Yorkshire v Somerset: Season's low leaves champions struggling in title bid

Yorkshire were bowled out for 145 by a Somerset side who reached 107-1 at stumps on day one.

The champions had gone into the match one point behind leaders Middlesex, who are 258-3 against Lancashire at Old Trafford.

Having so far gained two bonus points to Yorkshire’s zero, that gap now stands at three points with power to add ahead of their meeting at Lord’s next week in the final round.

Somerset, who went into the game 21 points behind Yorkshire in third, need to win at Headingley to stand any realistic chance of stealing the title.

News of Middlesex’s progress was thus as much of a blow to them as it was to Yorkshire, who were the architects of their own downfall at times through some poor shots in seamer-friendly conditions that demanded greater application.

Somerset exploited those conditions well, in particular Craig Overton and Jim Allenby, who each took three wickets, and then batted with more discipline than the hosts.

Andrew Gale, the Yorkshire captain, admitted it was a poor day at the office.

“From start to finish we were poor,” said Gale, who opted to bat first.

“It wasn’t a 145 all-out wicket, and then with the ball we didn’t back it up.

“There were some poor shots and some poor shot selection in there, and we didn’t really put a price on our wickets.

“But there’s no reason why we can’t fight our way back into the game.”

Yorkshire’s score was their lowest in the first innings of a Championship game since May 2014, when they were bowled out for 136 by Northants at Wantage Road, and their problems started in the opening over.

Alex Lees fell to the last ball of it, edging Overton to first slip to register a second-ball duck.

Gary Ballance managed three runs before steering Overton to third slip, where Lewis Gregory initially fumbled the opportunity before somehow retrieving it from around his boot laces.

When Adam Lyth pushed at one from Allenby and was caught behind, Yorkshire were 39-3 in the 18th.

The situation should have worsened to 42-4, but Gregory was not so lucky this time at third slip when he grassed a straightforward chance when Jake Lehmann edged Tim Groenewald.

Lehmann, who was not then off the mark, rubbed salt into the bowler’s wounds in time-honoured style by sending his next ball to the boundary, squirting it between the slip cordon and gully.

Further salt was applied when Lehmann took Groenewald for three successive boundaries in his next over, including two sumptuous cover-drives.

Lehmann and Gale fought hard to take Yorkshire to the brink of lunch in a much better position than had seemed likely, but with the score standing at 86-3, calamity struck when Lehmann played a poor stroke that triggered a collapse.

The Australian batsman, who has had plenty of starts in his short time with the club, but who is still searching for a sizeable score, top-edged an attempted pull off Peter Trego high to mid-wicket.

Lunch was immediately taken, and only one run had been added after the break when Gale also fell disappointingly, caught behind trying to cut Overton to end a good innings.

Yorkshire fell to 95-6 when Adil Rashid fended Allenby to first slip, and to 97-7 when Andrew Hodd was bowled by a superb ball from Allenby that clipped the off bail.

Liam Plunkett, who came back into the side in place of Steve Patterson, who has been ruled out of the last two matches as his father remains seriously ill, stroked a couple of handsome boundaries through the mid-on area.

But when he went hard at one from Groenewald and was caught at first slip, Plunkett’s departure left Yorkshire 112-8, which became 122-9 when Jack Brooks pushed forward at Groenewald and was comprehensively bowled.

Tim Bresnan, who perhaps surprisingly came in one place below Rashid at No 7, maintained his excellent form with an unbeaten 38.

But when Ryan Sidebottom was caught behind off Gregory, with Sidebottom sportingly giving himself out by walking, Yorkshire were all-out on the stroke of tea, having failed to claim a single batting point for the first time this season.

It looked like ball would continue to dominate bat when Brooks struck in the second over of the Somerset reply, trapping Tom Abell with one that angled back in.

But Marcus Trescothick and Chris Rogers – combined age 79 – showed that run-scoring was possible, using all their skill and experience to thwart a strong attack in challenging conditions.

That said, Yorkshire bowled some loose stuff on occasions, which the pair needed no second invitation to dispatch.

When bad light ended play with seven overs left, Trescothick had 45 and Rogers 58, with Yorkshire’s title hopes having taken a hit.