7:23pm Wednesday 1st July 2009
By Steve Crossman
Five wickets in the final hour put Yorkshire firmly back in control of their County Championship clash with Somerset at Taunton.
The visitors’ hopes of grabbing a first four-day win in over a year are likely to be boosted by a first-innings lead the right side of a hundred.
At 5.30pm, Somerset were 277 for four and on course to catch the Tykes’ total of 438 but their hopes of getting close evaporated in dramatic fashion Craig Kieswetter’s dismissal for 28 signalled the collapse as Ajmal Shahzad’s vicious reverse swing ripped back through the gate onto the stumps.
Peter Trego was then trapped lbw by Matthew Hoggard by a straight delivery that kept low and when Alfonso Thomas edged the same bowler behind, Jonathan Bairstow took a great diving catch to his right.
Loud cheers from the field then accompanied the dismissal of Marcus Trescothick as the former England opener was finally removed for 146 by youngster James Lee from a tired chip straight back to the bowler.
Hoggard then rounded off a terrific day with bat and ball when he cannoned an inswinging delivery into Andy Caddick’s off stump to pick up his fourth wicket and leave Somerset 326 for nine overnight, still trailing by 112 runs.
Hoggard had earlier helped Shahzad take the Yorkshire total past 400 to ensure maximum batting points with three well-placed fours on his way to a crucial score of 26.
Like Jacques Rudolph on day one, Trescothick’s biggest problem proved to be finding anyone to bat with as the hosts’ top and middle-order players got themselves out having played themselves in.
Trescothick produced 24 fours and one crushing six straight back over Azeem Rafiq’s head during an innings that left him ten runs behind Rudolph at the top of the first-class run scoring charts.
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