Yorkshire close on county title after defeating Somerset at Headingley
Thursday 3 September 2015 14:26, UK
Yorkshire moved a step closer to retaining the County Championship title after defeating Somerset by an innings and 126 runs at Headingley.
The home side picked up the eight wickets required for victory before lunch on day three and will win the title again if they avoid defeat against Middlesex at Lord's in their next match or if Middlesex fail to defeat Warwickshire in the game currently taking place at Edgbaston.
Somerset were 237 runs in arrears when they resumed their second innings on 44-2, but they began in positive fashion as Tom Cooper and James Hildreth smashed early boundaries to help bring 22 runs from the first four overs.
Tim Bresnan and Ryan Sidebottom struggled to make the early breakthrough but it duly arrived after Steven Patterson was brought into the attack at the football end.
Cooper edged into the gloves of Jonny Bairstow as he attempted to drive to leave the visitors on 87-3.
Hildreth, who tops the Division One run charts, completed his half-century before Patterson pounced again, with James Allenby caught by Aaron Finch at third slip.
But Hildreth soon followed; Jack Brooks having him caught at second slip by Adam Lyth for 57.
Another wicket went down at 137 as Peter Trego wafted outside off-stump and was caught behind, but New Zealand international Luke Ronchi offered some resistance until he feathered another catch to Bairstow off Sidebottom.
The last ball of the same over sent Craig Overton back to the pavilion as Sidebottom sent his middle stump flying out of the ground.
Lewis Gregory was the next to go as he edged Bresnan to Lyth at second slip and a one-sided contest was over when Tim Groenewald sliced Bresnan into the hands of Gary Ballance at point.
Ballance was joint top-scorer for Yorkshire on 91 along with Bairstow, and the former praised the team effort in securing a victory that moves them tantalisingly close to retaining the title.
Team performance
"It was a great overall team performance, bowling well on the first morning, with some of the best bowling I have seen for a while from the lads," Ballance told Sky Sports News HQ.
"To then back it up with the bat and get a good first-innings lead was also good in tough conditions.
"This morning there was some more excellent bowling to wrap up the game and get an innings win.
"They started well for the first 30 or 40 minutes and we struggled to get a wicket, but once we got that first one we knew it was tough to come in on this wicket and score runs early on so we kept on taking wickets and that's what got us through in the end."
Ballance refused to celebrate success in the County Championship too early, although he admitted he was pleased to be among the runs having lost his place in the England team.
"Until we completely win it we don't want to say we have, but if the result goes our way at Edgbaston with Warwickshire v Middlesex, then hopefully we only need a few points next week against Middlesex," he added.
"It was good to get a big hundred last week against Sussex and then to come out in quite tough conditions to graft out a score is always good and hopefully I can continue that for the rest of the season."
