Yorkshire hold on to deny Lancs Roses victory

JIMMY Anderson bowled England team-mate Joe Root for four – but Yorkshire held on to thwart Lancashire’s bid for a first Roses LV= Insurance County Championship victory at Headingley since 2011.

Following on, Yorkshire started their second innings at 11.50am on day four, 187 runs behind with a minimum of 85 overs remaining.

Adam Lyth, Dawid Malan and Root fell inside the first 22 either side of lunch, the latter two to Anderson as the score fell to 45 for three. But Harry Brook’s excellent summer continued with an unbeaten 82 off 157 balls, helping Yorkshire reach 169 for six from 78 to seal the draw.

On the way to two for 17 from 15 overs, on-song Anderson ripped out Root’s middle and off stumps with a delivery which kept low just after lunch.

Given the placid nature of the pitch and Matt Parkinson saying after day three that Lancashire had done well to take six wickets during that day’s play, it was no great surprise that Yorkshire survived. But it was a much closer shave than they would have wanted.

The home side’s first innings was wrapped up for 379 in the opening 8.5 overs of play, with Luke Wood getting Steve Patterson caught in the gully fending at a short ball and Parkinson bowling last man Haris Rauf.

Impressive leg-spinner Parkinson finished with four for 90 from 38.5 overs (he later returned two for 53 from 27 more). Tom Bailey then struck with the new ball to heighten Yorkshire nerves.

Anderson was rewarded immediately after lunch when he first had Malan (23) caught behind pushing forwards five balls into the session – 39 for two in the 18th over – and Root comprehensively bowled.

Left-arm seamer Wood later had opener George Hill caught behind for 26 as Yorkshire fell to 86 for four with 46.2 overs remaining, but the bowler dropped Brook on the dive at square leg on 30 just before tea off Anderson. It proved a key moment.

Shortly afterwards, Harry Duke was brilliantly caught at slip by Luke Wells off Parkinson. Yorkshire then fell to 147 for six with 15.1 remaining when Dom Bess was caught at short leg off the same bowler.

By this time, fading light meant Lancashire had to employ the double leg-spin of Wells and Parkinson. And Brook and co were able to hold firm, with the players shaking hands seven overs early.