Somerset v Yorkshire: Scores and match report from County Championship Division One

Match scores (Taunton): Day three close of play

Yorkshire win by three runs

Yorkshire 1st inns: 202 (Hodd 59, Handscomb 25; Overton 3-30)

Yorkshire 2nd inns: 283 (Ballance 98, Handscomb 70; Bess 5-80, Leach 3-53) 

Somerset 1st inns: 224 (Overton 44no, Gregory 43; Sidebottom 5-56)

Somerset 2nd inns: 258 (Hose 68, Davies 59; Patterson 3-28, Sidebottom 3-59)

Day four report 

Ryan Sidebottom finished with match figures of eight wickets for 115 runs as high-flying Yorkshire edged a three-run Specsavers County Championship victory over Somerset.

The veteran left-arm seamer took three of the last four wickets to fall at Taunton as the home side, chasing 262 to win, crashed from 231 for six to 258 all out.

Adam Hose and Steve Davies hit half-centuries as Somerset battled to record their first Division One success of the season - but Sidebottom's guile and some ill-advised shots from the hosts' lower order meant another day of frustration for Matthew Maynard's team.

Yorkshire's fielders raced around the outfield in elation when the last wicket fell. They took 20 points to Somerset's four from a memorable game which continually swung to and fro.

Starting the day on 101 for four, requiring a further 161, Somerset reached lunch on 205 for six, thanks largely to their two overnight batsmen.

Hose and Davies batted comfortably through the first hour against mainly seam bowling, although both were watchful and advanced the total slowly at first.

Hose went to his maiden Championship half-century off 103 balls, with a six and five fours, showing commendable maturity in a pressure situation on his debut in the competition.

Davies then brought up his first half-century since joining Somerset from Surrey during the winter. The experienced left-hander had faced 109 deliveries and struck six fours at that stage.

The stand was worth 118 in 39 overs when Hose lost concentration and drove a wide, flighted ball from Karl Carver in the air to Peter Handscomb at short cover.

Lewis Gregory has been in good recent form with the bat and was soon on the attack, launching boundaries off successive Adam Lyth deliveries.

He and Craig Overton, celebrating his call-up to England's T20 squad, were unbeaten at lunch, with 57 still needed - Overton having struck a straight six off Lyth.The afternoon session saw Overton hit his second six, this time depositing a Carver long-hop over wide long-on.

With 40 needed, Yorkshire skipper Gary Ballance recalled Sidebottom to the attack and it proved a matchwinning decision.

The veteran's first over back saw Overton edge to third-man for four and the second saw Gregory, on 26, chase a wide delivery and drive a catch to cover - where Carver took the ball with both hands above his head.

The stand with Overton had added 42 in 13.5 overs, but 31 more runs were still needed when Overton was joined by twin brother Jamie.

Both players are naturally aggressive batsmen but the situation called for cool heads.Craig played and missed twice in Sidebottom's last over, persuading the wily left-armer not to take the new ball when it became available.

It proved a good decision as Craig chanced his arm once too often, driving at a wide delivery and nicking a catch behind to give Sidebottom his second wicket of the innings.

Jack Leach edged Lyth just short of second slip as the tension grew, then Sidebottom struck again as Leach swung across a full-length ball and departed lbw for a single.

With 12 needed, Jamie Overton hit Lyth for six and two before chipping the off-spinner to midwicket - where Carver took the catch to spark wild Yorkshire celebrations. 

Day three report

Gary Ballance took his average in nine Specsavers County Championship innings this season to 103.85 as Yorkshire pressed for victory over Somerset at Taunton.

The 27-year-old left-armer boosted his prospects of an England Test call with an unbeaten 98 as his side progressed their second innings from an overnight 127 for two to 283 all out, Peter Handscomb contributing 70 and Dom Bess taking five for 80.

Steven Patterson then claimed three quick wickets as Somerset, chasing 262 to win, crashed to 49 for four before closing on 101 for four, needing a further 161 on the final day.

Ballance, unbeaten on 15 at the start of the day, held the Yorkshire innings together, showing the sort of application needed on a dry pitch offering just enough assistance to the spinners to make batting tricky.

He lost overnight partner Handscomb with the total on 158 as the Australian pushed forward to off-spinner Bess and edged to Marcus Trescothick at slip.

Bess quickly followed up by removing Jack Leaning to another Trescothick slip catch, this time tempting the batsman to drive at a cleverly flighted delivery wide of off stump.

Ballance went to his half-century off 98 balls, with nine fours, and found a positive partner in Matthew Waites, who hit Bess for three boundaries in an over as the pair took the total to 213 for four at lunch.

That gave Yorkshire a lead of 191. But the early post-lunch session proved disastrous for them as four wickets fell for the addition of only 10 runs.

The first ball after the interval saw Waites caught at short-leg off Jack Leach. The left-arm spinner also accounted for Azeem Rafiq and Patterson, while Bess pinned Andrew Hodd lbw.

Suddenly, at 223 for eight, the visitors looked vulnerable. But Ballance was still there calming any dressing-room nerves and Karl Carver contributed 13 to a priceless ninth-wicket stand of 51.

Somerset delayed taking the second new ball with Bess and Leach bowling well in tandem. And when they did take it the only immediate result was an increase in the Yorkshire scoring rate.

By the time Carver was run out by Leach's accurate throw to the wicketkeeper after the batsmen had hesitated over a quick single to backward point, Yorkshire were 252 in front and looking favourites again.

Ballance had faced 230 balls, hitting 11 fours and two sixes, in an immensely impressive display of patience and sound technique when Bess claimed his fifth victim, last man Ryan Sidebottom falling lbw, much to his dismay.

Bess's 30th Championship wicket in just five appearances was unlucky for Balance, who had just moved to 98 with an extraordinary uppercut six over third man off Jamie Overton.

But any disappointment in Yorkshire ranks was soon dispelled by Patterson, who had Dean Elgar caught behind down the leg side before adding to the woes of Somerset's young skipper Tom Abell by trapping him lbw pushing half forward.

It has been a wretched season so far for the 23-year-old Abell, who saw two more wickets fall as Patterson had Trescothick caught behind for a scratchy seven and James Hildreth fell lbw to Waites for a breezy 27.

Adam Hose, on his Championship debut, was then joined by Steve Davies, another to have struggled this season. Together they gave Somerset hope with an unbroken stand of 52 in 18.5 overs.

Day two report

Ryan Sidebottom claimed five for 56, including his 750th first-class wicket, as Yorkshire edged the second day of the Specsavers County Championship match with Somerset at Taunton.

By the time bad light ended play six overs early, the vistors were 127 for two in their second innings, leading by 105.

Sidebottom had ensured Somerset's first innings lead would not be significant. After beginning the day on 41 for three, the hosts were bowled out for 224 in reply to Yorkshire's 202.

Then Peter Handscomb, with an unbeaten half-century, ensured a fascinating day ended with his side in a decent position.

James Hildreth was first to go in the morning session when he left a ball from Steve Patterson that moved into him and was lbw.

Lewis Gregory, fresh from his maiden first-class century against Middlesex, was quickly into his stride and took three boundaries off Azeem Rafiq's first over.

At the other end, Steve Davies survived an early chance when he was put down at second slip off Sidebottom after which he started to grow in confidence. Two overs he struck Patterson crisply to the cover boundary.

The fifth-wicket partnership had added 65 when Davies, on 35, edged a delivery from off-spinner Rafiq to wicket-keeper Andrew Hodd.

Adam Hose, making his first Championship appearance, faced only six balls before he was lbw to Yorkshire debutant Matthew Waite, which brought Craig Overton to join Gregory.

With the total on 114 for six, a lot depended on the Devonian pair of Gregory and Overton and they did not disappoint. Overton hit successive fours off Rafiq and they looked on course to remain together until lunch.

However, Yorkshire had other ideas and brought Sidebottom back into the attack. Off the last ball of the penultimate over before the break, Gregory was lbw to the left-arm seamer for 43.

New batsman Jamie Overton hit some lusty blows, while his brother was more circumspect in the way he played. After moving onto 19, Jamie was leg before to Sidebottom - his 750th first-class wicket.

Jack Leach and Craig Overton edged Somerset closer to their first batting point, but on 199 Leach fell lbw to Waite for 17.

Dom Bess strode to the wicket and nudged his third ball from Waite through point to see up the 200. The last-wicket pair took the total on to 224 when Bess was out for 20, caught at first slip off Karl Carver.

Batting for a second time, Yorkshire openers Adam Lyth and Alex Lees added 35 when Lyth was leg before to off-spinner Bess for 10.

Handscomb joined Lees and started to push the score along, but after they had added 58 for the second wicket in 17.3 overs, Craig Overton returning at the Somerset Pavilion End sent Lees' middle stump cartwheeling.

Hanscomb continued to plunder his runs and went to a deserved half-century with a classy off-drive from Leach, his runs coming off 79 balls with 10 fours. Gary Ballance was unbeaten on 15 when the light closed in.

Day one report

Somerset's batting will come under close scrutiny once again, on day two in Taunton, after their bowlers laid the foundations for yet another tilt at a first Specsavers' County Championship victory of the season.

It has been a difficult summer, with the bat, for Tom Abell's side. Positions of promise have finished with disappointing losses as the county's out of form batsman have failed to reach the mark.

And that was very much the case at the Cooper Associates County Ground on day one of the county's latest Championship game against title hopefuls Yorkshire.

In response to Yorkshire's 202 all out, they lost Dean Elgar, Marcus Trescothick and captain Abell in the final session, as Ryan Sidebottom reduced the host county to 41 for three at the close.

On a wicket being used for the third time this season, it proved to be a difficult day all round for the batsmen as the bowlers once again prospered.

Having chosen to bat first on a wicket that was used against Hampshire two weeks previous, Yorkshire found themselves in trouble from the moment Jamie Overton had former England opener Adam Lyth caught by Lewis Gregory in the gully, for 24.

Alex Lees (six) followed at 34 for two, brilliantly caught by Abell at extra cover, before captain Gary Ballance and Australian Peter Handscomb settled in and took Yorkshire to 79 for two at lunch.

It was after the interval that Somerset took a firm grip on the game, courtesy of some fine bowling by Jamie Overton, brother Craig, fellow seamer Gregory and spinners Jack Leach and Dom Bess.

Leach bowled Ballance around his legs at 82 for three and three overs later Handscomb, who batted well for 25, was trapped leg before by the impressive Jamie Overton.

On a wicket that will almost certainly take some real spin later in the game, it was the endeavour of Jamie Overton that was rewarded once again when Jack Leaning (three) top-edged a pull to Craig Overton at backward square.

Not to be outdone, left-armer Leach picked up Matthew Waite's wicket at 95 for six and from that juncture, it was left to Andrew Hodd to guide Yorkshire towards 200.

He lost partners Azeem Rafiq (six) and Steven Patterson (one) at 134 and 152 respectively, before posting his half century off 55 balls with nine fours and a six.

He finally departed for 59, brilliantly caught by Abell at mid off, off the bowling of Gregory, leaving Karl Carver and Sidebottom to add 31 for the 10th wicket.

Somerset's batting frailty was exposed once more in the final session when Elgar (six) was sent back at 7 for one in the fifth over and both Abell and Trescothick followed shortly after.

Although there were no further hiccups for Somerset, they face an almighty task on day two to maintain their push for that elusive first Championship win of the season.