Celebrating Yorkshire CCC’s "top-ten" of T20 hundreds

Harvey had scored the first ever hundred in the Twenty20 Cup - 100 not out for Gloucestershire against Warwickshire at Edgbaston in 2003.

Gloucestershire had only been chasing 135, Harvey’s runs coming from 50 balls with 13 fours and four sixes as his side won by eight wickets with 6.5 overs left.

By the time he joined Yorkshire the following year, expectations were high. The Australian lived up to them instantly, scoring 108 not out from 59 balls with 16 fours and two sixes on his T20 debut for the club in another eight-wicket triumph.

Ian Harvey - 109 v Derbyshire at Headingley 2005

“The Freak”, as he was affectionately known, was up to his freakish ways the following year too, raising his personal bar a tad further.

This time, Derbyshire were on the wrong end of Harvey’s blade, which plundered 109 from 55 balls with seven sixes and nine fours to power Yorkshire to a six-wicket victory.

“I’m just backing myself to hit it in my areas,” said Harvey.

Simples.

Herschelle Gibbs - 101 not out v Northamptonshire at Northampton 2010

This was one of the most remarkable T20 games in which Yorkshire have been involved.

First, the South African Gibbs struck the only T20 century of his career, an unbeaten 101 from 53 balls with five sixes and eight fours.

Then Northants escaped with a tie despite needing 13 to win off the final ball. Rich Pyrah bowled a no-ball on height (two runs) which Nicky Boje hit for six, Boje hitting the extra delivery for four to break Yorkshire’s hearts.

102 not out - Jonny Bairstow v Durham at Chester-le-Street 2014

Bairstow scored the first T20 century for Yorkshire by a non-overseas player.

With two overs left he had 71, then he clubbed off-spinner Gareth Breese for three straight sixes and reached his hundred off the penultimate ball of the innings with a leg-side six off Chris Rushworth.

“It was just one of those nights when everything I tried came off," said Bairstow, his unbeaten 102 spanning 58 balls and including six sixes and eight fours to inspire a 49-run win.

“It went through my mind to try for six sixes in Gareth Breese’s last over after hitting the first three,” he added, “but he bowled the last three balls well."

118 - David Willey v Worcestershire at Headingley 2017

One man who did hit six sixes in an over was Worcestershire’s Ross Whiteley in 2017.

Sadly for him and his team, it was not enough to beat a Yorkshire side for whom David Willey earlier whacked 118 from 55 balls with eight sixes and nine fours as Yorkshire won by 37 runs.

Willey played superbly but was upstaged by Whiteley, who became only the fifth man in senior cricket after Garry Sobers, Ravi Shastri, Herschelle Gibbs himself and Yuvraj Singh to hit six sixes in an over. Karl Carver, the left-arm spinner, was the unlucky bowler.

161 - Adam Lyth v Northamptonshire at Headingley 2017

Just over three weeks after Willey’s heroics, which set a new highest score for Yorkshire in T20, Adam Lyth blew it out of the water with an English record that still stands now.

The left-hander hit 161 from 73 balls with seven fours and 20 sixes, then the third-highest T20 innings in the world. Yorkshire scored 260-4 – a total then bettered only twice – and won by 124 runs, Azeem Rafiq returning a career-best 5-19.

“I’m speechless,” said Lyth afterwards – although not quite, clearly.

112 - Jonny Bairstow v Worcestershire at Worcester 2021

Bairstow’s second T20 century for Yorkshire was a savage affair, reached from 48 balls at New Road.

Several times he sent the ball flying out of the ground, striking 112 in total from 51 deliveries with 10 sixes and seven fours, Yorkshire going on to win by 94 runs.

Not the least remarkable aspect of the innings was that Bairstow was practically batting on one leg after injuring an ankle.

He left the ground in a moon boot with Andrew Gale, the then Yorkshire head coach, saying that “his ankle has blown up” – figuratively speaking, presumably.

111 not out - James Wharton v Worcestershire at Headingley 2023

Worcestershire were on the receiving end again when James Wharton announced himself with a brilliant hundred.

It was a breakthrough display by the tall right-hander, whose unbeaten 111 came from 56 balls with three sixes and 16 fours.

“It’s just nice, when you get given the nod, to go and do alright,” said Wharton, whose efforts inspired Yorkshire to a 26-run success.

“I had a bit of luck early on and then I just basically tried to keep going.”

116 - Jonny Bairstow v Lancashire at Old Trafford 2025

That man Bairstow again, this time with an innings of 116 from 54 balls with 10 sixes and eight fours as Yorkshire beat the old enemy by 19 runs.

It was far from a one-man show - Will Luxton almost taking his place in the list of Yorkshire T20 century-makers with an unbeaten 90, the young man sharing in a club record stand in the format of 167 with Bairstow for the second wicket.

"Will’s a special talent,” said Bairstow, paying tribute to his partner and deflecting praise.

“He strikes the ball so clean and free and fearless.” Hell, Jonny should know.

131 not out - Adam Lyth v Leicestershire at Headingley 2026

The man with the highest score in Yorkshire’s T20 history now also has their second-highest score, Lyth’s unbeaten 131 from 63 balls with six sixes and 16 fours underpinning a 41-run win at Headingley on Sunday.

It was another superb effort, backed up by four-wicket hauls by Hassan Ali and A.J. Tye.

“I've still got a lot to improve in this format,” said the 38-year-old, ominously. “The last couple of years haven’t gone as I would have liked in T20, but this was a bit more like my old self.”

T20 BLAST HUNDREDS COUNTY-BY-COUNTY

15 - Essex (HS: 152* Graham Napier v Sussex at Chelmsford 2008)

14 - Kent (HS: 127 Joe Denly v Essex at Chelmsford 2017)

14 - Somerset (HS: 151* Chris Gayle v Kent at Taunton 2015)

14 - Surrey (HS: 131* Aaron Finch v Sussex at Hove 2018)

12 - Gloucestershire (HS: 126* Michael Klinger v Essex at Bristol 2015)

12 - Sussex (HS): 153* Luke Wright v Essex at Chelmsford 2014)

11 - Hampshire (HS: 129* James Vince v Somerset at Taunton 2022)

11 - Worcestershire (HS: 127 Tom Kohler-Cadmore v Durham at New Road 2016)

10 - Leicestershire (HS: 118* Josh Inglis v Worcestershire at Leicester 2021)

10 - Northamptonshire (HS: 117 Chris Lynn v Glamorgan at Cardiff 2026)

10 - Yorkshire (HS: 161 Adam Lyth v Northamptonshire at Headingley 2017)

9 - Glamorgan (HS: 135 Kiran Carlson v Somerset at Cardiff 2024)

9 - Middlesex (HS: 129 Dan Christian v Kent at Canterbury 2014)

9 - Warwickshire (HS: 158* Brendon McCullum v Derbyshire at Edgbaston 2015)

7 - Lancashire (HS: 108 Keaton Jennings v Durham at Chester-le-Street 2020)

6 - Derbyshire (HS: 111 Wes Durston v Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge 2010)

5 - Nottinghamshire (HS: 113* Dan Christian v Northamptonshire at Northampton 2018)

4 - Durham (HS: 108* Paul Collingwood v Worcestershire at New Road 2017)

*HS denotes highest score

*All figures correct ahead of Friday night’s matches