Sidebottom keeps relegation-haunted Yorkshire in fight
Last updated on .From the section Counties
| LV County Championship Division One, Headingley |
| Close, day three: Somerset 265 & 124-6, Yorkshire 195 |
| Somerset 5pts, Yorkshire 3pts |
| Match scorecard |
| Live commentary |
Yorkshire might be on the brink of relegation, but Ryan Sidebottom ensured that they will go down fighting.
The former England paceman played a major part in a ninth-wicket stand of 53 - the highest of the innings - which dragged Yorkshire to 195 all out.
That left them trailing by 70 and, in a furious spell of bowling either side of tea at Headingley, he then grabbed 4-34 as Somerset stumbled to 46-5.
The visitors closed on 124-6, leading by 194, to leave the game wide open.
It leaves Yorkshire still in with a shout of recording their only win of the season at headquarters. But, when stumps were drawn, the scoreboard showed that their over rate stood at -2. And, if it should remain in the red, then they will be relegated, regardless of what happens elsewhere next week.
Even if the Tykes get back to level par, Worcestershire would require only one more point from their trip to Durham next week to send Yorkshire down.
Until Sidebottom began his heroics, Yorkshire looked like ending a depressing campaign on another dismal note as wickets began to fall as soon as they resumed on 20-0.
Joe Root was lbw to Alfonso Thomas' fifth ball of the morning and captain Joe Sayers was similarly dismissed in the next over from Steve Kirby, who then found a beautiful delivery which nipped away from Anthony McGrath and caught his edge.
Only Adam Lyth batted with any authority for 52, as both Jonny Bairstow and Gary Ballance got out to poor shots.
The slide continued early in the afternoon, with Thomas accounting for Lyth and Ajmal Shahzad in consecutive overs to bring in Sidebottom on 133-8.
Sidebottom made 27 in his stand with Rich Pyrah, who was still there at the end on 31.
Alex Barrow and Arul Suppiah then safely negotiated the first eight overs before Sidebottom left them in disarray with three wickets for one run in 16 balls.
But, having slumped to 46-5, then 78-6, Somerset's seventh-wicket stand between Meschede (30no) and Thomas (25no) was worth 46 at the close.
