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Title-chasing Sussex look well placed to beat Somerset thanks to Monty Panesar's match haul of 13 wickets.

Having resumed on 161-6, in reply to Somerset's 247, half centuries from Amjad Khan (57no) and Ben Brown (52), climaxed by a lively 20 from the big-hitting Panesar, helped Sussex to 279.

England spinner Panesar then followed up his first innings 7-60 by taking 6-77 to bowl out Somerset for 195.

Set 164 to win, Sussex closed on 31-0 at Taunton, needing another 133.

The biggest threat to the visitors could be a bad weather forecast for Friday's final day, with rain expected from around 10 o'clock in the morning.

But, if Sussex can beat the rain and claim a fourth win in five games, they would take over at the top from leaders Warwickshire, who look set to be frustrated both by Middlesex and a bad weather forecast of their own at Edgbaston.

Nine Somerset batsmen reached double figures in their second innings, but only openers Arul Suppiah (59) and first innings centurion Marcus Trescothick (38) passed 20.

Somerset's Pakistan spinner Abdur Rehman earlier completed good figures of his own in the Sussex innings, taking 5-70.