County Championship: Root takes four wickets as Yorkshire beat Somerset

Joe Root starred with the ball as Yorkshire completed an impressive 75-run County Championship win over Somerset at Taunton.

The visitors managed to add just six runs to their second innings score early in play, with Jhye Richardson hitting a 122-ball half-century before falling behind Craig Overton, who finished with 4-94 in a total of 371.

It left Somerset facing a target of 260 for their third championship win in four matches on a flat pitch.

They quickly fell to 21-3 and were eventually bowled out for 184 shortly after tea, with Root taking 4-49 and fellow spinner Dom Bess 4-60 as Josh Thomas top-scored with 57 for the hosts.

This meant that Yorkshire took 19 points from a match in which they surrendered a first-innings lead of 112 points and the defeat cost Somerset top of Division One as they had to settle for four points.

The morning session was held under mainly blue skies. But after Overton’s early strike ended the second round of Yorkshire’s fight, the home side suffered an all-too-familiar first-class batting weakness.

Archie Vaughan was bowled out for four as he played down the wrong line to a delivery from George Hill, who then switched ends to clip Tom Lamonby’s off-stump as he carried his arms to a ball angled towards him.

When James Rowe was caught behind the drive at the Bess, the hosts were in disarray, and with 239 still needed, Yorkshire were favourites.

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

The pair extended their stand to 64 when Appel, 41, drove forward towards Bess and beat Hill at slip to make the score 85-4.

Teenager Thomas Riou walked to the wicket facing the possibility of a pair on his tournament debut. But the 18-year-old quickly eased any nerves by getting off the mark with a beautifully timed boundary through the covers off Bess.

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

Rowe was not afraid to take his shots, and while Bess’s early reverse sweep led to a confident appeal to catch on his short foot, the youngster was soon displaying the quality that had made him England Under-19 captain at the age of 17.

The second fifty stand of the innings was 15 over, and with the sun shining brightly, Somerset looked to be in control again, but fortunes swung again when Thomas lunged forward to Bess and overcame a routine catch to slip.

Now 124 runs are needed for five wickets and all results are still possible.

Yorkshire were celebrating again six runs later as Rew, 30, tried to cut a wide delivery from Root across point and edged wicket-keeper 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 had a sharp reaction, and at tea Somerset were 167-7, needing another 93.

With only six more added, Will Smid took a back-foot shot from Root and left for 17 minutes.

The next delivery was wide but Miguel Pretorius offered a chance to come back from an ugly swing and Bess completed Somerset’s demise by bowling last man Alfie Ogborne, leaving skipper Lewis Gregory 22 not out.