Specsavers County Championship

Somerset 268 & 281-4d v Yorkshire 213 & 157 by 179 runs

SOMERSET picked up their first County Championship victory of the season at the eighth attempt after comprehensively beating Yorkshire by 179 runs at Scarborough.

Having set the hosts 337 to win, Craig Overton continued his fine form with four wickets and Jack Leach wrapped up the win with four of his own as the visitors picked up a much-needed morale boost.

Resuming on 234-3 going into the final day, captain Lewis Gregory resisted the temptation to declare overnight and instead saw his batsmen add quick runs on the fourth morning.

Adam Hose hit three boundaries before falling for 16, Steve Davies added a quickfire 22 not out from 12 balls and James Hildreth - who had resumed on 85 - completed his first century of the season with a flick for four down the leg side off Ben Coad.

Hildreth's celebration was one of relief as much as joy and, having seen the 32-year-old reach 101 from 120 balls, Somerset instantly declared on 281-4 to set the hosts a target of 337 runs to win from 90 overs.

The pursuit of victory couldn't have started any better for Somerset, as Gregory comprehensively bowled Alex Lees for a duck in the first over of the innings.

Craig Overton, full of confidence after his five-fer on day two, continued where he left off and removed Harry Brook and Peter Hanscomb with consecutive deliveries to leave Yorkshire reeling on 12-3.

That became 36-4 when Tom Kohler-Cadmore guided an Overton delivery to Tim Rouse at second slip, and Gregory then returned to claim a vital breakthrough as Adam Lyth was clean bowled for 37 just before the lunch interval.

The afternoon session saw Jack Leach come to the fore, with the spinner making up for lost time having not bowled at all in the first innings.

Having been hit for two boundaries in his first over after lunch, the spinner recovered to pick up the crucial wickets of captain Tim Bresnan (25) and Adil Rashid (11).

The quickfire double breakthrough left Yorkshire struggling on 92-7, and any hopes the home side may have had of frustrating the rampant visitors were diminished in the next over as an Overton snorter proved too much for Andrew Hodd to handle and Eddie Byrom took the catch in the leg side.

Ben Coad delayed the inevitable with two lofted sixes off Leach, but an attempt to add a third succeed only in picking out Adam Hose in the off-side to provide the spinner with his third wicket.

Liam Plunkett also went on the attack against Leach, striking four maximums on his way to 39, though the 25-year-old again had the last laugh as Plunkett edged to Jim Allenby at slip to seal the win.

Leach finished with 4-51, while Overton ended with 4-47 and nine wickets in the match to provide Somerset with that long overdue winning feeling.