JACK Leach finished with six for 42 as Somerset completed a 31-run Specsavers County Championship victory over Warwickshire on the third morning at Taunton.

Resuming on 131 for eight, needing a further 53 to win, the visitors battled for 14 overs before being bowled out for 152, Rikki Clarke ending unbeaten on 55.

Lewis Gregory was the other wicket-taker as Somerset took 19 points to boost their hopes of a first ever Championship title. Warwickshire had to be content with three and face a fight against relegation with only one game remaining.

The first half hour saw Clarke and Chris Wright carefully build on their ninth-wicket stand against the spin of Leach and Roelof van der Merwe.

Clarke reached his half-century off 138 balls, with 8 fours and a six, and the pair had reduced the deficit to 37, with the stand worth 86, when an inspired piece of captaincy by Chris Rogers brought the breakthrough.

He introduced Lewis Gregory from the River End and, with his fourth delivery, the seamer had Wright caught behind for 45.

When Clarke took a single of Leach’s third ball of the 58th over, Somerset moved in for the kill, surrounding last man Josh Poysden with close fielders.

The tail-ender got an inside edge and Marcus Trescothick ended the game with the 394th first class catch of his Somerset career, at leg-gully, breaking a club record set by Jack White, whose career ended in 1937.

The wicket sparked jubilant celebrations on the pitch and the home side could celebrate an unlikely win after being bowled out for 95 on the first morning.