JACQUES Rudolph's superb 191 on the opening day at Taunton put winless Yorkshire in control of their LV County Championships clash with Somerset.

The Tykes are bidding to avoid an unwanted record of 18 first-class games without a win – a run that dates back to the corresponding fixture last season.

In what could be a good omen for Yorkshire, Rudolph scored a century in that game, and he struck 29 boundaries in a 291-ball stay yesterday to give his side hope of recording a breakthrough win.

Yorkshire finished the day at 375 for seven after winning the toss, with Anthony McGrath making 40, Jonathan Bairstow 39 and Adam Lyth 36. It was a tough day in humid conditions for 40-year-old Andy Caddick, making his seasonal debut for Somerset after back problems. The former England bowler finished with none for 77 from 16 overs.

Rudolph dominated from the start, enjoying one moment of fortune when he was bowled by a Caddick yorker on 32 only to see umpire Trevor Jesty signalling a no-ball.

Apart from that, the left-handed opener looked untroubled, producing some sweetly-timed cover drives and flicks off his pads to score boundaries freely on both sides of the wicket.

He lost his opening partner with the total on 24 as Alfonso Thomas beat Joe Sayers' defensive prod and bowled him for eight.

It was 101 for one at lunch, with Rudolph having reached his half-century off 81 balls. In the first over after the interval, McGrath was caught by wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter, diving to his right, off Peter Trego.

David Stiff struggled with the ball against his old club, allowing Yorkshire quick runs in the afternoon session by conceding two lots of four byes and then four wides in the space of two overs, all with wild deliveries down the leg side.

It was 189 for two when Rudolph reached a chanceless hundred off 145 balls. That became 222 for three when Lyth top-edged a pull shot off Zander de Bruyn and was caught at mid- wicket by James Hildreth.

Andrew Gale edged Charl Willoughby through a vacant second slip area and it seemed a case of the horse having bolted when Somerset skipper Justin Langer moved Marcus Trescothick back to that position. But Gale, on 17, obligingly edged the next ball straight to the former England opener.

Rudolph was fifth man out nine short of a deserved double century. He was bowled by a full-length ball from Stiff, who tightened his line having switched ends.

Somerset hit back in the closing overs as Thomas had Azeem Rafiq and Bairstow caught behind to end the day with creditable figures of three for 50 from 20.1 overs.

Somerset director of cricket Brian Rose accepts Yorkshire made it tough for the Cidermen, but was happy with the effort put in. He said: "It was a long hard day for our boys but I thought they came back well. We looked at the wicket yesterday and it was pretty green, and we put a roller on it then and again this morning.

"It was one of those days where the colour went out of the wicket right from the start, so it was going to be a good batting wicket from the start and they have got a really good player up front in Jacques Rudolph.

"A lot of good players set out to make a big innings when they come to Taunton, which, as we have seen time and time again, is what happens when they see a decent wicket."

The Somerset director of cricket added: "In the last session, I thought we did brilliantly well to come back in the way we did, and I think that shows the character that we have got in this team.

"We would have been happier with a score of less than 300 for the same number of wickets today, but at the same time I think Alfonso Thomas bowled very well at the death and continued to threaten the batsman, and he keeps on nagging and nagging and deserved what he got."

Somerset coach Andy Hurry said: "I think we have come back well and, when we put the ball in the right areas and created pressure, then we got wickets."