Spinners end Tykes' resistance
Fri 1 May 2015
REPORT | By Pete Johnson
Second Eleven Championship result: Leicestershire 530-9 (Boyce 161, Pardoe 144, Ali 84) beat Yorkshire 123 (Naik 7-29) and 370 (Naik 4-39, Sykes 4-108) by an innings and 37 runs.
Yorkshire Second XI’s batsmen showed a lot of guts on the final day but Leicestershire Second XI displayed great patience to secure a win in their opening Championship match of the campaign.
Jigar Naik and James Sykes claimed four wickets apiece with off-spinner Naik ending the match with tremendous figures of 11-68 from 38.4 overs.
Yorkshire’s last two wickets did their best to stave off defeat with Tom Craddock (95), Karl Carver (38) and Ben Coad (17) soaking up 480 deliveries between them. The last two wickets lasted for just shy of three hours and 40 minutes before Leicestershire’s spin twins had the final say.
We arrived to another cold day at Hinckley, the now accustomed weather having been booked in for a full 3 days B & B.
There was a small cluster of spectators assembled alongside the sightscreen at the Pavilion End. They reminded me somewhat of penguins at the South Pole facing a searching and biting wind. I was half expecting Sir David Attenborough to stick his head around the screen to comment on his observations.
Whilst at the Football Stand End we had our first sighting this season of the two sightscreen shadows, they were sitting comfortable in their chairs, obviously battle hardened against anything the elements could throw at them. A sight akin to the first swallow of summer.
Yorkshire resumed on their overnight 134-4 still some 273 runs adrift of Leicestershire’s challenging total, but what a day we had in store! Dan Hampton and James Pearson opened up for County but could not make a breakthrough. Naik replaced Hampton at the Football Stand End and with his third ball solicited Waite and speared a ball into his stumps to leave Yorkshire on 169-5 from 53.3 overs.
Jordan Thompson joined Ryan Gibson and the pair put on 30 with Gibson going to his half-century (9x4) from 81 balls. The very next ball after going to his 50, Gibson was caught behind by Lewis Hill off Sykes, 199-6 from 58.2 overs. Without further addition to the total Thompson was another victim for Hill off the bowling of the impressive Naik. Yorkshire were now 199-7 from 59.4 overs.
James Wainman joined Craddock and the players were taken from the field at 12.04 as a short sharp shower passed overhead, Wainman having been doing his dance! Four overs were lost, players returning at 12.21pm. Wainman (6) was removed from the dance floor when Naik waltzed one past his defences to bowl him. Yorkshire were 213-8 from 73.4 overs before some late order heroics.
Craddock 10* (57 balls) and Carver 1* (9 balls) took Yorkshire into lunch on 216-8 from 77 overs and then proceeded to bat for the entire afternoon session. The session comprised of 40 overs from which the pair added 68 runs. At tea Craddock was 41* (172 balls), and Carver 30* (134 balls) - a proper backs to the wall exercise.
Just after 3pm the World Paint Dry Watching Champion was seen entering the ground, after he had heard whispers of the state of play. We had seen more maidens than you would see in a horse racing trainer’s yard. The new ball had come, and gone, and still the partnership was intact. Craddock moving to a meritorious 50 (4x4) from 187 balls.
Seriously, it was a tremendous effort from Craddock and Carver who had both shown exemplary application to the situation, passages of play such as this make cricket such an absorbing game. Milestones in their partnership: 50 partnership-176 balls, 100 partnership 309 balls.
Matt Boyce had juggled his bowlers around, but without success in the afternoon session. He had even tried divine intervention turning to Chappell. Zak Chappell bowled a hostile spell that had Carver weaving out of the way like a boxer swaying away from punches.
Sykes was toiling away like a good ‘un, over after over and still coming back for more. Then at last Sykes got due reward for his tenacity when he bowled Carver 38 (from 158 balls), the score now 313-9 from 125.2 overs. Craddock was up in arms...
Coad joined Craddock, and was sending out all of the right signals. The pair were still together when the Umpires signalled the last hour. With the 3rd ball of the 10th over (of the last 16) it was fitting that Naik should sew the game up for County when he bowled Craddock 95 (11x4) from 241 balls.
Craddock really did deserve a century but Yorkshire were all out for 370 from 143.3 overs with Coad unbeaten on 17 from 66 balls. Naik returned innings figures of 4-39, and match figures of 11-68 from 38.4 overs, ably supported by James Sykes who bowled 44 overs in the innings taking 4-108. The centuries from Boyce and Pardoe in this game seem a long time ago.
Thanks to Hinckley Town/CCA for hosting us over the past 3 days, sincere thanks to Lorraine (catering), Mary (unseen ancillary duties), Barry for all his hard work on the ground, and to Graham for his nous with the numbers on the scoreboard.
