Yorkshire v Sussex County Championship Div 1 April 24-27 at Headingley
Neil Whitaker reports
Day 1
A fifth wicket partnership of 165 in 50 overs between former Captain John Simpson and Tom Price swung the day in Sussex’ favour after they had been 150 for five in the 39th over.
In his last innings at Headingley three years ago Price hit 113 for Gloucesterstershire and today he made his intentions known from the start. When he came to the crease Sussex had lost two wickets for five in two overs.
Price dismissively smashed Logan Van Beek to the extra cover boundary on his way to his third Rothesay County Championship 50 of the season. Later in the over he glanced Van Beek off his hips but Finlay Bean dropped the chance.
He pulled Jhive Richardson to the mid-wicket boundary and the next ball went to the square leg boundary. Another pull off Richardson went to the mid -wicket boundary which Matty Revis on the boundary edge never saw.
Price drove Joe Root off his front foot to the extra cover boundary to bring up his 50 from 75 balls with eight fours and a six. On 62 he survived a leg before appeal off Hill and thumped the next ball to the long-off boundary.
In the evening session he pulled Van Beek to the square leg boundary to take him into the 80’s again Revis on the boundary edge never saw it.
Price said: “We are really happy with how today went, especially after being put in. I think the plan was that we would have bowled first as well. We thought if we could get through the first session that would be a good one to bat on.
I think the ball went soft, and they did get it changed. I also think the pitch got easier to bat on. We know that they're a really strong team, but we've come here to try and get a win and, you know, we're happy with how today's gone. Hopefully we can have a good day tomorrow.”
His partner, Simpson was the silent partner of the partnership he was contented to nudge and work the ball to give Price the strike. That was until he reached the 40’s and then a quick burst of acceleration saw him reach his first Championship 50 of the season came from 87 balls with seven fours.
The partnership was broken when he took of paces down the pitch and tried to smash White to the extra cover boundary but got a thick outside edge to Adam Lyth at second slip.
Price added: “Me and Simpson decided to play each ball on its merit and just score runs and not make it too complicated , he’s a great person to bat with.”
Despite the sun being out at the toss there was a chill in the air when Yorkshire Captain Jonny Bairstow won the toss and put Sussex into bat. Bairstow is not keeping wicket in this match to protect the thumb he broke in their first match of the season at Cardiff. His place behind the stumps went to Bean.
Jack White’s first three overs were maidens with the bat Sussex opener Tom Haines' first six scoring shots were all fours through the covers. Haines pulled Revis to the mid-wicket boundary to bring up his 50 from 61 balls with 12 fours. In Revis’ next over he pulled him to mid-wicket boundary and drilled the next ball to the extra cover boundary.
He looked to be the danger to Yorkshire but 10 minutes before lunch Haines played outside a straight ball from Bess and was leg before.
His opening partner Dan Hughes always looked as if his innings would be a quick one. On one Hughes survived an enthusiastic appeal from the Yorkshire slip cordon for a catch behind off White but umpire Ben Debenham was unmoved.
Hughes looked to have gained his confidence when he lofted White over his head for a one bounce four into the Howard stand. But he pushed forward at White and feathered it to Bean. Four balls later Tom Clark tried to turn him to leg, missed the ball and was plumb leg before for a duck.
On two, former Yorkshire player, Jack Leaning edged White between stumper Bean and Root at first slip for a four. He looked confident when drove Richardson straight along the ground in the V to the long-on boundary.
But in the eight over after lunch he edged George Hill to Lyth at second slip. Neither Leaning or Umpire Tom Lungley moved but after Lungley consulted with his partner Debenham, Leaning was on his way back to the hutch.
James Coles was another Sussex batsman who flattered to deceive and fell three short of 50. When he clipped Richardson off his toes to the mid-wicket boundary he looked ready for the long course but he fell to Hill. Hill got his second wicket when Coles hung his bat without moving his feet and the ball flew to Root at first slip. Root will play for Yorkshire in the next three out of four Championship matches.
Flynn Hudson-Price wasted no time in reaching 25 with a classical straight drive to the boundary off Van-Beek. To round the day off for Sussex, Simpson hit three fours off Van Beek to take him to his century.
Hill said: “I think when we had them 150 for five we thought we were in with a chance but it didn’t go our way. I thought Simpson and Price played well but again, just too many too many four balls. It's a quick scoring ground, but I think there were a few too many freebies there.
If we can clear up tomorrow morning, put a big heavy roller on it, kill it even more, you know, back, we back all our batsmen to do the business.
We’ve not had the start to the season that we wanted but I think we've been good in patches, but good in patches doesn't win you games of cricket in division one, you need to be consistent for days upon days and we’ve just not managed to do that for whatever reason that is.”
Day 2
FINLAY Bean hit his 7th Championship century of his career, his first of the season and at the close of play he was unbeaten on 102.
He reached his century when he pulled Tom Price to the square leg boundary from 189 balls with 17 fours and one six. With Sam Whitman he broke the Yorkshire record for the second wicket against Sussex which has stood since 1904, when Francis Stanley Jackson and David Denton added 171 at Bramall Lane. The record was broken when Whiteman placed Jack Carson into the covers for a single.
The pair came together in the 10th over when Adam Lyth reached for a wide ball from Fynn Hudson-Prentice and edged it. Tom Clarke took a sharp catch at second slip. At that stage Yorkshire still needed another. 336 runs to avoid the follow-on.
Yorkshire batting coach John Sadler said: “The last two sessions couldn't have gone better, they played beautifully. When the opposition gets 500, you're always going out under pressure. It’s a good pitch, It looks like a nice place to bat. But when you're going out with 500 to chase down, there's always that element of pressure, loss of early wicket. So for Bean and Whiteman to go and put on 170, was brilliant. They both played beautifully.
For Bean it’s been a monumental effort when he's just kept for 130 over or whatever it was and then go out and bat. We are in a good position overnight, but we also know that we're still 300 behind, and there's a lot of work to be done.”
After they were dismissed for 502 Sussex intensified the pressure on the Yorkshire openers with some tight bowling and got their reward. Without adding to the score the umpires changed the ball after 10 overs with the score on 17 for one. On a slow pitch Bean flicked Ollie Robinson off his legs for a one bounce four through mid-wicket. He drilled Henry Crocombe to the cover boundary.
Bean drilled Price to the extra cover boundary to bring up his first Championship fifty of the season from 81 balls with seven fours. On 71 he hooked Crocombe but the ball dropped five yards short off Carson at fine leg.
Whiteman pulled slow left arm spinner James Coles with disdain to the mid-wicket then drilled him into the covers for a single to bring up the hundred partnership with Bean in 23 overs. On 55 Whiteman was hit in his box by Crocombe and he received treatment for five minutes.
Bean crunched Coles to the long-on boundary. He placed TomHaines to the backward point boundary to bring up the 150 partnership with Whiteman in 42 overs.
Sussex club captain John Simpson added another 35 to his overnight score before he fell to Joe Root. Simpson’s 343 minute innings ended seven minutes before the scheduled lunch break. Root pulled a wider delivery which Simpson had to reach for and slogged it to Lyth coming in from the long-on boundary. His 136 came from 226 balls and included 18 fours. It was his 10th Championship century for Sussex in 31 matches.
After adding 25 runs in 34 minutes neither Simpson and Hudson-Prentice looked in any trouble and it was hard to see where Yorkshire could make a breakthrough. But Hudson-Prentice nibbled at one which left him from George Hill and Bean took a comfortable catch.
Simpson pushed Hill in the covers for a quick single to bring up the Sussex 400 and their fourth batting point.
Carson was leg before to a full ball from Logan Van Beek which left him, with Simpson he added 28 in eight overs.
With the departure of Simpson. Robinson used the long handle of his bat. He launched Bess over long-on for a six. Last man Crocombe owed he was no rabbit with the bat. But Yorkshire should have got rid of him when he was 11. He clipped Jack White off his toes to Hill at short mid-wicket who got his left hand to it but it wouldn’t stick.
Yorkshire did get him when he tried to work White to leg but missed the ball and was leg before for 21. Robinson was unbeaten on 40 from 59 balls.
Simpson said: “ I wanted to have an impact on the team not only as a batsman and keeper and obviously captain. Obviously it's nice to get 100 in this game and put in a pretty good position. I think I just try to do the basics as well as I can.
I thought Bean kept well, for somebody who he doesn't keep that much. A couple of tough chances went down but that’s the nature of the game. But he played really well and, you know, to be out there for every single ball of the game it takes a lot of skill, a lot of concentration.”
Day 3
Sam Whiteman hit his first Championship century for Yorkshire in his third Championship match.
The Doncaster born Whiteman reached his century with a lofted drive off James Coles. His ton came from 188 balls with 11 fours and that six. Earlier he played a delicately late cut Tom Haines to the third man boundary. His innings ended when edged a drive off a wide ball from Henry Crocombe and John Simpson took a good stumper’s catch.
He said: “It felt really special to hit a century and it’s always nice to score runs in front of your home crowd.
I thought Finlay Bean batted really well and I think that our game sort of compliments each other nicely and it was nice to push out a big partnership.
County cricket has definitely lived up to my expectations and more. Yorkshire is a really proud club. I think everyone that plays here sort of understands that, and to be honest, we haven’t been at our best so far this year, but I think we found a way to win this game and to potentially push for a win tomorrow, which is exciting, and hopefully the start of many more.”
The Yorkshire fans turned up at Headingley to see Joe Root bat and score a century, they saw him bat but he fell four runs short off his century.
Playing his first Championship match for Yorkshire since he played against Warwickshire last May, Root made an early appearance at the crease on the third day coming in at the fall of Bean’s wicket at 11.22. Bean and Whiteman extended their partnership to 182 before Bean was adjudged leg before to Flynn Hudson-Prentice bowling around wicket and angled in at him. His 105 came from 192 balls and he hit 13 fours and a six.
Bean turned the third ball of the morning from Hudson-Prentice to fine-leg but as Tom Price fielded it he went over his right ankle and went down in a heap. He left the field and was replaced by Charlie Tier while he received treatment for a twisted ankle.
After getting rid of Bean and Whiteman the Sussex bowlers were now faced with bowling to Root and Jonny Bairstow. Luckily for them only Root was in a scoring mood. When Bairstow effortlessly drove Crocombe to the cover boundary they must have thought they would be chasing the ball all day, but that was that from him. In the last over with the old ball he pushed forward at Coles who turned the ball through Bairstow’s gate and lost his middle stump.
Root, however, was in the mood for runs. From the moment he came in he was busy and didn’t seem to score quickly but if you turned away then turned back in the blink of an eye he was in his mid 40’s.
It wasn’t a faultless innings, on 40 he edged a drive of Ollie Robinson and the ball flew over the slips despite Jack Leaning’s attempt with his right hand to catch it. He brought out his trademark sweep from well outside off stump when he swept Coles to the square leg boundary and cut the next ball to the cover boundary.
He reached his fifty when he drove Coles off his back foot for a single into the covers. His fifty came from 59 balls with seven fours. But he was nearly hospitalised by a straight drive by George Hill off Coles, two balls later Hill drove Coles over long-on for a six.
When it looked odds on that Root would celebrate his first Championship match for Yorkshire and his first first-class match for 109 days by hitting a century he edged a ball Crocombe got to rise at him and fell three short of his century.
Matty Revis placed Hudson-Prentice wide off the slips to the third man boundary. He punched Coles off his back foot to the mid-wicket boundary. Two balls later Revis edged a drive and Robinson at slip took a low catch. He added 86 in 24 overs with Root.
Hill and DomBess quickly added 47 in six overs but the partnership ended when Bess was adjudged leg before to Haines much to the amazement of Bess. Hill was not in the mood to hang about and his fifty came 55 balls with five fours and a six. Then he went down the pitch to Jack Carson and chipped him to Tom Clark at mid-wicket.
Jhive Richardson brutally cut Crocombe to the cover boundary. After putting 49 on with Richardson, Logan Van Beek got an inside edge to Crocombe to one that cut back in at him on its way to Simpson. Richardson tried to cut Coles but chopped on.
Sussex had 14 overs to survive but they lost opener DanHughes in the third over when he was beaten for pace by Richardson who kissed the top of his off stump for a duck.
Leading by 16 Sussex lost their second wicket when Haines got a leading edge to Hill and gave the bowler a simple return catch.
Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace said: “It’s been a decent day's cricket. Obviously, it adds a little bit of excitement losing two wickets at the end but hopefully our young batters who have aspirations playing national cricket will have watched Root close up. How he scores off good balls then punishes your bad balls and how he accumulates his runs.
Tomorrow if we can put together a few partnerships then who knows?”
Day 4
Bad light forced the match to be abandoned with 24 overs left on the final day with Sussex leading by 315 runs and two second innings wickets standing.
Yorkshire head coach Anthony McGarth said: “I thought it was a good performance. The pitch probably didn't do as much as we thought throughout the game, but I thought it was still a very good cricket wicket. We knew bowling first there was probably going to be more in it, as there always is at Headingley. We had them 150-5, there were a couple of big shouts. We just couldn't make that breakthrough. Then, on flatter surfaces, I think you've got to try different things to get wickets. We probably leaked more runs and didn't quite get it right on that first day, which can happen.
But it was nice for our guys to get some runs on the board and bat big. Then, I thought we were brilliant in the second innings. Two wickets last night, and we were fantastic today. We were always looking at ways to try and give ourselves some kind of chase and win. Time just got us in the end.”
Sussex captain Ollie Robinson said: “I think it’s a good result for us in the end. It was a hard-fought four days from both sides. One thousand runs in two days, it’s quite taxing on the bowlers. Both teams battled until the end.
Tom Clark played really well for us today to get us over the line for a draw. It was quite a nervy first session this morning and 15 or so overs last night. So it was good to get over the line and get the draw, really.
There were probably a few half chances that we just missed in the field or didn’t quite get right with the ball. Maybe they could have swung the game the other way. But, all in all, it was a steady week for us.
Tom Price was outstanding with the bat in the first innings and John Simpson was back to his best, which is good to see. It just shows what a good side we are at the minute. It doesn’t matter who is out there, they’re all producing and helping the team out.”
A draw was on the cards when Yorkshire could only take one wicket in the morning session and that was the night watchman Jack Carson. The only time a positive result looked possible was in the afternoon session when Sussex lost four wickets for 28 runs in 14 overs. `
Clark top scored for Sussex with 93 and Joe Root took three wickets for 67. McGarth added: “Root’s one of the best to ever play. If you get him in your team, it's something to be treasured. I know he's worked hard this week in the nets. But, to come in and bat for the first time in a few months like that and then bowl like that as well, just shows his appetite for the game.”
Clark showed early aggression when went down the pitch to Dom Bess and lofted him over mid-on for a one bounce four. That shot woke him up and he clipped George Hill off his toes along the ground to the mid-wicket boundary. He pulled Logan Van Beek to the mid-wicket boundary. He late cut Bess to the point boundary to bring up his 14th first class fifty which came off 108 balls with nine fours.
At the fall of Carson’s wicket, in came James Coles who gave impetus to their innings. With Coles and Clark together at the crease it looked like Sussex could get enough to give Yorkshire an uncomfortable final session to bat.
He got off the mark when he flicked Jack White off his legs to the mid-wicket boundary. He belted Bess to the extra cover boundary. He hit another four off Bess when he swept him to the square leg boundary and soon overtook Clark. But on the stroke of lunch Coles moved across his stumps to Jhive Richardson and was bowled by a leg stump yorker. He added 108 in 20 overs for the fourth wicket with Clark and his 53 came from 60 balls in 84 minutes with six fours.
Clark started the day by hitting consecutive boundaries in the first over of the day from Richardson: the first was a straight drive to the long-on boundary and the second was angled down to the third man boundary. But dried the runs up and it was Hill who made the breakthrough after 28 minutes of play with his second ball of the day. He pitched one up and night watchman Carson tried to play it to leg and was plumb leg before.
On 42 he swung Bess to Sam Whiteman at short mid-wicket but he couldn’t get the to stick. He pulled a short ball from Richardson to the mid-wicket boundary for his first Championship fifty of the season. It came from 51 balls with seven fours in minutes. Later went down the pitch to Bess and smashed him to the long-off boundary to take him into the 90’s.
He missed out on his second championship century of the season by seven runs. On the cusp of his century he tried to leave one from Root and the ball brushed his bat to Finlay Bean standing up who took a good catch. His 93 came from 177 balls with 16 fours in 213 minutes.
Former Yorkshire player Jack Leaning was another player who looked to take the game beyond Yorkshire. He took a couple of paces down the pitch to Root and launched him over the mid-wicket boundary for a six followed by two consecutive fours.
But he fell to a brilliant catch. Leaning reversed swept Bess and Hill at slip anticipated the shot moved to his right and took the catch in his right hand. Without adding to the score Root turned one past Simpson and knocked his off stump out of the ground.
In an unexpected move with a match at the Oval coming up on Friday, Price batted with a runner but after he helped a leg-side full ball from Root to the fine leg boundary he cut the next ball to White at backward point.
Before he had scored Fynn Hudson-Prentice turned Bess to leg and Lyth at short leg got a hand to it but it wouldn’t stick in his left hand. With captain Robinson he added 72 in 16 overs before the match was abandoned.
John Simpson
FORMER Sussex Captain John Simpson spoke after his 136 against Yorkshire at Headingley, his 10th First-Class century for Sussex in 31 games, about his new role at Sussex.
Simpson left Middlesex after 14 years to join Sussex as captain of the Championship team but earlier this year Ollie Robinson was appointed captain of the Championship team and he was made club captain.
He said: “I think my role as club captain is to support the Championship and T20 captains as best as I can. As a senior figure trying to drive up the standards of everything making sure we are not slipping back into any old bad habits and moving in the right direction. Other than that it’s supporting Head coach Paul Farbrace and the rest of the coaching staff with anything I feel we could do better and anything that they need support with.”
On his century he said: “It’s nice to keep contributing. To score 10 centuries in such a quick space of time for Sussex is something I’ve been working towards and when I joined the club I wanted to have an impact. I just try to do the basics as well as I can, then try to be ruthless when I’ve got in. I wished I had done that earlier in my career.”
George Hill on Jack WhiteApril 26, 2026 10:31 am
DURING the recent Rothesay County Championship match with Sussex, Yorkshire’s George Hill spoke about his teammate Jack White who recently signed an extension to his two-year contract which will keep him at Headingley until the end of the 2028 season.
Hill said: “We don't really realise how lucky we are having him. You look up and he's going up 1.5 an over and when he goes at 2, he's a bit expensive.”
The 34 year-old White from Kendal in Westmorland, who joined Yorkshire from Northamptonshire in 2024, has taken 50 first-class wickets for Yorkshire. Hill added “He’s been brilliant, he's like a metronome and he loves bowling. I am not sure if he likes fielding or batting but I know he loves fishing.
I think that he’s a great role model for our young seamers but I am not sure that he sees himself as that. When he’s on form he is an absolute handful because he can nip the ball either way. When you stand at slip like I do, you feel some bowlers are going to get a nick all the time and he's one of them. He hasn’t got a huge amount of speed but it does zip and kiss the pitch.
I don't like facing the nets. I know a lot of batters on the circuit don’t like facing him either when he bowls a bad ball because you kind of panic, flick it and then you nick it. Because you're not used to it.
He’s a pretty level guy, never gets down and doesn't go crazy on fields, he just keeps it simple and tries to dry the runs up.”
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