YORKSHIRE had Steve Kirby back in action against Somerset following his collapse on Wednesday.

Kirby now thinks that he deflected a drive from Nixon McLean on to the top of his head and this caused him to collapse.

However, the Tykes were without Australian Test player Damien Martyn who broke a nose in a freak accident yesterday.

Martyn's horrific injury occurred when he attempted to hook Richard Johnson and top-edged the ball flush on to his nose as it found a way between the peak of his protective helmet and the top bar of the grille.

Blood poured from a deep gash and Martyn had to be led off by physiotherapist Scott McAllister and in to an ambulance which took him to Leeds General Infirmary.

Once he had been treated and discharged, Martyn came back to Headingley to spend the night in the Sir Leonard Hutton suite at the lodge where Craig White and Richard Dawson kept an eye was kept on him.

Somerset resumed the third day of the Championship encounter today on 94-2, still trailing by 88 runs.

Yorkshire's hopes were boosted last night when Matthew Wood was brought on for the final over and had captain Michael Burns magnificently caught at first slip by substitute fielder, Chris Taylor.

Neil Edwards, 55 overnight, came out with a new partner in Australian Jamie Cox and the third wicket pair made comfortable progress against Darren Gough and Richard Dawson until the score had reached 120-2 when there was a burst of applause as Kirby came on to bowl from the Kirkstall Lane end.

Neither Kirby nor Matthew Hoggard could manage a breakthrough for a while but Kirby should have snared Edwards on 87 when he edged to first slip where Dawson put down an easy catch.

Happily the miss did not prove expensive because in Kirby's next over Edwards drove back a catch which the bowler grasped and the left-hander departed for a well-struck 90 from 157 balls with 14 boundaries, his stand with Cox having added 63 in 18 overs.

Somerset were taking some prising out, however, and at 173-3 they were only 16 runs behind.

Yesterday Craig White and Martyn had batted beautifully for Yorkshire to hurry their fourth-wicket stand on to 146 before dismay struck twice in the space of two deliveries early in the afternoon.

There was generous applause for Yorkshire Seconds at Headingley today with the announcement that they have won the Second XI Championship for the first time since 1991 following their one-run win over Lancashire Seconds at Old Trafford yesterday.

Set 274 for victory, Lancashire were bowled out for 272 with off-spinner Andy Gray claiming 6-88 to give him ten wickets in the match.

It was a good game with the bat for Gavin Hamilton who plundered 141 in Yorkshire's first innings and 51 in the second.

Updated: 14:33 Friday, September 05, 2003