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Sayers in the driving seat to lift Yorkshire
THERE has been no more pleasing aspect of Yorkshire's season than the welcome rehabilitation of Joe Sayers.
Going into this summer, Sayers had managed just 138 runs in his previous 21 County Championship innings at the career-threatening average of 6.90.
But in 12 Championship innings this year he has made 597 runs at 49.75 – statistics that point to a man transformed.
Yesterday, Sayers made 152, his second century of the season, as Yorkshire gave themselves an excellent chance of avoiding an unwanted place in the history books.
Failure to beat Somerset would establish a club record of 18 first-class matches without a victory, dating back to Yorkshire's last visit to Taunton 13 months ago.
At stumps on day three the visitors were 329-5, with a lead of 441, and will hope to capitalise on their hard work today.
The pitch remains flat and the bowlers will have to work hard, but Yorkshire will be loath to pass up a splendid opportunity.
By his own admission, Sayers is not a Speedy Gonzales-type with a veritable smorgasbord of attacking strokes bursting to get out.
But nor is he a strokeless wonder intent only on survival as he proved once again in the shadow of the Quantocks.
After Matthew Hoggard claimed the last wicket of the Somerset first innings with the 10th ball of the morning, the former England bowler finishing with 5-82, Sayers set about improving Yorkshire's commanding lead of 112.
There was an early blow when he lost Jacques Rudolph to the second ball of the innings, the South African brilliantly caught by Marcus Trescothick at second slip off Charl Willoughby as Rudolph followed up a first innings century at Taunton with a duck for the second year in succession, but Sayers fought hard to ensure the new ball made no further inroads.
He was circumspect at first, displaying appropriate caution beneath the cloud cover on another wretchedly oppressive day, but he was not afraid to drive down the ground or firmly through the covers when the occasion presented.
Sayers outscored Anthony McGrath during a second-wicket stand of 58, the Yorkshire captain bowled by Willoughby moments after Arul Suppiah had dropped him at point off the same bowler.
Somerset's catching, indeed, was a real black mark on their performance. Sayers, in a rare error, was dropped on 30 by James Hildreth in the gully off Andy Caddick when the total was 62, and Adam Lyth was put down on three with no addition to the score when he edged Suppiah to Justin Langer at slip, the Australian making a poor attempt to catch the ball after it bounced up off his boot.
Had those catches stuck, Yorkshire would have been 62-4 just before lunch – effectively 174-4 – and the game could have taken a different course.
As it was, Sayers and Lyth made Somerset pay as they strengthened Yorkshire's grip during a one-sided afternoon.
Sayers went to his half-century from 142 balls with eight fours and soon began to pick up the tempo.
He struck a flurry of crisp boundaries, mostly through the off-side, and was well supported by Lyth, who deposited Peter Trego for six over mid-wicket on his way to fifty from 84 deliveries with seven boundaries.
Lyth was occasionally troubled by the left-arm spin of Suppiah, who tested his patience with a teasing line outside off-stump, but the young man was equal to his task, cleverly moving his feet to get to the pitch of the ball with a panache more than matched by Sayers.
Their partnership was worth 122 when Lyth was caught behind trying to pull David Stiff, having scored 71 from 113 balls.
Sayers required only 66 balls for his second fifty and another 64 for his third half-century, his most memorable stroke coming when he deposited Stiff for six over mid-wicket.
Andrew Gale was caught in the gully but Jonathan Bairstow played particularly well in the evening session, reaching a splendid half-century from 52 deliveries and ending unbeaten on 54.
Sayers perished in the last over, bowled by a quick one from Zander de Bruyn, and walked off to a suitably warm ovation.
chris.waters@ypn.co.uk
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Weather for Yorkshire
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
