Another dramatic day at Headingley
Craig Overton starred at Headingley again to help strengthen Somerset’s Rothesay County Championship title bid as they hit back strongly against Yorkshire during a dramatic day two.
Talismanic all-rounder Overton top-scored with 64 off 111 balls as Division One leaders Somerset recovered from 86 for eight to 201 all out in reply to Yorkshire’s first-innings 212 all out.
After falling as one of eight wickets for Yorkshire’s excellent new-ball quick Ben Cliff, he then struck twice with the new ball himself as the hosts advanced their second innings to 128 for six. England hopeful George Hill contributed 50 not out.
Yorkshire lead by 139 on a ground where Overton crashed a remarkable 79 not out off 30 balls to turn around July’s Vitality Blast quarter-final in which Somerset were 82 for eight chasing 162. Overton’s England Test best bowling return of three for 14 was also on this ground against India in 2021.
Migael Pretorius also recorded a crucial 58, with both him and Overton falling to Cliff, who returned career best first-team figures of eight for 76 from 16.4 overs.
The morning session proved to be a tug of war, with Cliff, Overton and Pretorius doing the heavy lifting. And this match has been a wonderful advert for the County Championship, the world’s premier red-ball competition.
Cliff struck twice in two balls early on as Somerset fell to 74 for seven. He had James Rew caught behind and Lewis Gregory lbw.
Cliff then had Jack Leach caught behind with a beauty which reared at the batter before Overton and Pretorius impressively limited the damage with a ninth-wicket partnership of 90 – a Somerset record for that wicket in matches against the White Rose.
Pretorius drove nicely and hit 10 fours in all, while Overton hoisted a couple of sixes over long-off and long-on added to half a dozen boundaries. Both sixes came against Cliff, the latter taking him to his fifty.
Cliff had Pretorius caught at first slip and Overton at long-on and recorded the best first-class figures by a Yorkshire bowler since Craig White’s eight for 55 against Gloucestershire at Gloucester in 1998.
Wickets then continued to fall at the start of Yorkshire’s second innings, with Somerset brilliantly seizing the initiative for the first time in the contest.
Overton struck twice, including in his first over.
He bowled Will Luxton through the gate and uprooted his middle stump before getting Adam Lyth caught behind.
When Jake Ball uprooted James Wharton’s off-stump, Yorkshire were 21 for three in the 14th over.
After a brief rain delay, bringing an early tea, Revis was caught at second slip off Ball with the score on 40 and the home lead at 51.
Gregory then had Jonny Bairstow brilliantly caught by a diving Archie Vaughan at cover before Sam Whiteman edged the same bowler to second slip on 35 attempting to leave.
Yorkshire had lost three wickets for 14, slipping to 54 for six.
Hill and Dom Bess then settled nicely to ensure no further damage through to close with an unbroken 74. Hill even slog-swept Leach for six and played some gorgeous cover drives en-route to a 69-ball fifty. Bess contributed 27 against his former county.
Run-scoring has proved difficult throughout the two days on a pitch which has seamed and shown signs of extra bounce. It’s not expected to get any easier for batting, so Somerset are not yet home and hosed.
Make no mistake, though, this was a day when they took a step closer to their maiden four-day title. They started this penultimate round four points ahead of second-placed Nottinghamshire.
