All-action Fin Bean to the fore as Yorkshire hit back against Sussex
TAKE the gloves for the first four sessions of the match and then go straight back out again and score a hundred?
No problem for the Yorkshire opener Fin Bean, who followed his stint as wicketkeeper for Jonny Bairstow with the seventh century of his first-class career.
With captain Bairstow taking no chances on his comeback from a small fracture in his right thumb, instead choosing to direct his troops from the outfield, Bean filled in behind the stumps while Sussex scored 502 from 131.4 overs in their first innings.
If he was feeling tired after that and the concentration required, he did not show it as he helped Yorkshire respond with 192-1 at the game’s midway point, contributing 102 and sharing 175 for the second-wicket with Sam Whiteman, who reached 73, his first fifty for the club.
Bean turned 24 earlier this month and is keen to become a consistent run-scorer in Division One.
He got starts in the first two games - making 23 in the second innings at Glamorgan and 33 in the second innings against Hampshire at Headingley - but this was something more significant, a performance that should give him plenty of confidence.
The early signs were good for him when he cover-drove Fynn Hudson-Prentice to the boundary in the second over, a shot as glorious as the blue skies and sunshine that were present throughout. He was especially strong through the offside, where another four, this time off Tom Price, took him to his half-century from 81 balls with his seventh boundary.
At the other end, Whiteman played some handsome shots too, another cover-driven four off Hudson-Prentice towards the East Stand one of the strokes of the day.
The Australian left-hander also had seven boundaries in his 88-ball fifty, reached with a delightful punch through the offside for four off Henry Crocombe.
Bean and Whiteman came together in the 10th over when Adam Lyth edged a drive at Hudson-Prentice and was caught at second slip by Tom Clark. By tea, they had lifted the score to 96-1 from 28 overs, the picture looking a good deal better for Yorkshire than it had been at the start of the reply.
Bean gave a long-hop from James Coles, the left-arm spinner, the treatment it deserved, sending the ball for six in the shadow of the East Stand. He did have a bit of fortune when he top-edged a pull off Crocombe just short of long-leg, and again when edging Coles to the boundary between keeper and slip, but false shots from either batsman were few and far between.
Sussex had started day two on 373-6, with John Simpson on 101 and Hudson-Prentice 24, their stand worth 58.
The score had climbed to 398 when George Hill removed Hudson-Prentice, who was caught behind defending off the back foot. It became 426-8 when Jack Carson was lbw driving Logan van Beek, then 458-9 when Simpson was caught by Lyth at long-on off Joe Root for 136, made from 226 balls with 17 fours.
It was a strange end to an excellent innings, Simpson not getting to the pitch of the ball and lobbing up the catch.
Lunch was delayed with nine wickets down, but Jack White - the pick of the attack - brought matters to a close when he trapped Crocombe lbw to finish with 4-60, ending a last-wicket stand of 44 with Ollie Robinson, who was unbeaten on 40 from 60 balls with four fours and a six.
But the day belonged to Bean, who pulled Price to the boundary to reach his latest milestone.