LANCASHIRE’S batsmen ended the second day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Somerset facing a tough battle to avoid the follow-on after their bowlers had been put to the sword by Peter Trego and Ryan Davies at Emirates Old Trafford.

Somerset’s eighth-wicket pair, Trego and Davies, completely dominated the morning’s play by adding 146 runs in 31 overs to leave their side on 485-7 at lunch.

Trego was undefeated on 121 having reached his second century of the season off 101 balls and having hit 16 fours; Davies was 74 not out, a career-best score, and his stand with Trego was worth 198 at lunch, an eighth-wicket record between the two counties which eclipsed the 163 added by Jeremy Lloyds and Martin Crowe at Bath in 1984.

Replying to Somerset's 553 for eight declared, Steven Croft’s batsmen had reached 138 for 2 at stumps.

However, they have already lost their youthful openers. Haseeb Hameed was caught behind by Davies off Tim Groenewald when he had made 56, his eleventh Championship score over 50 in 23 innings this season, and Rob Jones was very smartly run out for 34 by the same bowler.

At the close Alviro Petersen was undefeated on 25 and Liam Livingstone was 20 not out, but the follow-on target of 404 was still very distant and Lancashire’s players may already be eyeing Saturday’s dismal weather forecast with relief.

Trego said: “It was remarkable to break the record on the back of a 20-year-old eighth-wicket record being broken against Hampshire only four or five days ago. It was great to see how Ryan’s developed.

“He played a really mature innings and was a good foil for myself. We had a really good time out there.

“I didn’t go out there trying to chase boundaries, I just tried to watch the ball.

"I don’t think those shots were rash, I just played really nicely.

"I was pleased that my batting game has come together and I certainly feel that there is a lot more to come."

Lancashire’s bowlers suffered a little ill luck early in the session but they were gradually mastered by the Somerset batsmen.

In the afternoon Trego finished on a career-best 154 not out and had put on 236 with Davies before the Somerset wicketkeeper-batsman played on to Tom Bailey for 86.

By then, however, his stand with Trego represented an eighth-wicket record for the county, beating the 217 put on by Roelof van der Merwe and Craig Overton against Hampshire.

Bailey finished with 5-111 and he was the only Lancashire bowler to take a wicket on the second day.

One of Lancashire’s youngest opening partnerships in recent seasons then made solid progress before Hameed nibbled at a good ball from Groenewald and Jones, having played a straight drive, was run out by a lightning fast pick up and throw from the bowler.

Petersen then had a let off on two when he was dropped by Chris Rogers at mid off, Groenewald being the unlucky bowler, but the ex-South African Test player passed a thousand runs for the season when he reached 24