Marcus Trescothick seems to be warming to the Somerset captaincy.

The opener enjoyed much better fortunes on day two of the match with Lancashire at Taunton after a trying first day of the season as Championship skipper.

It was not just that Trescothick stroked the eighth century of his glorious season - 102 - but also that his bowlers were earlier able to claim the last five Lancashire wickets in the first 21 overs of the day.

Somerset closed the day on 266-3 in reply to Lancashire's 344 all out. Charl Willoughby went through the 50 first class wickets barrier with his second successive five-wicket innings.

Trescothick has only captained 14 first-class games in his 17-year career and you have to go back to an England XI against an Indian Board President's XI in Vadorada in February 2006 - just before he went home with his illness - for the last occasion.

Trescothick's only Championship win as skipper came in 2002 when he scored 134 to help beat Yorkshire here.

Winning this game will be a challenge for Somerset, especially after Sajid Mahmood's post-tea spell of two for 15 from eight overs.

But having been 303-5, Lancashire, who are in need of points to stave off relegation, collapsed to 344 during a two and a half hour first session.

First to go was Kyle Hogg for 69, two short of his career best and without adding to his overnight total.

The all-rounder edged Willoughby into the slips and the South African removed Glen Chapple leg before wicket for a duck in his next over.

Sajid Mahmood made just nine before he cut Alfonso Thomas to cover point and visiting opener Paul Horton finally fell when he got a nick to an attempted hook at Willoughby for a career best 173, having hit 28 fours.

Oliver Newby was dropped on 12 by a diving Trescothick at first slip but added just one more before he nicked Ben Phillips to Kieswetter to give the former Kent man a fourth scalp and the wicketkeeper a sixth catch.

Trescothick began in his usual imperious style. Not much new can be said about the left-hander except that for the first time he hit a six - a flat batted off-drive - into the stand named after him. The ball bounced up and over the top of the construction and ended in the River Tone.

Another maximum off Gary Keedy sailed into the Old Pavilion as he and Suppiah, who made a hugely entertaining 95, took the attack to the left-arm spinner despite the ball turning from off the pitch.

Trescothick survived appeals for a catch at short leg and lbw off Keedy and a testing spell of late swing from Hogg to strike a number of straight drives and meaty pulls.

When the runs flow, Trescothick then tries the more expansive and a couple of late cuts for four off seamers were his most memorable shots.

The left-hander fell in the most improbable fashion, trying to leave a ball from Mahmood only to inside edge onto his stumps having faced 144 balls with 18 fours and two sixes.

Chapple brought himself back to beat a loose defensive shot from Suppiah and the out of form James Hildreth's run continued when he played too late and became the third Somerset man to be bowled.

That brought in debutant Jos Buttler for a massive step up in bowling from the schoolboy stuff he was facing in the spring.

But the Wedmore 19-year-old kept out the 90mph pace of Mahmood and got off the mark from his 18th ball with a lovely square driven four off Chapple. Buttler's other four was a delightful late cut off Hogg before he ended on 13 not out.

For the second day running the low September sun cut short proceedings, robbing us of five overs of action this time. Zander de Bruyn was 36 not out and had added 36 with Buttler by the close.

For a full report pick up the next edition of the Evening Post or Western Daily Press.