Date-stamped : 25 May97 - 06:15 Caddick in hiding for Tests By Charles Randall at Taunton First day of four: Yorkshire 52-3 v Somerset THE odd thing about Andrew Caddick`s omission from England`s one-day squad is the reasoning behind it, an event which must have surprised the Somerset bowler. Whatever Caddick`s private thoughts, he publicly appreciated the efforts the selectors made to explain everything to him. "The idea was that they want to hide me from the Australians in readiness for the Test series - as long as I`m picked for that, of course," he said. What bad luck for him if he is "hidden" and then, for some reason, not selected for the Test series, one might think. Perhaps he was pondering that while running up against Yorkshire on a seaming pitch at damp Taunton yesterday after a rain- delayed start. With conditions in his favour he did not look particularly penetrative, though he snared Michael Vaughan, who too late tried to leave a kicking delivery. Darren Lehmann, Yorkshire`s Australian, played Caddick skilfully after leaving one ball that buried itself in his midriff, and David Byas helped revive a terrible start. Byas was eventually bowled - no stroke at a Graham Rose cut-back - while Martyn Moxon, back after injury, was held at second slip from Kevin Shine`s third ball. His first had had Vaughan dropped. The day was washed out after lunch. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Lehmann easily finds the target By Charles Randall at Taunton Second day of four: Yorkshire 183-5 v Somerset SOMERSET have made a very promising start to the season, dominating all three championship games before falling into a bath of rain, and they would probably have destroyed Yorkshire`s innings yesterday without Darren Lehmann`s classy 109 not out. Lehmann, aged 27 and heavily built, had arrived for his first season in England from South Australia with a reputation for blazing strokeplay. So his composed 3.5 hours at the crease in dank, seaming conditions at Taunton could hardly have been more impressive. It was as though the left-hander had bottled his aggression in a pressure cylinder, releasing rifle-crack strokes at the touch of a button. His cover-drives and cuts scudded over the turf with astonishing power, and one quirk - quitting on the drive with the bottom hand off the handle - earned three boundaries safely past slip, and even those looked deliberate. The key was Lehmann`s judgment in defence. He was hardly troubled by anyone, not even Andrew Caddick, who asked stern questions before bad light finished a day of 36 overs. Mushtaq Ahmed`s leg-spin was played easily - less so by Lehmann`s colleagues -and Craig White`s punishment for failing to solve the Caddick problem was a rearranged wicket. Somerset could regard themselves unlucky to have met batting of such quality. And from a man not considered good enough for Test cricket. Anthony McGrath resumed as Lehmann`s partner, having dispelled any fear of a duck. He made a `pair` last week, at Warwickshire, and it was against Somerset last year that he had suffered a king pair - two first-ball ducks with orange sauce. He did not last long, thin-edging a catch off Kevin Shine, who then had White missed by the diving Michael Burns in the same over. Lehmann`s fifty arrived in two hours, and he then took most of the strike as the crisis heightened. His chanceless hundred off 203 balls, a consistent tempo right through, was an innings to be proud of. No wonder his bat punched the air repeatedly with joy. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Somerset open way for chase By Charles Randall at Taunton Third day of four: Yorkshire (306 & 124-2) lead Somerset (203-5 dec) by 227 runs SOMERSET produced some pugnacious batting of their own to shift some of the focus away from Darren Lehmann`s 177, and a declaration offered the prospect of a combative final day at Taunton today. The County Ground, one of the more pleasant venues on the circuit, had looked rain-sodden, bedraggled and sorry for itself during this match, the dampness proving no good for Dermot Reeve`s chest infection. Somerset`s coach managed to crack a smile yesterday, because the sun came out at last and batsmen other than Lehmann played some exhilarating shots. Conditions were even dry enough for some workmen to play an impromptu cricket game in the adjoining St James`shurchyard. Somerset recovered well after Lehmann had expanded his overnight hundred at a run-a-ball rate in the morning, and Andrew Caddick emerged with a satisfactory six wickets. Though Caddick added another wicket in the evening, David Byas regained Yorkshire`s initiative with a crisp fifty to celebrate the birth of his first son. Somerset had batted with gusto after three early wickets fell. Simon Ecclestone leant into some glorious drives in his 79, and it was surprising to realise the left-hander was still seeking a maiden first-class hundred after three county seasons. Many of his 14 fours were punched off the back foot past mid-on or extra cover, and there was one that screamed back over Peter Hartley`s head in the best Caribbean style. The Yorkshire attack might not have been as demanding as Somerset`s, but Hartley soon seamed one back at Mark Lathwell, plumb leg-before third ball, to be followed by Peter Bowler, thin-edging a leg-glance. Piran Holloway`s run-out was just plain silly, because Richard Harden appeared to challenge Michael Vaughan`s arm at cover, with his partner taking the risk. Harden, Ecclestone and Michael Burns repaired the damage and maintained the day`s pleasingly brisk momentum on a pitch that was slow and increasingly unreliable. Bowler declared 103 behind, confident of keeping the match within scope, even though Lehmann would be giving Somerset a second dose of his morning pick-you-up. Lehmann`s pre-lunch assault added 68 to his total in an hour until he missed, attempting to work Mushtaq Ahmed away to leg in about the only delicate stroke he tried. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Hartley haul humbles Somerset By Charles Randall at Taunton Yorks (306 & 237-6) beat Somerset (203 & 200) by 140 runs BY THE time Somerset realised this was the real thing, and not a dress-rehearsal, the game was as good as over, with Peter Hartley seizing the moment for Yorkshire at the County Ground yesterday. Yorkshire secured their first win by 140 runs with a session to spare, and Hartley helped himself to five wickets, including three in one over, during what was supposed to be a run-chase. This was Hartley`s first championship game and, at the age of 37, his appearances are to be rationed this summer in favour of seam-bowlers that are probably not as good. His total of 196 first-class wickets in the past three seasons is an excellent haul by modern standards, and it could be said that his reliability has allowed Darren Gough and Chris Silverwood to develop with fewer sessions on the treadmill. In the morning Somerset, wincing at each bowling success, managed to feed enough runs to allow Yorkshire, set 341 off an expected 80 overs, a far from easy target, especially after Hartley struck in the first over. He trapped Mark Lathwell lbw for a duck third ball in a repeat of the previous day and Craig White`s two consecutive wickets confirmed the picture. Even Graham Rose, the revival specialist with two consecutive hundreds, failed, departing second ball in Hartley`s three-wicket over. Somerset ended up embarrassed, but they deserved sympathy. It had taken quite a mental effort in the morning. Yorkshire were expected to extend their 227 overnight lead, but they lost Darren Lehmann to the first delivery, edging a loose drive, and two runs were mustered in the first quarter-hour. Peter Bowler tossed an off-spinner higher than usual and too easily fooled Anthony McGrath and he bowled White through a pull. After that the bowling had to be really bad. David Byas made a 97-ball hundred, which could not be regarded as first class and proved cheaper than his hundred against Oxford University. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)