Cricket latest: McGrath repays Yorkshire’s faith

ANTHONY MCGRATH has been a splendid servant of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

Play on day three is due to start at 3pm after a long delay for heavy rain at the Rose Bowl.

In an era of increasing player mobility and declining player loyalty, he has given terrific service during 17 seasons with the White Rose county.

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Granted, there have been ups-and-downs along the way; the former England all-rounder came close to leaving in 2007 following displeasure with the way the team was being managed.

But he has been an immensely faithful and popular figure – the very definition of a one-club man.

It is why it has been so painful for his supporters to watch him struggle this year.

Going into this match, McGrath had scored just 207 runs in seven County Championship games at 14.78. He had passed 20 only three times in 14 innings, with a top score of 49.

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He had looked a shadow of the man who last summer scored 1,219 Championship runs at 43.53, playing a key part in the club’s third-placed finish.

But the affable 35-year-old – who has been hampered by injuries as well as a loss of form – has stuck to his task and battled through.

McGrath has worked to eradicate a technical flaw that saw him prone to getting out lbw and made big runs for the second team and Yorkshire academy.

Yesterday, he finally achieved the big score he had been craving for the first XI.

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On day two at the Rose Bowl, McGrath made 115 to help Yorkshire to 532 all-out, Hampshire responding with 116-2.

It was McGrath’s first Championship century since he hit 124 not out against Durham at Chester-le-Street just under a year ago.

It also repaid Yorkshire’s decision to stick with him when they might easily have recalled Adam Lyth, who made 133 and 98 in the corresponding game at Southampton last summer.

McGrath, who started the day on 65, did not have to face the strongest seam attack in the history of cricket.

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Hampshire captain Dominic Cork was unable to bowl yesterday owing to a calf injury, and although Chris Wood and Sean Ervine stuck to their task, the latter finally having McGrath caught at mid-wicket, it was pretty much spin or bust for the winless home team.

But the Yorkshireman coped particularly well with spinners Imran Tahir and Danny Briggs, who did the bulk of the work by sending down 49.2 and 51 overs respectively, and used his feet to notable effect.

Tahir twirled his way to 6-132, an admirable effort given the flat pitch and sunny conditions.

Whether Yorkshire will be able to capitalise on the platform given them by McGrath and colleagues could depend on how much cricket is possible today. Weather forecasters were last night predicting heavy rain for these parts.

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But a third Championship win of the season is not beyond Yorkshire’s compass, particularly if their own spin bowlers, David Wainwright and Adil Rashid, find their stride. At the very least, Yorkshire will be leaving the Rose Bowl with a draw – a result that would strengthen their attempt to avoid Championship relegation and leave rock-bottom Hampshire with a mountain to climb.

Yorkshire began day two on 318-3, with Gary Ballance (50 not out) eyeing his maiden Championship century.

The Zimbabwean had a let-off in the third over when he was dropped on the backward square-leg boundary by Briggs, who palmed the ball ‘over the bar’ for six after Ballance hooked a delivery from Wood.

Ballance had reached 76 – eclipsing by three runs his previous Championship best against Sussex at Hove in June – when Briggs sneaked one through his defences, ending a stand of 157 in 48 overs with McGrath.

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After McGrath fell in the fifth over after lunch, Gerard Brophy (53) and Adil Rashid (38) made good contributions before both were removed by the persevering Tahir.

Brophy, having played stylishly all round the wicket, fell to an uncharacteristically loose stroke when he scooped back to the bowler, while Rashid edged to slip shortly after 500 had been raised.

The other wickets to fall were those of Rich Pyrah, stumped as he advanced down the track; Ajmal Shahzad, splendidly caught by Wood high above his head at long-off, and Wainwright caught at deep mid-wicket on the stroke of tea.

Openers Liam Dawson and Jimmy Adams were both caught behind pushing forward as Hampshire fell to 59-2 in reply, but Michael Carberry (37) and Neil McKenzie (30) battled through to stumps.