Bad light call leaves Overton three short of maiden hundred

Somerset 534 for 7 (Overton 97*, Van der Merwe 94*, Abell 79) lead Hampshire 338 (Ervine 103, McLaren 61, Leach 6-108) by 196 runsScorecard

Craig Overton was left three runs short of a maiden first-class century when play ended four overs early on the third day of the Specsavers County Championship match with Hampshire at Taunton.

He faces an anxious overnight wait to see if Somerset captain Chris Rogers declares before he has the chance to achieve the landmark.

He said: “I honestly don’t know what we are going to do. Of course, I would like the chance to bat on, but in the end the team must come first and I’ll go with whatever the skipper decides. I was disappointed when we came off, but the umpires had made it clear the previous over that there would not be much more play.”

Overton and Roelof van der Merwe, who was also seeking his first hundred for Somerset, were unbeaten on 97 and 91 respectively, with their unbroken eighth wicket stand worth 164, and Hampshire were looking at a last day survival mission.

Half-centuries from Overton, van der Merwe, Lewis Gregory and Jim Allenby batted Somerset into a strong position. By the close, the hosts had reached 534 for 7 in reply to 338, having begun the day on 257 for 5, and led by 196 for on a pitch still offering turn and …

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