Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Ben Cliff was superb with the new ball this evening as Yorkshire roared back into contention against league leaders Somerset.
Jonny Bairstow’s fine 79 off 111 balls and then a brilliant three-wicket burst from Ben Cliff were Yorkshire’s standout contributions during an action-packed opening day of their penultimate-round Rothesay County Championship clash with title-chasing Somerset at Headingley.
Captain Bairstow’s fourth time beyond 50 this summer helped the White Rose county to 212 all out inside 66 overs during the early stages of the evening before fast bowler Cliff wrecked Somerset’s top order as they slipped to 24-4. They later closed on 68-5 from 28 overs.
Seam pair Lewis Gregory and Migael Pretorius – one their captain, the other their South African overseas – claimed three wickets apiece for Somerset on a used pitch which offered assistance for the quicks.
George Hill continued his impressive season with 45 as he and Bairstow shared a sixth-wicket 83 during the afternoon to crucially recover Yorkshire from significant peril at 85-5. Hill later took a stunner of a slip catch to help Matthew Revis strike.
Somerset came into this match top of the table and searching for their first ever Championship title. They are one of three counties, Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire included, separated by only three points at the top of Division One.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Jonny Bairstow at the crease against Somerset today.
Having won the toss, Yorkshire will have been frustrated with their morning’s work – 77-4 after 25 overs, with a short and sharp rain shower coming 20 minutes before the scheduled lunch break.
They started well against the Somerset openers Gregory and Migael Pretorius, who were a bit full before improving.
The top three, who all fell, got starts but weren’t able to go on.
Gregory had openers Adam Lyth and Will Luxton caught in the slips playing tentatively for 11 and 22 before Sam Whiteman then chopped on to Jake Ball.
When Matthew Revis was run out at the striker’s end by a direct hit from Josh Thomas at mid-wicket after James Wharton called him through for a quick single, Yorkshire were 68-4 in the 22nd over having been 30-0 after six.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Somerset captain Lewis Gregory was the pick of the visiting attack with three wickets.
Gregory struck again during the early stages of the afternoon when he yorked Wharton with the score on 88.
Bairstow was handed a couple of lives en-route to a 74-ball fifty, including to wicketkeeper James Rew on 27. He drove nicely against seam and swept and reverse swept well against the spin of Jack Leach.
Hill too drove nicely, though unfortunately couldn’t follow his skipper to a half-century, falling caught behind off Pretorius, who also got Dom Bess the same way next ball as the score fell to 168-7 in the 53rd over.
That became 182-7 at tea and 189-8 not long after when Kuldeep Yadav edged Ball behind.
With the score on 209 and Bairstow looking for quick runs, he holed out to long-off against Pretorius. That was quickly followed by Ball getting Ben Cliff to wrap things up.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Yorkshire board member Steve Patterson and former Yorkshire star Michael Vaughan watch on at Headingley today. Michael was here watching son Archie play for Somerset.
But that was by no means the end of the action.
Ben Coad had Tom Lammonby caught at first slip and new-ball partner Cliff trapping Thomas lbw as the score fell to 11 for two.
Opener Archie Vaughan, watched by his dad Michael from the stands, pulled Cliff for six.
But Cliff gained revenge, bowling him and getting Tom Abell caught behind next ball, leaving the score at 24-4 after 12.
Somerset had reached 55 when New Zealander Henry Nicholls edged Revis quickly to Hill’s right at first slip, where he clung on one-handed on the dive. It was a fabulous catch.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. George Hill helped Yorkshire recover from 85-5 this afternoon with 45.
