County Championship Yorks v Warwickshire

Neil Whitaker reports

YORKSHIRE dominate a shortened first day at Edgbaston against Warwickshire before rain forced play to be abandoned just after tea.

After their humiliation against Kent when their top scorer was all rounder Matthew Fisher, a 20 year old on debut made 58 and looked at home on the Specsavers County Championship stage. His name Tom Loten from York, who has spent the summer playing for the second team where he bats in the middle order and captaining the Academy team.

He came in at number three played  maturely and towered above the 6’2 Tom Kohler-Cadmor, who scored a hundred  in his 100th First class innings. Loten in his stance he has a look of former Yorkshire player Peter Handscomb but doesn’t hang his bat out to point as Handscomb does.  He said: Oliver Hannon-Dalby was telling me that I’m a bad version of Peter Handscomb, which was quite funny.” He joined Kohler-Cadmore who was already established at the crease.

In the first over after lunch he gave a chance when he was on 19 turned Jeetan Patel round the corner but Dom Sibley at leg slip couldn’t hold on to the low  chance. In the next over he got a thick outside edge of former Yorkshire player Will Rhodes and the ball ran through the vacant third man.

As in the morning session Warwickshire couldn’t stop Loten and Kohler-Cadmore racking up the runs in the afternoon.  Loten reached his well deserved fifty when he late cut Patel just wide of Rhodes at first slip and the ball ran to the boundary one seven in his fifty.  The Yorkshire were fans were basking in the sight of seeing a player who looked and played like an established player, if he had any nerves he didn’t show it.  

Just before the rain came at tea Warwickshire finally got a breakthrough with the final ball of the 64th over. Loten edged Alex Thomson to Rhodes at first slip.  The Warwickshire players celebrated but Loten didn’t move because he thought it was a bump ball. Umpire Russell Warren confirmed with his partner Graham Lloyd who told it wasn’t and Loten walked off to much deserved applause.  He and Kohler-Cadmore had put on 184 the second wicket.

Loten said: “I’ll take that. I was a bit nervy today coming into it. I’ve watched quite a lot of the lads growing up, Steve Patterson, Garry Ballance, and Lyth. To be in the team with them is a dream come true.

I only found out just before 10 o’clock this morning when Andrew Gale came up to me and said I was playing, so I was excited and nervous from that moment. I just wanted to get out there and bat, and I’m glad to have got off to a decent start. I absolutely loved playing out there and making my debut.

My game plan is to leave the ball and make them bowl straight, which is where I’m strong.  Batting with Kohler-Cadmore helped. He was class. He’s really good with the young lads at Yorkshire and helps us all out. He told me to watch the ball and bat as if I was batting for my club side Dunnington and not for Yorkshire.

It was a bit annoying, nicking off the ball before rain and tea. But that’s cricket I suppose. None of my family saw it. I’ve banned them because I never get any runs when they come and watch, so they’re not allowed! Gran, Grandad and Mum and Dad are at work, so they couldn’t come anyway.”

When the umpires abandoned play for the day Kohler-Cadmore was unbeaten on 165 just five shy of equaling his best score in the Specsavers County Championship of 169 which he made in his final year with Worcestershire against Gloucestershire at Worcester.

He got off to a shakey start when he  got off the mark with Staffordshire cut that narrowly missed his off stump and raced to the boundary off Henry Brookes. After that he got better he square cut Craig Miles to bring up his fifty from 49 balls.  He reached his second century with a drive off Patel to the extra cover boundary but Warwickshire thought they had him the previous ball when he pushed at Patel and the went to Sam Hain at short leg but umpire Graham Lloyd was unmoved.

Kohler-Cadmore liked playing the square cut of Miles because in the afternoon he cut him again to the point boundary and he followed that with an on drive for three.  In the next over hardly moved for an even better on drive off Brookes that reached the boundary.

In the penultimate mate before tea Kohler-Cadmore went down the wicket to Patel and drove him to the long off boundary to bring up the Yorkshire 250.

After wanting to bat Yorkshire got their wish openers Adam Lyth and Kohler-Cadmore set off like a train. Lyth pulled Brookes for a six over mid wicket.  He slashed Hannon-Dalby through the slips to the third man boundary as he and Kohler-Cadmore reached 50 in 11 overs. The partnership was broken when Lyth  edged a drive off Miles and found Hain at second slip who toot a low catch to his right.

Yorkshire made two changes that lost to Kent in their last match, as well as Loten who came in for Matthew Revis, David Willey replaced Tim Bresnan.  Warwickshire made three changes from the side that beat Nottinghamshire, Alex Thomson replaced Liam Banks while Craig Miles came in for George Garrett and Tim Ambrose came back into the side after missing the Nottinghamshire match with stomach issues.