YORKSHIRE'S bowlers ran out of steam at Taunton after a dynamic four-wicket burst by Steve Kirby had left Somerset staggering on 40-5 and the West Country side went on to recover from 144-8 to 275 all out.

Kirby, whose first three wickets came in the space of five balls, finished with 5-74, his best figures for two years, but his efforts were undermined by Yorkshire's inability to get rid of their opponents cheaply yesterday.

Rob Turner was the main thorn in their flesh with a solid unbeaten 81 and he received strong support from the tail-enders.

After a break in their Championship programme of over three weeks, Yorkshire suffered a further delay as rain wiped out the morning session but the action was instant and dramatic when Matthew Wood won the toss and put Somerset in to bat on a green top.

In the first over, Chris Silverwood had Peter Bowler caught at first slip by New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming on his Championship debut for his new county, and it was in the sixth over of the innings that Kirby sent Somerset plummeting to 19-4.

He began by knocking back James Bryant's off-stump before getting Jamie Cox lbw on the front foot next ball and although Michael Burns denied Kirby the hat-trick he too fell lbw pushing forward.

Kirby made it four wickets in his opening spell by having Matthew Wood caught at second slip by Yuvraj Singh and when Silverwood found the edge of Ian Blackwell's bat to give wicketkeeper Simon Guy a catch in his first Championship appearance for two years, Somerset were 64-6.

But their recovery was initiated by a fine stand of 73 in 19 overs between Turner and Aaron Laraman, both batsmen driving fluently, and with Yorkshire searching for the breakthrough Craig White was given his first bowl of the season but he could not part the pair.

It was left to Ryan Sidebottom to do that by bowling Laraman for 36 as he aimed across the line and in Silverwood's next over Nixon McLean was well caught low to his left at second slip by Yuvraj.

Yorkshire were still in command at this stage, despite Somerset's recovery, but frustration began to set in when Steffan Jones joined Turner in a ninth-wicket partnership of 60 in 12 overs.

Jones raised the 200 and brought Somerset an unexpected batting point with the first of consecutive boundaries off Kirby who replied by plucking out Jones' middle stump with his next ball and then running down the pitch to have words with the departing batsman.

The agony was not over for Yorkshire because last man Simon Francis seized the opportunity to make his career-best score of 44 in a 10th wicket stand of 71 in 15 overs with Turner and Yorkshire became desperate enough to turn to Michael Lumb whose first over cost him 14 runs.

Francis, dropped on 25 by Fleming, finally dragged Sidebottom to Wood at mid-wicket near the close, leaving the courageous Turner with eight boundaries in his 149-ball innings.

Updated: 10:10 Saturday, June 28, 2003