Somerset, resuming two down, declared their second innings at 355 for 7 to leave Nottinghamshire an improbable 473 to win – or a minimum 114 overs to survive – in the Rothesay County Championship at Trent Bridge. The champions were groggy, on 47 for 3 by the close.

Teenager Thomas Rew attacked for the visitors with a massively impressive maiden hundred earlier, posted after a 68-run fifth-wicket alliance with his brother James, who made 50, was followed by 69 with Archie Vaughan.

Left to negotiate the last 75 minutes after Rew junior finished unbeaten on 127 from 151 balls, Nottinghamshire lost Ben Slater to Jake Ball, their old team-mate, who started with a wicket-maiden as first change. Freddie McCann was then caught behind, by Rew no less, off Craig Overton’s fourth ball before the nightwatch Brett Hutton fell seven balls from the close.

Before Somerset had begun their charge to a declaration, the day’s first delivery had ironically undone Lewis Goldsworthy, resuming on 1 but immediately edging Hutton behind. Indeed the opening 30 minutes produced only four runs off the bat. With 73 for 2 overnight, however, giving a 190-run lead, time was on Somerset’s side.

Hutton remarkably completed a spell of eight consecutive maidens and the day’s twentieth run had only arrived in the 18th over when Dillon Pennington had the nightwatch Alfie Ogborne badly missed at second slip on 13. Next over, the bowler himself reprieved James Rew from an extremely hard caught-and-bowled before Rew reached double figures from 63 balls.

It was Mohammad Ali who finally yorked Ogborne for 17 next over, 30 minutes from a lunch taken on 148 for 4 with the Rew brothers now picking up the tempo. They went on to add their 68 in 15 overs before James (the elder), having taken one of his six fours with a reverse ramp, reached 50 from 103 balls only to fall without addition two balls later.

Feeling for a Lyndon James ball outside off stump he edged to the keeper, leaving brother Thomas to pass his own fifty from 75 balls, including a mighty six off Liam Patterson-White driven high into the stand at long-on.

It was the left-arm spinner, however, who halted the stand with Vaughan who advanced to one that turned past his bat to bowl him for 23 immediately before the new ball was taken – and was promptly dropped on the midwicket boundary, letting off Overton when 8 and denying Hutton a much deserved second wicket.

Thomas Rew’s only escape hitherto was from a very difficult chance to the keeper off Pennington on 59 and he was 79 by tea, taken at 272 for 6. In the interval it was decided that skipper Lewis Gregory would be unable to take the field after pulling his hamstring on Saturday and that Ball would officially come in as substitute. Gregory must now miss Somerset’s visit to Chelmsford on Friday.

Overton went lbw to Fergus O’Neill for 20 but the younger Rew cooly brought up his century, including three sixes, from 135 balls. It was an innings long to be recalled, and he had added another three sixes in happy concert with Jack Leach before the innings closed, Leach throwing the bat for 28 as the unbroken eighth wicket belted 63 from the last nine overs.

Not content with his efforts, Tom took the wicketkeeping gloves from James, who had kept through Saturday, in the high tension towards the close. His last contribution was the catch that removed McCann.