Cricket: Yorkshire made to struggle

Round-up

Somerset, who were in decent positions in their previous three Championship matches before the weather intervened, suffered a familiar fate at Taunton yesterday. They had Yorkshire on the rack at 52 for 3, itself an improvement from 3 for 2, before play was abandoned for the day at 2.30pm.

Kevin Shine, who had seen Michael Vaughan dropped off his first delivery of the match, removed Martyn Moxon for a duck two balls later.

Vaughan's reprieve proved momentary as in the next over he pushed forward to Andy Caddick and gave a routine catch to wicketkeeper Mike Burns.

When he was on 18 David Byas shouldered arms to a ball by Graham Rose which nipped back and clipped the stumps.

What little play that took place at Cardiff was dominated by Hampshire's Matthew Hayden. Before showers and bad light finally brought a close to a much-interrupted day with his side on 94 for 1, the Australian opener hit his first Championship half-century.

After losing Giles White, caught at third slip by Steve James off Waqar Younis, Hayden and Kevan James made steady progress. Hayden, 54 not out at the close, kept his concentration despite several breaks in play and reached his half-century off 92 balls by driving Darren Thomas through mid-off for his fourth boundary.