Paul Horton returned to the kind of form that saw him become Lancashire's leading run-scorer in the LV County Championship last year by notching his second half-century of his side's draw against Somerset at Old Trafford.

The 26 year-old opener's 118-ball 68 was also just his second score above 50 of the current Division One campaign.

Horton, with the help of former England one-day international batsman Mal Loye, made sure there was no chance Lancashire could lose this fixture by sharing 106 for the second wicket on the final day.

Lancashire faced a first innings deficit of 57 and despite losing four late wickets, three of them to Zander de Bruyn, they finished on 191 for six declared.

Loye was playing his first championship match since last September because of knee and calf problems and hit 39 off 139 balls.

Left-arm spinner Gary Keedy claimed the last three Somerset wickets to fall in their first innings this morning to finish with an impressive four for 86 from 25.5 overs.

Keedy removed Alfonso Thomas and David Stiff, who both skied catches to Ashwell Prince at mid-wicket, and then Charl Willoughby well caught by a tumbling Glen Chapple at mid-on.

Ben Phillips finished 41 not out off 62 balls to help his side to 343 all out.

A positive result for Somerset, the only side with any chance of forcing a win going into today, always looked unlikely.

But they were boosted with the early wicket of Tom Smith in Lancashire's second innings.

Left-handed opener Smith fended the fourth ball of the innings from Stiff to Phillips in the gully to leave the hosts at nought for one.

But Horton and Loye took the game into calmer waters as far as Lancashire were concerned with their second-wicket stand.

Horton, who was also the club's player of the year in 2007, amassed 966 championship runs last year but his form in the longer version of the game has been nowhere near as good this time around.

His one-day form has been very impressive as he has notched two hundreds on the way to a Friends Provident Trophy semi-final place.

He hit 69 in the first innings but failed to match it today by just one run as he hit 14 boundaries.

Horton departed in the 36th over of Lancashire's second innings when he slashed Willoughby to Arul Suppiah at point.

Loye was trapped lbw by de Bruyn (three for 47 from nine overs) with the last ball before tea and Prince (34) and Chilton also followed to the South African.

Francois du Plessis was also caught at first slip by Justin Langer off the spin of Suppiah.