Somerset set for second again in County Championship
Somerset head into the final round at Taunton against Surrey chasing a first title in 136 years, with Warwickshire 11 points clear at the top.
Warwickshire sit 11 points clear at the top and host a dejected Leicestershire at Edgbaston. Somerset play Surrey at Taunton. Nottinghamshire, the defending champions, take on Yorkshire at Trent Bridge.
Warm, dry weather is forecast for the round, a rare late gift after a season squeezed between the Hundred, the Blast and a run of white-ball cricket against New Zealand, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. The championship decider has been pushed to the back end of September again, competing for attention with the very cricket that crowded it out.
For Somerset, the story is an old one. Second place has become the county's default finish, and this one comes after 136 years without the title itself. Taunton has other sporting company in this position: Somerset are one of three senior sides based in the town, alongside Taunton Town, who play in the Southern League Premier Division South, and the Titans, who play rugby union in National League 2 West.
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