Glamorgan v Yorkshire County Championship at Cardiff September 10-12th

Neil Whitaker reports

Day 1

YORKSHIRE captain Shan Masood hit his first century for Yorkshire as they dominated a shortened first day against Glamorgan at Cardiff.

His century came from 132 balls and included 11 fours, it was his 22nd first class century.  When he gets into his stride he gives the air of being calm and relaxed. The tall left hander  used his feet to Kiran Carlson and blasted him for a one bounce boundary to bring up the 50 partnership with Finlay Bean.  He brought up his own 50 which came from 58 balls and included seven fours when he turned  James Harris off his legs for a single.  

He said: “As an opener you always want to get a big hundred. Opening the batting is one of the hardest jobs in world sport because you are always being challenged by something. Being in the 90’s is always nervous when I was on 96 I thought about smashing it for a big one.

I am glad that the boys consulted and decided to bat first, we were surprised that it was the same pitch that England played on Saturday.  To win this game we think that we need to bat only once, if we had put them in and they had batted well and got a good score then  took some of our wickets we’d would have been up against it.”

Shan Masood drove Harris beautifully to the long off boundary but the same couldn’t be said of his next shot to mid off and just beat Zain-up-Hassan’s throw.  His calling of runs seems to be his weakness in his dna. In Harris’ next over he played Harris to mid off and set for a single.  At the bowler's end George Hill was slow to start as he turned to see where the ball had gone.  The ball had gone to Northeast and sent Shan Masood back who just beat Sam Northeast’s direct hit.

He  blasted off spinner Ben Kellaway over Carlson’s head at mid off.Two balls later he sliced a drive but luckily for the Yorkshire skipper the ball between two fielders.

Bean looked certain to become the first uncapped Yorkshire player to score four championship centuries in a season since Richard Blakey in 1986.  He looked at ease and composed throughout his innings.  The only time he looked ruffled was going for quick runs with his captain Shan Masood in their 127 run partnership.

Before his partnership with Shan Masood he had another big partnership with Adam  Lyth, they failed by two runs from scoring their fourth century partnership but the pair achieved their seventh successive 50 partnership 

He  reached his 50 when he pushed Jamie McLlroy into the covers and took a quick single.  His 50 came from 79 balls with six fours.  Bean  swept Carlson to the square leg boundary, beating the diving Billy Root.  Just when Glamorgan thought they wouldn’t take another wicket in the day as they bowled and fielded like they were devoid of ideas Bean edged a drive off Carlson and Colin Ingram pouched a comfortable slip catch at knee high.  His 93 came from 128 balls with 11 fours.

Shan Masood added: “He has been very  impressive and it was unfortunate that he didn’t get that fourth hundred but going forward he is the kind of player that we want.”

Play didn’t start until 12.09 because of rain which started after Yorkshire had won the toss and decided to bat. The Yorkshire openers   Lyth and Bean batted under heavy clouds but they made it to lunch without any trouble.  On a slow pitch, it was the same pitch which was used for Friday’s ODI match. and looked odds on to reach their  fourth century partnership but Lyth chopped to  McLlroy in the third over after lunch.  The heavy clouds had given way to the sun and it was time for Bean and Lyth to fill their boots.  But Lyth cut one that didn’t rise as much as he thought and the ball trickled on to his stumps.  

McLlroy got his second wicket of the innings when he got  James Wharton leg before.  Wharton pushed forward at the left armer McLlroy bowling around the wicket and looked amazed at the decision.  He said :”It was tough out there but I thought they batted well, we had a couple of chances early but we didn’t take them. I tried to bowl it as straight  as I could.  Hopefully we can start well tomorrow.”

Just before the close, Hill reached his 50.

Kellaway banged his head as he tried to prevent a Shan Masood cover boundary and was not seen on the field again

Day 2

YORKSHIRE all-rounder Matt Revis took three wickets  for 20 in 24 minutes to put Yorkshire on course for their second victory in a week.

Two balls after he  took the shoulder of Eddie  Byron’s bat to  get a four, Byrom was on his way back to the hutch. Byrom went down on one knee and threw everything at the ball but found Finlay Bean at gully who took a low catch.  Revis got his second wicket when Billy Root feathered a short ball to stumper Jonny Tattersall.  Three balls later Chris Cooke was plumb leg before to Revis.


Revis said: “It was very different to last week but just as pleasing, to get the century last week was outstanding and if  my performance today  lead’s us to another victory it will be just as pleasing.  I want to contribute to the team with both bat and ball.  It’s one thing playing first team cricket and another thing to cement your place in the team.  

It’s not a pitch where it will fly through so I just tried to offer something different and sometimes it will work, other times you will go for five an over.  Hopefully we can finish them off quickly tomorrow.”

Two weeks ago Yorkshire coach Ottis Gibson asked his players  to win their remaining four Championship matches to see if they could have been promoted without their points reduction.  They beat  Derbyshire last week at Scarborough and at the close of the second day at Cardiff, Yorkshire  look on course to complete a victory over Glamorgan who at the close of the second at Cardiff are 350  behind with four first innings wickets standing.

Glamorgan eventually dismissed Yorkshire for 500 at 2.40, needing  351 to  avoid the follow-on Glamorgan lost their first wicket in the fifth over when makeshift opener Zane-ul-Hassan played inside one from Ben Coad and was bowled.

Three overs later Colin Ingram played almost an identical shot to Jordan  Thompson bowling around the wicket and was bowled.

Yorkshire should have got their third wicket five minutes before tea when Sam Northeast on eight edged Coad,  but the ball went through the hands of Adam  Lyth at first slip.  In Lyth’s defence he was standing a yard closer than normal and had no time to react.


Dom Bess turned one out of the rough to Northeast who dragged it on.  Glamorgan captain Kiran Carlson went down pitch to  Bess and blasted him over long off for a six. Apart from  Byrom, Carlson was the only one who  got to 40 and then reached his 50 and with Dan Douthwaite added 50 for seventh wicket.

After the first day's play Yorkshire skipper said he wanted to get a big hundred and he did by adding another 79 to his overnight score. James  Harris, who had a nightmare on the first day, angled one in at Shan Masood which took his outside edge and the ball flew past the slips to the boundary.  In Harris’ next over Shan Masood cut him  to the cover boundary.

Shan Masood turned Zain-ul-Hassan off his legs for a single to bring up his 150 up off 191 balls with 15 fours.  On 154 he just beat Jame McLlroy’s direct hit from deep backward square leg.  He drove Harris’ worst ball of the day to the extra cover boundary.

As thoughts turned to Shan Masood getting his third Championship 200 he fell eight runs short.  After 361 minutes Glamorgan finally got rid of him at 2.15 on the second afternoon when he drilled Harris to Northeast at short extra cover who took a low catch.  His 192 included 17 fours.

George Hill, who Shan Masood said on Sunday was his favourite player, drove Harris to the extra cover boundary and it was four from the moment that Hill hit it because nobody moved.  Two balls later Harris got his first wicket of the innings when Hill missed a straight ball and umpire Mark Newell had no hesitation in raising his finger. Hill’s 71 came from 124 balls with 11 fours.

Tattersall didn’t hang about long before he was strangled down the legside by Andy Gorvin and stumper Cooke took a good low catch moving to his left.  

With four minutes to go before lunch Revis tried to reverse sweep Carlson twice in consecutive balls.  He missed his  first attempt and he dragged his second attempt on to his stumps.

Harris got on an hattrick when he got Thompson leg before with one that kept low.

Coad pushed forward at Carlson but edged him to Ingram who took a low catch. Ben  Cliff on his Championship got off the mark with a single but he was soon back in the hutch when he was run out.

Before play started it was announced that Ben Kellaway would take no gurther part in the game and would be replaced by  Douthwaite but because Douthwaite isn't a like for like replacement he wouldn’t be allowed to bowl.  Douthwaite became Glamorgan’s first concussion substitute.

Morning rain delayed the start of play for 30 minutes with 96 overs in the day.

Day 3

AN UNBROKEN third wicket partnership of 90 between Eddie Byrom and Sam Northeast ensured that the match went into the final day  with Glamorgan still 107 behind with eight second innings wickets left.

When the spectators  came into Sophia Gardens on Tuesday morning they thought that the Cardiff rain would help the Welsh county get into the final day but we only got two short stoppages for the rain.  And when  Glamorgan’s  ninth first innings wicket fell at 1.45 with the score on 217, 283 behind, the majority of the crowd not only thought Glamorgan’s innings would be over by 2.00 but that  the match would be all over bar the shouting by close of play.  But it  took Yorkshire another 42 minutes to get the final Glamorgan wicket.  

Latecomers to the County scene Andy Gorvin and Jamie McLlroy both hit their highest Championship scores and shared in 10th wicket partnership of 56.  They were helped by Shan Masood’s bizarre decision to remove new ball bowlers Ben Coad and Jordan Thompson from the attack after two overs each.


Coad said: “Shan Masood took us out of the attack because he was thinking about the follow on and didn’t want us to be bowling so soon again. But we didn’t expect them to bat as long as they did. 

The pitch isn’t offering anything and it’s pretty slow. To get them out for 270  I thought was a really good effort.  Realistically I expect that we’ll have to bat again and if we get their final eight wickets I’d back us to chase a target down.”

Gorvin blasted George Hill for a straight six, his first six for Glamorgan’s first team. McLlroy swung Matt Revis over the fine leg boundary for a six and  drove Dom Bess to the extra cover boundary to bring up the 50 partnership with Gorvin. Gorvin opened his shoulders and blasted Revis for a four.  He backed away from the next  ball, had a wild swing and was bowled to give Revis his first Championship five wicket haul. 

All this came after Yorkshire had taken the new ball immediately; it was available after lunch. After  two balls with it Coad was on a hattrick.  First he trapped Dan Douthwaite, who defied Yorkshire for 143 balls adding 43 in 23 overs with Gorvin, leg before and trimmed Jamie Harris’ off bail.  McLlroy survived the hattrick ball.

Play resumed on the third day 30 minutes late because of morning rain with 96 overs in the day. After 41 minutes a further three overs were lost because of a shower, the players came back for 20 minutes  before the rain came back and a further two overs were lost

In the fifth over of the day Kiran Carlson went down the pitch to Bess drilled him mid off for a one bounce four. Revis got his fourth wicket of the innings when he got one to rise up at  Carlson’s ribs and Carlson fended it off to give Jazmes Wharton a simple catch at short leg.  Carlson faced 89 balls hitting seven fours and a six.  Despite the two breaks for rain Yorkshire bowled 29 overs before lunch.

Following on 227 behind Glamorgan lost their first wicket to the third ball of their innings when Zane-ul-Hassan played down the wrong line to Coad and edged him to Hill at first slip.

Glamorgan lost their second wicket when Ingram simply guided Bess to Adam Lyth at first slip.  

Byrom and Northeast added 52 before Byrom got into trouble against two consecutive short balls from Revis but Byrom somehow managed to get a touch on the ball and got two boundaries.  In poor light Byrom edged Lyth  and the ball rebounded off Jonny Tattersall, hit Hill’s arm at slip and Byrom got a couple to bring up his to.  In the end the umpires took the players off the field with five overs remaining because of bad light.

Day 4

GLAMORGAN’S Sam Northeast hit his best Championship score of the season an unbeaten 166, to see his side through to a draw which looked unlikely when they were 100 for six at 5.26 on Monday afternoon.

He said: “Yorkshire put us under a lot of pressure to bowl us out and they bowled really well on a pitch that flattened out but we showed some fight and spirit in our second innings. The pitches here can go dead and that’s why we’ve had so many draws here. That’s been the story of our season here.  

It was nice to bat for a long time to see the boys home.  I thought Yorkshire dominated the first part of the game. But overall I thought it was a good performance by us this week.”

He received support from Eddie Byrom, skipper Kieran Carlson and Billy Root. With Byrom they added 177. With the pitch showing no signs of life after 12 overs  Jonny Tattersall took off his stumpers pad replacing Dominic Bess at the river Taff end, as the partnership between Byrom and Northeast neared 150, and Bean took over behind the stumps.  After four overs Tattersall went back behind the stumps.

Byrom reversed swept Bess to the point boundary to take him one short off his century and he swept the next ball for a couple to bring up his ton from 192 balls with 17 fours. Then he got giddy and  missed a reverse sweep off Bess and was bowled round his legs with his leg and middle stump splayed.

On 94 Northeast drove Bess and the ball bounced off James Wharton’s boot at silly point on to Bess’ outstretched left hand but he couldn’t hold on to it.  Northeast  slapped Lyth to the point boundary to bring up his second championship century of the season and fourth in all for Glamorgan. It came from 198 balls with 11 fours.

With Carlson he added 97 in 23 overs and during his innings Carlson reached 1000 championship runs in a season for the first time. Ben Cliff got his first Championship wicket with his second ball of the day when Carlson glanced him off his legs and Tattersall took the catch. Carlson had pulled the previous ball to the square leg boundary to bring up his second 50 of the match.

For the first time in the match play started on time at 10.30 and under a blue sky.  Glamorgan had to show some fight and they were aided by a dead pitch.

Northeast and Root were never troubled.  Northeast cut Bess to the point boundary to bring up his 150 from 280 balls with 15 fours.  With Northeast and Root looking like they would take Glamorgan to the close their  partnership was ended in a bizarre way. Wharton became the ninth bowler used by Yorkshire and he got a wicket with his second ball when he turned one past Root’s bat and bowled  him.

Yorkshire coach Ottis Gibson said: “Frustrating is the best way to describe today.  We knew it was going to be tough to get wickets today. When we had the opportunity to bat first on the first day we knew that we had to work hard to get wickets on the fourth day, but I thought it was a great effort, they tried all they knew to get the wickets but in the end it wasn’t to be.

Bess bowled well on a pitch that didn’t offer much to the spinners.  I was really pleased for   Cliff to get his first wicket.  We know that our captain is a class player and the disappointment of not getting picked for Pakistan has been playing on his mind for the past few weeks but that has gone. Matt Revis getting his first Championship five wicket haul was a plus for us, we have invested a lot  in him so for him to get his first five wicket haul was good.”

SCORECARD