Picture by Harry Trump/Getty Images. Yorkshire enjoyed an impressive but shortened second day at Taunton.
Yorkshire’s bowlers enjoyed an impressive, shortened second day against Somerset at Taunton, making the initial steps towards a fightback in a Rothesay County Championship fixture against the early Division One pacesetters.
Rain meant there was no play possible beyond 2pm at the Cooper Associates County Ground, where the White Rose’s second innings had reached 13-0 in the fifth over, a deficit of 99.
Yorkshire still have plenty of work to do over the next two days, but there is certainly now a chance they could win this game on an improving batting surface.
Captain Jonny Bairstow called for his side to “put our best foot forward” at the start of day two, and that is exactly what they did after Somerset resumed on 201-3 in reply to a first-innings 162 and were bowled out for 274 on the stroke of lunch. Opener Josh Thomas fell without adding to his overnight 136.
Yorkshire took seven wickets for 73, with two wickets for Jack White and two more for Matthew Revis.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Jack White finished with four wickets, including overnight centurion Josh Thomas for 136.
White finished with 4-41 from 16 overs as the new-ball seamer continued his impressive start to the new season, taking his 2026 tally to 12.
Yorkshire struck twice before Somerset had got off the mark at the start of play – both wickets going to White – before the hosts lost their last three wickets for nine runs and their last two in as many balls. Revis claimed those.
White had Thomas caught behind low down by Bairstow with the days fifth ball before, in his next over, the same bowler squared Thomas Rew up and had him caught at third slip, 201-5 in the 53rd.
Tom Abell reached his fifty but fell almost immediately when caught at first slip off George Hill, the first of three morning catches for Joe Root.
And when Logan van Beek beat Craig Overton for pace and bowled him, Somerset were 229-7 in the 66th over, leading by 67.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Matthew Revis struck twice in as many balls to wrap up Somerset’s first innings just before lunch today.
That lead was taken beyond 100 by Will Smeed (36 not out) and Lewis Gregory as they shared 42.
But the home innings was wrapped up very quickly just before the new ball was available.
Gregory, on 15, mis-timed Dom Bess’s off-spin to long-on before Revis had Migael Pretorius caught at first slip by Root and last man Alfie Ogborne caught at mid-wicket.
With heavy rain persisting continuing through the afternoon and into the evening, umpires Michael Burns and Rob White officially ended the day at 4.45pm.
