Torrential overnight rain brought about the early abandonment of Yorkshire's decimated championship match against Somerset at Taunton today.

Although the sun was shining, umpires Vanburn Holder and John Steele had no hesitation in calling the game off well before the scheduled start, parts of the ground having turned into mud.

It was a dismal and disappointing end to Yorkshire's away season and it meant that the best efforts of both teams to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear had come to naught.

Somerset had declared their first innings yesterday tea-time at 141 without loss to leave Yorkshire with a first-innings lead of 183, the hope being that they would be in a position to set the home side a 420 target from the start of today's play.

But that plan also became open to revision because further rain lopped off the day's last 15 overs with Yorkshire on 125 for four which put them 308 runs ahead.

Yorkshire's new opening batting combination of Phil Jaques and Joe Sayers, who piled up 162 together in the first innings in the biggest first-wicket stand of the season, again made rapid progress second time around yesterday with 69 in only eight overs before Jaques spooned Simon Francis to Richard Johnson at mid-off and departed for 27.

Michael Lumb continued his wretched season by driving his second ball straight to Ian Blackwell in the covers and it became 93 for three as Sayers mistimed his pull at Aaron Laraman and was caught at mid-on by Francis for a brisk 46.

With light rain falling, Richard Pyrah turned Francis to backward square leg but was run out at the bowler's end by Laraman's direct hit on the stumps but soon after Matthew Wood had pulled Francis for a big six conditions became too grim to continue.

The autumnal weather made watching cricket an uncomfortable experience for the few hardy spectators but after Yorkshire's first innings in the morning had closed on 324, the home fans relished a fine 75 from veteran Peter Bowler in probably his last match before retiring.