Act III

Brian Sanderson on the third day at Scarborough

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It started to rain as I was leaving the hotel this morning, and even after it had relented, the sky remained very cloudy. The hope was that Yorkshire could bowl out Sussex quickly and secure victory today, without having to bank on the weather tomorrow.

I arrived at the ground in the company of Jon Goodrick, who has just set up two new websites for the Northern Cricket Society and the Wombwell Cricket Lovers. We sat in the pavilion area, which provided an excellent view of the players and their dressing rooms. We saw them come out on time, and soon saw one of them coming back: Daniel Hughes, caught brilliantly by Finlay Bean at third slip—worth the admission money alone.

A few minutes later it rained again, and everyone took what shelter they could find, which was very little. For once, however, good news followed quick on the heels of bad, and play resumed at 11:56. Within half an hour, George Hill had Tom Haines caught at second slip, making the score 45 for two, and another half an hour later, just before lunch, Clark was snaffled by Bairstow.

During the interval, we went around the ground to my favorite seat at the Trafalgar End, directly behind the wicket, allowing us to see whether the ball was swinging or seaming. Michael Coles was bowled just after lunch by Jordan Thompson for thirteen, bringing the score to 114 for four. Hopes were now high that the total would be low.

But cricket, like life, is seldom straightforward, and Tom Alsop and John Simpson put on an eighty-run partnership before tea. Sussex now had a lead of 27.

I took another walk round the ground in quest of my first ice cream of the match, and sat down next to some Yorkshire supporters. Their lunchtime joy had dissipated; they were full of complaints about the bowling. Dan Moriarty, the spinner, came in for particular stick.

Immediately after the break, though, he silenced them, getting Alsop caught on the second attempt by Bairstow for 61. Alsop had thus scored 147 in the match for once out.

This, I thought (and hoped), could be the beginning of the end, and it only took an hour and a half for my dreams to come true: The lead was just 103. Ben Coad had bowled exceptionally well, taking five for 69, and now stands proud as the highest wicket-taker in the Second Division.

I went for my fish and chips during the changeover, and then settled down again to see Yorkshire handle the final ten overs of the day. They did not do especially well: The Indian bowler Jaydev Unadkat took two wickets, and play ended with the hosts still needing 75 to win.

I am a collector of cricket scorecards, and duly bought one today. Unfortunately, it was a very poor production. Will Luxton’s score was not printed, and Sussex’s batting line-up was incorrect: Unadkat was listed at five when he actually batted at ten. Very disappointing.

I hope the weather is fine in the morning. Yorkshire thoroughly deserve to win this match.

Brian Sanderson is an ACS member. He serves on the Yorkshire Cricket Archives Committee. If you would like to contribute to this newsletter, please either respond to the email in which you received it, or leave a comment below.