Yorkshire will almost certainly have to settle for an LV= County Championship draw against Somerset at Taunton after the hosts avoided the follow-on by passing 301 in reply to 450-5 declared this morning.

Steve Patterson and Moin Ashraf both struck during the fourth morning but Somerset reached 302-8 at 12.50pm.

Ashraf later mopped up the tail to bowl the hosts out for 310 and finish with three wickets.

James Hildreth’s 115 off 174 balls played a large part in saving his side’s skin, while Craig Meschede and George Dockrell also helped him out today.

Hildreth and Meschede, who came together last night, shared 100 for the seventh wicket before Hildreth and Dockrell added 26 for the eighth.

Patterson had Meschede caught at short cover by Rich Pyrah for 32 in the 14th over of the morning to leave the score at 272-7, before Ashraf ripped out Hildreth’s middle stump with a trademark yorker with the score on 298.

Dockrell picked up a boundary off Adil Rashid to save the follow-on before Ashraf forced him to chop on for 14 to pick up the third bowling bonus point. He then had Steve Kirby caught at first slip by Gary Ballance.