Tough task ahead for battling Tykes
TITLE hopefuls Hampshire face a challenging fina’-day chase against Yorkshire at Scarborough after the hosts set a 214 target with an over my-deadbody-type batting display on day three.
With Yorkshire bowled out for 272 in their second innings, and Hampshire closing on nine without loss, this LV= Insurance County Championship fixture is fascinatingly poised on a tricky pitch.
Hampshire are bidding to maintain pressure on Division One leaders with an eighth win in 11 games, while mid-table Yorkshire are aiming for only a second win in 10.
Wicketkeeper Jonny Tattersall top-scored with 63, opener Adam Lyth made 59 and Matthew Waite contributed an important 47.
All were handed lives as Hampshire dropped six catches, including three by Joe Weatherley, during a sunny East Coast day - but the fabulous Kyle Abbott added four for 77 from 27 overs to finish with 10 for 113 in the match.
Yorkshire enjoyed an encouraging morning, advancing from 23 for one to 98 for three, a lead of 39.
Despite losing Tom KohlerCadmore and Will Fraine, they wiped off their first-innings deficit of 59 and ensured a relative calm which had not been seen during the first two mornings.
On day one, Yorkshire slumped to 33 for six in their first innings. On day two, four wickets fell in only five overs of play.
Kohler-Cadmore was first to go when he was caught behind off South African overseas Abbott via a combination of inside-edge and pad for 19 before Fraine was bowled by Ian
Holland, leaving the score at 66 for three in the 32nd.
Lyth picked up a good percentage of his runs on the drive, though some were edged.
So often this season, Yorkshire have been hurt by less than proficient catching. On this occasion, however, they were the beneficiaries of Hampshire errors which could end up costing them the fixture.
Their half-dozen drops included Lyth twice in the slips off Abbott on 14 and 56 - Weatherley and James Vince were the culprits either side of lunch.
During an afternoon which saw only Lyth fall - caught behind down leg off James Fuller - wicketkeeper Ben Brown dropped Tattersall on 26 and Waite on 11 off Fuller. Both were diving away to his right.
Lyth’s dismissal to Fuller, which left Yorkshire at 119 for four in the 58th over of the innings, ended a 53-run stand with Tattersall either side of lunch.
Tattersall went on to share 78 through into the evening with Waite.
For the most part, Yorkshire eked out the runs against Hampshire’s envied seam attack.
In the final 20 minutes of the afternoon, fifth-wicket pair Tattersall and Waite took Yorkshire’s lead beyond 100, the former edging a boundary to third-man off Fuller as the score moved to 161 for four.
Moments later, Tattersall, who clipped, worked and pushed his runs, reached his fifty off 108 balls.
Muhammad Abbas struck twice with the new ball shortly after tea, bowling Waite and getting Tattersall caught low down at a wide third slip by Holland. The Tattersall dismissal left the score at 210 for six in the 90th over, a home lead of 151.
If wickets did not come as frequently as Hampshire had hoped earlier in the day, they did late on as Abbott struck three times in 13 balls - 242 for nine in the 107th, a 183 lead. Dom Bess was trapped lbw before Jordan Thompson and Matthew Revis, for an important 24, were caught behind in the same over.
Steve Patterson and Ben Coad then added what could be a crucial 30 runs for the last wicket to push the lead beyond 200, the latter finishing 17 not out.
Fuller had Patterson caught in the gully, ironically by Weatherley, to leave Hampshire openers Holland and Felix Organ three overs to face before close.
Tattersall said afterwards: “I’m fairly happy with my performance, but we’d have liked a few more runs on the board.
“Overall, we’ve done well. We battled hard today and have given ourselves a chance to push for a victory.
“New ball in the morning, hopefully we can make some early inroads.
“If we can apply a bit of pressure you never know what can happen.”