Yorkshire v Essex
LV= Insurance County Championship
Clean Slate Headingley, Monday 12 – Thursday 15 September
Team News:
Yorkshire: Adam Lyth, Finlay Bean, George Hill, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Will Fraine, Jonathan Tattersall, Matthew Revis, Jordan Thompson, Ben Coad, Steven Patterson, Jack Shutt.
Essex: Nick Browne, Alastair Cook, Tom Westley (c), Dan Lawrence, Feroze Khushi, Matt Critchley, Adam Rossington (wk), Shane Snater, Ben Allison, Sam Cook, Jamie Porter.
Match Details:
Umpires: Rob Bailey & Rob White
Match Referee: Will Smith
Toss: Essex, who elected to bowl
Scorecard: View Here
Day Three Highlights:
Day Three Report:
Essex secured back-to-back victories by chasing down 162 in a tightly fought contest. Shane Snater’s aggressive unbeaten 68 secured a thrilling one-wicket LV= Insurance County Championship win over Yorkshire inside three days to record a first Championship win at Headingley since 1984.
Essex took eight wickets during the first half of the day to bowl Yorkshire out for 252 in the second innings, including three apiece for leg-spinner Matt Critchley and new-ball quick Jamie Porter (4/64).
But they later slipped from 51/2 to 64/6 in a crazy 13-ball evening spell in which veteran seamer Steve Patterson struck three times for the hosts.
Patterson, who has not been offered a new contract beyond this season following 17 years of first-team cricket, finished with a brilliant 5/46, including the ninth wicket with the scores level.
But Snater heaved Ben Coad through midwicket to secure 20 points for his side – their sixth win of the campaign.
Snater, who also hit 46 in the first innings, successfully turned Essex defence into attack amidst a nail-biting finish. Essex are now four points behind Lancashire with two to play.
Battling Yorkshire, meanwhile, lost for the fourth time this season and are not yet out of relegation danger after only taking three points. Their position will be clearer when Warwickshire versus Somerset finishes tomorrow.
They started the day on 87-2 in their second innings, trailing by four, and were bowled out for 252 midway through the afternoon. Jamie Porter finished with 4/64, while Matt Critchley’s leg-spin accounted for three wickets.
As impressive as Patterson was with the ball, Coad’s day three contribution was just as significant in taking this game down to the wire.
But perhaps not in the way you would expect.
The new ball seamer, who earlier in this match took his 200th first-class cricket, crashed an entertaining 69 off 70 balls with 10 fours and a six over midwicket to give himself and his bowling colleagues something to work with. He later struck twice with the ball.
Five wickets in the morning session, including two for Critchley, left Yorkshire 158-7 and with a lead of 69 after they resumed on 87-2.
Fledgling opener Fin Bean had been trapped lbw by a Porter yorker for 53, his maiden first-class fifty in only his second game.
But Coad changed things. He dominated an eighth-wicket partnership of 80 with Matthew Revis, the highest stand of the match. And his score was the highest individual score of the fixture as well.
He played a stand and deliver innings, taking the view, ‘If it’s up, it’s off’.
He was then bowled by one that skidded through from Critchley, while Porter claimed two of the last three wickets to fall to leave Essex with 52 overs of batting to do before close.
The last of those wickets was Patterson caught behind. He had earlier received a warm ovation from the Headingley faithful as he walked to the crease. But it wasn’t as warm as the one he received as he left the field to get a breather with four wickets under his belt after tea!
Given Essex’s caution in the early stages of their chase, Yorkshire’s hopes remained high.
Jordan Thompson had Nick Browne caught at third slip before tea and Tom Westley sliced Patterson to backward point shortly after, leaving the score at 35-2 in the 20th over.
Then came the turnaround as Patterson wheeled away from the Howard Stand End and Coad from Kirkstall Lane.
Patterson yorked Dan Lawrence playing to leg and superbly held a one-handed diving return catch later in the 26th over – 51-4.
Coad then trapped Feroze Khushi lbw and Patterson got a flashing Cook caught at slip. Essex were six down 98 short of their target.
By now, Essex had realised they had to break the chain and started to attack. And it worked, but not before George Hill had Adam Rossington caught at short midwicket (93-7).
Snater powered Patterson for six over long-on and later showed finesse by twice steering Thompson to the third-man fence.
Snater, who faced 51 balls, dominated an eighth-wicket partnership of 63 with Allison and reached a 38-ball fifty, by which time Essex needed only 20 and the game was seemingly back in their control.
But Coad got Allison caught behind and then Patterson bowled Sam Cook, leaving Essex 161-9 and scores level. But Snater held his nerve to hit the winning run to cap a remarkable conclusion.
Day Two Highlights:
Day Two Report:
During a sunny second day at Headingley, Lawrence reached 50 for the fifth time in during a summer beset by injury as Essex replied to Yorkshire’s first-innings 134 with 225.
Essex, who lead by four going into the third days play, toiled hard with the bat and then ball as the game stays in the balance after George Hill was caught at slip by Alastair Cook in the day’s final over as he wafted at a ball outside off-stump from Jamie Porter.
Essex were 79 for three from 33 overs at lunch. After Nick Browne’s off-stump was uprooted with the first ball of the day’s second over by Thompson, who also ousted Tom Westley as the first of five lbws in the first six wickets.
Before Steve Patterson also trapped Sir Alastair Cook in front for 23 as the former England captain played back to one which skidded through.
Thompson returned immediately at the start of the afternoon and struck in his first over for the second session running as Matt Critchley was lbw.
And when Feroze Khushi and Adam Rossington were trapped lbw with deliveries which kept low from Coad in the space of six overs, Essex were six down in the 41st over and still 29 runs adrift.
However, the day’s pendulum was about to swing again as Essex reasserted their authority thanks largely to their hard-hitting seamer Snater, who freewheeled his side into the lead.
Snater hit well down the ground, off the front and back foot as well as pulling Thompson for six to secure a lead at 135 for six in the 47th over.
He shared 75 inside 15 overs with Lawrence, who he passed in the mid-forties. The England man had been on 25 when Snater came to the crease.
Lawrence, who faced 145 balls, was more than happy to play second fiddle before Snater pulled George Hill’s seam to midwicket, where sub fielder Ben Mike held on with the Essex lead on 46.
Lawrence reached his fifty shortly afterwards off 118 balls, his fifth of a frustrating summer that saw the 25-year-old suffer with two hamstring injuries during the early stages of the campaign and has had to find his way again for Essex.
He batted with skill and caution in bowler-friendly conditions, though would have been frustrated to feel for one outside off just after tea and edge Hill behind with the score on 209 for eight in the 68th over, a lead of 75.
Ben Allison, for 23, was then trapped lbw by Thompson before Hill’s third wicket was that off a swinging Sam Cook caught behind.
Sam Cook removed Adam Lyth early in Yorkshire’s second innings, however, Bean played with positivity but composure as he indicated easier batting conditions were ahead under the Headingley sunshine.
Day One Highlights:
Day One Report:
Sam Cook reached 200 first-class career wickets in record-breaking fashion as Essex bowled Yorkshire out for 134 during the opening day of the LV= Insurance County Championship clash at Headingley.
In returning an excellent three for 31 from 15 overs, the 25-year-old England Lions seamer became the first English bowler in more than half a century to bring up the double hundred at an average under 20.
Cook, whose 201 wickets have came at 19.56 apiece, achieved a feat last secured by Derbyshire’s Alan Ward in 1971 and took advantage of helpful conditions to vindicate captain Tom Westley’s decision to bowl first at the start of the two counties’ 12th match of 14 in Division One.
He was ably backed up by fellow seamer Shane Snater’s three for 39, while Jamie Porter and Ben Allison claimed two wickets apiece as the hosts were bowled out just before tea, including George Hill’s top score of 36.
There was no play possible beyond tea, taken at 3pm, due to rain, with Essex’s innings not starting. Forty-three overs were cut from the day’s allotted 96.
Play was preceded by a minute’s silence in memory of Queen Elizabeth II and the national anthem, while both teams wore black armbands.
While Essex are bidding to end the season with a top three finish in Division One – they started this round 30 points behind Lancashire with a game in hand – Yorkshire are still not clear of relegation danger. They are 25 points clear of second-bottom Warwickshire.
Cook has been in outstanding recent form. He has taken 23 wickets in his last six appearances both in the Championship and for the Trent Rockets in the Hundred, including a match-winning 10-for against Kent last week.
Here is a bowler who is affectionately known as Little Chef at Chelmsford, owing to the presence of the Alastair Cook in their squad.
Sam is without express pace – he is not as quick as new ball partner Jamie Porter, for example – but he rarely lets batters settle with his accuracy and skill. Many see him as the ideal replacement for Jimmy Anderson in England’s Test team when needs be.
He made the initial breakthrough by getting Fin Bean caught behind for a duck one-handed by wicketkeeper Adam Rossington, who also had an impressive day. It was the first of four catches for the ex-Northamptonshire man.
That left Yorkshire, batting under floodlights all day, at four for one in the fourth over before Tom Kohler-Cadmore edged to third slip for his milestone wicket and Hill feathered behind.
When the latter fell for an innings top-score of 36 in the afternoon’s second over, Yorkshire were 64 for five in the 30th.
After an early Porter strike, getting the other opener Adam Lyth caught behind, Snater matched Cook’s contribution as Essex pressed ahead.
Snater’s first wicket was Will Fraine bowled for a duck shortly before lunch.
Afterwards, he had Matthew Revis caught behind off the inside edge and also bowled Jonny Tattersall for a hard-working 32 as Yorkshire fell to 100 for seven in the 41st over.
Allison then added his two wickets, including bowling Ben Coad with a vicious bouncer which he could only fend onto his stumps, before Porter wrapped up the innings by trapping Jack Shutt lbw in the 53rd over.
New Yorkshire loan signing Ben Mike, the all-rounder who has joined early from Leicestershire ahead of a three-year contract starting this winter, has not been selected and must wait at least a week for his debut.
Photo: SWPix.com
