Lancashire managed to combat the threat of Alfonso Thomas and hold out for a LV= County Championship draw against Somerset at Old Trafford.

Having won their opening two matches, Glen Chapple's side were reduced to 145 for six in their second innings during the afternoon session of the final day.

With a lead of only 54 at that stage, another half-century from all-rounder Steven Croft was the key as he helped to move his side within 23 points of Roses rivals and leaders Yorkshire with a game in hand.

Both sets of players shook hands at 5pm with the score at 221 for six after 90 overs. Croft finished 66 not out off 128 balls including nine fours and a six.

Thomas claimed four of the six wickets to fall, including three of them for five runs in a 15-ball spell either side of lunch, and finished with a season's best four for 33 from 19.

The South African uprooted Luke Sutton's middle stump in the tenth over of the day for 38 and later bowled Paul Horton and forced Stephen Moore (31) to chop on in consecutive overs to leave Lancashire wobbling at 97 for three in the 39th over.

Thomas would have had his fourth before the break had Marcus Trescothick not spilled a chance at first slip to get rid of compatriot Ashwell Prince.

But the 33 year-old vice captain did not have to wait too much longer because he snared Prince with the first ball of the afternoon session, caught behind by Jos Buttler for only three.

Leg-spinner Michael Munday then took a wicket with his first ball of the innings, removing Mark Chilton caught at slip by Trescothick, before Damien Wright forced Kyle Hogg into a loose push to Nick Compton in the gully

At that stage Lancashire were six down with 43 overs still left in the match. But that was when Croft and Chapple dug in to make the game safe with an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 76.

Croft kick-started his innings with a six over long-on off Munday before cutting and pulling effectively.

He reached his sixth half-century in seven Championship innings, including the last game of last season, with a hooked four off left-arm seamer Charl Willoughby off 94 balls.

Chapple was happy to shelve his attacking instincts but still hit four boundaries on the way to 30 not out.

Somerset took 10 points and Lancashire eight from the match. While Lancashire have a week off after Sunday's 40-over match at Hove, Somerset travel to the Rose Bowl to face Hampshire in the Championship after their 40-over meeting with the Unicorns at Taunton.