| Bob Willis Trophy final, Lord’s (day three) |
| Somerset 301: Byrom 117; C Overton 66; S Cook 5-76, Harmer 2-36 |
| Essex 271-6: Cook 172, Westley 51; Gregory 4-58 |
| Essex trail Somerset by 30 runs |
| Scorecard |
Sir Alastair Cook made a fine 172 for Essex but a Somerset fightback left the Bob Willis Trophy final delicately poised with two days remaining.
Cook’s brilliant 67th first-class century was the mainstay of Essex’s 271-6 in reply to Somerset’s 301.
But his departure in the closing overs meant Essex still trailed by 30 runs with four wickets in hand.
Lewis Gregory (4-58) spearheaded Somerset’s revival in the evening session with the second new ball.
Should the match finish as a draw, the side which leads on first innings will be presented with the trophy, and that remains in the balance.
Essex looked set to finish in front at stumps as they lost just one wicket in the two sessions before tea with captain Tom Westley making 51 in a 170-run partnership for the second wicket with Cook.
But he fell to the second ball of the evening session and four more wickets fell before the close, including two in two balls for Gregory and two more in successive overs with the new ball.
Essex will resume on the fourth morning with nightwatchman Jamie Porter alongside wicketkeeper Adam Wheater with the first target for the 2019 county champions to reach 302.
