As previously mentioned an unfortunate clash of fixtures within about two and half miles of each other meant a difficult choice on Friday morning 7th April. The opening home match of the Leeds/Bradford MCCU season at Weetwood started simultaneously with Yorkshire's first championship match of the season at Headingley just down the road.
Of course as far as I was concerned there was no contest and I automatically joined about twelve other hardy souls in the cold and breezy surroundings of Weetwood to see the new intake of students take on a full strength Worcestershire side. The visitors were raring to go and we got our usual cheerful greeting from batting coach Kevin Sharp, the former Yorkshire batsman. They put the University in to bat largely one thought to test the fitness of John Hastings their overseas signing from Australia who has been suffering with injuries in the winter season down under.
Hastings however did not open the bowling, which was shared by new captain Joe Leach, a former player with Leeds/Bradford, and a relative newcomer local lad Josh Tongue who is 6 foot 5 inches tall. Tongue it was who took the first wicket early on and then Hastings got rid of acting captain Steve Bullen when he joined the attack.
Joe Leech opens the bowling at Weetwood
Andersson, the Middlesex man, made top score of 33 and only some late hitting by Max McIver and Dan Houghton added respectability to the all out score of 162. Hastings looked good and had tidy figures of 2-26, with Shantry 3-36 and Tongue a promising 2-22. By this time we had departed down the road to Headingley with the news that Yorkshire had been put into bat by Hampshire and had already lost both
openers before lunch.
The players viewing balcony at Headingley
New Australian signing Hanscomb was also out for 25 clean bowled by Fidel Edwards and Yorkshire then lost a whole clutch of wickets in quick succession. Leaning went for seven and unusually both Tim Bresnan and Andrew Hodd went for ducks and Yorkshire were 132-6 and in considerable difficulties. West Indian Edwards and South African Abbott did most of the damage. Fortunately new skipper Gary Ballance came to the rescue with a faultless century, never looking in trouble until bowled by Liam Dawson on 258-8. Steve Patterson gave him excellent support his thirty seven not out helping put on a century partnership with Ballance.
Steve Patterson's immaculate forward defensive shot
Gary Ballance celebrates his century at Headingley
Yorkshire's all out total of 273 seemed a little below par but when Hampshire batted during the final session young paceman Ben Coad came to the party with a vengeance taking five wickets, all big name batsmen - Carberry, Adams, Vince, Rossouw and Ervine. Hampshire looked in tatters on 58-5.
Meanwhile back at Weetwood, despite the early loss of Mitchell, Worcester were piling up the runs with 82 from Brett D'Olivera and 64 from Tom Fell to end the day on 156-2. Fortunately the early morning cold and cloudy weather had turned to glorious evening sunshine and Weetwood looked a pretty picture with freshly painted sight screens, a brand new boundary rope extended to the farthest reaches of this large ground and an excellent pitch prepared by award winning groundsman Richard Robinson.
Worcester pile up the runs at immaculate Weetwood
The sunshine continued on Saturday and this time a morning at Headingley in the hope of seeing Hampshire's foreign legion finished off rapidly. Ben Coad soon got his sixth wicket to dismiss Abbott. Bresnan then chipped in to stop thoughts of Coad getting all ten by having Dawson lbw and the Yorkshire vice captain also had Berg caught at slip by Lyth to make Hampshire 75-8. Then we saw some resistance from young wicket keeper McManus, who had a good record with the bat last season, including a first class century.
McManus looked more confident than the early batsman and stuck around for almost two hours for a most valuable 41 not out. He received good support from Wheal with 18 runs at number ten, but when he was bowled by Bresnan, number eleven Fidel Edwards threw his wicket away with a big heave and Hampshire were all out for 141.
So a first innings lead of 132 for Yorkshire. Hampshire just avoided the follow on but Yorkshire would probably not have enforced it anyway. With Lyth and Lees looking in good form initially the Saturday afternoon crowd looked forward to runs galore and a huge lead. Little did they know what was in store.
Ben Coad leads Yorkshire in after his 6-37
Anyway back to Weetwood where Worcestershire were piling up a huge score. Clarke had just been out for 109 when we arrived just after lunch, but Tom Kohler-Cadmore, a product of the Yorkshire schools system, and wicketkeeper Ben Cox took the score from 311-4 to 453-4 in very quick time and as soon as Kohler-Cadmore reached his century Worcester declared, with Cox not out 66. Useful batting practice for the visitors with director of cricket Stephen Rhodes, yet another former Yorkshire player, also in attendance.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore brings up his century at Weetwood
Groundsman Richard Robinson and assistant into action as Worcester declare
Runs from Shoare and Andersson helped Leeds/Bradford to an overnight score of 132-4, but the general feeling was that the game would be over around lunchtime on day three.
Stephen Rhodes supervising equipment for five minutes slip catching.
So it proved with a slightly better performance from the students, helped by 75 not out from the Scotsman Wallace which took them to 249 all out and Worcester won by an innings and 42 runs. So we were able to concentrate our attention on Yorkshire's third day at Headingley on yet another perfect sunny Sunday.
This was championship cricket at it's best with twists and turns as the game went first one way and then the other. The atmosphere was enhanced by the attitude of the substantial crowd who played their part to the full. They applauded first the umpires and then the players on to the field. They applauded maiden overs and good shots by the batsmen equally and even when the expected Yorkshire victory turned into defeat most of them stayed to the bitter end when the extra half hour, of which only five minutes was needed, eventually brought a hard earned victory to Hampshire.What a tragedy, and a kick in the teeth, for such ardent cricket followers that the next championship game at Headingley does not take place until the second day of June!
Appreciative fans deserve better
Plus points for Yorkshire's much weakened side, without not only three Test players missing in Root, Bairstow and Rashid, but three injured bowlers in Sidebottom, Brooks and Plunkett, was the batting of skipper Ballance in both innings and the bowling of Ben Coad, who hopefully can make the break through as a regular first team bowler.
Cynics may complain about the ECB's attitude to Yorkshire's test players in comparison to some from other counties and feel that Hampshire should have been relegated last season, as well as criticising their signing of Kolpak players, but their performance here showed excellent application and a fighting spirit.
It is perhaps too early to talk of them as title contenders, but they have batting in depth, a useful seam attack and the leg-spinner Crane, who did not play here, could turn out to be their secret weapon. Full marks also to wicket keeper Lewis McManus who batted well in both innings and together with Gareth Berg saw Hampshire home at the end with a partnership of fifty eight runs at a time when many other sides would have folded.
After a cold start on Friday morning three days of excellent cricket in the sun, both at Weetwood and Headingley. Long may it continue.
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