Lancashire v Yorkshire 2007 day 1 report by John Ward

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Scorecard:

Yorkshire v Lancashire

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DateLine: 12th August 2007

 

Rarely can a Roses match have had a more sensational start. Three wickets down in the first eight balls, and Yorkshire 22 for five. They avoided total disgrace, but Lancashire dominated the day throughout and finished it two runs ahead of Yorkshire, and with eight wickets still to fall. The main honours of the day went to seamer Glen Chapple and opening batsman Peter Horton.

 

The match began in fine weather, despite the attendance of Mr ?Dickie? Bird, the well-known harbinger of rain. Yorkshire won the toss and decided to bat, but the sun did not shine for them.

 

Lancashire struck two devastating early blows from the fifth and sixth deliveries of the match, without a run on the board. Craig White played back to a ball from Glen Chapple that moved away off the pitch and edged a straight-forward catch to wicketkeeper Luke Sutton. His next ball moved in to the new batsman, Anthony McGrath, who unwisely padded up and was adjudged lbw by umpire George Sharp; the height made it a borderline decision. After the first over, Yorkshire had no runs on the board for two wickets down.

 

The left-hander Joe Sayers pushed the first ball of the next over, bowled by Saj Mahmood, into the covers for a single to get Yorkshire away. But the disasters had not ended, as Younus Khan played all around a full toss and was bowled; 1 run for three wickets. A run-out could have followed in the same over, as Andrew Gale, a late substitute for Jacques Rudolph in the Yorkshire side, pushed a ball close to Mark Chilton in the covers and unwisely ran. He was stranded halfway down the pitch when he realized Sayers had refused the call, and only escaped dismissal when Chilton fumbled the ball and allowed him to scramble back to his crease.

 

Gale?s difficulties continued to master him as he prodded at a ball from Chapple in his next over, and edged a catch to second slip ? only for umpire Sharp to call no-ball. However, later in the over he was poised enough to turn the ball to fine leg for two runs. A thick edge off Mahmood wide of the slips then brought the first boundary and raised the total to 11. The next ball he edged to second slip, but the ball fell just short of the fielder.

 

To his credit, Gale kept his head and kept the score moving, hammering a ball from Chapple to the cover boundary with an impressive back-foot drive. He was on the look for ones and twos, and when 20 came up on the board, he had 15 of them. Sayers never looked impressive, and had just three runs to his credit when he flicked at a leg-side ball from Mahmood and was caught by the keeper off the glove; 20 for four.

 

The unbelievable continued to happen for Yorkshire, who seemed unable to suppress their suicidal instincts. Gale (15) hooked a ball from Chapple almost straight down the throat of Gary Keedy at long leg, the fielder judging the ball well as he moved back to take the catch. The score was now 22 for five, with only nine overs bowled. There was a degree of movement in the pitch, but Yorkshire?s failures could also be attributed to poor batting against good but not devastating bowling.

 

Gerard Brophy took on the role of aggressor, and flicked Mahmood down to long leg for a boundary, followed by a cut for another four. At 33 for five, Yorkshire had equalled their lowest ever total against Lancashire, made in 1924. Brophy then slashed Chapple over the slips for a third boundary.

 

After six overs from Mahmood, Muttiah Muralitharan came on to bowl from the Kirkstall Lane End, and Andrew Flintoff replaced Chapple, who had the fine figures of three for 15. Adil Rashid also began to play some courageous strokes, hitting Flintoff for two boundaries in an over, although one was an edge.

 

Unfortunately for Yorkshire, a major stand was still to elude them. Brophy, who was using his feet well to Murali, came down the pitch to drive, only to get a bat-pad edge and fall to a catch at silly point. He made 18, and Yorkshire were 55 for six.

 

Tim Bresnan began by driving Murali through the covers for four. Flintoff bowled with pace and enthusiastic, but varied in length, and Rashid passed 20 with a square drive for four and a push past mid-off for two off his bowling. After five overs for 22 runs, he was rested for Keedy.

 

Bresnan swung Keedy over wide long-on for six, and the two batted steadily as Lancashire switched their bowlers frequently and perhaps lost some of the pressure they had exerted. But again Yorkshire were unable to build anything major, and Rashid fell for 34 as he flicked a catch off Chapple to Paul Horton at square leg; 96 for seven.

 

Next man Jason Gillespie, he of the Test double-century against the might of Bangladesh, got off the mark with a two before Yorkshire went in to lunch at 98 for seven. Bresnan was on 19 and 34 overs had been bowled.

 

In the second over after lunch, a two through the covers by Bresnan off Chapple took Yorkshire past 100. The pair batted together for almost an hour after lunch, but again disappointed Yorkshire in the end. Bresnan (39) slashed a catch to Brad Hodge in the gully off Flintoff, and York were 130 for 8.

 

Darren Gough was soon heaving Murali through midwicket for an inelegant but effective four. He did not last long, however, before he was clean bowled by Flintoff for 7; 144 for 9. One ball later, Flintoff brought the sorry Yorkshire innings to an end by trapping the last man Amjad Shahzad lbw . Gillespie has batted well, if slowly, for 18 before running out of partners.

 

Chapple was the best of the Lancashire bowlers, taking four for 35 in 14 overs, while Flintoff looked impressive at times with three for 38. Mahmood had two for 24, but Muralitharan, one for 35, did not bowl at his best; Lancashire were perhaps using him more as a stock bowler. Yorkshire were perhaps fortunate to total 144, as Lancashire failed to maintain the early pressure they had created. Yet many of their later batsmen contributed to their own downfalls.

 

A nudge by Chilton between slips and gully off Gillespie gave Lancashire their first boundary, and his partner Peter Horton responded by driving Gough through the covers for four. But most of the play until tea, 14 further overs, was quite sedate, competent batting against competent bowling. Lancashire reached the interval at 27 without loss, Chilton on 12 and Horton 5.

 

Lancashire were much more positive after the break, scampering nine runs without the help of a boundary in the first two overs. The fifty came up in the 19th over when Horton drove two successive half-volleys from Bresnan for boundaries through extra cover.

 

The common saying when batsmen are in total command is that all the fielding side can do is pray for a run-out ? and this is what happened. The total was on 66, with both batsmen looking totally comfortable, when there was a mix-up over a single near Sayers in the covers. Chilton, near the middle of the pitch, was sent back, but there was nobody at the bowler?s stumps to take the throw. Only a direct hit would suffice ? and Sayers duly produced it. Chilton made 24.

 

The runs continued to flow steadily, with Horton reaching a sound fifty off 89 balls. Hodge began rather slowly, but took a liking to leg-spinner Rashid, punishing his short balls severely, including a six over midwicket. However, he very grudgingly departed lbw to a full-length ball from Bresnan for 29, the decision given by umpire John Holder; 125 for two.

 

Horton, joined by Stuart Law, continued to bat steadily, and in the final over of the day Lancashire took the lead. Horton had a praiseworthy 82 to his credit and Law 7, out of a total of 146 for two. For Lancashire it was a day to remember; Yorkshire will be only too keen to forget it, but it will probably be some while before that is possible.