Last year's two championship games between Yorkshire and Durham were pulsating affairs with the away team coming out on top on both occasions with the result in doubt until the final session of the four days.This week's affair at The Riverside, whilst it kept us guessing until late in the day hardly set any pulses racing.
Apart from all the usual bowling changes and field placings Yorkshire skipper Andrew Gale made two crucial decisions, the first of which caused something of a surprise, the second was less of a surprise but its consequences were greeted with relief.
The first of these was of course the decision to bat first in cloudy conditions on a wicket where the par first innings score last year was a squeak over 250. This paid off in spades, a total of almost 600 is evidence of that. Some dropped catches and rather poor Durham bowling at times helped, but two centuries, two batsmen dismissed in the nineties and good contributions in the middle order set up a position whereby the champions were behind in the game for 11 out of the 12 sessions. There was however a point on the afternoon of the second day when an unbeatable position seemed to have been secured and yet the Yorkshire innings became becalmed. More enterprise then and an earlier declaration might just have freed up a bit more time yesterday to capture more Durham wickets.
Durham too had a pair of centurions but very little else until the ninth wicket partnership between Harrison, who is having an excellent season with the bat, and Onions added valuable runs but even more importantly took up precious time, especially yesterday morning. Imagine if Durham had started their second innings before noon. I suspect Yorkshire might now be top of the table. Keating has the perfect game for the kind of rearguard action that was necessary at 42 for 4 and of course Collingwood has demonstrated his relish for such situations in cricket grounds fuller than was The Riverside by 5:30 yesterday.
I had decided that come what may I would see things through to the close and post tea I sat among a group who were like minded. A couple of Yorkshire supporters behind me thought it might have been more fun if Durham had 'gone for the runs' which I'm sure was right but overlooks the fact that Gale still had another innings up his sleeve. Another of our gradually dwindling band claimed he could remember a time when Durham were in the field: 48 hours and 191 overs earlier.
Championship regulations allow for the captains to call it quits with an hour left but one could not blame Gale for keeping going: even in the very last over of the day yet another catch was shelled, but at 5:30 his second momentous decision was made and he and Collingwood shook hands on the draw. A two point advantage to Yorkshire does not seem generous for a game which they dominated. An appetising meeting with table toppers Warwickshire starts on Sunday at Headingley while Durham now go on tour with three successive away games at Hove, Taunton and Trent Bridge before Middlesex come to The Riverside. By which time it will be June and even the yearbooks may be available.
Waiting for my lift
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