LIAM Plunkett made an impressive return to red ball action with four wickets, but Yorkshire failed to hold on to their advantage after bowling Somerset out for 268 on day one at Scarborough.

A frustrating last-wicket stand of 61 inside eight overs between Tim Groenewald and Craig Overton, including 26 off one Adil Rashid over, started Somerset’s evening fightback.

Plunkett finished with 4-73 from 21 overs before seeing the Yorkshire top order slip to 21-3 and close on 42-3 from 18.

These were 32-year-old Plunkett’s best figures in Championship cricket since he took four wickets against former county Durham here in August 2015.

In his first Championship appearance of the season following England limited overs action, Plunkett struck twice before lunch and once each in the afternoon and evening.

He took advantage of a typically pacy Scarborough track to lead the attack impressively in the absence of Ryan Sidebottom, who left the field injured midway through his fifth over.

Sidebottom pulled up with a muscle injury in his lower back, and the worrying likelihood is that the 39-year-old will not bowl again in this match.

At least he has a month to recover before Yorkshire’s next Championship match in early August – here against leaders Essex.

Yorkshire were at their best before lunch and could have easily had more reward than a Somerset score of 71-4 after they had elected to bat.

Plunkett and stand-in captain Tim Bresnan equally shared the four wickets to fall, with the former getting Tim Rouse caught at first slip and bowling opener Ed Byrom.

Adam Hose top-scored for relegation-threatened Somerset, who have yet to win this season, with a measured 68 as he helped edge the score up towards 200.

Plunkett’s third wicket came in the early stages of the afternoon when he had Steve Davies lbw as the score fell to 110-5 in the 35th.

This is only Hose’s third Championship appearance, and he reached his second fifty against Yorkshire following his 68 in the second innings at Taunton last month. But he was bowled by a Rashid googly as the score fell to 180-7 in the 60th.

Plunkett’s fourth wicket came with the first ball of the evening when Lewis Gregory was bowled around his legs with 200 on the board.

And when Groenewald and Overton united, it was 207-9.

Watching tail-enders wield the willow is usually fun – unless you are the team on the receiving end.

With Somerset at 207-9, the hosts were firmly in the ascendency. But a dropped catch and a flurry of runs later and Yorkshire’s dominance had been eroded.

Had Bresnan clung on to an Overton edge at first slip off Plunkett on 22, Somerset would have been all out for 215. As it was, Groenewald hit three sixes and two fours off Rashid in the 72nd over.

The seamer hit all four of his sixes off the leg-spinner on the way to 41 not out off 24 balls, while Overton finished with 35.

And their involvement in the day was not done there.

Overton had Yorkshire openers Adam Lyth and Alex Lees caught at first and second slip before Groenewald had Peter Handscomb caught at second as the score slipped to 21-3 after 11 overs.