Yorkshire v Northants: Prospect of Lord’s final helps drive on Ballance

GARY BALLANCE has told how the hurt of last year’s quarter-final defeat to Durham is spurring Yorkshire on in their quest to win the Royal London Cup.
STRIKING OUT: Yorkshires Gary Ballance hitting a six in his top score of 69 against Derbyshire. Picture: Steve RidingSTRIKING OUT: Yorkshires Gary Ballance hitting a six in his top score of 69 against Derbyshire. Picture: Steve Riding
STRIKING OUT: Yorkshires Gary Ballance hitting a six in his top score of 69 against Derbyshire. Picture: Steve Riding

Yorkshire lost by 31 runs to the eventual champions at Headingley last August to make it 12 years without a one-day trophy.

Ballance and co would guarantee their place in this year’s quarter-finals by beating Northants at Headingley today (10.30 start).

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Yorkshire could still miss out should Northants beat them and if their net run-rate drops below that of Durham, but Yorkshire are well-placed going into their final group match after four wins, two defeats and a no-result.

“We had a chance last year when we got to the quarter-finals and lost, and that’s given us more motivation this time around,” said Ballance, who top-scored with 61 in last season’s quarter-final.

“Everyone wants to play in a Lord’s final, and, hopefully, we can put in a few more good performances and give ourselves a chance.

“Over the course of the group games, we’ve played some good cricket and won games against good teams.

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“We are definitely looking at this as a chance to get some silverware.”

Ballance, 25, has strengthened Yorkshire’s batting since losing his England place earlier this summer.

The left-hander was dropped for the third Test against Australia at Edgbaston after scores of 61 and 0 at Cardiff and 23 and 14 at Lord’s.

Ballance top-scored with 77 and 69 in the Royal London matches at Surrey and Derbyshire and has responded positively to his England omission.

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And after England went on to clinch the Ashes ahead of Thursday’s final Test at the Oval, he can reflect with pride on the fact that he played his part in the series triumph.

“It was great to get a few games in the Ashes,” said Ballance.

“I would have liked more, but I contributed at Cardiff with a decent score in the first innings and I can say that I’m an Ashes winner.

“There are things I can work on, and hopefully I can build on what I’ve done through the rest of the summer and improve as a player.

“My main focus now is on winning trophies with Yorkshire.”

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Yorkshire are gunning for silverware on two fronts having forged an apparently unassailable lead at the top of the County Championship.

The club are 38 points clear with a game in hand and odds-on to retain the four-day title.

However, Yorkshire have a contrastingly poor one-day record, having not reached a Lord’s final since 2002 and only once reached Finals Day in the 12-year history of the T20 competition.

But their Royal London group form has once again been good in general, although they did lose their last match to Somerset at Scarborough.

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“In one-day cricket you’re always going to lose the odd game,” said one-day captain Alex Lees.

“It’s about how you come back from that. It’s about trusting what you did previously and also getting the rub of the green, which is important.”

Lees and his men will today come up against England all-rounder David Willey, who Yorkshire are trying to sign.

The left-hander is a dangerous customer, as he once again proved by smashing a 40-ball hundred against Sussex last week to take Northants through to T20 Finals Day.

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“He’s a dangerous player and really hard to bowl to when he’s on it,” said Lees.

“But we have players in good form as well, and if our bowlers are smart, they’ll be able to combat him.

“He hits predominantly to the leg-side, so you know where you’re going to get hit.

“We’re looking forward to the challenge, and hopefully we can put in a good performance.”

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Under-16s can attend today’s game for free when accompanied by an adult or senior citizen.

A maximum of four free junior tickets are available with every accompanying paying adult or senior citizen (£16/£10).

Jamie Hood, the former Yorkshire all-rounder, is to take delivery of a specially-adapted vehicle which will increase his mobility thanks to the Professional Cricketers’ Benevolent Fund.

Hood, 34, was about to start his third season on Yorkshire’s staff when he broke his neck in a car accident in Cape Town early in 1998.

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The accident, which happened when a tyre blew out at low speed, left Hood with no mobility below his neck and wheelchair-bound ever since.

But, despite his injuries, Hood remains actively involved in cricket as a coach at his local club Redcar and as a spectator at Yorkshire matches at Headingley and Scarborough.

“The PCA have been brilliant,” said Hood.

“Without the vehicle, I wouldn’t be able to go out.

“With this vehicle, I can drive my wheelchair straight into the back and away we go.

“I like to be always out and about doing things and living life to the full.”

Yorkshire squad v Northants: Ballance, Bresnan, Brooks, Carver, Fisher, Hodd, Leaning, Lees (captain), Maxwell, Patterson, Plunkett, Pyrah, Rashid, Rhodes, Waite.