Yorkshire held up. By Gubbins!

posted by John Winn

Problems with the overhead wires at Retford, which have bedevilled the east coast mainline in recent weeks delayed my arrival in to the capital yesterday to the extent that as I walked by the Nursery Ground at Lord's I heard Sidebottom's first appeal of the morning, alas turned down but I was soon seated alongside my friend and Yorkshire and Middlesex member, John Gawthrope. Divided loyalties for John? Not in the least and he was pleased as the next Yorkshire man or woman, and there were plenty in the ground, when Brooks sent Robson on his way with the score at 11. Sufficeint reason to repair to the Bowler's Bar from where we saw Compton go in the same fashion, lbw Brooks.

33 for 2 and the first point of the day almost in Yorkshire's hands, unlike the ball which at least three, possibly four times slipped through their fingers to hit the hallowed turf. Most expensive of these misses was to Rafiq at point off Gubbins when the Leeds/Bradford MCCU product had only 22. When bad light brought an early closure about 5:00 the very promising left hander was undefeated on 120, almost 60% of his sides runs. Yorkshire have packed their side with seam to the extent of weakening the batting, it appears as though Bresnan might bat as high as five, and the five pace bowlers restricted Middlesex to a little over two and a half runs per over. Willey preferred to Plunkett, went for 15 in his first over but then settled to concede only 39 off his next 13. Miser of the day, Sidebottom, gave up just 23 off his fifteen overs but he went wicket less, no repeat of last year's three wickets in his first over alas.

Meanwhile in the west the third team with designs on finishing top of the table, Somerset, who must have cheered when they heard that bad light had intervened in NW8, allowed the euphoria to go their heads and collapsed against Notts to a point where four batting points, let alone five, seem unlikely. A Taunton scoreboard that read 302 for 2 and 322 for four, this morning will show 322 for 9  with the last five having gone down at that score, Jake Ball the main destroyer.

Our Deputy Little Ouseburn correspondent reports that it is a fine sunny morning at Lord's with play due to resume in half an hour. This is the 'live table'

Middlesex  played 15 batting 47, bowling 37, 214

  

Somerset played 15, batting 43, bowling 38,   206

Yorkshire played 15 batting 45, bowling 40,   205

Barring an all run 28 at Taunton Yorkshire can draw level with Somerset with the first ball of the day. Time to fire up Robert Key and Nasser Hussain.