County Championship Preview: Yorkshire v Somerset
THE MATCH
Somerset travel to Headingley to take on Yorkshire in Division One of the Rothesay County Championship this week.
Day one of this fixture is tomorrow (Tuesday September 15th).
Tickets for this match are still available:
Somerset are currently top of the Division One table with 189 points from 12 matches, whilst Yorkshire are fifth with 142 points from the same number of fixtures.
SCHEDULED HOURS OF PLAY:
Morning session: 10:30am to 12:30pm
Afternoon session: 1:10pm to 3:10pm
Evening session: 3:30pm to 5:30pm
HOW CAN I KEEP UP TO DATE?
You can keep up to date using the dedicated Match Centre on this website which will feature a live stream of the action courtesy of Yorkshire CCC.
In-play updates will also appear on our X feed (formerly Twitter).
In addition to this, a report on the day’s play along with quotes will be posted on this website.
THE OPPOSITION
Captain: Jonny Bairstow
Head coach: Anthony McGrath
2025 finish: 7th
2026 leading run-scorer: Adam Lyth (560)
2026 leading wicket-taker: George Hill (44)
TEAM NEWS
Somerset are without Alfie Ogborne (back), Thomas Rew (ankle) and Fin Hill (hamstring).
The starting XI will be selected from the following squad:
VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Ahead of the match, Somerset Head Coach, Jason Kerr said: “Confidence is high coming off the back of a fantastic performance against Leicestershire. To get a three-day win was great and the nature of the way we played stands us in good stead.
“Yorkshire are a big club with a strong team and they’re coming off a comprehensive win against Essex, so they’ll be buoyed by that. Regardless of the opposition, we’ll look to control what we can to the best of our ability.
“Everyone’s very aware of what’s at stake and I see my role as trying to keep as much of that noise outside the dressing room door. It’s about keeping everyone focused on the things they can control and their attitude towards the environment that they’ll find themselves in over the next four and eight days. We’ve got to play some really good cricket and control what we can for the next four days. If we do that, we’ll see where we are going into that last game.
“As I say, confidence is really high, the guys are playing really well, and I think the last two performances have been almost a complete team performance. There have been contributions across the board from one to 11, and the guys off the field have been incredible. It’s about sustaining that for the next eight days.”
CLASSIC MATCH
We go all the way back to 1901 for the classic County Championship match between the two sides at Headingley.
It was a match that saw Somerset seal a comprehensive victory after a very shaky start.
After winning the toss, Somerset Captain Sammy Woods elected to bat. However, the visitors were bowled out for just 87, despite Woods making 46. Wilfred Rhodes was the pick of bowlers, claiming five for 39.
In reply, Yorkshire secured a big first innings lead after being dismissed for 325.
Batting for a second time, Somerset amassed an incredible 630, thanks to hundreds from Lionel Palairet (173), Len Braund (107) and Francis Phillips (122).
The Somerset attack then bowled their hosts out for just 113 as Somerset secured the win by 279 runs.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
If you are planning to attend the match, all the information you need can be found on the official Yorkshire CCC Website.
NEXT MATCH
Somerset’s final match of the 2026 season is in the Rothesay County Championship Division One when we welcome Surrey to the Cooper Associates County Ground.
Day one of this four-day match is Thursday September 24th.
