Yorkshire had easily their worst day in the Championship this season when little that the Division One leaders did against Somerset at Bath yesterday turned out to be right.

David Byas was made to rue his decision to field first because Somerset racked up 371 for two with Mike Burns plundering a career-best 162 not out and captain James Cox thumping 95.

Both batsmen benefited from dropped catches and Burns was twice 'out' to no-balls as the pair featured in a record-breaking Somerset second-wicket stand against Yorkshire.

The pair knocked up 206 together in 57 overs, beating the 184 by JCW MacBryan and MD Lyon at Taunton in 1926.

It was also the first double century stand off Yorkshire's attack since Somerset's Peter Bowler and Keith Parsons added 227 at Taunton last August.

And with Somerset being the only side to inflict a Championship defeat on Yorkshire so far this season, they are not exactly flavour of the month with Yorkshire fans.

The only consolation for Byas was that Cox said he would also have fielded first had he won the toss, believing that the pitch might assist the bowlers early on before strongly favouring the batsmen.

Yorkshire did not find the first part of the theory to be correct but their pacemen were never at their best, although Steven Kirby in his first full match bowled some good deliveries as well as some looser ones and far too many no-balls.

Matthew Hoggard and Kirby shared the new ball but it was when Gavin Hamilton came on that Yorkshire made the breakthrough, Piran Holloway fencing at a ball outside off stump to give a catch to Richard Blakey to make Somerset 26 for one.

It quickly became apparent it was not to be Yorkshire's day as Burns, on five, gloved a no-ball from Hoggard down the legside to Blakey. When Cox was 20 he was dropped at first slip by James Middlebrook off Kirby who, umpires later confirmed, would have had Burns lbw on 18 if he had not overstepped the mark.

The 206-run stand was finally ended with Cox well caught at slip by Byas off Fellows. His 95 contained 15 boundaries.

Soon afterwards, Burns went to his century in a bruising day for Yorkshire.

Updated: 12:03 Thursday, June 14, 2001