Ballance tries to shore up Yorks innings
GARY Ballance continued his Ageas Bowl love affair by helping Yorkshire finish an attritional opening day of the LV = County Championship Division One clash against Hampshire on 197-6.
Ballance, who has scored more than 1,000 runs at the Southampton venue, including a Test high
156, scored 42 hardfought runs in conditions tailor-made for seam bowling to admirably hold the innings together alongside Dom Bess.
Bess hit the last ball of the day for four to be unbeaten on 45 before bad light brought play to a conclusion 10 overs before the scheduled close.
Hampshire skipper James Vince had no hesitation in asking the visitors to bat on a green-tinged surface after winning the toss.
Kyle Abbott and Keith Barker immediately posed plenty of questions for the openers Adam Lyth and George Hill, who eked out just 13 runs between them in the first 10 overs before the South African quick made the breakthrough.
Having beaten the bat on numerous occasions, Abbott finally got a ball to nip back and trap
Lyth on the pad for six.
Despite the tough conditions and some probing bowling from Ian Holland, who conceded just four runs from his first five overs, Hill and Tom KohlerCadmore showed great patience and discipline to help Yorkshire reach lunch at 60-1.
However, Hill’s good early work was undone immediately after the restart when Abbott struck with the first ball after the break, thumping the 21-yearold’s front pad and he went for 31.
Ballance, who has scored three centuries and a double ton on his previous three visits to the Ageas Bowl, had to graft for every run with the floodlights on halfan-hour after lunch.
Abbott picked up his third wicket when Kohler-Cadmore edged behind to Lewis McManus.
Former England Under-19 skipper Harry Brook soon followed after playing on to a Brad Wheal ball just before tea.
Ballance and Bess looked relatively untroubled, despite the scoreboard not accelerating rapidly.
But just when Ballance looked to be heading past 50, he chipped Liam Dawson to Joe Weatherley at mid-wicket.
Wheal struck again to dismiss Harry Duke for 12 to leave Yorkshire on 159-6 before Bess and Jordan Thompson added an unbeaten 38.