Rashid falls short but Yorks secure draw

Somerset 485 (Cooper 99, Hildreth 82, Abell 62, Trescothick 56, J Overton 50, Patterson 5-70) and 6 for 1 drew with Yorkshire 438 (Leaning 123, Bresnan 100*, Bairstow 50, Trego 4-73) and 419 (Rashid 99, Bairstow 66, Leaning 52)
Scorecard

A difficult week for Jason Gillespie might have ended in defeat, so he will be thankful for small mercies. Yorkshire's unbeaten start to the defence of their 2014 Championship title was under threat here and it took a solid day-long rearguard action to keep his record of defeats since becoming Yorkshire's first-team coach at just three from 53 Championship games.

There was no carrot dangled for Somerset, which would have gone against the grain a little for a man whose cricket philosophy is inherently positive. But from five down overnight with a lead of only 124, it would have been difficult and risky to try to make a game of it, at least one that would have given both sides a chance.

Moreover in the back of many Yorkshire minds would have been the sequence of successful run chases that Somerset pulled off against Yorkshire between 2009 and 2011: 479 in 85.3 overs for a four-wicket victory in 2009; 364 in 65.4 overs to win by six wickets in 2010; and 228 in 40.1 overs without losing a wicket in 2011.

The draw was almost assured by lunch, by which time Somerset had managed to prise out only Jonny Bairstow in addition to the third evening's five wickets. Adil Rashid built on a superb personal record against Somerset, against whom he has scored three centuries in 17 first-class innings. He almost had a fourth, missing out tantalisingly on 99 when he stepped across to flick a ball around the corner from the offspin of Johann Myburgh only to find Alfonso Thomas, lurking at short fine leg.

Nonetheless, one run hardly detracted from the value of the innings, holding Yorkshire together for more than three hours. Tim Bresnan and Liam Plunkett took the total further out of reach before Steve Patterson, who had an excellent match all-round, went past 40 with the bat for the second time to go with his five wickets.

Patterson's bowling was the redeeming feature of Yorkshire's efforts with the ball, which fell some way short of the standards to which we have become accustomed. Conceding a first-innings lead of 47 after scoring 438, even taking into account that it has been a good batting pitch, was an undistinguished performance from which only Patterson emerged with credit, going for only three an over compared with an average above five for the other three seamers.

"To come away with a draw is a pass mark but we were well below par with the ball, barring Steve Patterson, who was outstanding," Gillespie said. "Our batting needs to be more ruthless. We are getting a lot of starts. Jack Leaning got a good hundred and Tim Bresnan got a hundred in the lower order but it is our top six that needs to do the business more consistently.

"I'm incredibly pleased with our fightback today and the way all the lads chipped in and got us to safety but there is a lot of food for thought and improvements that need to be made."

Rashid's solid, patient performance is encouraging, particularly after another episode of frustrated ambitions in the Caribbean, where his lack of opportunity with England prompted Dickie Bird, the Yorkshire president, to ask for him to be allowed home.

The player himself took it all rather more calmly. "It was good to be involved in the England side," he said. "It is always a good experience. At times it was frustrating not to play but to be involved is a step forward. I'm not looking ahead, though. I have always been the kind of person to concentrate on the here and now and let the future take care of itself."

Yorkshire move to 76 points, 12 behind new leaders Durham. The 10-day break before Yorkshire's next Championship match comes at a good moment. Ryan Sidebottom, injured in the opening match of the season, will return to face Middlesex on June 7, which will allow one of his colleagues to enjoy the benefits of a rest.

Somerset, arguably, suffered through the lack of a top-class specialist spinner in their side, which was a source of frustration for director of cricket Matt Maynard. He is allowed only two registered overseas players at any one time and had to deregister Abdur Rehman so that Chris Gayle and Sohail Tanvir can play in the NatWest Blast on Friday, a situation complicated by the 21-day period required between re-registering a player and picking him.

"If we had played Abdur in this game and then deregistered him, he would not have been available to play against Nottinghamshire here (on June 14)," Maynard said. "I think Yorkshire are more comfortable against the spinners than Notts so we decided he would miss this game. It's daft, I know, but those are the rules."

Yet a draw against the champions is not too shabby a result for Somerset, after losing their opening three matches. Coming on the heels of a win against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, moreover, it seems to have set Somerset on an upward curve.

The performance of the Overton twins is encouraging, of course. Jamie's 18-ball 50 is reckoned to be the quickest by a number 11 batsman in first-class cricket since such things were recorded in balls rather than minutes, from 1983 onwards. If Somerset can keep both on the field this could be a significant year in their respective careers.

The other consequence of the meandering last day is that Graeme Hick's status as the last batsman to score 1000 first-class runs before the end of May remains intact, with James Hildreth denied a last opportunity to add to his 915.