A spirited fightback from Pete Trego and Jos Buttler – plus a lengthy rain delay – merely delayed the inevitable as Somerset suffered a slow, painful LV=County Championship death at the hands of Middlesex inside three days.
Trego and Buttler both posted scores in the eighties as Somerset, who had slumped to 35-5 following-on on the second day, rallied to 157-5 and were then dismissed for 265.
Middlesex may have been surprised to have to bat again, but bat again they did, and they were 11-0 – chasing 71 for victory – when a prolonged downpour forced the players off.
When they returned at 6.20pm, they knocked off the final 60 runs they needed for the loss of only one wicket – taken by Somerset's stand-out bowler, Jamie Overton – to secure a nine-wicket victory.
Although only five games into a 16-match season, Somerset must be growing concerned at their Championship form. Their return so far is three draws and two defeats – and that they managed to escape from Headingley with a draw in their previous game owed plenty to the weather.
Somerset have now been dominated in back-to-back Championship games, and – aside from the second-innings rally from Trego and Buttler, plus Overton's best efforts – they were completely outplayed from start to finish.
They had resumed yesterday on 112-5 – still 83 runs away from making Middlesex bat again. Trego added 24 to his overnight 58, before getting a thick edge to a Tim Murtagh delivery and finding Neil Dexter in the gully for 82.
That brought an end to his 122-run partnership with Buttler, which at least showed a degree of fight from a team who had, at times, appeared lacking in backbone in grit.
Alfonso Thomas and Buttler added 28 – with Thomas the dominant partner before flicking a leg-side delivery from James Harris to Tom Smith at short midwicket for 19. The in-form Buttler brought up his fifty with a single to third man off Harris, with Somerset reaching lunch at 208-7 – a lead of 13.
There was a brief rain delay in the afternoon, before Buttler's partnership with Jack Leach passed the fifty mark as Somerset frustrated their eager visitors. Leach was eventually dismissed for a career-best 21 as he was bowled off his legs by Smith.
From 235-8, Somerset still managed to add another 30 runs, Buttler eventually dismissed for a responsible and composed 85 from 175 balls as he drove Gareth Berg to Chris Rogers at mid-off, two and a half overs before the new ball was due.
More rain came with Somerset on 265-9 – and, when the new ball was taken, Somerset's tail only survived five balls, Steve Kirby judged lbw to the hugely impressive Murtagh, who finished with innings figures of 6-49 and match figures of 10-77.
Set 71 to win, Middlesex reached 11-0 before play was held up by the rain. They returned knowing they had the extra half-hour, which they duly exploited, reaching 72-1 in 12.3 overs, with Sam Robson (24) and Joe Denly (14) there at the end.
There were brief Somerset celebrations when Rogers played onto his stumps off Overton for 25, the 19-year-old finishing with match figures of 7-134. But even his efforts – and those of Trego and Buttler – were too little to save Somerset from a comprehensive three-day drubbing.
