From an overnight five for two in their second innings, trailing by 100 runs, the visitors were bowled out for 190, left-arm spinner Jack Leach claiming 6/63,  his second six-for in successive Championship games and off-spinner Archie Vaughan taking four for 85. Emilio Gay top-scored with 42, while Ben Raine contributed 36.

That left Somerset needing just 86 to win, a target they achieved in 19.2 overs, not without alarm, at just before 4 pm, Tom Banton ending unbeaten on 33 and Callum Parkinson taking four for 39. They took 20 points from the game whilst Durham took three.

Despite the turning pitch, Somerset elected to start the day with seam at both ends, skipper Lewis Gregory operating from the River End in tandem with Craig Overton.

Gay and Neil Wagner were rarely troubled and had added 26 to the overnight score by the time Vaughan was introduced from the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End.

His first over went for 16, Gay striking 4 fours and clearly intent on carrying the game to Somerset’s slow bowlers. Leach’s first over from the other end saw Wagner hit a six over long-off to bring up a half-century stand from just 57 balls.

Gay struck a straight six off Vaughan and followed up the next ball with a swept four as Durham’s total reached 76, just 29 runs behind, before Somerset made a much-needed breakthrough.

Wagner had played well, facing 49 balls, before attempting to sweep a full delivery from Vaughan and falling lbw. Gay quickly followed, caught by Overton, diving forward at short mid-wicket off Leach.

Colin Ackermann played Leach in the air to mid-off, where Banton took a similar catch to Overton’s, throwing himself forward. It was 92 for six when David Bedingham fell lbw to a Leach delivery that straightened from around the wicket.

Ollie Robinson and Graham Clark ensured that Somerset had to bat again with a partnership of 40 before Robinson aimed a big drive at Vaughan and was bowled for 28.

Vaughan almost struck again with his next delivery, Raine driving it back, and the bowler just failing to hold a low catch diving full length to his right. The lunch score was 152 for seven, 147 runs having been scored in the session off 40 overs.

Clark was unbeaten on 24 and Durham led by 47. Leach had figures of four for 50 from 17 overs s and that became a five-for with 14 runs added when Clark’s 89-ball innings of 32 ended with an edged forward defensive shot to wicketkeeper James Rew.

Leach struck again when George Drissell was caught and bowled off a leading edge. That left Raine with little option but to go on theattackk and he cleared the ropes twice in a Vaughan over.

Vaughan claimed revenge in his next over as Raine holed out to long-off and, with 46 overs remaining, a two-day finish was guaranteed. Not surprisingly, Durham gave the new ball to left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson, whose second delivery was deposited over mid-wicket for six by Tom Kohler-Cadmore.

Drissell was greeted by a Josh Davey boundary to wide long-on as Somerset went for a quick kill. That plan suffered a setback when Davey fell leg-before to Parkinson, aiming to sweep, with the total on 13.

It was 16 for two when Kohler-Cadmore edged Parkinson to second slip. Rew, on a reverse sweep, hit his first ball for four and, on five, narrowly escaped a catch to second slip off Drissell.

Tom Lammonby eased any tension with two fours off Drissell's full-tosses, but was then bowled through the gate by Parkinson for 22 with Somerset halfway to their target. Rew quickly followed, caught at short mid-wicket to give Parkinson a fourth wicket.

Tom Abell was bowled by Drissell on the back foot with 24 needed. But Banton used the sweep and reverse-sweep to good effect to see Somerset home.

Durham claimed his maiden first-class five-for as 22 wickets fell on the opening day of the Rothesay County Championship Division One game against Somerset at the Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton.

Invited to bat first on a green pitch, the visitors subsided to 145 all out, with Craig Overton twice on a hat-trick during ten probing overs from the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End. Ben Raine top-scored with 42.

In reply, Somerset posted 250 all out, Tom Lammonby putting the pitch in perspective with an impressive 89 off 109 balls, including 8 fours. Off-spinner Drissell returned career-best figures of five for 59.

Durham then lost skipper Alex Lees and nightwatchman Callum Parkinson in the three remaining overs to close on five for two and trailed by 100 runs.

There was little sign of the carnage to come when Lees and Emilio Gay launched Durham’s day with a stand of 26 in 5.5 overs before Gay edged a low catch to second slip to become Overton’s first victim.

The next ball saw Colin Ackerman taken at first slip by Tom Kohler-Cadmore, and before they knew it, the visitors were 33 for three, David Bedingham nicking a delivery from Gregory to wicketkeeper James Rew.

Overton dropped Ollie Robinson at second slip in the same Gregory over, er and Durham were relieved when rain arrived at 12.100p.m.m, forcing an early lunch half an hour later. The restart saw Overton strike with his fourth and fifth balls, Robinson caught behind off a defensive aploy, Graham Clark taken at third slip by Tom Abell, both without scoring.

Lees had struck 5 fours in moving to 27 when miscuing a big hit off Overton and providing the bowler with a steepling catch to make it 43 for six. Drissell drove in the air to mid-off to give Overton his sixth wicket with the total on 71, while Raine hit a defiant straight six off Josh Davey before edging a defensive shot off the same bowler through to Rew.

Neil Wagner struck 4 fours in a Davey over before a cross-batted shot saw him caught at mid-on off Jake Ball, and Matthew Potts had cleared the mid-wicket boundary off Leach when reverse-sweeping the left-arm spinner straight to Abell at short third-man to end a Durham innings spanning just 30.1 overs.

Somerset openers Davey and Kohler-Cadmore quickly went on the attack, Davey striking three successive fours off Potts and his partner lofting two sixes over the short boundary on the town side of the ground in the same Raine over.

Kohler-Cadmore dispatched three consecutive Wagner deliveries for four as the pair brought up a half-century stand in just 7.1 overs. But the experienced South African took revenge with the total on 62, accepting a skyed return catch as Kohler-Cadmore top-edged a pull shot.

Tea was taken with Davey unbeaten on 22. He had added 15 in the final session when edging a back-foot defensive shot off Potts to Bedingham at first slip. The same over saw Rew depart for a duck, cutting a catch to gully, and when Abell also fell without scoring, caught at short-leg in Drissell’s first over, Somerset had slumped to 103 for four.

Tom Banton could make only ten before Drissell induced another short-leg catch with a ball that turned. But Lammonby and Archie Vaughan steadied the ship, and as wept boundary by Vaughan off Parkinson put his side in front.

Lammonby moved to a fluent 52-ball half-century with a reverse sweep for four off Drissell. But Vaughan fell lbw to Parkinson for 15, the first wicket of the day not to fall to a catch, with Somerset just 11 runs ahead.

Lewis Gregory hit 17 before fending a catch to short-leg off Wagner, and Lammonby’s excellent contribution ended when he edged to second slip off Drissell, who quickly followed up by bowling Overton for 19.

A Ball six off Drissell took Somerset to a batting bonus point, but the former Gloucestershire spinner immediately responded by bowling him to complete a maiden five-for.

Having seen the ball turn, the hosts gave the new ball to off-spinner Vaughan, who struck with the second delivery, Lees edging to second slip. Leach then pinned Parkinson lbw to cap an extraordinary day.