Craig Overton took seven in the match • Harry Trump/Getty Images
Somerset 363 (Thomas 100, Lammonby 74, Rew 61, Gilchrist 3-73) and 316 for 5 dec (Nicholls 100*, Lammonby 69, Abell 58, Thomas 55) beat Leicestershire 157 (Overton 3-23, Ball 3-39) and 145 (Overton 4-33, Leach 3-30) by 377 runs completed a thumping 377-run victory over troubled with more than a day to spare, ensuring that they enter the last two rounds of the County Championship in pole position as they look to secure an historic first title.After setting the home side a monumental target of 523 to win upon declaring on 316 for 5 in their second innings, keeping Leicestershire in the field just long enough for New Zealand Test batter to complete his maiden Championship hundred, Somerset needed only 45.1 overs to close out a 22-point victory.Bowled out for 145, the margin of defeat was Leicestershire's biggest by Somerset and the fourth biggest by runs in the county's history. took 4 for 33, reaching 49 wickets in the season.The result - Somerset's third win in four matches - does not extend their advantage over Warwickshire, which stays at five points after the Bears' innings defeat of Glamorgan. It left Nottinghamshire, who began this round four points behind Somerset in second place, under pressure to stop Hampshire chasing down a small target needed for a shock win at Trent Bridge.With Yorkshire, who they trailed by seven points going into this round, having already beaten Essex, a win for bottom-of-the-table Hampshire would cap off a dreadful week for Leicestershire, irrespective of a potential points deduction still being discussed over the pitch prepared for last month's win over Glamorgan.
Some Somerset supporters had fretted that not enforcing the follow-on might come back to bite him but the evidence quickly began to mount in his favour. Gregory, who is carrying an injury, did not reappear after lunch. Leicestershire were 65 for 6 and , whom Somerset had expected to be their key fourth-innings weapon, was barely warming up.