Yorkshire county cricket club proud county champions for the last two seasons set off on their quest for a treble at Headingley yesterday. A half hour delay due to ice under the covers, in the cold temperatures overnight, was only a slight blip on proceedings as Hampshire put the home side in to bat in the first game without the toss of a coin.
The sun shone for much of the day but the biting south westerly wind drove many of the good crowd into the Long Room to keep warm. However a surprising number of the diehards braved the cold to get the real atmosphere of the occasion outside. Hampshire were off to a good start with three early wickets suggesting their decision to field had been the right one.
Lees was the first to go caught by Vince the new Hampshire captain at slip off Tomlinson. Adam Lyth survived a fairly easy caught and bowled chance by Fidel Edwards, the West Indian fast bowler and got his head down to play a most valuable innings. Wickets fell in a hurry at the other end with Ballance and skipper Gale out in quick succession. So enter Bairstow at 41-3 and Yorkshire in trouble.
Johnny Bairstow at Lord's last week
Announced last week as one of Wisden's five cricketers of the year Bairstow took over the proceedings in typical fashion from the beginning of his innings with a big hit for six coming early on. Lyth took his time at the other end and grafted his way to a valuable 50 before opening up with some attractive drives to race to a very well played century before falling lbw to Ervine.
Bairstow proceeded on his merry way, exuding confidence, and putting all the Hampshire bowlers to the sword apart from a brief hesitation before reaching fifty in only sixty three balls. He soon reached the nervous nineties and almost came to a full stop with the cloud cover threatening and the floodlights on it looked certain that an early finish for bad light was on the cards. However to general relief all round he eventually got to the elusive century mark and together with Lyth their partnership of just over 200 had turned the match round completely.
So after Leaning was out very quickly in very poor light and most of the spectators already heading for home play ended with twenty one overs still remaining.
Today day two started promptly with a much smaller crowd and possibly even colder conditions. Met a young man from Sri Lanka, newly arrived to play in the Huddersfield League, who has seen snow for the first time this week and was really feeling the cold. The overnight batsmen Bairstow 107 not out and Adil Rashid 7 not out started the morning in overcast conditions but with no hint of danger either in the pitch or the Hampshire bowling. Runs flowed steadily with Bairstow again in commanding form. The pair added 99 for the sixth wicket before Rashid was surprisingly caught behind down the legside.
Enter Liam Plunkett the man who spent his winter as drinks waiter for the England team and on his last appearance in the World T20 was down to bat at number eleven!
Today he looked nothing like a number eleven and playing proper cricket shots, by no means slogging, he raced to 94 not out by lunch from only 73 balls. Bairstow was no slouch either and reached a marvellous double century just before the interval. Yorkshire had incredibly scored 236 runs in two hours. Lunch score 506-6.
Liam Plunkett
The poor Hampshire bowlers without spinner Dawson from the start of the day and with Wood leaving the field injured in the middle of an over, were absolutely shell shocked, particularly Fidel Edwards who must have been feeling the cold and finished the innings with figures of 0-145.
Yorkshire batted on after lunch to enable Plunkett to complete his maiden county century, having scored 114 for England Lions in Sri Lanka. Bairstow also achieved his highest ever score of 246 before giving young Tom Alsop his first ever wicket thanks to a brilliant catch on the boundary edge at long on by Tomlinson. Bairstow and Plunkett had added 227 in only 28.1 overs. Yorkshire finally declared at the fall of the ninth wicket on 593-9, enabling Ryan Sidebottom to conserve his energy to open the bowling.
This paid off as Sidebottom, as he so often does, claimed an early wicket and the unfortunate Alsop was lbw for one in the third over. Brooks then got into the act to dismiss Carberry thanks to a brilliant catch by Alex Lees at first slip. Yorkshire were up and running again and when I left at the tea interval the game had changed from a run bonanza to a war of attrition to winkle out the Hampshire batsmen. What an incredible day - if only it was a good few degrees warmer.
The close of play score was Hampshire 141-5 with Vince on 76 not out with two wickets for Sidebottom, two for Plunkett and one for Brooks. On this form who would want to bet against Yorkshire winning a third title. They played like champions and Hampshire may be the first of several counties to feel Yorkshire's strength in depth.
Remember Bresnan is out injured and Root and Willey still resting from their England exertions. Lots to look forward to.
No comments:
Post a Comment