YORKSHIRE are in danger of losing only their fourth LV= County Championship match under coach Jason Gillespie after Somerset enjoyed much the better of the third day at Taunton.
The reigning champions have only suffered defeat three times in 53 since the start of 2012 when the Australian arrived at Headingley, but it could be number four after an unconvincing display with ball and then bat.
Yorkshire closed on 171-5 from 68 second-innings overs, which equates to a lead of 124, with Jonny Bairstow and Adil Rashid together in an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 54.
This came after Somerset, replying to 438, reached 485 in their first innings having started the day in good batting conditions at 309-4.
The highlights belonged to the 21-year-old Overton twins, Jamie and Craig, who shared 76 in just 35 balls for the tenth wicket in the last half hour of the morning. Jamie hit 50 off just 19 balls, while Craig added 31 not out off 25.
Craig later did significant damage with the ball by removing Jack Leaning for 52, Andrew Gale and Glenn Maxwell in an impressive seven-over burst in the early stages of the evening as Yorkshire slipped from 108-2 to 117-5.
Steve Patterson took three of six wickets to fall in Somerset’s first innings to finish with 5-70 from 23 overs, and he said: “We know it's going to be a tough day for us.
“We're going to have to work hard. They've got the new ball soon, so that's going to be very tough. But we've got two very good batters at the crease going well, and we'll battle hard as we always do. Then we'll see where we go.
"The thing is to get to lunch with as little damage done as possible and see where we are from there.”
Leaning and opener Will Rhodes, whose 40 was his fourth score in the forties in eight innings this summer, shared 77 for the second wicket, but that was one of few high points during a testing day.
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