COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE, Taunton:
Somerset 510 drew with Hampshire 264 and and 357-5 (Somerset 12pts, Hampshire 8pts)
10-13 July 2009

Crawley's unbeaten 81 was compiled in just under six hours

John Crawley hit an unbeaten 81 as Hampshire batted out the final day to earn a draw with Somerset at Taunton.

Resuming their second innings on 122-3 and needing 124 to avoid an innings defeat, the visitors had reached 357-7 when a draw was agreed at 1700 BST.

Crawley, who struck eight fours in his 247-ball effort, shared partnerships of 99 with Liam Dawson (69) and 88 with Sean Ervine (58).

He also shared an unbroken stand of 84 with Nic Pothas (49 not out).

The stalemate denied Somerset, who sit second in Division One, the chance to record their fourth successive victory.

Their only success in the morning session came when Peter Trego trapped Dawson lbw, to end his fourth-wicket stand with Crawley.

Ervine then cruised to a half-century in just 57 balls before he was trapped leg before by Arul Suppiah, whose left-arm spin provided the only variation in Somerset's five-man seam attack.

Crawley was then joined by Pothas, who was forced to bat with a runner because of a groin injury, to see Hampshire through to the close and leapfrog Sussex to sixth in the table.

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