Yorkshire v Glamorgan 2nd Division County Championhsip at Headingley May 5-8th 2023

Neil Whitaker reports

Day 3

MARNUS Labuschange hit his second championship century of the season, his seventh in all for the Welsh side as he toyed with Yorkshire on the third day of their Championship clash at Headingley.

Yorkshire did have a chance to get rid of him early on. On  11  he  cut  Jordan Thompson to Finlay Bean  at backward point the ball went above Bean’s head but he did get  both hands to it and parried but the ball wide enough from Bean that he couldn’t get to the rebound.

By the time Glamorgan declared on 352 for four on the stroke of tea, Labuschange had reached 170 with each of his fifties came quicker than the previous one,  he found batting that easy. He late cut Dom Bess to bring up his fifty off 104 balls in 156 minutes, it was the first of three fours in that over off  Bess.  After hitting Mickey Edwards for five fours off six balls he delicately late cut Thompson through second slip to the third man boundary.

Labuschange played a tennis shot pull off Edwards to the long on boundary. On Coronation day it was appropriate that a player should be hit in their Crown Jewels and it was Labuschange who was on the receiving end from  Matthew Fisher, three short off his century. He reached his ton when he guided Thompson through the vacant second slip to the third man boundary. His century came from 142 balls  with 17 boundaries.

He swept Bess to the mid wicket boundary to take Glamorgan’s lead to 400 and smashed him straight back over his head for a straight six into the North East stand

Rain prevented any play after tea with Yorkshire needing only 491 to win, their highest fourth innings total against Glamorgan is 318 for three made at Acklam Park Middlesbrough in 1976 when Sir Geoffrey Boycott hit an unbeaten 156.

In the morning session, Labuschange  and  Northeast wore Yorkshire down adding 148  in 31 overs, after lunch they came out with the intention to stand on Yorkshire throats till Yorkshire surrendered.  Labuschange ramped Thompson to the fine leg boundary and repeated the shot with the same result off Thompson’s next over.

Yorkshire finally broke the partnership when Northeast went for an expansive drive off Thompson but edged it and Saud  Shakill took a two handed catch at head height at gully after adding 148 in 35 overs but by this time Yorkshire looked a spent force and a quick return to the first division looks a long way off.

Northeast said: “It was a very good day for us and we’ve put ourselves in a good position to win the game. Labuschange's knock put us on the front foot and he played some special shots but unfortunately for England  he looks in good form.  He played their spinners really well.

Personally I feel that I am getting back to my best, and it was nice to get a good partnership today. Hopefully our bowlers will bowl like they did in the first innings.”

Northeast got off the mark when he drove Thompson to the cover boundary to take Glamorgan’s lead past 200.  He chopped a short and wide ball from Thompson over the slips to the third man boundary.  Earlier the extra bounce from Edwards took  the shoulder of Northeast’s  bat and the ball flew to the boundary.  Northeast reached his fifty from 88 balls when he guided a wide ball from Edwards to the third man boundary.

Three overs after Yorkshire had broken their  partnership they got a second wicket.   With the score on double Nelson, Kieran Carlson pushed at Fisher but edged him  to give Jonny Bairstow an easy catch.

Labuschange,  was joined by Billy Root, who  showed his is intent by going down the wicket to George Hill and smashing him to the boundary but he absolutely thrashed Bess to the long off boundary.  The pair found runs easy to come by Root gradually looked to be in the form to repeat the century he got two years ago.

Thompson said: “We knew that it was going to be tough today but the pitch didn’t help us as much as it did in the first innings but we didn’t put the ball in the right areas for long enough  periods of the day.  Hopefully we can bat well tomorrow and save the match  but tomorrow is going to be a tough day.  

We feel that our bowlers are lacking confidence and don’t have the faith that we can bowl teams out.  We create chances but we don’t take them.  Today we dropped Labuschange early doors and those are the chances that are happening every week.”

Day 4

YORKSHIRE batted throughout the day to save this match but they nearly lost it and all-rounder Jordan Thompson had to block out the final over.

At tea Yorkshire were 240 for two  and they looked like they would easily save the match   but 12 overs later they had lost six wickets for 137. Yorkshire captain Adam Lyth hit his eighth first class score of 150 but Glamorgan had chances to get rid of him.  They dropped  him twice  but before  they had dropped him they thought they had got rid of him on 38 when the ball deflected to Marnus Labuschange at second slip but umpire Hasan Adnan ruled that it had come off his pad.

Two runs shy off his 50 Lyth was dropped by  James Harris in his follow through just above his  left knee.  On 69, he edged Timm Van Der Gugten but Labuschange at second slip couldn’t hold on to the low chance.

Eventually Glamorgan skipper David Lloyd brought on spinner Andrew Salter to break up the all pace attack but Lyth hit him out of the attack.  He  danced down the pitch to Salter and smashed him straight for a six.  In Salter’s next over he smashed him for consecutive sixes, the first over cow corner and  the second just in front of square.

Lyth’s 336 minute innings ended when Jamie McLlroy angled one in at him and was plumb leg before.  His 174 was the eighth time that he has passed 150 in first class cricket.  He brought up his 30th first class century when he steered McLlroy to the third man boundary.

Lyth said: “I think that’s one of my best knocks at Headingley.  I feel that I’ve been hitting the ball well but not getting the big scores.”

In 2021 Lyth hit a second innings century against Glamorgan to save the match at Headingley, that match is remembered by fans because it was played behind closed doors and play on the Saturday was abandoned at lunchtime because of snow.

Yorkshire nearly made it to lunch without losing a wicket but Finlay  Bean was trapped leg before to Van Der Gugten to the last ball of the session.  His innings was a patient knock but he did have a life on  nine, he  gave a sharp return chance to   McLlroy but the ball went just out of the reach of the sprawling bowler.hance.  Lyth added: “Bean was frustrated at the way he got out but we needed an opening partnership of 100 if we were going to win the game.”

Promoted to number three Jonny Bairstow but he looked fidgety throughout his nine ball innings failing to put bat on ball, when he did he edged Van Der Gugten and the ball flew to Labuschagne’ bread basket.

Lyth said: “If Bairstow  bats as he can for 45 overs there is a small chance that we will win the game because he is an unbelievable player.”

Lyth was joined by George Hill and the pair saw Yorkshire to tea without any further loss but after tea Van Der Gugten was back in the wickets.  Hill got an inside edge to stumper Chris Cooke who dove forward to take the catch.    Hill’s 60 is his best championship score so far this season  in contrast to his first ball duck when he was Neser’s third victim in his hattrick.  He reached his 50 in the last over before tea when he swung the first four balls from Labuschagne to the legside boundary.

Following Hill’s departure Dawid Malan tried to work  Harris through legside but missed the and was plumb leg before.  Dom Bess got a king pair when McLlroy brought one in at him and was another plumb leg before and Glamorgan still had the new ball to come.

After adding 50 for the seventh wicket Saud Shakill was pegged back by the pace of Harris who found the edge of Shakill’s bat and Labuschange took a low catch at second  slip.  Four balls later Harris got his second wicket of the over  when he trapped Matt Fisher leg before for a pair.

With seven balls left in the Mickey Edwards left one from Van Der Gugten and the ball clipped the bail.  Thompson who hit an unbeaten 50 faced  the last over  from   Neser, who bowled with six slips and  two leg slips, kept him out.

Glamorgan’s head coach Mathew Maynard said: “It was a great game of cricket. To get 245 in our first innings after losing two early wickets was a great effort, the work of our bowlers to get us back in the match but also the attitude of our lads was good.”

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