Yorkshire yesterday hurled themselves into the thick of the championship promotion battle by hammering Somerset by nine wickets at Headingley, despite losing Damien Martyn and Steven Kirby for large parts of the game through injury.

The maximum points they took from the three-day win pushed them up from fifth place in the Second Division table and into the third promotion spot.

It was a victory which was absolutely necessary for Yorkshire to maintain a challenge and it sets them up for a thrilling finish to the season with two games remaining.

Yorkshire made easy work of reaching their 132 target in 26.1 overs even though they had to bat in gloomy evening light.

Craig White was skittled by a shooter from Richard Johnson but Matthew Wood and Anthony McGrath sent Yorkshire cruising to their fourth win of the season with an unbroken stand of 103.

McGrath amply made up for his first ball duck in the first innings by playing some thoroughbred shots in an unbeaten 67 from 74 balls with a dozen fours, while Wood cantered to 53 not out from 72 deliveries with six boundaries to notch his second half century of the match.

Yorkshire were cheered by the return of Kirby after recovering from his collapse while bowling on Wednesday, as Somerset resumed on 94 for two, and he responded by taking a low return catch to claim the vital wicket of Neil Edwards for 90.

He also claimed the prize scalp of Australian Jamie Cox for a tenacious 51 and held the catch at deep mid-on which sent back Ian Blackwell for a threatening 48.