Yorkshire have set Durham a 421 victory target at Headingley, giving themselves 16 overs this evening to make some inroads. This came after Adam Lyth became the eighth batsman to 1000 Division One runs this season. Alex Lees, the seventh, was dismissed for 88. Patterson, to the cheers of the locals at the Kirkstall Lane end, is back on the field.
Yorkshire’s burst of morning wickets opened up a 195-run lead in this match and their opening batsmen Alex Lees and Adam Lyth have swelled it to 346 without a second-innings casualty. At tea on day three, Lees is 66; Lyth 83.
Following two strong sessions, they are now in a position to push for victory over the final four, although it is as yet unclear as to whether Steven Patterson, missing for unspecified family reasons, will return to this match.
With matches against Somerset and Middlesex - their two title rivals - to come, Yorkshire are set to be boosted by the availability of Liam Plunkett and David Willey. There is also a decent chance that Adil Rashid will come back into the equation, although I believe the England camp have been discussing his workload heading into the winter tours of Bangladesh and India, where he is expected to play a fuller part than he has this summer.
Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow (that rotten spell check just changed it to Barstow) have already been told to rest.
Durham, meanwhile, will get Ben Stokes for their finale plus Mark Wood (perhaps for just one of their remaining two matches). All to be confirmed by the ECB in the next 24 hours.
Here is Paul Weaver’s match report from Taunton:
Jack Burnham - or Jack Turnham as the Microsoft spell check prefers - made 49 for Durham and was one of four wickets in six overs with the second new ball. I was pleased his off-stump went cartwheeling rather than being caught by Gary Ballance as that would have forced me to reinsert the second L. Does anyone else have problems with auto-correct? Durham 263-8.
Yorkshire have two wickets – Jack Brooks with the leg before dismissal of Graham Clark, and Jack Burnham bowled by Ryan Sidebottom – in their bid to secure a first-innings lead over Durham. The weather is now set fair.
However, Yorkshire are having to share the second new ball between that pair and Tim Bresnan, with Steven Patterson not at the ground. The Hull-born seamer has returned home - he lives in Leeds - for family reasons.
Durham are 235 for six, 76 runs shy of avoiding the follow-on.
Somerset win by 31 runs
And it’s all over at Taunton, where Somerset have won by 31 runs. They brought on Lewis Gregory and with his fourth delivery he had Wright caught behind for 45.
Then last man Josh Poysden was caught by Marcus Trescothick at leg gully off Leach, to give the bowler six for 42. Warwickshire were all out for 152. This has been some match and Somerset cannot expected to win it after being bowled out for 95 in just 30 overs on the first morning.
Marcus Trescothick took seven catches in the match and that means he has taken 394 catches for Somerset, more than any other player in the county’s first-class history, leaving wicketkeepers aside. Warwickshire, meanwhile, still have relegation worries.
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It’s a tense morning here at Taunton. Warwickshire have just resumed on 131 for eight, needing another 53 runs for victory and two days to get them in.
It is surprising that Somerset are not putting batsmen Rikki Clare and Chris Wright under more pressure. They have opened the bowling with two spinners, Roelof van der Merwe and Jack Leach, with no-one close in in front of the wicket. Only the keeper and the solitary slip are close. It’s 142 for eight now, so 42 more needed.
Sounds like the match at Taunton could be over before day three starts here at Headingley. Warwickshire require 53 runs, Somerset two wickets, and then it will be over to Phil Whitticase, one of the ECB’s cricket liaison officers, to decide if any further action be necessary regarding the state of the pitch.
Drizzle and murk are in the air in Leeds, making a delay to the resumption likely. The forecast suggests it will brighten around lunchtime, though, and Yorkshire will want to get out there as soon as possible. Durham still require 106 runs to avoid the follow-on with six wickets intact. Two greenhorns Jack Burnham and Graham Clark batted with great skill yesterday evening but that was a batting day. This one will begin as a bowling day, no doubt, and the second new ball is 10 overs away.
Elsewhere, Division One leaders Middlesex are well and truly back in the game against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge courtesy of Nick Gubbins’ patient 75. Nottinghamshire are 18 runs to the good with all 10 second-innings wickets standing at the halfway stage. And Notts’ fellow relegation fighters Hampshire are in a positive position at the Oval against Surrey - they resume on 213 for three, 116 runs in arrears.
And in Division Two, inactive Essex will be all-but promoted if Kent lose – as appears likely – to Northamptonshire at Beckenham.
Morning all,
We are back with Richard and Paul today. Here are their reports from yesterday:
Enjoy the cricket.
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