Jack Leach delivered a match-winning performance with figures of 12 for 174 as Somerset bolstered their bid for a first-ever Vitality County Championship title, securing a commanding 293-run victory over Durham at Taunton.
Leach, the left-arm spinner, took seven for 50 in Durham's second innings, where they were bowled out for a mere 126. He was well-supported by teenager Archie Vaughan, whose off-breaks claimed 2 for 40. Nightwatchman George Drissell was the top scorer for Durham, managing 33 in an otherwise lacklustre batting display.
Somerset gained a full 24 points from the match, while Durham collected just four. With Surrey set to visit the Cooper Associates County Ground next week, second-placed Somerset will have the opportunity to narrow the gap on the Division One leaders.
The day began under overcast conditions, with Durham resuming at 15 for 3. Somerset’s hopes of securing a victory seemed at risk when rain interrupted play after just 5.4 overs, with Durham adding 14 runs to their overnight score. The half-hour rain delay cost seven overs, but when play resumed, Drissell and Callum Parkinson continued to resist, taking the score to 63 in the 26th over.
Drissell used his feet well against spinners Leach and Vaughan, while Parkinson handled most deliveries on a good line and length before falling for 18. He was caught at backward point by Lewis Goldsworthy off a leg-side delivery from Vaughan.
With the score at 70 for 5, Ollie Robinson edged a turning ball from Leach, and Lewis Gregory took a sharp catch at slip, diving low to his left. Seven runs later, Drissell’s gritty innings ended similarly, with Gregory holding onto a more straightforward chance off Leach.
By lunch, Durham had slumped to 94 for 6, their hopes of saving the match relying heavily on the weather and the partnership between Ashton Turner and Bas de Leede, which had added 17 runs by the interval, along with first innings centurion Brydon Carse.
Leach was extracting a significant turn from the River End, while Vaughan maintained impressive accuracy on his first-class debut, giving nothing away. Somerset captain Gregory kept attacking fields in place as his bowlers maintained pressure.
Leach struck again early in the afternoon session, finding Turner’s edge, with Overton taking a straightforward catch at second slip—his sixth of the match—reducing Durham to 108 for 7.
After 16 runs were added, including a Carse six over mid-wicket off Leach, rain returned, causing further delays and frustration for Somerset. Carse appeared to have survived a chance to wicketkeeper James Rew when he was on two, with Leach once again the unfortunate bowler.
Play resumed at 2:50 pm, with seven more overs lost. On the first ball after the restart, Carse edged Leach to second slip, where Overton made another diving catch to his right.
At 124 for 8, Durham's defeat was imminent. Ben Raine, who had scored a half-century in the first innings, managed only two before being caught at short-leg, becoming Leach’s sixth victim of the innings.
Leach then clean-bowled last man Daniel Hogg with the very next delivery, sparking celebrations among the Somerset players. Moments later, the rain returned, but it was too late to dampen the jubilant atmosphere in the home dressing room.