Bowling dominates day one at Emerald Headingley
Sun 6 Sep 2020
DAY ONE | Leicestershire CCC 124 v Yorkshire CCC 32 for two
SCORECARD | Available from Cricinfo HERE.
REPORT | Yorkshire dominated with the ball on day one as they had Leicestershire all out for 124 after just 48.2 overs, in a day that favoured the bowlers.
Rishi Patel and Arron Lilley became the 488th and 489th players to play first-class cricket for the Running Foxes with Patel also making his full debut for County.
Red-ball cricket got underway for the final time in the 2020 Bob Willis Trophy campaign as Ben Coad opened the bowling for the White Rose, with Hassan Azad on strike.
Coad registered the first maiden of the day in the first over, and attack partner Matthew Fisher was on track to do so as well, before a thick-outside edge off Evans saw the ball fly through the off side and over the rope for the first boundary of the day.
The opening partnership of Azad and Evans only managed to last 10 more deliveries, as Azad (0) was pinned lbw by Fisher in his second over. Leicestershire were 7 for one as Harry Dearden joined Evans at the crease.
The opening attack of Coad and Fisher had soon claimed the opening partnership of Azad and Evans as Coad followed suit of his teammate, and pinned Evans (7) lbw infront.
Leicestershire were down to their third partnership of the day after just seven overs as Harry Dearden and captain Colin Ackermann occupied the crease.
The Yorkshire attack were ruthless as soon after, the wicket of captain Ackermann (1) fell with Fisher taking his second of the day, via lbw once again.
With the wicket, Rishi Patel made his way to join Dearden (7*) in the middle to make his debut for the Running Foxes and become the 488th player to represent Leicestershire in first-class cricket.
Just as Dearden looked to be in at the crease, following his fourth four of the day, a piece of brilliant fielding by bowler Duanne Olivier sent the batsman on his way.
Dearden (20) was not convinced that the ball carried, but Olivier got down low to Dearden’s drive back down the wicket and took the one-handed grab.
Yorkshire claimed the fourth wicket at the perfect time as the partnership of Dearden and Patel was looking to recover the Running Foxes start. Leicestershire were 36 for four as Harry Swindells came to the crease.
The duo of Swindells and Patel then stemmed the Yorkshire tide, somewhat, as the rain brought the lunch break around five balls earlier then scheduled with Leicestershire sitting on 52 for four.
Patel came out strongly for the second session of the day after flicking Thompson off the pads and away for four.
However, his stand failed to last much longer as his wicket fell after edging a Thompson delivery through to Lyth at second slip. Patel went for 19 as number 488 made way for number 489 as Arron Lilley made his way to the middle.
Lilley, though, only managed to last 16 minutes at the crease before Coad pinned him infront for 5 as the bowler claimed his third of the day and the Running Foxes were certainly up against it as they sat on 65 for six.
Ben Mike then made his way to the crease to join Harry Swindells.
The duo found themselves in a tough position, looking to form a productive partnership in the middle and were playing the situation well.
They looked to pick off any loose balls thrown down by the bowlers and soon picked up the boundary rate as they hit Olivier for boundaries in consecutive overs.
Mike then went big for the first time in the afternoon for the Running Foxes as he hooked Fisher all the way over the leg side for six.
But, Fisher exacted revenge with the very next ball as Mike (17) edged his delivery to Brook at third slip who took the grab.
Dieter Klein then came in and looked to ramp up the run-rate as much as possible as he ended the over with a four off Fisher, sending him back down the wicket for a one bounce four with Leicestershire turning the 42nd over into white ball cricket, taking 13 from it.
The runs kept coming in the next over as Swindells hit Olivier for three successive fours, including a vicious cut through the off side. Twelve came from the 43rd over as Leicestershire motored over the 100 run-mark.
Klein’s stint at the crease soon came to an end though, as he played across his pads from Olivier’s delivery and thick edged it to Brooks at third slip who took his second catch of the day. Klein departed with 5 as Gavin Griffiths made his way out.
Griffiths got off the mark with the final delivery of the over, as he superbly guided Olivier between gully and the slip cordon and away for four.
The Running Foxes’ first innings soon came to an end with wickets from consecutive Coad deliveries, as first he dismissed Swindells (36) after the Foxes wicket-keeper batman edged his delivery through to Tattersall who took the pouch.
Alex Evans (0) then came out to form the final wicket partnership alongside Griffiths, and was soon heading back into the pavilion after edging Coad through the Lyth at second slip. With this wicket, Coad claimed his fifth of the day and left himself on a hat-trick ball.
Griffiths was the man not out for the Running Foxes on four as Leicestershire finished their first innings on 124.
The Running Foxes looked to get off to a quick start with the cherry as Dieter Klein opened the bowling, and they had a chance from the very first delivery.
Adam Lyth edged Klein’s delivery to Colin Ackermann at second slip, but the Running Foxes’ captain failed to take the low, two-handed catch.
However, the breakthrough soon came for the Running Foxes as Tom Kohler-Cadmore (0) flicked Alex Evans’ delivery to Sam Evans at square leg who took the catch diving to his right.
A fast start made by Leicestershire with the home side on 4 for one in their reply.
The fast start continued for Leicestershire as Lyth (4) could not capitalise on his second life, as he was caught behind by Harry Swindells in Klein’s second over, the third of the innings.
Yorkshire were now 4 for two with Loten and Fraine at the crease.
The Foxes were looking to continue their fast start by claiming the third wicket in quick succession, however the partnership was standing tough against the attack.
With the tea break being taken after the end of the Running Foxes’ innings, there was a lot of time left in the day for the third wicket partnership to stem the Foxes advances.
Gavin Griffiths had an lbw appeal turned down in his first over of the day, immediately before rain forced the players off the pitch for the second time in the day.
Rain forced the players off the pitch at 4:00pm, and there was hope that play would get back underway with play scheduled to restart at 4:40pm, but the rain returned, harder this time which prompted the umpires to call end of play with the weather fast deteriorating.
The day ended with Yorkshire’s reply stalling on 36 for two.
Figures (1st inns) | Coad 13.2-6-18-5, Fisher 12-4-29-3, Thompson 12-5-20-0, Olivier 11-0-49-2
Klein 6.1-1-17-1, Evans 5-2-13-1, Griffiths 1-0-1-0
TEAM | Hassan Azad, Sam Evans, Harry Dearden, Colin Ackermann (c), Rishi Patel, Harry Swindells (wk), Arron Lilley, Ben Mike, Dieter Klein, Gavin Griffiths, Alex Evans.
Yorkshire CCC | Lyth (c), Kohler-Cadmore, Fraine, Loten, Brook, Tattersall (wk), Thompson, Fisher, Coad, Olivier, Shutt
IMAGES | Thanks to John Mallett of Outside Off for providing the images throughout the game.
