Lyth makes Somerset toil with 142

Yorkshire 296 for 4 v Somerset
Scorecard

Adam Lyth hit a career-best 142 as Yorkshire dominated the opening day of the County Championship match at Taunton. After winning the toss the visitors ran up 296 for 4, with Joe Sayers (50) and Anthony McGrath (73 not out) also enjoying the cloudless skies and flat pitch. Ben Phillips returned a creditable 3 for 52 as Somerset toiled.

Opener Lyth looked untroubled for most of his 255-ball innings, cracking 15 fours in passing his previous best score of 132, made against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 2008.

It was a tough start for Somerset's new overseas signing Murali Kartik, who sent down 26 overs for 79 runs without taking a wicket. Lyth and Sayers produced an unbroken stand of exactly 100 in the morning session, with Lyth reaching his half-century off 81 balls. A couple of edges fell short of the slips, but otherwise the batsmen were untroubled.

Ben Phillips made the breakthrough early in the afternoon session when Sayers played forward and edged to Kartik at second slip having just got to his fifty off 115 deliveries, with four boundaries.

McGrath made a watchful start while Lyth continued to accumulate steadily, reaching his ton with a punch off the back foot off Alfonso Thomas in the 55th over with the score at 163 for 1.

By tea, Yorkshire had progressed to 204 for 1, with Lyth on 113 and McGrath having begun to blossom on 31 - but both were given lives just after the break. Without adding to his score, McGrath was dropped by wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, while Lyth had added only a single when he was missed by Marcus Trescothick at first slip. On both occasions Phillips was the unlucky bowler.

Lyth had excelled with his off-side play, but it was a pull shot that brought his downfall to the eighth bowler used by Somerset, Zander de Bruyn. Phillips took the catch at mid-on in the South African's first over with the total on 251.

Somerset delayed taking the new ball until the 89th over, but then struck twice with it in quick succession. Jacques Rudolph, who had begun with two cracking cover-driven fours off Charl Willoughby, drove tamely at Phillips and departed for 11 to a catch by de Bruyn at mid-off.

The inexperienced Gary Ballance looked edgy and it was no surprise when he edged a catch behind on four to give Phillips his third victim. The two late wickets took the edge off Yorkshire's day, but with McGrath looking more assured with every over, they still ended it in a strong position.