'The pressure will really be on the boys in the morning' says Shine at Bristol

It was honours just about even at the end of the second day of Somerset's opening championship match of the season at Bristol, where Gloucestershire finished 123 runs ahead with 5 second innings wickets still standing.

Resuming on their overnight score of 175 for 6, Richard Johnson and Rob Turner took the score onto 192 before Johnson was bowled by Jon Lewis to end what could turn out to be the match winning innings.

Ian Blackwell, who had three stitches put into his left hand the previous day then came into join Turner, and the pair brought the two hundred up in the 49th over. Blackwell scored his runs quickly and had helped to take the score onto 236 before he was bowled by Mike Smith for 31.

Nixon McLean stayed long enough to score 9 runs, before being dismissed with the score on 247, but Simon Francis stayed with Turner longer and added 42 vital runs for the last wicket partnership, before being out with the score on 289

When the innings closed at 12.45pm Turner was undefeated on 59, and during his time at the wicket had played a vitally important part in his teams remarkable performance that had seen them go from 36 for 6 the previous afternoon to a first innings lead of 86.

Johnson was to the fore again when Gloucester batted for a second time and with the score on 20 tempted Spearman into giving a catch to Turner.

Before a run could be added after lunch after lunch McLean accounted for Weston to make the hosts 28 for 2, but Tim Hancock and Jonty Rhodes retrieved the situation and took the score onto 113 before Hancock was out for 44.

Blackwell removed Rhodes for 55 , but Matt Windows and Jack Russell then batted soundly and had added 54 runs for their unbeaten sixth wicket partnership to see the `Gloucesters' to 209 for 5 by the close of play.

At the end of the day Somerset coach Kevin Shine told me: " I really am very proud of the lads today for sticking to their task in the way that they did. They were in the field for seventy six overs today in very cold conditions but managed to keep the pressure on all the time."

He continued: "Tomorrow we will be trying to get them out as quickly as we can, and the pressure will really be on the boys, particularly in that important first session."