It may not be arithmetically possible for Yorkshire to win the County Championship during this game but they certainly had the look of champions elect after an impressive performance with both bat and ball on Tuesday.
During a torrid morning session Somerset were reduced to 85 for eight as they failed to cope with devastating opening spells from the new-ball pair of Jack Brooks and Ryan Sidebottom, who dismissed the first five batsmen for single-figure scores.
Brooks, who has been one of county cricket’s more consistent seamers over the past few seasons and can probably count himself unfortunate not to have been considered for England, was the stand-out performer, finishing with figures of five for 35, his best display for Yorkshire since he moved from Northamptonshire in 2012.
Brooks, who was recalled after being left out of their previous championship game at Hove, said: “I was quite nervous today, probably the most nervous I’ve been this season having been out of the team and trying to prove a point.
“I’ve got a good record at Headingley and I knew that, if I came out of the blocks flying and put the ball in good areas, I could get some wickets. Some people are just suited to some pitches, I suppose, and I like running down the hill here.”
Tom Abell was Brooks’ first victim with the opener edging to first slip for two with the score on six in the fourth over. Matters got decidedly worse when Marcus Trescothick departed three overs later for five after Sidebottom produced a fine delivery to hit the former England opener’s stumps.
Somerset were soon 14 for three when Brooks claimed his 50th championship wicket of the season, having Tom Cooper caught at second slip for five before striking again three balls later with Jim Allenby shouldering arms for a duck.
Sidebottom then returned, enticing James Hildreth to edge to Adam Lyth at first slip to leave the visitors on 20 for five. Peter Trego threatened to spark a comeback but he became Tim Bresnan’s first wicket when the former England man had him caught behind in his first over.
A brief rally from Luke Ronchi, the New Zealand wicketkeeper making his debut, and Lewis Gregory put on 38 in 10 overs for the seventh wicket but Brooks, returning for his second spell, quickly ended the partnership, trapping Gregory leg-before for 24. The score of 74 for seven soon became 85 for eight when Steven Patterson got Craig Overton caught at cover for 10 to round off the perfect morning for the hosts, who also welcomed back Lyth’s fellow Ashes player Jonny Bairstow, with Garry Ballance already returned to the fold.
A 50-minute rain break after lunch brought some respite for Somerset, whose day had started badly when the quick bowler Jamie Overton injured himself in the warm-up. His replacement Tim Groenewald remained unbeaten on 15 at the end of the innings after Brooks made Ronchi his fifth wicket and Patterson removed Jack Leach who gave Lyth his third slip catch of the innings.
As well as the title and relegation issues dominating this game, Lyth’s county return offered another intriguing sub-plot. After a miserable Ashes experience in which he averaged 13.1 with the bat, Lyth clearly welcomed the chance to perform in more familiar surroundings.
Although never looking particularly fluent, he battled his way to a half-century off 85 balls after surviving a dropped catch down the leg side by Ronchi when on seven. He was joined by his fellow England struggler Ballance after Alex Lees was leg-before to Overton for 10, and it was easy to see this game as a shot at redemption for both batsmen.
It was a shame then when Lyth fluffed his lines by chasing a wide delivery off Allenby, resulting in Gregory taking a fine one-handed catch at gully. There was an undeniable sense of history repeating itself about the shot and it left Ballance – tantalisingly unbeaten at the close on 49 after the late loss of his captain, Andrew Gale – assuming the leading role in this play within a play.
