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Hampshire Secure Draw With Yorkshire On Rain-Affected Day Four
Hampshire Secure Draw With Yorkshire On Rain-Affected Day Four
Gareth Berg reached 200 first class wickets as rain prevented a result at the The Ageas Bowl
Hampshire secured an important draw with reigning champions Yorkshire as rain prevented an evening session on day four of their Specsavers County Championship encounter at the The Ageas Bowl.
Gareth Berg took his 200th first-class wicket as Yorkshire declared on 238-5, presenting Hampshire with a 298-run target for victory before Jack Brooks reduced them to 84-4 and rain set in to seal the draw, from which the home side take nine points.
Brad Wheal removed Gayle (19) with his second ball of the day and finished the innings with 3-79, but conditions that had already ruled out 90 overs of the match wiped out the evening session to seal an important result for Hampshire, looking to avoid relegation.
On a day which ended with low cloud and wet covers, Hampshire began day four in high spirits, at least certainly after two overs.
Wheal claimed the wicket of Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale (19) with just the eighth ball of play to reduce the visitors to 143-3 and supply an ideal start for Hampshire’s bowlers, attempting to force an opening against the reigning champions.
When Gary Ballance (72) chopped on to leg stump in the 53rd over, Gareth Berg halted Yorkshire’s push for victory at 189-4 and secured a memorable accolade of 200 first-class wickets. Having taken six wickets for 56 runs in the first innings, Berg continued to bowl well on day four, opening with a maiden over.
With a lead of 248 runs and with 87 overs remaining in the day, Yorkshire’s batsmen prepared a declaration by increasing the strike rate, with a real chance of snatching victory at the The Ageas Bowl. Shortly after Andy Carter dismissed Tim Bresnan (27), who lofted the ball to Berg at mid-off, Yorkshire declared with a 297-run lead and presented both teams with hope of victory.
Lunch was taken 15 minutes early, moments after the declaration, as rain set in and threatened to decide the contest.
The players returned to the field just ten minutes later than scheduled, with Hampshire needing 298 runs and Yorkshire’s bowlers looking to take ten wickets. Within the first three overs of Hants’ innings, the visitors claimed their first as Ryan Sidebottom’s pace trapped Will Smith (4) at lbw.
Smith’s replacement, Tom Alsop (18), announced his arrival with a beautifully-timed cover drive to the boundary off his first ball and carried Hampshire to fifty with Jimmy Adams as the home side confronted Yorkshire’s victory charge with firm resolve.
The resistance suffered a series of blows before tea, as Brooks took three wickets in 12 balls, Alsop pulling to Azeem Rafiq at square leg and Yorkshire’s slip cordon catching Adams and James Vince. Vince produced two fine boundaries before edging his 13th ball to Bresnan at first slip, leaving Hants 74-4.
Ervine (10*) and McLaren (4*) made brief introductions before an the players were called off for bad light and tea was taken early, followed by showers throughout the break and persistent rain after tea.
Hampshire, looking to climb above Durham, Lancashire or Warwickshire and evade relegation from Division One, take nine points from the match and remain in eighth place, with Yorkshire unmoved in second.
