Bresnan continues to press his case

Yorkshire made promising progress against Somerset on the third morning of their Division One match at Headingley before rain stopped play just before lunch.

Tim Bresnan, who is pushing for a place in the England squad ahead of the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's next week, claimed two early wickets and leg-spinner Adil Rashid captured two in two balls to reduce Somerset to 190 for 5 by the time the weather intervened.

The visitors were left needing a further 226 to avoid the possibility of following on and their situation could have been much worse if Yorkshire had not also spilled two catches.

England opener Nick Compton had grafted hard the previous evening for his 33 but when Somerset resumed on 92 for 1 he offered no stroke to the second ball of the day from Bresnan and was out lbw. Nightwatchman Jack Leach survived a confident shout for a catch behind the wicket off Jack Brooks but after edging Bresnan through the slips for four he had his off stump flattened by the same bowler.

Bresnan's double left Somerset on 123 for 3 but Alviro Peterson and James Hildreth stopped the slide with some confident shots, although the South Africa batsman would have gone for 24 if his edge off Steve Patterson had been held low down at second slip by Adam Lyth.

There was more misfortune for Patterson when Peterson edged him through the vacant third slip. The gap was then plugged but the chance had gone. Bresnan was rested after his impressive seven over spell from the Football End had brought him two wickets for 25 runs.

He was replaced by Richard Pyrah, who was hit to the midwicket boundary by Hildreth, but the batsman then had an escape as Joe Sayers fluffed a chance at third slip. Unperturbed, Hildreth stroked the next ball through the covers for four to take him to 10,000 runs in first class cricket.

Rashid found himself unemployed until he was finally given a bowl at 169 for 3 in the 62nd over but Peterson went on to cut him for four to complete his half-century from 76 balls with seven boundaries and a similar shot crossed the rope later in the over.

There was revenge for the leg-spinner in his next over when he beat Peterson through the air and he drove a catch to Patterson at mid-on. Arul Suppiah came to the crease and promptly left it, caught by Sayers at short leg off his first ball. Rashid had to wait until his following over to attempt the hat-trick but Jos Buttler survived and the rain came shortly afterwards.