SOMERSET captain Marcus Trescothick described his side’s last-gasp five-wicket defeat to Middlesex as ‘painful’, after the visitors pulled the third highest run chase ever at the County Ground.

Centuries from Adam Voges and James Franklin fired Middlesex to victory with seven balls to spare, after Somerset had set them 402 to win in the fourth innings of the match – and Trescothick was disappointed to finish up on the losing side, having been ‘in a position to win the game’.

“Any loss is painful but every now again this game gives you a good kick,” Trescothick told Somerset’s official website.

“We played some good cricket for four days and put ourselves in a position to win a game.

“They came along and played as well as they did and to chase down 400 on the final day was a good effort.

“The pitch has been good here for two games, but if we can get a bit more spin and a bit more life out of it on day four to assist our bowlers then that’s something we can take into our next game.”

Director of cricket Matt Maynard was left to rue a wicket-less second session on day four and said the squad were ‘gutted to have lost this match’.

He told Somerset’s official website: “We have performed a lot better in this game but not well enough to get over the line.

“Going into the afternoon session I thought that we were in front but we didn’t get a wicket and that turned out to be a big session and they had a big partnership between Voges and Franklin.

“That was probably the clincher and had we managed to separate them it could have been a different result.

“Losing Jamie Overton didn’t help because he would have been able to come in with those spells he showed in both this game and the first match that can change the course of the match.

“Unfortunately he picked up an injury that didn’t allow him to participate today.

Jamie will need an MRI scan and we will get more details of that.

“Having said that, it’s great to see Marcus playing so freely and positively, and showing so much skill.”

“We are gutted to have lost this match but our performance was better than in the previous game and as a coach I can pick up more positives than the players can.

"Middlesex won the last two sessions and won the game.”

“We couldn’t have asked for anymore from the lads today.

"They were asked to give 100% and they certainly did that. They gave their best today and that is all they can do.”

Middlesex take 22 points from this game while Somerset take eight.