Joe Root played a starring role with the ball as Yorkshire completed a remarkable 75-run Rothesay County Championship Division One victory over Somerset at the Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton.

The visitors were able to add only six runs to their second innings score at the start of play, Jhye Richardson reaching a 122-ball half-century before being caught behind off Craig Overton, who finished with 4 for 94 in a total of 371.

That set Somerset a target of 260 to achieve a third Championship victory in four games on a flat pitch. They soon slumped to 21 for 3 and were eventually bowled out for 184 shortly after tea, Root claiming 4 for 49 and fellow spinner Dom Bess 4 for 60. Josh Thomas top-scored with 57 in a dismal batting display.

It meant Yorkshire took 19 points from a game in which they conceded a first-innings lead of 112. Defeat cost Somerset the Division One leadership as they had to be content with four points.

The morning session was played under mainly blue skies. But after Overton’s early strike had ended Yorkshire’s fighting second innings, the hosts displayed all-too-familiar top-order batting frailty.

Archie Vaughan was bowled for four playing down the wrong line to a delivery from George Hill, who then switched ends to clip Tom Lammonby’s off stump as he shouldered arms to a ball angled into him. When James Rew was caught behind driving at former Somerset offspinner Bess, the hosts were in disarray and, with 239 still needed, Yorkshire were favourites.

Tom Abell is considered by many to be in the form of his life and suffered no alarms in moving to 24 by lunch, which was taken at 57 for 3, with first-innings centurion Thomas unbeaten on 23.

The pair had extended their stand to 64 when Abell, on 41, pushed forward to Bess and edged to Hill at slip to make the score 85 for 4. Bess and Abell are firm friends, but that didn’t prevent the Yorkshire player from celebrating with panache what proved a crucial wicket.

Teenager Thomas Rew walked to the wicket facing the possibility of bagging a pair on his Championship debut. But the 18-year-old soon eased any nerves by getting off the mark with a sweetly-timed boundary through the covers off Bess.

Yorkshire received a further boost when Bess found some extravagant turn to beat the outside edge of Thomas’s bat with Somerset 112 for 4 and still requiring 148 runs. The left-hander survived to go to fifty off 140 balls.

Rew was not afraid to go for his shots and, while an early reverse sweep off Bess resulted in a confident appeal for a catch at short-leg, the youngster was soon showing the quality that made him England Under-19 captain at the age of 17.

The second 50-stand of the innings occupied 15 overs and, with the sun shining brightly, Somerset looked back in control. But fortunes swung again when Thomas pushed forward to Bess and edged a routine catch to slip.

Now 124 runs were needed with five wickets down and all results were still possible. Yorkshire were celebrating again six runs later as Rew, on 30, attempted to slash a wide delivery from Root through point and edged through to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow.

Root struck again when Overton flicked a delivery from outside off stump straight into the hands of Adam Lyth at short-leg, who held a sharp reaction catch, and at tea Somerset were 167 for 7, needing a further 93.

With just six added, Will Smeed edged a back-foot shot off Root and departed for 17. The following delivery was wide and saw Migael Pretorius offer a return catch off an ugly swing. Bess completed his old club’s demise by bowling last man Alfie Ogborne, leaving skipper Lewis Gregory 22 not out.