Somerset will be hoping for some quick wickets in the morning if they are to obtain the victory that they need so vitally from their championship match against Kent at Taunton, where the visitors finished the day on 300 for 3 in reply to the hosts 460 all out.

Resuming on 433 for 5 any hopes that Somerset would add substantially to their overnight score were dashed as they lost their remaining wickets in the space of forty five minutes, three falling to Amjad Khan and two to Martin Saggers.

The Kent opening pair of David Fulton and James Tredwell had taken the score onto 52 when Fulton chopped a ball from Simon Francis onto the stumps. Tredwell and Ed Smith saw Kent past the hundred but with the score on 135 Tredwell was caught by Rob Turner off the bowling of Matt Bulbeck after the ball had rebounded off Mike Burns.

Tredwell's departure bought Aussie star Steve Waugh to the wicket but his stay was short lived. Jamie Cox moved Peter Bowler to leg slip, and shortly afterwards before he was off the mark the former Somerset player edged a ball from Steffan Jones to the waiting Bowler.

Wicket-keeper Paul Nixon joined Smith, who was increasing in confidence and steadied the situation. Nixon looked unsettled at the start of his innings but the pair remained in place until the end of the day by which time they had taken Kent to within 160 runs of the hosts with seven wickets remaining. At the close Smith was unbeaten on 115 and Nixon was 79 not out.

After the close Kevin Shine told me: "This was tough day for us. We lost a bit of momentum this morning when our wickets went down too quickly, but then we really fought back and did well to contain them to 300 in their innings."

He continued: "What we will be hoping for is to go out there hard in the morning and take some quick wickets like they did today. Today the boys have dried them out well without making it boring."

He concluded: "I wouldn't put it beyond Kent to try to set up a result, because they are pressing for runners up spot. We don't want to run the risk of losing a ten point draw, but we do need a win from this one. If they don't set it up then we will have to think very hard about the situation."

© SOMERSET