Neil Whitaker reports on the 250th Roses match  

HONOURS were even after the first day play of the LV county Championship league one match between Yorkshire and Lancashire at Headingley Carnegie.

Play in the 250^th Championship Roses match finally got underway on Sunday, a day late after rain washed out Saturday’s play.  Electing to bat after winning the toss the Lancashire openers Paul Horton and Stephen Moore looked in no trouble as they reached 53 in 16 overs.  Then Horton steered Oliver Hannon-Dalby to Adil Rashid at third slip for 24.  This score represents a failure for Horton after his form at Headingley Carnegie in the past.

 Moore was joined by Aswell Prince, playing his last match for Lancashire before he joins the South African touring team in the West Indies, and again the Tykes didn’t have the Lancashire pair in any kind of trouble. In the 15 overs between the fall of the first wicket and lunch they added 46 runs. Yorkshire struck in the third over after lunch when Ajmal Shahzad, bowling from the Kirkstall Lane end, got one to nip back, keep low and bowled Moore for 43.  With Prince they had put on 51 in 18 overs.

Former captain Mark Chilton joined Prince and the red rose pair was pegged back by some accurate bowling by Steve Patterson bowling up the hill from the Football stand, who in the afternoon session bowled nine overs for just 12 runs. Chilton lost his wicket when Rashid got one to bounce and turn and Jacques Rudolph took the catch at slip.  Chilton had made 42 and with Prince they had put 81 in 27 overs.

Patterson got his reward for good bowling when he got one to lift at Prince who pushed forward and was caught at short extra cover by Rashid for 78.  His knock came from 136 balls, included nine fours and came in 201 minutes.  

Steven Croft hit a chest high full toss from Rashid up in the air, where skipper Andrew Gale took a simple catch at extra cover.  Lancashire ended the day on 272 for five with Tom Smith unbeaten on 46 and Luke Sutton 16 not out.

LANCASHIRE took control of the Roses match on the third day at Headingley Carnegie as they had Yorkshire struggling on 199  with two wickets left still needing another 68 to avoid the follow on.

The third day belonged to Tom Smith as he first top scored for Lancashire with an unbeaten century and then with the ball he took four wickets.  He made 108 from 163 balls with 10 fours.  Smith brought his maiden championship century up when he hit a full toss from Joe Sayers for a four.  Before this match he had only scored 31 runs all season.  Smith and Kyle Hogg scored 79 for the ninth wicket in 19 overs.  Hogg, who before this match had only scored seven runs all season danced down the wicket to Adil Rashid and was stumped by Jonny Bairstow for 37 in the last over before lunch.  At lunch Lancashire skipper Glenn Chapple declared on 416 for nine, Lancashire took three batting bonus points and Yorkshire took two bowling points.

Lancashire resumed their innings on Monday on 272 for six and Luke Sutton hit the first ball for a four.  Two balls later Yorkshire got an early breakthrough when Steve Patterson trapped Sutton leg before for 20.  Lancashire skipper Chapple hit four fours in his 29 in his pursuit of getting an extra batting bonus point, but as he tried to hit another four off Rashid he was stumped by Bairstow.  Rashid, saw him coming down the wicket at him and dropped the ball all that was left for Bairstow to do was complete an easy stumping.

As Lancashire pushed for a fourth batting bonus point Sajid Mahmood was leg before to Ajmal Shahzad for three.

When Yorkshire replied Lancashire had a dream start when Chapple trapped Adam Lyth leg before to the second ball of the innings.  Lyth started the innings needing to score 147 to get 1000 runs before the end of May and many Yorkshire fans turned out to celebrate the milestone.  Chapple got his second wicket five balls later when he had Anthony McGrath leg before for four.

After his batting exploits Smith came on to bowl and with his third ball he had Joe Sayers leg before for 10.  Smith got another wicket six overs later when Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale edged him to Aswell Prince at second slip for a knee high regulation catch on nine.  Earlier, Gale was dropped on three by Sutton off Hogg.  After the departure of Gale, Lancashire bowled five maidens in a row.

Jacques Rudolph was the next to go when he edged Smith to Sutton for 30.  The Tykes were now 55 for five still needing another 212 to avoid the follow on.

In the last over before tea Bairstow, who took 23 balls to get off the mark, survived a strong lbw appeal from Kerrigan when on four.  After tea, Bairstow and Rashid staged a mini comeback with a partnership of 68 in 19 overs.  He hit a six off Simon Kerrigan through long on.  He tried to hit the next ball for a straighter six but he could not clear that man Smith at long off who took a  juggling catch to dismiss Bairstow for 29.

Next to go was Rashid who took the fight to Lancashire and looked like he would get a century but on 65 from 101 balls with nine fours he was leg before to Smith.  Tino Best always looked like he would whole out to Kerrigan and he did.  Best chipped Kerrigan to Hogg at deepish mid off for 12.