Tony's latest posting asked the question 'Was it really ten years ago?' and it would have been not inappropriate for me to follow his example and use the same title today for while the 2011 Wisden, with its reports of the previous season, is on the table it seems like a good time to delve a little further into what happened in 2010 and in particular the events at Headingley on the morning of Thursday September 16th.
Yorkshire under new captain Andrew Gale, the youngest skipper since Brian Sellars in 1933, had made a good start to the championship season with victories over Warwickshire and Somerset, Gale showing excellent form with the bat in the latter of these. Such was their good form that they arrived at the last match of the season against Kent and that fateful morning with only one defeat to their name. That had come at Taunton when acting skipper Rudolph (Gale was with England Lions) came to an agreement with Trescothick which after some joke bowling saw the home side chase down 362 to win for the loss of only four wickets. Top scorer was Hildreth who hit over 1400 championship runs that season and who would finish high in any poll seeking 'the unluckiest batsman not to play for England', particularly if the sample was skewed towards Somerset supporters.
Yorkshire came into the match v Kent on the back of a win at Trent Bridge where on the first day Gale had won the toss, put leaders Notts in and saw Shazad, Asraf and Hannon-Dalby justify his decision by bowling them out for 59. By the end of the first day, a day on which 18 wickets fell, Yorkshire were over 200 ahead largely thanks to Gale who was 147 not out. Notts fared much better in their second innings but Bairstow saw Yorkshire to a three day victory which closed the gap at the top to seven points with Somerset the other team in the mix, just two points behind Notts who were singing along with The New Christie Minstrels as the wheels came off their wagon.They came into the last round on the back of two defeats.
And so to that fateful morning, indeed fateful 44 minutes, when Yorkshire went from 93 for 1, a position from which they hoped to set a target and then bowl Kent out, to 130 all out. They began the day, a sunny one as I recall, on 51 for 1 and Lyth, who passed 1500 runs for the season, and McGrath scored quickly until the latter was removed by Nel. Gale lasted only two minutes, 95 for 3. Calamity then ensued with James Treadwell taking six wickets ( including a hat trick) for fifteen, fifteen runs from two sixes and a three which suggests Yorkshire did not know whether to twist or stick. The sixes were hit by Shazad who was the only one of the last 8 batsmen to reach double figures.
All out for 130 meant Kent needed 90 to win, a win that would not however guarantee safety from relegation. When Northeast and Denly were dismissed in the first ten minutes of Kent's innings hopes were raised among the faithful but Key and van Jaarsveld steadied proceedings and victory was achieved in the 25th over with six wickets down. Darren Stevens was at the crease, as he was for much of the time nine years later. Elsewhere Notts gambled that bonus points would be enough and they were proved right winning their first pennant in five years. Somerset had been frustrated by stubborn Durham batting at The Riverside and settled for a draw which gave them second place. Two days later they lost to Warwickshire in the CB 40 final at Lord's and it was the Bears' win on fateful Thursday at Southampton that sent Kent, despite their most unlikely win at Headingley into Division Two.
Elsewhere Essex accompanied Kent into the basement from whence sprang Sussex and Worcestershire. Hampshire had a late rally to finish six points above Kent and in Division Two and perhaps most remarkably of all Leicestershire finished fourth, 40 points better off than Surrey.
1945 and 2020 Wisdens side by side, how many pages in 2021??
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