Somerset find riches as Harvey delivers rubbish

Ian Harvey suffered the humiliation, rare for one of Australia's world champions, of being barracked. It happened during a hellfire morning and early afternoon as Yorkshire's bowlers, Harvey and Richard Dawson especially, were hit to all parts and outside, too.

Ian Harvey suffered the humiliation, rare for one of Australia's world champions, of being barracked. It happened during a hellfire morning and early afternoon as Yorkshire's bowlers, Harvey and Richard Dawson especially, were hit to all parts and outside, too.

Harvey, who went for 90 runs in 17 overs, was told his bowling was "crap'' and "rubbish'', while his captain Matthew Wood was advised to "put a bowler on'' as Somerset, 238 behind at the start, took 183 off the morning's 36 overs. They were ahead by 2.40pm and 100 in the lead by 3.35.

A crowd that totalled 7,000 by this second day were less tolerant of an Australian and, in fact, Yorkshire's seamers were little better. Harvey, one innings against Lancashire apart, has proved to be a dismal signing as the second overseas player.

For Somerset, themselves in a sorry season, this was glory, glory all the way. Ricky Ponting became their fifth player to make a century on Championship debut, a delightfully polished 112, with barely an error, ended when he tried to turn Dawson and was swiftly taken by silly mid-off.

John Francis followed with a maiden century, solid at the start but then lit regularly by blazing sixes off the spinners and Harvey.

Ian Blackwell, arriving at 228 for 2, could not have imagined a better stage for his fireworks and bang, bang the sixes came, two off Harvey, four off Dawson, as the spectators dived, leapt, fell over chairs and watched the ball go sailing into the street.

Not until mid-afternoon when Yorkshire called upon their regular redeemer Darren Lehmann did the match return to normality. Blackwell and Aaron Laraman were tempted into driving, Mike Burns was neatly stumped, while Harvey regained some credit with a backward-diving slip catch to remove Rob Turner.

Lehmann apart, the one player who had the crowd with him all day was the 18-year-old debutant leg-spinner Mark Lawson. If he gave no evidence of great turn, he did keep a commendable length and line and was a steadier prospect than the experienced Dawson.

When he bowled Simon Francis, in his 17th over, he got the biggest cheer of the day. Next ball Nixon McLean swung to fine leg where Dawson, diving, pulled off a superb catch. So Lawson starts the second innings on a hat-trick.

The euphoria soon faded. In the 23 overs remaining in the day, Yorkshire contrived to lose three wickets in reducing the deficit to 92.

Somerset's second win in 20 Championship matches could arrive today.