History repeated itself when Somerset played host to Yorkshire at Taunton yesterday. For the second year running Andrew Caddick made his seasonal debut and Jacques Rudolph also scored a first-day century.

The visitors deteriorated to 375-7 but it could been better still had Caddick not over-stepped his mark and bowled a no-ball when he yorked Rudolph. The left-hander was on 32 and went on to make 191.

Rudolph made 155 at the same venue last year as Yorkshire won a pulsating match by 40 runs after tea on the final day.

It was the last first-class game they have won and they will set a new club record if they extend their current 17-match drought to 18 by failing to beat Somerset by Friday night.

Last year Rudolph was dismissed - caught behind - by the now departed Ian Blackwell. The Durham man was the leading run-scorer in the country this year until Rudolph reached 123 yesterday to pass Blackwell's aggregate of 660 runs in two further innings.

Apart from his lucky reprieve, Rudolph was untroubled on a flat Taunton pitch. Caddick was a

slightly surprising selection as his presence gave the Somerset attack six seamers.

But the 40-year-old was far from the worst bowler on show having got overs under his belt for Clevedon, Wiltshire and Somerset's second eleven.

David Stiff has made positive strides for Somerset this season but yesterday was a step back for the former Yorkshire man, who delivered 14 overs for 75 runs.

The absence of leg-spinner Max Waller (side strain) was felt by the home attack as only Arul Suppiah offered eight overs of occasional spin.

Caddick started the day in the unfamiliar fielding position of third slip and was not given the new ball. Alfonso Thomas (3-50) took it instead and began by swinging one into the left-handed Joe Sayers to beat his defensive shot for eight.

Next ball the nippy seamer struck Anthony McGrath on the side of his head but the visiting captain continued after lengthy treatment.

He survived to make 40 until he edged Pete Trego low to Craig Kieswetter's right and the wicketkeeper grabbed a superb diving catch fifth ball after lunch.

Adam Lyth gave his wicket away with a top-edged pull at Zander de Bruyn and Andrew Gale was the fourth wicket to fall when Charl Willoughby slanted one across him and he edged to Marcus Trescothick who had just been brought back into second slip to fill a gap in the cordon.

A tired Rudolph finally nicked the returning Stiff onto his leg stump nine runs short of his double ton after facing 267 balls and hitting 29 fours.

Thomas claimed his second wicket when Azeem Rafiq thin edged him behind for four and he had a third with what became the last ball of the day.

Jonathan Bairstow, son of the late Yorkshire and England wicketkeeper David, had made 82 in Somerset's win at Headingley last month and he again proved a tough obstacle before edging Thomas behind for 39 from 35 overs of uninspiring toil.

In all it was a day when the news came off the pitch with Michael Vaughan retiring. Not many batsmen call it a day before one last chance to bat at Taunton. But then not many captain England to victory in the Ashes.