SOMERSET’S dream of lifting the County Championship for the first time looks over for another season after they lost to Yorkshire by 185 runs at Headingley.

With one match remaining against Surrey at Taunton, the Cidermen are 11 points adrift of table toppers Warwickshire who host basement club Leicestershire in their final fixture.

After the hosts won the toss and chose to bat first the Somerset bowlers were straight onto the attack and reduced Yorkshire to 88 for 5. However Jonny Bairstow, who was dropped early on in his innings, and George Hill added 83 for the sixth wicket before Miguel Pretorius claimed Hill for 45 followed by Somerset old boy Dom Bess next ball.

Bairstow stayed at the wicket and helped the score onto 207 before he became Pretorius’ third victim, caught by Lewis Gregory for 79 before Yorkshire were all out for 212. For the visitors Gregory took 3 for 46, Overton 3 for 49 an Pretorius. 3 for 51.

When Somerset replied their top order struggled against the Yorkshire bowlers and they found themselves in deep trouble at 86 for 8 in the 34th over. Pretorius walked to the wicket to join Overton and between them the pair took the score onto 176 before the former was out for 58, scored off 71 balls with 10 fours. Overton stayed to see Somerset onto 201 before he was the last wicket to fall, having made a patient 64 off 111 deliveries with six 4s and two 6s. The bowler doing the damage for Yorkshire was Ben Cliff who ended with 8 for 76.

With a slender lead of 11 runs, Overton removed both Yorkshire openers with five runs on the board. Ball accounted for the next two wickets and when Gregory had Bairstow caught by Archie Vaughan for one followed by Sam Whiteman for 35, the hosts looked on the rack at 54 for 6.

Somerset were very much in the ascendancy, but all that changed as Bess and Hill set about sharing a game changing partnership. Between them the seventh wicket pair added 166 together in 57 overs to take Yorkshire onto 220 when Overton had Hill caught by ‘keeper James Rew for 89. Bess, who hails from Sidmouth and came up through the Somerset Academy, followed 8 overs later, bowled by Pretorius for 77. Vaughan claimed the remaining two wickets as Yorkshire were all out for 275.

Overton ended with 3 for 44, whilst there were two wickets each for Gregory, Ball and Vaughan.

Chasing a target of 287 for victory Somerset were bowled out for 101 in 48.2 overs - losing their last seven wickets for 25 runs in 13 overs.

Somerset head coach Jason Kerr said immediately afterwards: “It was extremely disappointing. We came here this morning with belief and needing early partnerships and we thought we’d have the opportunity, but there was a ridiculous amount of life in the surface for a day four pitch and it proved too much.”

Regarding the seventh wicket partnership of 166 the head coach said: “If you’re chasing 150 or 170 then it’s a different game. Dom Bess and George Hill played extremely well and their partnership made a significant difference.”

Regarding the last game the head coach said: “We know that we have to beat Surrey and need things to go our way elsewhere.”