Yorkshire's start-of-season slump continued at Taunton yesterday when they crashed by seven wickets to Somerset after Marcus Trescothick flayed their bowling with a masterly 134.

The champions have now suffered three-day defeats in their first two matches and since clinching the title amidst wild celebrations at Scarborough last August they have been heavily beaten in four consecutive Championship games.

Already the fans are getting restless and many of those who made the trip to Taunton were in ill humour by tea-time yesterday, with Darren Lehmann's captaincy coming under fire in some quarters.

Certainly Lehmann's tactics could be questioned in letting Somerset off the hook when they stood on 75 for six in reply to Yorkshire's first innings score of 213.

It was then that he allowed Matthew Hoggard repeatedly to bowl short at Ian Blackwell, who responded with a salvo of sixes and fours on his way to a dashing 114.

When Yorkshire had recovered in their second innings to 186 for two with a lead of 165, Lehmann began the slide to 280 all out by giving away his wicket to a careless shot at spinner Blackwell's first ball, which was a long hop.

After the defeat, Lehmann was critical of pitch liaison officer Peter Walker's reported remarks that the pitch was "above average" on the first day when 16 wickets fell and 399 runs were scored.

"The pitch was wet when the game began and I think that if we had won the toss and bowled first we would have sent them back for little more than 100," said Lehmann.

"The Taunton pitch has a good reputation but it was not satisfactory on the first day because it was damp and did too much."

Luck was against Lehmann from the start yesterday, with warm sunshine making it a batsman's paradise.

Andy Caddick, speedily reprimanded by the ECB over his remarks the previous day, required only four balls to account for last man Matthew Hoggard, which left Somerset oceans of time to set about their 262 target.

Chris Silverwood raised Yorkshire's hopes by bowling Jamie Cox at 32 after he and Trescothick had got off to a rapid start and it became 66 for two when Hoggard had Michael Burns caught behind.

But Trescothick was not going to waste this golden opportunity of match practice ahead of next week's first Test and he wore down Yorkshire's attack in a 168 stand in 43 overs for the third wicket with Keith Parsons.

The only time Trescothick looked in any trouble was on 47 , when there was a big appeal for a bat-pad catch off Richard Dawson and the Yorkshire players seemed astounded when Trescothick was given not out.

Trescothick was dismissed the ball after straight driving Dawson for one of his three big sixes.