Peter Trego of Somerset smashes Lancashire and sets sights on England

Peter Trego followed the fastest first-class century of the 2009 season by dashing to three figures more quickly than anyone has yet done in 2010, in the process completing his first hundred outside his native Somerset. Afterwards the extravagantly-tattooed all-rounder from Weston-super-Mare, whose colourful hinterland includes work in a nursing home and on a building site, in addition to playing goalkeeper for Chippenham Town in an FA Cup tie shown on Match of the Day, stressed his determination to earn an England call-up this summer. "This year I'm focused on getting the volume of runs to put pressure on," said the 28-year-old after watching England's Twenty20 win against Pakistan, which coincided with one of the lengthy interruptions for bad light that are likely to condemn this match as a draw. "I've still got aspirations to play for England in some format this summer." He is known to have cropped up in selectors' discussions over one-day teams, having returned to Somerset four years ago to begin fulfilling the talent that had earned him England Under-19s selection before he left for unsuccessful stints with Kent and Middlesex. His 83-ball century here may have taken 29 deliveries longer than the match-winning knock he played against Yorkshire at Taunton last year, but it was still rapid enough to transform this game. When Trego came in to join James Hildreth, Jos Butler had lost his off stump, shouldering arms to Glen Chapple, to leave Somerset 157 for five. By the time he departed a couple of hours later, top-edging a hook at Daren Powell, they were 51 ahead, after a partnership of 186 in 32 overs. Lancashire, reduced to three specialist seamers with Sajid Mahmood unable to bowl because of the calf injury he suffered when batting on Tuesday, were left to regret the lives they gave Trego on 22 and 40, with Powell the unlucky bowler on each occasion. Hildreth's innings was less spectacular but at least as valuable and although he fell a single short of a richly deserved century when he poked nervously at Chapple, he will take consolation from ending a difficult start to the season with such an important innings. However, Somerset's hopes of forcing a first Championship win of the summer were frustrated by bad light that prevented any play after 4-30pm.