Somerset increase Yorkshire woe

Zander de Bruyn guided Somerset to victory over Yorkshire with 70 not out

Yorkshire were left searching for their first LV= County Championship win of the season after losing a hard-fought Division One game with Somerset by four wickets at Headingley Carnegie today.

The victory was Somerset’s first of the campaign and it was achieved through some determined batting on the final day as they homed in on their 296 target.

The visitors resumed on 88 for one and soon strengthened their position as Marcus Trescothick and captain Justin Langer carefully took their second wicket partnership to 95 in 34 overs.

But there was then an element of luck in Trescothick’s dismissal for 78 from 132 balls with seven fours.

The opener aimed to sweep left-armer David Wainwright but missed and the ball bounced up off his pad and grazed his bat - which had gone through with the shot.

Wainwright was bowling with two fingers of his left hand strapped after splitting the webbing while fielding on the previous day but he claimed another wicket in his next over, James Hildreth flicking a catch to Jacques Rudolph at mid-on.

Somerset were 139 for three and Zander de Bruyn came in to play a match-winning innings of 70 not out - although he almost departed for 14.

De Bruyn played at a delivery from Rana Naved-ul-Hasan but the ball fell just short of Joe Sayers at first slip and the fielder had to temporarily leave the field for treatment to a hand injury.

Yorkshire’s spirits were lifted in Naved’s next over, however, as Langer’s gutsy innings of 46 was brought to a close.

The Australian edged a delivery which left him and debutant Jonathan Bairstow - deputising for the injured Gerard Brophy - took the catch.

Criag Kieswetter lashed a Wainwright long hop for six after lunch but Tim Bresnan had him caught behind at the second attempt by Bairstow to leave Somerset on 221 for five.

Wainwright then conceded further sixes to de Bruyn and Peter Trego as the game began to slip away from Yorkshire.

De Bruyn’s 50 came off 79 balls with three fours and a six and it took a fourth catch by Bairstow, this time off Ajmal Shahzad, to send back Trego after the sixth wicket pair had put on 53 in 12 overs.

The breakthrough came with the second over of the new ball but Somerset were by now cruising home and the remaining runs were quickly knocked off, de Bruyn’s unbeaten 70 coming off 101 balls with five fours and a six.

Yorkshire have now gone over a year since their last championship win - and they need to claim a victory soon to get away from the relegation zone.