A century from Phil Jaques, his first for Nottinghamshire, was the highlight as the LV= county championship match against Somerset at Taunton ended in a draw.

With neither side able to assert the initiative, on a rain-interrupted final day, it was all about individual milestones and Jaques, with an unbeaten 150, and Samit Patel, who scored 75, made the most of their opportunities.

Notts eventually closed on 322-4 an overall advantage of 360, on a Somerset side who toiled away all day for just two wickets.

Jaques was understandably delighted to register his three figure score. “It’s nice to get another century and nice to get my first for Notts,” he said. “It would have been better had it come during a win but it’s always tough to get twenty wickets at Taunton so we’ll take the points and move on.”

During the day he proved to be a model of concentration, particularly with any number of interruptions for showers. “It’s always good when you get the chance to bat for a period of time on a good wicket and I wasn’t going to give it away. It was nice to spend some time in the middle and stick in there.

“With all the morning stoppages it was starting to feel a little bit like an all-day net, having to keep starting again but that’s one of the things you have to adapt to in England.

“I was pleased to get to 150 just before the close. I knew we had just about finished and I needed 5 or 6 runs in that final over, so I thought I’d play a couple of shots. It’s always nice to get individual milestones.”

Resuming on 97-2 James Taylor worked the first ball of the day to fine leg to get off the mark with a couple and then pushed a single to bring the total into three figures.

Taylor (5) had produced a stylish 60 in the first innings but was soon seen off, to the relief of the bowlers, as Alfonso Thomas trapped him lbw, for his seventh wicket of the match.

The remainder of the session was as frustrating as it possibly could be for players, spectators and groundstaff alike. On and off, on and off, on and off mini-passages of play that saw Jaques pass his previous best score for Notts and Patel carry on from his first innings performance as an early lunch arrived with the score on 151-3.

Johann Myburgh bowled the first full over upon the restart and began with a waist-high full toss which Patel punched for four. The next ball was a long-hop which got the same treatment and he then lifted the bowler for a one-bounce boundary straight down the ground.

The flurry of runs kick-started the batsman into a series of high quality shots which sped him to fifty (61 balls 8x4) for the second time in the game.

His rate of scoring made it highly probable that he would have overtaken his partner but on 75 (out of a stand of 113) he committed hari-kari by going right across his stumps to try and lap Myburgh away to fine leg and missed a straight ball.

Jaques first moment of anxiety arrived when on 87, Craig Kieswetter spilling a diving chance as the ball brushed off the very bottom of the left-hander’s bat as Jamie Overton came into the attack.

A high percentage of Jaques’ runs had come in the quadrant behind square on the off side, with fierce cuts and well-placed dabs and it was no surprise when he punched Overton in that direction to reach his 43rd first class century (187 balls 11x4).

Riki Wessels played himself in and was therefore nicely set for when part-time bowlers James Hildreth and Alviro Petersen came into the attack, as Marcus Trescothick spurned the opportunity of taking a new ball.

Wessels and Jaques fed on anything poorly-directed in adding 68 together before tea.

Their fifth wicket partnership was extended to 106, With Jaques just having brought up his 150 when the two sides agreed to shake hands and call it a day. Wessels’ finishing unbeaten on 40.

Both sides collected 12 points from the contest and Notts are next in action on Sunday when they begin their fifth LV= county championship match of the summer, against Northamptonshire at Trent Bridge.