Somerset consolidated second place in the CricInfo Championship First Division with a crushing 10-wicket victory over Lancashire at Old Trafford.

Richard Johnson took four wickets, Ian Blackwell three and Steffan Jones two as a Lancashire team missing their captain John Crawley were skittled out for 126 in their second innings.

That left Somerset needing only 66 to win and Jamie Cox and Piran Holloway knocked them off inside 18 overs.

They are now only 14 points behind First Division leaders Yorkshire having played a game more, while Lancashire are left looking over their shoulders at the relegation zone after two consecutive defeats.

Somerset were unable to add to their overnight 385 for nine, with Gary Keedy trapping Matthew Bulbeck lbw to complete figures of five for 73, the fifth five-wicket haul of his career.

But that still gave them a lead of 61 and Lancashire lost three wickets before they wiped it off, with Johnson trapping Jamie Haynes lbw then Jones firing out Mark Chilton and Neil Fairbrother in his first two overs.

Jones's first ball lifted and left Chilton, who could only glove it to Rob Turner, while Fairbrother was all at sea and edged the first ball of Jones's second over to the wicket keeper.

Lancashire's plight was even bleaker in the absence of Crawley, with their 12th man Graham Lloyd prevented from batting by the Championship regulations even though Somerset were happy for him to do so.

Andy Flintoff threatened a fightback as he pulled Jones over mid wicket for six with his second scoring shot, then thumped the first three balls he faced from Blackwell for four.

But Blackwell had Warren Hegg caught at slip by Peter Bowler before lunch, and afterwards claimed the crucial wicket of Flintoff who was bowled around his legs trying to pad the ball away.

Johnson then made short work of Lancashire's first innings hero Glen Chapple and also Peter Martin, then wrapped up the innings by bowling Chris Schofield for a plucky 23.

The former Middlesex seamer ended with four for 40, with Blackwell defying back trouble to claim three for 47 and Jones returning two for 22.

"You cannot rule the championship out," Somerset coach Kevin Shine said afterwards.

"There are a lot of people up there still chasing very close together, but the atmosphere in our dressing room is fabulous after that win.

"That is a fabulous win for us here. To turn over Lancashire in three days is a job very well done," he said.

"We had to fight hard for that first-innings lead. Then the bowlers have done a very professional job. That lead was very important, though. We would not have wanted to be chasing 150 on that wicket, with the ball turning.

"It looks like we have done it quite easily, but chasing 66 to win was pretty much what we wanted on there.

© CricInfo