How much are these sides prepared to gamble? At opposite ends of the table, they would have much to gain but plenty to lose by attempting to contrive a result today after Yorkshire scraped a 34-run first-innings lead. For Justin Langer, the Somerset captain, there is the knowledge that a draw would leave his side eight points behind Nottinghamshire, the leaders, a sizeable margin to make up in their final game at home to Lancashire. But Langer suggested last night that ensuring the draw was his side's priority.

“It's a very flat wicket and we've really got to bat well for two or three hours,” he said. “It just means that next week's an even bigger week for everyone. We're going to have to win that game.”

Darren Gough, the Yorkshire captain, knows that Lancashire's remarkable escape in Liverpool has made his side relegation favourites, although they travel to Sussex, another vulnerable team, for their last match.

On a pitch so dead that John Cleese might have called it an “ex-pitch”, this game has not proceeded at sufficient pace for a result to be achieved by natural means. Somerset's attack lacked the penetration to transcend the conditions, with the exception of Alfonso Thomas, who bowled an incisive spell with the second new ball and finished with five wickets.

After Anthony McGrath and Jacques Rudolph had added 141 for Yorkshire's third wicket, Thomas seamed a beauty away to knock back McGrath's off stump, ending a fine innings of 128. McGrath, as powerful as ever off his legs, reached his second century of the season from 173 balls.

Rudolph fell two runs short of a sixth hundred of the season when he edged Andrew Caddick to first slip, but a last-wicket stand of 39 between Matthew Hoggard and Deon Kruis earned Yorkshire a fifth batting bonus point, valuable currency in their situation.

Marcus Trescothick did not open the batting in Somerset's second innings after falling on his left shoulder during the warm-up, but he is expected to bat today, if required.

Somerset: First Innings 380 (I D Blackwell 127 not out, A V Suppiah 61, J L Langer 55, P D Trego 51; M J Hoggard 4 for 42)

Second Innings

A V Suppiah not out 14

C Kieswetter not out 10

Extra (b 1) 1

Total (no wkt, 6 overs) 25

Bowling: Hoggard 3-0-8-0; Kruis 1-0-7-0; Rashid 2-0-9-0.

Yorkshire: First Innings (overnight 121-1)

A Lyth c Caddick b Thomas 65

A McGrath b Thomas 128

J A Rudolph c Langer b Caddick 98

R M Pyrah c Kieswetter b Thomas 2

T T Bresnan c Kieswetter b De Bruyn 6

G L Brophy b Thomas 16

A U Rashid st Kieswetter b Blackwell 28

*D Gough lbw b Thomas 6

M J Hoggard c Hildreth b De Bruyn 15

G J Kruis not out 24

Extras (lb 3, w 1, nb 8) 12

Total (126.4 overs) 414

Fall of wickets: 1-25, 2-146, 3-287, 4-295, 5-318, 6-324, 7-357, 8-367, 9-375.

Bowling: Willoughby 23-5-70-1; Caddick 28-6-100-1; Thomas 23-4-84-5; Trego 13-1-50-0; Blackwell 26-6-70-1; Suppiah 2-0-9-0; De Bruyn 11.4-3-28-2.

Umpires: P J Hartley and B Leadbeater.