Chase still on after Lyth holds up Notts
A MAGNIFICENT 153 from opener Adam Lyth left Nottinghamshire with work to do to finish the LV Insurance County Championship season with a win that could see them contest the Bob Willis Trophy at Lord’s next week.
Bowled out for 73 in their first innings, Yorkshire made 396 following on before Nottinghamshire could dismiss them for a second time.
The home side is chasing 174 to win and closed the third day needing 132 more on 42 for one after Haseeb Hameed, who did not field in Yorkshire’s second innings because of an injured thumb, was caught at second slip.
Lancashire’s win over Hampshire means Nottinghamshire cannot be champions but a victory here would give them the chance to take on Lancashire in the season finale at Lord’s by finishing second – if Warwickshire fail to beat Somerset.
Lyth, who had been in such poor form that he would have been left out of this match but for Gary Ballance being ill, posted his highest Championship score since his double century against Surrey at the Kia Oval in July 2016.
The 33-year-old batted for eight and a quarter hours and hit 20 fours, leaving the field to generous applause from the home crowd after finally being dismissed by Nottinghamshire’s teenage all-rounder Joey Evison.
Yorkshire made the home bowlers work hard for wickets on a pitch no longer offering them much encouragement.
Three down overnight, they turned a deficit of 54 into a lead of 29 by lunch with only one further wicket lost, Will Fraine falling leg before to Brett Hutton.
Lyth completed his first century since April midway through the morning session, punching the air in celebration.
Luke Fletcher, the leading wickettaker in the Championship with 66, was hit for four boundaries in the same over by Harry Brook, who also took three in one Hutton over as he and Lyth added 79 for the fifth wicket.
Dane Paterson, easily the pick of the Nottinghamshire bowlers with three for 39, produced a good ball to have Brook taken at first slip for 42 just after lunch, at which point Yorkshire were effectively 38 for five.
But Lyth found another solid ally in Jordan Thompson, adding 74 before his fellow left-hander edged Steven Mullaney to second slip. Taking tea at 341 for six, Yorkshire were 118 in front.
Lyth’s superb innings ended three overs into the last session when a beauty from 19-year-old Evison squared him up and found the edge. Tom Moores took the catch, his 54th dismissal as the season’s most successful wicketkeeper.
Finding some swing late in the day, Hutton won leg-before verdicts against Dom Bess and Harry Duke but another 19-year-old, Matthew Revis, made Nottinghamshire pay for a drop in the slips off Evison when he was on five, making 34 with seven fours before he miscued to mid-off.