By Grockle
September 15 2026

And so we move into the end of the Championship.  If we are to win this thing then this game will tell us what to do in the last home game next week.  3 games will effect the situation, we have control over only one as we meet Yorkshire at Headingley.  Lewis Goldsworthy misses out to Archie Vaughan and Jake Ball is chosen instead of Josh Shaw.  The rest of the side is the one that took Leicestershire down in 2 and a half days.  Yorkshire won the toss and will take to the crease first.

CC1 - v Yorkshire @ Headingley Tuesday 15 September 2026

Somerset are still at the top of the CC1 table but only by 4 points and therefore other games are very much in the county's eyeline over the next 4 days.  Neverthless we only have influence over one game and that starts on time at 10:30.  Yorkshire won the toss and will bat first.

The team is the one that faced Leicestershire last week;

Thomas, Lammonby, Abell, Nicholls, Rew (wk), Vaughan, Overton, Gregory (c), Pretorius, Leach Ball

Lewis Goldsworthy and Josh Shaw miss out for this game.

Yorkshire really need to win this game as they have the hardest run in with Yorkshire away and Surrey at home.  Notts and Warwickshire will do what they do and we will have to work with that.  The weather is variable in Leeds with some cloud and blue sky.  The ground has a smattering of spectators but pretty sparse to be honest for the first day of the last CC1 game for the home side..

Adam Lyth and Will Luxton face Lewis Gregory for the first ball.  They take 4 from the first over (in the form of leg byes) but neither bat is off the mark as Migael Pretorius takes the first from the rugby stand end.  Both openers manage to get off the mark in this over and they finish with 6 on the scoreboard.

The two Yorkshire openers settle into their routines until the start of the 7th over when Gregory gets one high on Lyth's bat and he guides the ball straight into the hands of Henry Nicholls at first slip.  Lyth goes for 11 from 26 and Yorkshire are 30 for 1.  The third Yorkshire bat is Sam Whiteman and he fininshes the 7th without scoring so it is a wicket maiden for the captain.  The ball seems to be carrying through to the slips really well this morning as the report is that the pitch is 'rock hard'.

We see how well it carries in the 9th over when Gregory repeats the Lyth dismissal by having Luxton guide the ball to Tom Abell at second sllip for 22 from 19.  Yorkshire are 39 for 2 from 2 outside edges.  Number four in the home side line-up is James Wharton.  Suddenly there are a new pair of bats at the crease with 1 run between them and a Yorkshire start has turned into a Yorkshire rebuilding exercise.

After 10 the score has moved to 39 for 2 and has only added 1 run by the time Craig Overton joins the attack replacing Migael for the 12th.  At the end of the 15th they have added only 10 and during Cove's 16th they move past 50 with a Whiteman single.  50 off 92 balls with Whiteman on 10 from 27 and Wharton only on 1 from 21.

Jake Ball is now his bowling partner after replacing Lewis for the 15th and he has yet to give away a run.  The two bats look in trouble against both bowlers with Wharton only managing 5 but it is Whiteman who finishes the struggle with Jake as he chops him on in the 19th to leave for 14 from 37 at 58 for 3.  This brings in Matthew Revis ahead of Jonny Bairstow and gives Somerset their first bowling point.

Gregory seems to think there is something in this pitch as he brings himself on after 2 for 26 off his first 7.  He comes back on for the 22nd to give Wharton a bit more to wonder about.  However the next wixcket comes from something we all say never happens as Wharton takes on Josh Thomas for a quick single to his left hand and loses the race.  The left hander directly hits from midwicket on the run and Revis is dismissed for 6 from 9 at 68 for 4.  "We never hit the wickets"? Well we do!!

Jonny Bairstow is finally in and is off the mark with a single.  But rain comes sweeping in 20 minutes before the lunch interval and they leave the field at 12:15 at 77 for 4 with both Yorkshire bats on 9 each.  Gregory has 2 for 21 and Jake Ball has 1 for 17 with the fourth being the Thomas direct hit.  They may take an early lunch given the time though it may just be a quick shower.

They do in fact taken an early lunch because of the weather break and so should be back about 1pm on Day 1.

After the break Lewis keeps the pressure on as he starts the 26th over.  Craig begins the afternoon at the other end with Wharton specifically havinig no fun with only 10 from 60 balls he has faced. Sure enough, a ball that beats him finally gets a result in the 30th at 85 for 4 when the skipper bowls him with an absolute peach of an inswinging yorker.  10 runs from 61 and few would have been able to keep that one out.  In comes George Hill to look at producing some kind of partnership.

These two push the score past 100 in the 36th Hill takes a single to move him to 14 from 27 while his captain Bairstow has got 17 from the 35 he has seen off.  100 for 5 halfway through the 36th over at 2.8 runs per over. With tha comes more rain but they seem to be looking to play through it.  They do and by the 40th Yorkshire have 117 for 5 as Ball is back on the marks bowling his 8th.  

The third ball sees a snick through by the Yorks skipper but Rew drops the catch even on the third attempt, he takes it above his head, then it falls out and he has another go but finally trying to dive on it, it hits the ground.  Bairstow is definitely dropped on 27 at 117 for 5!!

Jack is on to bowl for the first time at 132 for 5 in the 44th.  The Yorkshire pair's 50 run partnership comes with the second ball at 136 for 5. These two are looking to take this innings out of the contrioil of the Somerset bowlers and that drop of Bairstow is looking ominous unfortunately.