Specsavers County Championship
Day 3
Somerset 216 & 200 v Yorkshire 96 & 49-1 

TOM Abell led by example with an excellent captain's innings to rescue Somerset from 24-4 in their second innings and set visitors Yorkshire a testing total.

The away side require 272 runs to win on the final day, and with nine wickets in hand it makes for a tantalising prospect tomorrow. 

The hosts endured a nightmare start to the day at the Cooper Associates County Ground, starting play on 6-0 (a lead of 126 runs) but losing Marcus Trescothick (2) and yesterday's century hero Matt Renshaw (8) to slump to 10-2, as Ben Coad and Jack Brooks claimed a wicket apiece.

James Hildreth hit 10 off eight balls, but then joined Renshaw in being clean bowled by Brooks, before George Bartlett (4) departed, caught behind off Coad, and the ceiling seemed to be falling in on Somerset's heads at 24-4.

However, captain Tom Abell and Steve Davies showed their class in mounting a recovery, constructing a 66-run partnership on a fiendish wicket.

That took Somerset's advantage up past 200, but then Davies fell for 33, caught by Cheteshwar Pujara to give Coad his third scalp.

Lewis Gregory (14) was trapped lbw by Matthew Waite, which ushered in Craig Overton - the England man guiding the home side to 113-6 at lunch alongside Abell, meaning a lead of 233.

Overton hit three boundaries on his way to 18, at which point he became the third man to be bowled by Brooks.

Joined by Dom Bess, Abell brought up his half-century off 103 balls - a score as important as it was well-made in the tough conditions.

Bess (14) and Josh Davey (11) made useful contributions before being dismissed by Waite and Tim Bresnan, respectively, as Somerset reached 200.

Abell was the last man out, bowled by Coad, as he finished up on 82 off 137 balls (eight fours and a six) - a superb captain's innings.

Coad finished the innings with 4-61 off 20.3 overs, while Brooks took 3-44 off 15.

Adam Lyth and Harry Brook made an assured start to the visitors' chase of 321 runs to win, reaching 13-0 in 6.1 overs, at which point bad light stopped play and an early tea was taken.

The breakthrough came from Davey, as Brook (15) edged him to Trescothick at slip, with the score 26-1.

Yorkshire reached 44-1 before bad light halted play again, and although the players returned briefly, there was an early close at 49-1 - Lyth on 25no and Pujara 6no, and the away side needing 272 more runs to win.