County Championship: Somerset v Yorkshire – Tykes draw despite collapse

The weather came to Yorkshire’s aid as their rain-ruined County Championship Division One game with Somerset at Taunton ended in an inevitable draw.

Starting the final day on 17 for no wicket in their first innings in reply to Somerset’s 441-6 declared, the visitors crashed to 57-6 in the morning session, Josh Davey and Lewis Gregory claiming two wickets each.

With three runs added, the second of several showers forced an early lunch at 12.20pm and play did not restart until 3.00pm with 33 overs lost.

Jordan Thompson then struck a belligerent 57, while Adam Lyth made 30 as Yorkshire battled to 134-9 before players shook hands.

Rain having affected all four days, a draw had long looked the only likely outcome. Somerset took 14 points from the game to Yorkshire’s nine.

The visitors had added 15 runs to their overnight total when Somerset made the first breakthrough in the fourth over of the day, Finlay Bean, on 10, edging a forward defensive shot off Gregory through to wicketkeeper James Rew.

The next delivery saw Mayank Agarwal register a golden duck on his Yorkshire debut, the experienced India Test player getting a thicker edge to be comfortably caught at third slip by Tom Abell.

Davey quickly followed up by clipping the off stump of James Wharton as he offered no shot and it was 41-4 when Jonny Bairstow, who had required treatment for an arm injury, fell for only two, pouched by Tom Kohler-Cadmore at first slip off the same bowler.

Matthew Revis departed for nine to a back-foot swish at a wide delivery from Ben Green, which gave Rew a second catch.

A short shower then sent the players from the field, with an initial four overs lost, and on the resumption Jack Leach pinned George Hill lbw in his first over.

Lyth had watched the carnage from the other end, enjoying moments of fortune himself on what was proving a tricky last-day pitch. On 16, the opener edged Kasey Aldridge fractionally short of Abell in the slips and when Leach appealed for a slip catch it was a bump ball.

It was 60-6 when the rain returned, necessitating an early lunch. Hopes of a prompt resumption after the interval were dashed my more showers and it was not until a further 29 overs had been lost, that play restarted.

Without a run added, Dom Bess’s hopes of a meaningful score on his former home ground ended when he edged to Rew off Green. But 60-7 was as good as it got for Somerset as Thompson came out with immediate attacking intent.

Two sixes over long-on off Archie Vaughan, the off-spinner having been surprisingly put on to replace Leach at the River End, began the counter-attack and eight fours also flowed as the left-hander raced to a 42-ball half-century.

Lyth was content to offer solid support in an eighth-wicket stand of 68, ended when Thompson fell lbw to Davey with the score on 128.

It only remained to see if Somerset could earn a third bowling point and they did not have to wait long as Leach had Lyth caught at short leg by Abell.