Root takes four wickets as Yorkshire beat Somerset

Rothesay County Championship, Division One, Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton (day four)

Yorkshire 162 & 365-9: Wharton 92, Root 64; Overton 3-97

Somerset 274 & 184: Thomas 136; White 4-41

Yorkshire (19 pts) beat Somerset (4 pts) by 75 runs

Match scorecard

Joe Root played a starring role with the ball as Yorkshire completed a remarkable 75-run County Championship Division One victory over Somerset at Taunton.

The visitors were able to add only six runs to their second innings score at the start of play, Jhye Richardson reaching a 122-ball half-century before being caught behind off Craig Overton, who finished with 4-94 in a total of 371.

It left Somerset facing a target of 260 to achieve a third Championship victory in four games on a flat pitch.

They soon slumped to 21-3 and were eventually bowled out for 184 shortly after tea, Root claiming 4-49 and fellow spinner Dom Bess 4-60 as Josh Thomas top-scored with 57 for the home side.

It meant Yorkshire took 19 points from a game in which they conceded a first innings lead of 112 and defeat cost Somerset the Division One leadership as they had to be content with four points.

The morning session was played under mainly blue skies. But after Overton’s early strike had ended Yorkshire’s fighting second innings, the hosts suffered all-too-familiar top order batting frailty.

Archie Vaughan was bowled for four playing down the wrong line to a delivery from George Hill, who then switched ends to clip Tom Lammonby’s off stump as he shouldered arms to a ball angled into him.

When James Rew was caught behind driving at former Somerset off-spinner Bess, the hosts were in disarray and, with 239 still needed, Yorkshire were favourites.

Tom Abell suffered no alarms in moving to 24 by lunch, which was taken at 57-3, with first innings centurion Thomas unbeaten on 23.

The pair had extended their stand to 64 when Abell, on 41, pushed forward to Bess and edged to Hill at slip to make the score 85-4.

Teenager Thomas Rew walked to the wicket facing the possibility of bagging a pair on his Championship debut. But the 18-year-old soon eased any nerves by getting off the mark with a sweetly-timed boundary through the covers off Bess.

Bess found some extravagant turn to beat the outside edge of Thomas’s bat, but the left-hander survived to reach 50 off 140 balls.

Rew was not afraid to go for his shots and, while an early reverse sweep off Bess resulted in a confident appeal for a catch at short-leg, the youngster was soon showing the quality that made him England Under-19 captain at the age of 17.

The second 50-stand of the innings occupied 15 overs and, with the sun shining brightly, Somerset looked back in control, but fortunes swung again when Thomas pushed forward to Bess and edged a routine catch to slip.

Now 124 runs were needed with five wickets down and all results were still possible.

Yorkshire were celebrating again six runs later as Rew, on 30, attempted to slash a wide delivery from Root through point and edged to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow.

Root struck again when Overton flicked a delivery from outside off stump straight into the hands of Adam Lyth at short-leg, who held a sharp reaction catch, and at tea Somerset were 167-7, needing a further 93.

With just six more added, Will Smeed edged a back-foot shot off Root and departed for 17.

The following delivery was wide but Migael Pretorius offered a return catch off an ugly swing and Bess completed Somerset’s demise by bowling last man Alfie Ogborne, leaving skipper Lewis Gregory 22 not out.

Report by ECB Reporters’ Network, supported by Rothesay.

Somerset head coach Jason Kerr:

“We are frustrated and disappointed, but at the same time we know we have played some brilliant cricket this season.

“A lot of credit goes to Yorkshire, who have been exemplary in their approach to the game. They knew they had to keep runs dry early on and they did that really effectively.

“The responsibility for defeat lies with failing to develop any of the partnerships we got going into a really meaningful one.

“Josh Thomas had an outstanding game and looked to be putting us back in control. But then we lost wickets again.”

Yorkshire head coach Anthony McGrath:

“It was an incredible win. If I’m honest, I certainly didn’t see it coming at the end of day one.

“When you have been going through a little patch like we have, you have to search inside. I have been mentioning the word belief and from the second morning we have shown it.

“We scrapped with the bat in the second innings and, although we still felt we left a few runs out there, the template of the innings was much better.

“In any standard of cricket, winning after conceding a lead of 112 does not happen often, so we are delighted.”