Ben Coad and Vishwa Fernando lead Yorkshire CCC to crushing victory

After dismissing their hosts for 76 on the first day, Yorkshire dispatched them for 171 second time round, sealing victory by an innings and 204 runs with 50 overs left on day three.

Having beaten Gloucestershire with similar ease at Scarborough last week, Yorkshire have achieved back-to-back innings wins in the County Championship for the first time since 2015, the year they last won the title. Following a winless opening half to the campaign, their promotion challenge is back on course.

Central to their ambition of regaining First Division status is Ben Coad, the 30-year-old pace bowler. Returning for the first time since mid-May after a back injury, Coad followed figures of 1-9 from seven overs in the first innings with 6-30 from 15 in the second, returns that rather spoke for themselves.

Coad’s analysis on Tuesday was his second-best in first-class cricket behind 6-25 against Lancashire at Headingley in 2017. He was well supported by Vishwa Fernando, the Sri Lanka pace bowler, who marked his final appearance with 4-58, giving him match figures of 9-88.

In mainly cloudy conditions at the Queen’s Park ground, the day had started with two initial targets from a Yorkshire perspective – one collective, the other personal. The personal was a hundred for Jonny Tattersall, the wicketkeeper who resumed with 93 to his name.

He got there with two offside boundaries off Daryn Dupavillon, the South African pace bowler, reaching the milestone from 163 balls with 13 fours.

It brought a choo-choo from Puffin’ Billy, the miniature train that circles the Queen’s Park lake, as though in salute of Tattersall’s efforts.

Collectively, Yorkshire, who resumed on 416-6, needed 34 more runs in 16.5 overs to reach 450 and thereby achieve maximum batting points.

They almost made a mess of it, losing three more wickets en route – in the process handing Derbyshire a third bowling point – before Fernando squirted an edge through the slips and away to the boundary.

Jordan Thompson, having aimed a huge swipe at the day’s first ball, had fallen lbw to Luis Reece, and after Coad was bowled by the same man, Tattersall miscued a pull off Dupavillon to mid-wicket, having recorded his second County Championship century, and his third in first-class cricket.

Yorkshire declared on 451-9 as soon as Fernando’s edge off Dupavillon flicked against the rope at the Lake End, which left Derbyshire needing 375 just to make the visitors bat again. Their chances of doing so were even more remote when they slid to 0-2 in their second innings.

Coad had Mitch Wagstaff caught behind with the first ball, then Fernando pinned Reece leg-before, stuck on the crease. When Brooke Guest missed a straight one from Coad, Derbyshire were 24-3 just as the smell of lunch was beginning to drift over from the corporate marquee.

By the time Fernando won another lbw decision, against Wayne Madsen, the great and the good were busily tucking in, Derbyshire limping into the interval at 57-4.

The sun came out during the lunch break and, as though teasing the crowd of around 1,000, went straight back in again when play restarted.

David Lloyd, the Derbyshire captain, had said that his men were “hurting” after the first innings and that “we’ve got to show some character and fight”. He heeded his own words by making their first half-century of the match, scoring 57 from 84 balls with nine fours and a six before Coad had him edging behind.

Lloyd was helped in a stand of 54 for the fifth wicket by Aneurin Donald, who dug in for just over an hour before Coad arrowed one through his defences. Bowling from the Pavilion End, he had a lovely rhythm, and Coad’s fifth wicket followed when Alex Thomson drove, missed and was lbw. It was Coad’s 12th five-for on his 71st appearance, and it left Derbyshire 116-7.

Coad struck again with his next ball, Zak Chappell nicking behind, but was denied a hat-trick when umpire Sue Redfern rejected an lbw appeal against Sam Conners.

Coad would still have ended with career-best figures had Ross Whiteley not launched him for a straight six into the pavilion.

Whiteley, in fact, was the only danger to spectators present, striking four sixes off Dan Moriarty, the left-arm spinner, in a futile final throw of the dice, going on to 52 from 40 balls.

After Fernando bowled Conners all ends up, Whiteley tried to hit the left-armer through mid-wicket and was caught by James Wharton, a fitting catcher and conclusion given Wharton’s century earlier in the match.