Somerset win despite Lehmann's late effort

Somerset held on for a 15-run victory over Yorkshire in the Norwich Union League game at Bath, despite some thumping lows from Darren Lehmann in the closing stages.

After Peter Bowler's 97 and Ian Blackwell's 76 had steered Somerset to 259-7, Yorkshire found themselves at 145-2 with ten overs left.

But Lehmann got cracking and his unbeaten, 67-ball innings of 75, which included four fours and three sixes, kept hopes alive until the final over.

He and Yorkshire captain David Byas put on 103 for the third wicket, but Byas's anchor role 81 from 118 balls was a touch slow initially.

Steffan Jones was the pick of Somerset's bowlers with 4-40 while Jamie Grove and Keith Dutch took spectacular catches in the deep to remove Byas and Gary Fellows.

After being put into bat, Somerset lost makeshift opener Jason Kerr, Piran Hollway and pinch-hitter Richard Johnson to Paul Hutchison's left-arm seam to leave them on 53-3 inside 12 overs.

But Mark Lathwell helped Bowler put on 57 for the next wicket, before being stumped off Ian Fisher, and then Blackwell joined Somerset's former captain for their match-winning stand.

Bowler, who missed the Championship game with Yorkshire because he was sitting law exams in Nottingham, struck ten fours and a six in his 129-ball innings before being denied his sixth limited overs century by a Matthew Hoggard catch at short fine leg off Gavin Hamilton.

Blackwell lived up to his big-hitting reputation by cracking five fours and four sixes in his 54-ball innings, which ended with a skied slog that gave Craig White a return catch.

Rob Turner and Mike Burns maintained the tempo with an unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 24 from the last three overs.

But it was a bowling display to forget for England international Hoggard, who bowled four no-balls in his nine-over spell of 1-72.