Daily Reports: Yorkshire v Hampshire - Specsavers County Championship

Day Four

Valuable fifties from Joe Weatherley and Rilee Rossouw helped Hampshire secure a comfortable draw against Yorkshire at Headingley

Rain affected every day of a fixture which brought new Division One leaders Hampshire nine points and third-placed Yorkshire eight.

Yorkshire set a victory target of 279 in 48 overs before reducing their visitors to seven for two and then 35 for three with 35.3 overs remaining at tea. But a 102-run partnership between Weatherley and Rossouw saw Hampshire through to 158 for five as the players shook hands.

Hampshire have now won three, lost one and drawn one and move seven points clear of Somerset after five games, one more than the Taunton county have played. 

Yorkshire remain unbeaten with two wins and two draws and are third.

The start of play was delayed until 11.45am, only for more rain to take the players off again at 12.15pm, forcing an early lunch. But there was enough time for Gary Ballance to move from 83 overnight to 100 off 164 balls, including 15 fours.

The left-hander has now scored a century in each of Yorkshire’s four matches and has five on the trot going back to the final game of last season at Worcestershire.

Ballance fell lbw six balls after reaching his century and five balls into the afternoon, lbw to Mason Crane as the score fell to 239-4, a lead of 185 with 67 overs left in the day.

Jack Leaning also contributed 41 and Jonny Tattersall a busy 51 not out off 53 balls, the latter sharing an unbroken 64-run partnership in 10.1 overs for the sixth wicket with David Willey (26).

Tattersall reached his fifty with back-to-back boundaries off Keith Barker before the declaration came two balls later.

Despite struggling with his run-up from the Kirkstall Lane End of the ground, Olivier then gave the White Rose the ideal start with the ball when he had Oli Soames caught and bowled off a top-edged pull (four for one in the second over).

In the next over, Coad accounted for Rahane before having Northeast caught low down at mid-wicket in the stroke of tea, leaving Hampshire at 35 for three with 35.3 overs remaining.

Weatherley and Rossouw shared an impressive fourth-wicket partnership, with both men reaching their fifties off 84 and 66 balls respectively. Dom Bess had Weatherley caught at mid-wicket with a little under 13 overs remaining before bowling Ian Holland with 4.4 to go. The players shook hands two overs early.

Day Three

Rain played it's part once again on day three of Hampshire's Specsavers County Championship contest against Yorkshrie at Headingley.

Gary Ballance, unbeaten on 83, and Tom Kohler-Cadmore shared a third-wicket partnership of 141 to thwart Hampshire's attempt at taking the early wickets required to set-up a shot at victory.

Yorkshire conceded a first-innings lead of 54 late on day two and slipped to 20 for two early on day three, only for Kohler-Cadmore, who made 69, and Hampshire’s bogey batsman Ballance to change the complexion of the fixture either side of lunch.

By the time rained arrived and forced an early tea - and later an early close at 5.35pm - Yorkshire were 207 for three in the 66th over, leading by 153.

For either side to win this fixture, the weather has to hold firm on day four and allow the first full day’s play of the match.

After openers Harry Brook and Adam Lyth fell inside the first six overs of the day, both caught at second slip by Joe Weatherley for nine off Keith Barker’s left-arm seamers, Kohler-Cadmore was particularly imposing through the covers and straight down the ground.

A back foot punch through the covers off James Fuller just after lunch was particularly memorable.

The pair united for 45 overs. Kohler-Cadmore reached his fifty first off 96 balls and Ballance followed him there around half an hour later off 92. Upon reaching 62, the latter brought up his 500th Championship run of the season.

The partnership was broken by Ian Holland in the 54th over of the innings when he had Kohler-Cadmore lbw playing across one, leaving Yorkshire at 161 for three.

Conditions may have been overcast for the majority of the day, forcing the use of the floodlights from just after lunch onwards, but batting looked easier than it had on days one and two.

There was no play possible beyond 3.45pm, and more than 100 overs have now been lost in a game between two of Division One’s top three sides.

Day Two

Battling half-centuries for both Sam Northeast and James Fuller ensure Hampshire hold the advantage at the end of day two of their Specsavers County Championship contest against Yorkshire at Headingley.

In bowler-friendly conditions, the second-placed visitors replied to a first-innings 181 with 235, a lead of 54. 

Yorkshire, for whom Ben Coad claimed four for 41, closed on five without loss from three overs in the second innings. 

The in-form Northeast and Fuller posted 50 and 54 not out, the latter’s coming on his first-class debut for Hampshire and after taking three wickets with his seamers on day one.

Fuller had just started to open his shoulders before heavy rain arrived just after 3.40pm, forcing a two-and-a-half-hour delay. When play resumed, he reached 50 off 73 balls with a third six.

Hampshire started the day on 14 for one in the 10th over and went on to secure the only batting bonus point of a match which has seen 10 batsmen out in the teens.

Olivier made the initial breakthrough by getting Joe Weatherley brilliantly caught at second slip, one-handed, by a diving Adam Lyth.

After an attempted hook, the ball ballooned over the slips - the batsman indicated shoulder - with Lyth back peddling and holding on with his right hand as he was also interrupted by Jack Leaning diving across him from third slip.

That left Hampshire at 32 for two in the seventh full over of the day - the 17th of the innings.

Dom Bess' first over yielded the wicket of overseas Ajinkya Rahane for 31, untidily stumped by Tattersall as the right-hander danced down the track trying to hit over the top (80 for three in the 34th over).

Rilee Rossouw then crashed a four and a six, the latter over mid-off against Willey, only to fall next ball trying to heave through the leg-side.

A top-edge handed Tom Kohler-Cadmore, peddling back from first slip, the first of two catches. Hampshire were now 93 for four after 35.

Yorkshire struck four times after lunch, but it felt as if Hampshire had significantly strengthened their grip on the game when umpires Rob Bailey and Neil Bainton took the players off just before tea.

Olivier had Tom Alsop caught at second slip by Lyth (133 for five in the 35th) before Northeast reached his fifth fifty in eight Championship innings this season off 86 balls.

However, Coad had him lbw with 143 on the board in the 48th over. When Patterson also trapped Ian Holland lbw eight overs later, Hampshire were 180 for seven.

Fuller ramped an Olivier no ball for six and lofted Bess straight for another, only to lose Keith Barker caught at slip by Kohler-Cadmore off Willey - 207 for eight in the 67th.

Play resumed at 6.10pm with 11.4 overs remaining, with Coad bowling Mason Crane and Fidel Edwards in identical fashion either side of Fuller sweetly lofting Patterson over long-on. Thirty four overs were lost in the day.

Day One

A fantastic five-wicket haul from Fidel Edwards saw Hampshire bowl Yorkshire out for 181 on a rain-affected first day at Headingley.

A showery day meant a delayed start until 12.20pm and then five further interruptions, including one for bad light, as Yorkshire’s innings lasted less than 57 overs having elected to bat first in this Specsavers County Championship fixture.

Edwards bowled 15 overs and led the way for the second-placed visitors, claiming four wickets in 12 balls after tea. Hampshire then closed on 14 for one from 9.1 overs.

With swing the primary aid for the seamers, James Fuller impressed for three wickets having come into the side in place of Kyle Abbott, who sustained a calf injury in Saturday’s Royal London One-Day Cup final defeat to Somerset. 

Keith Barker picked up the other two scalps.

Openers Harry Brook and Adam Lyth scored at just under six runs per over in the first seven before both falling as Yorkshire lost three wickets for 21 runs to slip from 44 without loss in the eighth over to 65 for three after 15.

Brook was the first to go for 17 when he played on against Edwards before Lyth edged Barker to Joe Weatherley at second slip for 18 and Gary Ballance (12) was caught behind by substitute wicketkeeper Aneurin Donald.

Brook was playing loosely outside his off-stump and was caught by Weatherley before Ballance was then also caught-behind pushing forwards. 

Donald had replaced Tom Alsop behind the stumps after lunch, with the latter feeling unwell.

Kohler-Cadmore and Jack Leaning then steadied the ship either side of tea, sharing 51 for the fourth wicket.

But both fell in the space of six overs after tea to Fuller as Yorkshire slipped to 131 for five in the 42nd over.

Leaning edged Fuller to Ajinkya Rahane at slip having been enticed into playing before Kohler-Cadmore was yorked.

Yorkshire lost their last six wickets for 50 runs and their last five for 11, four of them going to Edwards, who bounded in from the Kirkstall Lane End.

The 37-year-old had Jonny Tattersall feathering behind as the score fell to 170 for six in the 50th over and Willey miscuing to Barker at mid-on shortly afterwards.

Steve Patterson and Ben Coad were both bowled, the latter with the first ball back after a brief bad light delay, before Fuller wrapped up the innings by getting Dom Bess sharply caught in the gully by Ian Holland.

Coad then trapped Oli Soames lbw with the first ball of the day’s last over.