Championship Report: Yorkshire v Warwickshire

Day Four

Warwickshire’s Specsavers County Championship resurgence continued as former Yorkshire opener Will Rhodes and Dom Sibley starred in a largely confident, but late on nervy, final day pursuit of 217 at York’s Clifton Park.

The Bears, who had lost their first three Division One matches this season, are now unbeaten in their last three, including two victories, after Rhodes hit 83 and in-form opening partner Sibley 81.

This win, completed with three wickets to spare and 10 overs remaining, yielded 21 points and elevated them into sixth place.

But Sibley fell to a stunning one-handed diving catch at mid-off from Steve Patterson off left-arm spinner James Logan, the 21-year-old who claimed his first four first-class victims in his second game as Warwickshire lost a late six for 49 to slip to 215 for seven before Jeetan Patel hit the winning runs.

Fourth-placed Yorkshire suffered their first defeat in seven games, a particular disappointment for them given this was the first county game in York since 1890.

Rhodes, who hit 26 off an afternoon over from former team-mate Jack Leaning, and Sibley did the bulk of the leg work on a pitch which slowed up through the four days and proved tough to score on for the majority of time.

Sibley, who hit 67 in the first innings, and ex-White Rose left-hander Rhodes shared 132 inside 37 overs for the first wicket either side of lunch, Warwickshire’s highest opening partnership of the season.

Rhodes hit nine fours and three sixes in 107 balls and Sibley nine fours and a six in 167.

Rhodes swapped Headingley for Edgbaston ahead of 2018, but he still plays league cricket at nearby Stamford Bridge. All three of his sixes came off Leaning’s off-spin in the 31st over, reaching 50 in the process.

Warwickshire, 80 without loss at the start of the over, went on to score 40 off the next three before Rhodes was bowled off an inside-edge by David Willey.

However, Sibley continued his partner’s good work after tea.

An opener in fine form with 721 first-class runs this season, he is emerging as a late Ashes contender and was watched by the ECB’s technical director Andy Flower.

He reached his second fifty of the match off 122 balls in the final over of the afternoon and later flicked Ben Coad for six over backward square-leg to take the score beyond 150 for one before the late wobble raised home hopes.

Earlier, Yorkshire advanced their second innings from 178 for seven overnight, leading by 183, to 211 all out, including Patel’s 700th and 701st wickets in all formats for Warwickshire.

Seamer Oliver Hannon-Dalby, like Rhodes, also started his career with Yorkshire, and he took the first wicket by forcing Patterson to chop on.

Hannon-Dalby, celebrating his 30th birthday, finished with four wickets and a career best match haul of nine for 137.

Visiting captain Patel also picked up four wickets having bowled Logan and trapped Leaning lbw for 65 on the slog sweep.

Ex-New Zealand off-spinner Patel signed for Warwickshire in 2009, six years after spending a season with York.

Leaning, a current York player, grafted hard in 187 balls and advanced from 47 overnight.

Warwickshire’s chase started with 76 overs remaining, and they reached lunch on 20 without loss from eleven as Rhodes and Sibley blunted new ball pair of Patterson and Ben Coad.

After lunch, the pair began to expand as they surpassed their previous high stand of 58 in the first innings of the draw against Surrey at Edgbaston last month.

Yorkshire claimed five points from this fixture.

Day Three

Yorkshire and Warwickshire are set for a thrilling final day of their Specsavers County Championship fixture at York’s Clifton Park after a nip and tuck day three.

Both sides had to work hard for their wickets on a pitch which has slowed up, yet is still offering plenty of help for the bowlers.

Warwickshire, replying to 259, began the day on 192 for five, with the start of play delayed by an hour following overnight and morning rain (16 overs were lost from the allotted 104).

But they were bowled out for 254 before Yorkshire, who slipped to 31 for two early in their second innings after lunch, closed on 178 for seven from 63 overs, a lead of 183.

Warwickshire will be frustrated at losing their last three wickets for four runs in only six balls either side of lunch to loosen their grip on the contest which is still in their favour but nowhere near as clearly as it could, or should, have been.

Jordan Thompson claimed two in an over and the other went to England limited overs swing bowler David Willey, who finished with three for 71 alongside Steve Patterson’s three for 33 in front of a crowd of just over 1,000.

The last of those was Tim Ambrose (39) caught at first slip by Tom Kohler-Cadmore, while Jeetan Patel had been the victim of a stunning one-handed diving catch from wicketkeeper Jonny Tattersall off an inside-edge against Thompson.

Warwickshire new ball quick Oliver Hannon-Dalby (three for 48 from 17 overs) then continued his fruitful return to face his home county.

Having taken five wickets in the first innings, he snared the first two of the second, including the prized wicket of Gary Ballance for 18.

After getting opener Will Fraine lbw playing around one (three for one in the third over), he had in-form Ballance caught at first slip by another former Tyke Will Rhodes, leaving the score at 31 for two in the 15th – a lead of 36.

Opener Adam Lyth pulled Hannon-Dalby over backward square-leg for six and into a nearby garden and then drove Patel’s first ball for four to move into the twenties at the start of the 21st over.

But he lost Kohler-Cadmore to medium pacer Matt Lamb’s first ball at the start of the next over, caught behind, as Yorkshire fell to 68 for three.

Lyth reached tea unbeaten on 37, with Yorkshire 96 for three, but the left-hander fell five balls after tea when he top-edged Miles behind without addition, leaving the score at 97 for four in the 32nd.

Fifth-wicket pair Jack Leaning and Jonny Tattersall, both batting on their home ground, were then subjected to a number of close shaves but battled hard for a 30 stand as off-spinner Patel wheeled away from the Shipton Road End of a ground he also graced in 2003 as a York CC overseas player.

But Hannon-Dalby returned from the City End to get Tattersall caught behind cutting – 127 for five in the 48th.

Patel then claimed the cheap wickets of Thompson bowled and Willey stumped in the 51st and 53rd overs to wrestle back the initiative at 140 for seven, a home lead of 145.

Leaning, however, closed the day on 47 not out alongside captain Patterson, unbeaten on nine.

Day Two

Warwickshire and Yorkshire continued to trade blows in compelling fashion as their Specsavers County Championship at York reached the halfway point finely-poised.

After bowling the home side out for 259, the Bears closed on 192 for five. It was another engrossing day for another excellent crowd, including numerous Warwickshire fans, at the historic, inaugural county championship match at Clifton Park.

Seam bowlers Oliver Hannon-Dalby (five for 76) and Craig Miles four for 44) did most of the damage as the Bears finished off the home side’s first innings shortly before lunch.

A total of 259 looks around par on a pitch assisting the seamers and Warwickshire were indebted to second-wicket pair Dominic Sibley (67, 166 balls, eight fours) and Rob Yates (a career-best 49, 160 balls, four fours) who added 101 in 48 overs before an evening clatter of wickets evened the game up.

Another good crowd is expected for day three, although spectators can only hope that the forecast rain stays away.

When Yorkshire resumed in the morning on 208 for eight, their lower order defied doggedly for another 100 minutes. Ninth-wicket pair Steve Patterson (60, 108 balls, six fours, one six) and James Logan (20 not out, 97 balls, three fours) added 48 in 25 overs before the former played on to ex-Yorkshire player Hannon-Dalby. The persevering OHD then quickly bowled Ben Coad to complete his second five-for of the season.

Given a potentially awkward 20 minutes batting before lunch, openers Sibley and Will Rhodes made light of it, taking their side to 23 without loss at the interval. Rhodes, looking in excellent nick, struck David Willey for successive glorious fours through the off-side and, after lunch, flicked Coad over square-leg for six but the bowler had his revenge when Rhodes (28, 29 balls, three fours, one six) edged to third slip.

Nineteen-year-old Yates settled in alongside Sibley and passed his previous best of 24 as the second-wicket pair batted with great care, not least in their astute leaving of the ball. It was arguably the astute display of leaving the ball outside off-stump by any Warwickshire pair in Yorkshire since Billy Quaife and Jack Parsons at Hull in 1927.

They were eventually parted by Patterson who followed up his morning half-century with an evening burst of three wickets in 20 balls. Sibley played on, Yates, just a single short of a richly deserved maiden half-century, edged to slip and Adam Hose fell lbw second ball.

Matt Lamb, playing his first championship game of the season, opened his account with a glorious straight four off Patterson but then edged a good ball from Willey to second slip. That left the Bears 166 for five, still 93 behind, before Sam Hain and Tim Ambrose added a solid, unbroken 26 up to the close.

Day One

Craig Miles’ spectacular burst of three wickets for no runs in eight balls was the centrepiece of a fine, if truncated, day of Specsavers County Championship cricket as Warwickshire and Yorkshire swapped blows on the opening day at York.

Clifton Park was christened as a championship venue by a eventful and fluctuating day’s play which was, despite a series of rain-breaks, a very good advert for championship cricket.

Yorkshire closed it on 208 for eight. After an uncontested toss, the Bears having taken up the option to bowl, the White Rose reached 93 for one before Miles and Olly Hannon-Dalby ripped out five wickets for eight runs in 10.1 overs.

That left Yorkshire 101 for six but they recovered through Gary Ballance (54, 122 balls, eight fours), David Willey (46, 77 balls, eight fours) and Steve Patterson (36 not out, 57 balls, five fours, one six). On a pitch offering something for the seamers, both sides will be happy enough with their position after the first day.

In a first session restricted to 19 overs by rain, Yorkshire made 60 for one but the Bears were unlucky not to pick up more than one wicket. After a delayed start, Liam Norwell and Hannon-Dalby opened up with aggressive spells which reduced the home side to nine for one from 6.3 overs before the rain returned. It was former Yorkshire player Hannon-Dalby who made the breakthrough, nipping one away from Adam Lyth to take an edge through to wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose.

Norwell beat the bat regularly on a pitch of good carry but it was his fellow former Gloucestershire man Miles who broke through with a brilliant afternoon salvo from the City End.

Will Fraine, having reached a career-best 42, was brilliantly caught by Matt Lamb, diving low to his left, at mid-wicket. If that wicket owed much to the fielder, Miles’ next two were all his own work as he trapped Tom Kohler-Cadmore lbw and bowled Jack Leaning through the gate.

Hannon-Dalby then followed up by having Jonny Tattersall well caught by Sam Hain at second slip and Jordan Thompson adjudged lbw to the delight of the many Warwickshire supporters in the big crowd.

Ballance and Willey were building a dangerous partnership when rain returned to force an early tea which worked in the Bears’ favour when, shortly after the interval, Ballance was uprooted when he missed a nicely-flighted ball from Jeetan Patel and fell lbw.

From 145 for seven, Yorkshire skipper Patterson joined Willey in a forceful stand of 60 in 13 overs which ended when the latter’s off-stump was clipped by a beauty from Miles just before rain arrived for the final time.