Yorks II face battle at Stamford Bridge

posted by John Winn

After the heavy rain that had brought Monday's play to an early end good work by the ground staff at Stamford Bridge and the laying of matting on two parts of the square enabled the game to resume only 30 minutes late yesterday morning.

As Brian has described Monday had not been a good day for the young Yorkshire side but the balance was redressed somewhat in the early overs with Smith and Wood soon removed by Wainman. Enter Root to join Libby who had been batting since Monday afternoon, although to some it seemed longer, and it was not long before Root had overtaken his stolid partner with an attractive fifty that contained five fours.

 

Lunch, which for some meant fine dining at a nearby pub, gave me  the opportunity to try and clarify what was riding on the match for I still had not been able to find an up to date table. Poor show ECB. I consulted Yorkshire scorer Howard Clayton whose view matched mine, namely that whilst Durham might mathematically be able to catch Notts it was unlikely, especially given the East Midlanders strong start to this match, and the news from our Hartlepool Correspondent that there had been no play between Durham and MCCU on Monday reinforced this view. No doubt exists that who ever does emerge as winners of the Northern Division will play Middlesex and one authority was prepared to go as far as saying that the final would be at Radlett and ask how I would be getting there.


The dismissal of Root to the persevering Wainman brought Will Gidman to the crease. Gidman who scored heavily for Gloucestershire in second division championship games last year, has struggled to break into the Notts first XI, but a young Yorkshire attack held no terrors for him and bets were soon being taken on when he would overtake Libby. Whether these whispers reached the young Cornishman at the crease is not known but he emerged from his coma to reach his hundred with a flurry of boundaries and by the time the declaration sent him to tea, corn beef sandwiches no doubt, he was unbeaten on 152 with Gidman in his wake on 79 and a lead of 247.

Yorkshire's openers survived five overs before bad light intervened by which time I had circumnavigated the York Outer Ring Road and was nearly home. The afternoon had turned very cold and I was not alone in leaving just before tea. I woke to rain this morning, but it has stopped now and the forecast is for a brighter afternoon which may give Yorkshire's youngsters the opportunity to shape better than on Monday. If things do improve I'm off to Goldsborough to see the annual match between MCC and The Nidderdale League then tomorrow to Chester le Street for the SET final between Durham and Derbyshire. Whoever wins there will be a new name on the trophy. That's nice.