Yorkshire can quite rightly blame the weather for missing out on a third successive LV= County Championship win of the season following what turned out to be a thrilling draw against Somerset at Headingley.
Rain and bad light accounted for the loss of approximately 120 overs across the four days, including two full sessions on day three and one today.
It left Andrew Gale’s men with 52 overs to take 15 wickets after Somerset, replying to a first-innings total of 505-9 declared, started day four at 2.10pm on 190-5.
When the players shook hands, the visitors were 61-6 from 22.3 overs of their second innings, having been bowled out for 252 first time around and made to follow on.
Yorkshire claimed ten points as they consolidated their position in the top three of the Division One table.
Jack Brooks was the White Rose county’s star of the day with the first four wickets in Somerset’s second innings as they slipped to 32-4.
Having taken five wickets to secure a last-gasp win over Derbyshire here last week, he had Test batsmen Nick Compton and Alviro Petersen caught at second slip by Adam Lyth before bowling James Hildreth and Arul Suppiah in a 25-ball spell.
Brooks left the field midway through his sixth over with an injured left thumb after attempting to field a straight drive from Jos Buttler and figures of 4-22.
He went straight to hospital for an x-ray and Yorkshire are hoping it is nothing worse than a dislocation.
All six wickets in Somerset’s second innings fell at the Kirkstall Lane End of the ground.
Steve Patterson completed the Brooks over before forcing Buttler to edge to Gary Ballance at first slip and trapping Peter Trego lbw, leaving the score at 48-6 in the 18th over.
Seventh-wicket pair Marcus Trescothick (33no) and Alfonso Thomas then batted for 4.4 overs to save Somerset’s skins.
Patterson and Tim Bresnan (4-76 from 29 overs) had earlier taken two wickets apiece to wrap up Somerset’s first innings just after tea.
Patterson even struck with the second ball of the day to get Buttler caught behind. Bresnan had also struck with the second ball of day three following a wicket in the first over of day one.
Yorkshire and Somerset are back in action against each other for a Yorkshire Bank 40 match at Headingley tomorrow (1.45pm).
Yorkshire (from): Ashraf, Ballance, Bresnan, Brooks, Gale, Hodd, Jaques, Lyth, Patterson, Pyrah, Rashid, Rhodes, Sidebottom, Wardlaw.
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