CLOSE: Somerset are 559-5(de Bruyn 75*, Trego 21*) from 137 overs, a lead of 326
Dimitri Mascarenhas was left out of his Indian Premier League team for the FOURTH successive match while Hampshire toiled without him.
The Hampshire captain has not been needed by the Rajasthan Royals since arriving in India a fortnight ago and they only have one more match before Mascarenhas returns for his county's next Championship match against Surrey at the Rose Bowl on Wednesday.
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But Mascarenhas's imminent return was of little consolation to Hampshire on the third day of their match against Somerset.
Hampshire missed his expertise and experience badly as Somerset left-handers Justin Langer and Marcus Trescothick put on 290, the home county's highest second-wicket partnership for 84 years.
Hampshire have to make four changes to their Friends Provident Trophy side for Sunday's south-west group match against the Worcestershire Royals at New Road (12pm start). Kevin Pietersen has not been made available by the ECB while Michael Carberry and Chris Tremlett (England Lions) and captain Nic Pothas (calf) are also unavailable. Hampshire (possible): Lumb, Ervine, Crawley, Adams (c), Benham, Lamb, Dawson, Burrows (w), Griffiths, Taylor, Tomlinson.
It helped Somerset to 559-5, a lead of 326, by the close of the penultimate day.
Trescothick struck 151 before nicking a leg-side catch to substitute wicketkeeper Tom Burrows in the seventh over with the second new ball.
Five overs later, the persevering James Tomlinson knocked back the middle and leg stumps of James Hildreth with an inswinging yorker.
But Langer (188) kept going until, having hit Greg Lamb and Hamza Riazuddin for straight sixes, he was caught at the wicket after prodding forward to the off-spinner.
Ian Blackwell (21) spliced to mid-on as Tomlinson claimed his first haul of ten wickets in a first-class match but Somerset were not finished there.
Zander de Bruyn struck his maiden Championship half century for Somerset.
And Lamb typified Hampshire's day with a howl of frustration when Michael Lumb put down a chance at slip that would have seen off Peter Trego, who was 21 not out at the close, for a pair.
With Kevin Pietersen in the Hampshire team, Langer is unlikely to set the visitors any less than 400 to win tomorrow.
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