Picture by John Heald. Jordan Thompson on the attack during an excellent counter-attacking 57 which eased any pressure building on Yorkshire as they slipped to 60-7 today.
Yorkshire were given a brief final-day scare but left Taunton with a useful nine-point draw in the bid to secure their Division One status in the Rothesay County Championship.
Rain played its part once again at the Cooper Associates County Ground, with a near three-hour delay from 12.10pm.
By that time, Yorkshire were tottering on 60-6 from 18.4 overs having started the day on 17-0 from two in their first-innings reply to 441-6 declared.
New-ball seamers Lewis Gregory and Josh Davey claimed two wickets apiece added to one each for Ben Green and the left-arm spin of Jack Leach.
The White Rose later finished on 134-9 from 38 overs, with 60 lost from the day’s allocation. Davey and Leach finished with three wickets apiece.
Yorkshire lost 219 overs to the weather in this match having only previously lost 182.3 overs in all competitions this season.
Had we got a full day’s play, Yorkshire could have found themselves under some pressure, especially with Leach finding his range quickly.
Picture by Harry Trump/Getty Images. Yorkshire captain Jonny Bairstow receives treatment for a left elbow injury from physio Ed Owen.
But that was never likely given we had only bowled 129 overs in the match before today. And so it proved.
Yorkshire fell to 60-7 almost immediately after the afternoon resumption at 3pm before Jordan Thompson counter-attacked for 57 off 48 balls with nine fours and two sixes.
He shared 68 for the eighth wicket with opener Adam Lyth, who also contributed 30.
Amidst the flurry of wickets came three rain delays. The first lasted for only 15 minutes from 11.41am, the second coming at 12.10pm and forcing an early lunch and the third at 4.10pm lasted for only a couple of minutes.
The umpires hadn’t even got off the field before it stopped.
In the end, the White Rose county – as aforementioned – left with nine points and Somerset 14.
This was Yorkshire’s fifth draw in 12 matches and was a far from disastrous outcome against a side who are on the fringes of the title race.
Picture by John Head. Mayank Agarwal talks to Adam Lyth at the crease this morning.
They hold the seventh place in the table they had at the start of the week, but their gap to second-bottom Durham has been cut from 12 points to nine.
Somerset desperately needed to win this game to keep themselves within striking distance of the leaders, who are Nottinghamshire following their victory over Worcestershire at New Road this afternoon.
And there was a time this morning when their hopes were raised as Yorkshire wickets fell quickly.
They claimed the first three in a six-ball period in the sixth and seventh overs as the score slipped from 32-0 to 33-3, captain Gregory striking twice in as many balls, including getting Indian overseas debutant Mayank Agarwal for a first-ball duck.
Gregory had Bean, pushing forwards, caught behind with a beauty that nipped away from the left-hander. He then had Agarwal caught at third slip next ball as he felt for one outside off-stump that, on reflection, he probably didn’t need to play at.
When Davey clipped James Wharton’s off-stump as he attempted to leave alone in the next over, Yorkshire were in some early trouble.
And things didn’t get any easier.
Picture by Harry Trump/Getty Images. Jack Leach celebrates the dismissal of George Hill.
Captain Jonny Bairstow was troubled by a left elbow injury, suffered having been hit with Lyth’s bat whilst running between the wickets, and he was next to go when he edged Davey to first slip when pushing forwards, falling for two – 41-4 in the ninth over.
Matthew Revis then flashed at one outside off-stump against Green’s seam and was caught behind for nine with the score on 52 in the 14th.
Rain briefly delayed us before Leach’s fifth ball accounted for George Hill lbw for four, leaving the visitors at 57-6 in the 17th over.
That wicket came five balls after the resumption.
Umpires Rob Bailey and Mark Newell conferred after Somerset half-heartedly appealed for a catch at first slip against Lyth on 18 off Leach, the conversation centring on whether it was a bump ball or not. They ruled in Lyth’s favour.
And that was pretty much that for the morning as rain intervened.
Play resumed at 3pm, with just under 47 overs remaining, and Green removed Dom Bess almost immediately – caught behind tentatively playing off the back foot.
Picture by Harry Trump/Getty Images. The dark clouds gather at Taunton, where rain interrupted us once more on day four.
That left the score at 60-7 in the 20th over.
Thompson then came to the crease and counter-attacked impressively, including two sixes over long-on in three balls against the off-spin of Archie Vaughan.
He had come into the attack in place of Leach, who had figures of 1-1 from two overs, and that certainly released the pressure.
Thompson struck the ball sweetly in reaching his fifty off 42 balls.
When the 50 stand between himself and Lyth was reached, the left-hander had contributed 44 of them.
When he fell, caught behind off Davey, Yorkshire were 128-8 in the 32nd over, and Leach had Lyth caught at short-leg shortly afterwards (132-9).
Not long after that, the players shook hands on a draw at 4.20pm.
Picture by John Heald. Adam Lyth works a ball off his hips at Taunton during the fourth morning.
