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Centurion Gary Ballance and Tom Kohler-Cadmore were the standout performers during a dominant opening day for Yorkshire against title favourites Somerset.
The third-wicket pair batted from late morning to late evening and shared 199 inside 62 overs to help the hosts reach close 282-3 for three from 96 overs, having come together at 80-2 shortly before lunch.
Ballance’s fifth Championship hundred of 2019 was secured off 194 balls inside the day’s final 45 minutes, while Kohler-Cadmore will hope to post his first of the summer early tomorrow morning.
He will begin the day on 77 off 180 balls, with Ballance falling for 111 off 212 balls, including 19 fours.
In hindsight, Somerset’s decision to opt for an uncontested toss and to bowl first looks a questionable one given the good batting conditions which greeted Yorkshire.
But, in fairness to the visitors, cloud conditions were overcast at 10.30am this morning.
Somerset did not bowl badly by any means. They certainly will bowl, or will have bowled, worse at stages this season for more reward.
Their six-man attack bowled tidily, although were pressurised most after tea as Ballance took the lead role and reached his ton off 194 balls.
Jack Brooks (1-67 from 18 overs) was given a warm hand when he took the new ball at the start of play on his first return to Headingley, where he left in the winter after six seasons with the White Rose county.
Dom Bess (1-62 from 23) also played a prominent part in the day against the county he will join later this week for the first 10 group games of the Vitality Blast.
Both men struck just before lunch as Yorkshire fell from 80-0 to 82-2.
Adam Lyth and Will Fraine continued their encouraging opening partnership which yielded 116 in the first innings of the recent win over Surrey at Scarborough.
They both hit sixes – Lyth pulled against Jamie Overton and Fraine lofted straight, into the new Emerald Stand off Bess.
The Emerald Stand was open for use for the first time in county cricket.
But Somerset hit back as Brooks had Fraine caught just in front of square-leg by Bess for 45 in the 28th over before Lyth (35) miscued an attempted cut to visiting captain Tom Abell diving forwards at cover in the 31st.
From there, Ballance and Kohler-Cadmore batted with great caution against an attack which many view as the best in the country.
In contrast to last week’s first innings against Simon Harmer and Essex when the White Rose were a bit skittish, very few risks were taken.
They accrued 98 runs in 34 overs through the afternoon, which came to an end with the score on 181-2 from 66 overs, and reached their respective fifties in the first couple of overs of the evening session.
Ballance got there off 135 balls with nine fours before Kohler-Cadmore’s came off 100 with eight.
Runs came more freely after tea – reward for the earlier hard work, and Ballance was the one who took advantage most.
The second new ball did not work for the visitors, who will now have to pull something special out of the bag if they are to claim their eighth win of the campaign in their 10th match.
Ballance reached his latest milestone by driving Brooks through the covers for his 19th boundary and now has more than 850 runs this season.
He fell to Tim Groenewald as the score fell to 281-3 in the 93rd over – caught at second slip by Jamie Overton, the seamer’s 400th first-class wicket.
