A large crowd assembled at North Marine Road for the County Championship game between Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire on Tuesday 23rd August. The Yorkshire side, still challenging for a hat-trick of championship wins, were without five England players and also captain Andrew Gale due to injury. Nottinghamshire struggling at the bottom of the table and desperate to avoid relegation were also without Alex Hales and Jake Ball.
Before the start the Yorkshire President John Hampshire was asked to re-present county caps to Jack Leaning and Azeem Rafiq, who along with the absent Willey had been strangely awarded them at Old Trafford before the recent Roses match. Many Yorkshire members were annoyed with this break with tradition and the club tried to rectify matters with the re-run this morning.
John Hampshire with Jack Leaning and Azeem Rafiq
No toss was made and Notts invited Yorkshire to bat first. Lyth and Lees progressed steadily to 21-0 without due alarm and then the fun started. Lyth was run out by Mullaney, who then had Lees caught and suddenly it was 26-2. The latecomers, and there were plenty of them, were not pleased. Things soon got worse as the Australian newcomer Jake Lehmann was caught by Patel off Mullaney again and Ballance was lbw to Fletcher with the score unchanged at 36-4.
There must have been some movement for the bowlers particularly the gentle medium pace of Mullaney who took his third wicket getting Bresnan lbw for 10. Leaning went soon after and it was 51-6 and Yorkshire reeling. Fortunately help was at hand and Azeem Rafiq trying to show he was worthy of his county cap joined Andrew Hodd in the rescue mission. This they did in fine style putting on a partnership of 132 before Rafiq was out for a valuable 74 during a much happier afternoon session for the home supporters.
Rafiq and Hodd prosper in the afternoon sun
Jack Brooks then came to the party until he fell just short of a deserved fifty, playing some good shots including seven fours and one six in his 48. Hodd was still there and into the nineties when joined by last man Ryan Sidebottom, who failed to survive long enough to leave Hodd not out 96 and just short of his first ever Yorkshire century.
Notts lost two wickets before the close and the following morning they collapsed completely against the pace of Sidebottom, Brooks and Bresnan who each finished with three wickets in an all out total of 94. Now came the big decision of the match should acting captain Gary Ballance enforce the follow on or not. The vast majority in the crowd wanted the follow on to be applied and Notts to be finished off, possibly in two days, especially with a poor weather forecast for day three.
The bowlers could not possibly have been tired but Yorkshire took the now fashionable course of not enforcing the follow on. Whether financial considerations were involved it is hard to see, but the possibilty of a two day finish would certainly affected the takings at the gate as well as the many local hotels. The rain did arrive during Thursday afternoon and became more torrential overnight particularly unfortunate for those of us returning from the Spa Theatre at around 10 p.m.
Full house at Scarborough
Before all that, after a swift start by Lyth and Lees, the Yorkshire batsman struggled, particular Ballance who looked really out of form and could hardly get the ball off the square. However he persevered and eventually completed a hard earned century just before the declaration came leaving Notts the impossible task of chasing 450. They were 61-3 when play ended on day three.
Fortunately the sun shone again the following morning and Yorkshire had taken the wise step of sending for the super sopper machine from Headingley to dry the soaked outfield. Apparently this operation started about 4 a.m. and enabled play to start on time. Tim Moores, son of coach Peter, made a stubborn 41 on debut but when Taylor was dismissed by Brooks and Luke Fletcher clean bowled next ball it was nearly all over. Imran Tahir survived the hat trick but not for long. Bresnan had career best figures of 5-36 as well as holding a stunning slip catch in the first innings and making 35 not out in the second.
All in all a superb all round performance by Yorkshire's understrength side which, with warm sunshine for most of the game, attracted huge crowds and surely Scarborough should not loose a championship match next season. Notts look certain to go down. They looked a team without fight and no doubt some heads will roll before next season.
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