Trescothick's freakish dismissal leaves Warwickshire in control

Somerset 186-8 & 262 Warwickshire 448

Residents of the village of Woodland in Teesdale have been bothered lately by something called the Durham Hum, a frequently audible deep background sound for which experts have been able to offer no explanation.

Householders around here can understand their irritation, although there is no mystery to the noise they have been living with for the best part of a year and a half. The Edgbaston Din has provided their daily soundtrack since the first wrecking ball collided with the old pavilion here in January last year as part of the £32m ground redevelopment.

It was particularly irksome yesterday, although, with only a week remaining until the deadline for completion, the buzz of activity is understandable. There were 350 workers on site putting the finishing touches to the four-tier new pavilion which, once every last ladder, bucket and scaffolding tower is removed, will look rather magnificent.

On the field, Warwickshire were striving to put the finishing touches to a fifth win of the season, which will keep them in touch with leaders Durham and Lancashire, despite the eight-point penalty they incurred for a sub-standard pitch last month.

Apart from the first part of the opening day, they have been on top for much of this match against a Somerset side who have shown few consistent signs of living up to their pre-season billing as title favourites. Chris Woakes missed an opportunity to sharpen his batting ahead of England's upcoming one-day matches but Chris Metters and Boyd Rankin stretched Warwickshire's first-innings lead to 186.

Where would Somerset be without Marcus Trescothick? Their captain is in imperious form. Since 8 May, when he hit a one-day 50 against Gloucestershire, the former England opener has amassed 1,138 runs in all cricket, 750 of them in his last seven innings in the Championship, at an average of 125.

How many more might he have added to yesterday's 55 had he not been freakishly out? Ian Westwood, trying to avoid a full-blooded sweep at short leg, somehow managed to trap the ball between his arm and his thigh.

Nick Compton scratched his way to a horrible half-century but James Hildreth perished cheaply and Craig Kieswetter, recalled as England's one-day wicketkeeper, could have chosen a better moment to bag the first pair of his first-class career.