the Wankhede, was the theme in the build-up to IPL 2024. It is once again a talking point as the India-England T20I series heads for a finale in Mumbai.Hardik Pandya had a long wait to win the crowd over last year in the IPL, having taken over Mumbai Indians’ captaincy from Rohit Sharma. None of that hostility will be in store for Suryakumar Yadav, who will be captaining India for the first time on his home turf. He has a sound record in T20s at the venue: 1493 runs (second-most for any batter), a strike rate of 156.66, an average of over 38. Even in IPL 2024, when he blew hot and cold, he hit two fifties and a hundred – to go with three ducks – at the venue.Related

• Dube's spin takedown and Hardik's masterful pacing a sight to behold

• Buttler: Rana for Dube 'not a like-for-like' concussion sub

• Hardik, Dube, spinners hand India series win

• Compromise may be needed with concussion subs to ensure player safety

However, the Suryakumar that is coming into the game is in unfamiliar territory by his lofty T20I standards. He has gone seven successive innings without a half-century, the longest such streak for him, and tallies just 26 in four outings in this series with two ducks. The high-intent approach of going hard from ball one is partly a cause, with assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate saying consistency and predictability is not a high marker in T20 cricket.This series for England has been about hit-the-deck bowlers, with each of Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Brydon Carse making use of the hard lengths to undo the India captain. Only in Pune did Suryakumar chip a tame catch off a full ball on his pad.England will once again be looking to hit the right length to spoil Suryakumar’s homecoming, while the hosts will have their sights set on an impressive 4-1 series win.

Form guide

India WLWWW
England LWLLLSuryakumar Yadav hasn’t quite been at his explosive best this series•Associated Press

In the spotlight: Abhishek Sharma and Ben Duckett

One of the flagbearers of India’s fearless batting approach has been Abhishek Sharma. In his brief T20I career, only twice has he been dismissed with a sub-100 strike rate. He’s managed to put away the back-of-length deliveries that Archer and Wood often peppered him with by making room and slapping them over point or cover. That he has not batted longer than 19 balls in any of the games after the first one could be held against him, especially if there is a squeeze at the top of the order when the likes of Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal return. A longer, more impactful knock in Mumbai could make it tough for the selectors to leave him out.One of Ben Duckett’s reputations is that of a spin-hitter. But in the first two games he was out before spin came on. Why England rated him high became clear when he scored 51 in Rajkot, when they managed to eke out a win – even though it was down to the last-wicket stand. Duckett put India’s spinners off their lengths by using the sweep and reverse sweeps, much like he did in Pune before falling to spin. It took time for India to plug his preferred spots, deep square leg and deep point, which meant he had to hit spin through the ‘V’. Can he give England a sound start in the final T20I?

Team news: Ramandeep or Rana for Dube?

Shivam Dube’s concussion puts him in doubt for the fifth T20I. And that could mean a look-in either for Ramandeep Singh, a batting allrounder, or another outing for Harshit Rana if India feel they could do with a second seamer at the Wankhede. Mohammed Shami might also return in place of Arshdeep Singh.India (probable XI): 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Sanju Samson (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Ramandeep Singh/Harshit Rana, 9 Arshdeep Singh/Mohammed Shami, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Varun ChakravarthyAn impressive first outing in the series should see fast bowler Saqib Mahmood hold his place in the XI. England might consider resting Archer, who has played all four T20Is so far, and bringing back Gus Atkinson. Legspinning allrounder Rehan Ahmed could also get a game.England (probable XI): 1 Phil Salt (wk), 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jos Buttler (capt), 4 Harry Brook, 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Jamie Smith/Jacob Bethell, 7 Jamie Overton, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Jofra Archer/Gus Atkinson, 10 Saqib Mahmood, 11 Adil Rashid/Rehan AhmedSaqib Mahmood claimed three wickets in his opening over during the previous game•Associated Press

Pitch and conditions

The weather is expected to be in the mid-20s and dew could play a role at the Wankhede Stadium. Teams batting first have won only three T20Is out of the eight at this venue, but in IPL 2024, teams managed to successfully defend a target in four of the seven matches. Most recently, in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, teams chasing won eight times in 14 matches. The average score in the competition at the venue was 145.

Stats and trivia

• Mahmood has been England’s leading wicket-taker in the powerplay in T20Is since January 2024. He has picked up 12 wickets in just seven innings starting with the Australia series last September. On an average, he strikes every nine balls in the first six overs. Archer is next in the list with 10 scalps from 18 innings.
• India’s captains across men’s formats this season – Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav – average a combined 13.12, the lowest for any team with a minimum of 20 innings batting in the top seven.
• India’s spinners have combined to take 24 wickets in this series, the most they ever have in a bilateral series. Varun Chakravarthy leads the charts with 12 wickets, including a five-wicket haul.

Quotes

“I like the confidence this bowling unit walks onto the field with. The planning we do before games, everybody is contributing in those conversations. The main thing is to go out and execute and even if we are under pressure, like tonight, it was great awareness shown by the group.”

The Zimbabwe captain picked up two demerit points following an altercation with Josh Little and Curtis Campher during the first T20I

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-2023Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza will miss the second and third T20Is against Ireland after picking up a two-match ban following a code-of-conduct breach in the first match of the series on Thursday.Raza, who was Player of the Match for his all-round display (65, and 3 for 28) in a one-wicket win in Harare, was involved in an altercation with two Ireland players during the 14th over of Zimbabwe’s chase. The incident followed a tight single off the bowling of Josh Little, which involved Raza having to run around the bowler in his follow-through.Raza had a heated exchange with Little and Curtis Campher, “charging towards” the duo – according to a Zimbabwe Cricket press release – while “pointing his bat and breaking away from the umpire who had tried to calm the situation”.Raza received two demerit points for the offence, which took his total to four in the last 24 months, leading to his two-match ban. He was also fined 50% of his match fee. Campher and Little picked up one demerit point each, their first in the last 24 months, and were fined 15% of their match fees.Sean Williams will stand in as Zimbabwe captain for the remaining two matches of the T20I series, on Saturday and Sunday.

Craig Overton bags five-for before hosts build on imposing lead over Northants

ECB Reporters Network22-Sep-2022Somerset will go into the final day of their LV= Insurance County Championship match with Northamptonshire at Taunton in a strong position, knowing that victory will guarantee First Division survival.With a lead of 401 and nine second-innings wickets still in hand, the home side can feel confident of at least a draw, which would put them 17 points clear of second-from-bottom Warwickshire.Having bowled out Northamptonshire for 265 from an overnight 184 for 6, Craig Overton finishing with 5 for 38, Somerset built on a first innings lead of 124 by posting 277 for 1.Unbeaten centuries from skipper Tom Abell, his second ton of the match, and Tom Lammonby led the way, while Imam-ul-Haq contributed 52. Abell hit 112 not out and Lammonby 101 not out to effectively bat Northants out of the game.If Somerset can complete victory, it will open up a 25-point gap on Warwickshire and lift them to a comfortable sixth place in Division One, with the final round of fixtures next week.They began the third day against Northants in perfect fashion when Josh Davey had Saif Zaib well caught low down at second slip by Overton off the first ball of the morning.But Tom Taylor, unbeaten on 19 overnight, moved to an impressive fifty off 69 balls by cutting his tenth four off Kasey Aldridge.Another Taylor boundary off Abell took Northants past the follow-on figure at 240 for 7 and Somerset’s attack, lacking the injured Lewis Gregory, were looking frustrated as Lizaad Williams helped add 63 for the fourth wicket.That changed with a needless run out. Taylor played Sajid Khan into the leg side with no intention of taking a single, but Williams, on 23, charged down the pitch from the non-striker’s end and was sent packing by Josh Davey’s throw to the bowler.Aldridge had Ben Sanderson caught at mid-on and Overton wrapped up the innings when Jack White was caught behind, backing away towards square leg.By lunch, Somerset had extended their lead by 12 to 136 and the afternoon session saw Lammonby and Imam build further without undue alarm.Imam was first to his half-century off 74 balls, having hit four fours and a straight six off Rob Keogh, a shot which took the lead to 200.The Pakistan Test opener fell shortly afterwards, allowing a ball from off-spinner Keogh to run up his pad onto a glove before being taken by wicketkeeper Ricardo Vasconcelos, running in front of the stumps.By then the lead was 225 and Lammonby soon followed his opening partner to fifty, having faced 115 balls and hit five fours.By tea, Somerset had progressed to 118 for 1, with Lammonby on 54, and arch-rivals Gloucestershire were on the verge of doing them a huge favour by beating Warwickshire.The final ball at Bristol was shown on the screens down the M5 at the Cooper Associates County Ground to relieved applause from Somerset fans, as in front of them, Lammonby and Abell built a half-century stand from 70 balls.Abell launched a six over mid-wicket off Keogh as his side accelerated towards a declaration in the morning. His fifty occupied 49 deliveries and also featured five fours.Successive Abell boundaries off Keogh took the lead past 350, while another four in the off-spinner’s following over took Somerset’s captain past 1,000 first class runs for the season.A swept single off Keogh completed Abell’s fifth hundred of the summer off 87 balls, with 14 fours and a six.Lammonby lost nothing by comparison, curbing his natural attacking instincts to strike just eight boundaries in his patient 221-ball century. By stumps the stand between the pair was worth 176.Abell left the best till last, a swashbuckling six over extra cover off Josh Cobb in the final over of a Somerset-dominated day.