Openers make hay at Hinckley
Wed 29 Apr 2015
REPORT | By Pete Johnson
Second Eleven Championship Day 1: Leicestershire 458-6 (Boyce 161, Pardoe 144, Aadil Ali 65*) versus Yorkshire. Leicestershire 4 points, Yorkshire 2 points.
We were greeted at Hinckley Town/CCA by another sunny but very cold morning. The weeping willow trees on the Leicester Road side of the ground sheltering the cars parked beneath them within the ground. On the other side traffic was busily hustling along the busy road to and from Hinckley throughout the day.
At the toss Richard Pyrah called incorrectly, and County skipper Matt Boyce had no hesitation in electing to bat. We then witnessed a magnificent first wicket partnership between Matt Pardoe and Boyce. The pair stayed together throughout the morning session, with the scoreboard ticking over at a very healthy rate of knots.
James Wainman and Ben Coad opened the bowling for Yorkshire with Moin Ashraf replacing Wainman after he had bowled four overs from the Pavilion End. After 13 overs the brace of Matts took the score to 62-0.
Pardoe was taking the dominant role, finding the ropes on six occasions during this time. Boyce was far from the sleeping partner though, and pulled Wainman for a colossal maximum that landed on the slated roof of the scoreboard. A fragment of dust filtered down from within onto the Scorers.
Pardoe was first to reach his half century (9x4) from 64 balls with the score on 98-0 from 20.1 overs. With the fifth ball of that same over from Ashraf the 100 partnership came up (15x4/1x6) from 127 balls. Umpire Paul Baldwin was catching the eye when signalling, wearing white gloves to combat the cold. He must have either been moonlighting as a snooker referee the previous evening, or come ‘hot foot’ from a Masonic Lodge Meeting.
Boyce went to his 50 (7x4/1x6) after 24.3 overs, with the score on 117-0. Spinner Carver, who had been kept on ice, came on to bowl, but only managed two overs before being withdrawn from the attack having been plundered for 19 runs. Boyce meantime took a liking to seamer Jordan Thompson, caressing him for four fours in one over.
Fellow spinner Craddock served up a good spell from the Pavilion End, conceding few runs in a good spell. The 150 partnership came up (24x4/2x6) from 169 balls after 27.5 overs. County went into lunch on 185-o from 35 overs, with Pardoe 97* and Boyce 83*. Pardoe missing out by 3 runs on a century before lunch.
At the end of the morning’s play I am sure the CEO and Chairman of the Third Man Appreciation society would have been tearing his/her hair out with the number of runs that found the boundary in that area of yesteryear. Pardoe went to a thoroughly deserved century from the 3rd ball after lunch when he clipped seamer Matt Waite to the ropes. Pardoe’s 100 (18x4) from 115 balls.
Boyce adopted a somewhat circumspect approach after lunch, whilst Pardoe was taking a particular liking to Waite, and the returning Ben ‘stinker’ Coad (his initials are BO). The 200 partnership (31x4/2x6) came up after 39.2 overs. Boyce was responsibly playing a good number of dot balls intermingled with the occasional boundary. You got the impression he was here for the long haul.
Boyce joined Pardoe in three figures (15x4/2x6) from 131 balls with the score on 238 from 45.1 overs. The 250 partnership came up after 46.5 overs (41x4/2x6). The partnership was broken when Pardoe had reached a magnificent 144 (26x4) from 156 balls.
Pardoe was caught just in front of square, from one out of the middle, by Craddock off the bowling of Wainman. Pardoe no doubt felt himself grossly unlucky, but it is an impressive notch on his CV.
Cross, dressed himself down after being padded up 49.4 overs, and the man from the Granite City added 70 with Boyce who was fast becoming an immovable object. The score had reached triple Nelson when Cross was bowled by Jordan Thompson. An eye catching 37 (7x4) from 51 balls.
Boyce brought up his 150 (22x4/2x6) from 211 balls with the score on 358-2 from 71.2 overs. County going into tea on 358-2, Boyce 151* Aadil Ali 12*. ‘Marathon Man’ Boyce finally went for a magnificent 161 (24x4/2x6) from 227 balls with the score on 377 from 76.5 overs. The two young guns who got the 2s over the line the previous week at Kibworth then added 50 for the fourth wicket.
Ali then showed both sides of his game, the Master Blaster intermingled with a solid and rock like defence. Ali went to his 50 (9x4) from 82 balls with the score on 422-3. Hill (20) was adjudged lbw to Ashraf when the score had reached 427.
Yorkshire picked up a couple more wickets before the close in Rob Taylor (7) and Jigar Naik (1). Ali 65* and James Sykes 5* saw County through to Close of Play on 458-6. The CEO and/or Chairman of the Third man Appreciation Society must have been on the blower as Yorkshire posted a third man at the start of the 101st over!
