Tea at Headingley and after a lively morning, this game is heading for handshakes despite the fine efforts of Hampshire’s bowlers, who picked up another three wickets in the session. Yorkshire 149-7 lead by 289, with 34 scheduled overs after tea with two taken away for any change of innings. Andrew Gale and Jack Leaning had combined for a 26-over stand to dent any hopes of a late chase. Chris Wood, bowling with a knee problem, finally broke the pair mid-afternoon when Gale edged behind for 46. As David Hopps, formerly of this parish, just said to my right, this was nearly a very good pitch, with the ball starting to turn sharply on the fourth day - just ask Jack Leaning, who saw one fizz through the gate to bowl him on 18 from the part-time off-breaks of Will Smith. And on the stroke of tea, Rashid has just driven Tomlinson wildly to be caught at third slip (or a very wide second).
An eventful morning at Headingley to say the least. Yorkshire go into lunch 67 for four and leading by 207 after Hampshire declared, we are told, on 453 for nine first thing. I say we are told, because last man Fidel Edwards was not going to bat after being taken to hospital with a right ankle injury picked up in the warm-up. No break, we are learning, but fears he could be out for two months. It has seen head coach Dale Benkenstein on the field as a sub, with Sean Ervine, suspected broken finger, the other man off. In the face of these injuries, Hampshire have been superb, keeping the pressure on Yorkshire despite being a bowler light.
James Tomlinson removed Alex Lees lbw for one with the fourth ball of the innings, before Gary Ballance smashed one to short cover for a 36-ball four in which he looked ropey. Ryan McLaren has backed this up superbly, profiting from a loose waft by Adam Lyth for his first before a brutish lifter to key man Jonny Bairstow gave Wheater his second catch behind the stumps. Andrew Gale, 17, and Jack Leaning, five, have offered a bit of calm since with a stand of 24 to take the home side through to the interval.
No sign of Liam Dawson with the ball yet (abdominal issue) but left-armer Chris Wood has bowled in spite of a knee problem that saw him pull up lame on the second day. James Vince has been sending down his medium pace. While the draw remains favourite, this has been a cracking match, with Yorkshire dominating for the first two days and Hampshire gutsing their way back into it despite the list of casualties totting up.
Lunchtime at Lord’s and the players drift from the field. It has been a largely fruitless morning for Warwickshire, who gained the wicket of Nick Compton for 44 but since then have watched Sam Robson and Adam Voges take their fourth wicket partnership on to 74. Robson has followed his 232 in the first innings with an unbeaten 84 now. Middlesex, on 165 for three, lead by 149.
Thanks to all of you who took part in this. It looks well:
Wicket and the end of the Hampshire innings ... because Fidel Edwards is not going to bat. And it’s another injury for the visitors and a big concern. The West Indian fast bowler, it transpires, has been taken to hospital with an injury suffered during the warm-ups. Details sketchy at this stage, will attempt to find out more.
Anyway, Ryan Sidebottom got he ninth wicket and his fourth in the innings with Chris Wood caught at second by Adam Lyth for, with Hampshire 453 for nine declared on the scoreboard (should be all out, for me, but anyway). Ryan McLaren 55 not out.
Yorkshire lead by 140 runs going into their second innings. Well I did ask for a twist...
Updated
Another glorious day at Lord’s. The irritating ambient noise in the media centre (we are sealed in hermetically and then get this piped in: it is what windows that open used to do) is of hammering as the new Warner stand is constructed rather than leather on willow. The pitch looks even drier now, as might be expected, and has lost any pace it might have had, so batting looks easy now. Given this, and the fact that there was scarcely anything between the sides on first innings, it is hard to see the game going anywhere but towards a draw.
So there will be a few personal statements to make. Sam Robson has already made one with a first innings double century but has the opportunity to fill his boots again, while Nick Compton, out first ball in the first innings, will want to alert the England selectors to the fact that he will not give up his number three spot without a battle.
There was a little nervousness towards the close of the third day however when the commendable new ball bowling of Keith Barker took two early Middlesex wickets. I met up with the Middlesex seamers for a beer in the Tavern last night, a renewal of a meeting at the end of last summer in Worcester. We went out for a few there, a lovely convivial evening, and next day, collectively, they bowled what I told them was such a shower of shit that there were more than 200 runs scored before they managed to take any more wickets. So when the time comes today, we shall see. A more abstemious evening though this last one. They reckon that Barker swings the new ball more than anyone else around by the way.
Morning from Headingley, where it’s another cracking day. In fact, not a cloud in an azure blue sky. Hampshire to resume eight down and 143 behind, with Ryan McLaren on 55 and Chris Wood, seemingly unimpeded by a knee problem, on 28, the pair having nudged the visitors past the follow-on mark yesterday evening. Early wickets and we couldsee Yorkshire on the charge to dangle something resembling a carrot but the pitch having got better as the game has gone on and with bats bigger, the gaps between helmet peaks and grilles smaller, Lancashire set to start with win on the other side of the Pennines and the Queen celebrating one of her two birthdays tomorrow, it’s hard to see anything but a draw. Here’s hoping for a twist...
In case you missed it, here’s another county cricket piece we published last night
Morning all
We are back with Ali Martin and Mike Selvey today. Here are their reports from yesterday:
Yorkshire v Hampshire
The Yorkshire head coach, Jason Gillespie, could find no fault in the efforts of his bowling attack, despite spending his 41st birthday watching only three wickets fall as Hampshire ground their way past the follow-on mark at Headingley to leave the draw looming.
Defiance came predominantly in the form of the Zimbabwean Sean Ervine, whose 123 over five hours and 20 minutes at the crease lived up to his nickname “Slug” before Ryan McLaren’s 77-ball half-century from No9 took the visitors to apparent safety in the penultimate over of the day. Continue reading
Middlesex v Warwickshire
First came Ben Duckett for Northamptonshire, followed by Sam Robson and Jonny Bairstow, as double centurions this spring. And now to their number can be added Jonathan Trott. With the Warwickshire No4 62 overnight, a pristine sunny spring day and a pitch that was playing better by the hour, there was nothing more certain than the old stager (less of the old, he might say) filling his boots unless it is Ian Botham supporting Brexit.
Four championship doubles, and only midway through April, is unprecedented, even allowing for the absence largely of such cricket until this millennium. When Trott ran out of partners he had reached 219, seven runs shy of a career best scored against Bangladesh almost six years ago on this same Lord’s turf. Continue reading
Enjoy the cricket
Updated
