Gale breezes to welcome century as Yorkshire edge towards draw

No sooner had Gale reached the milestone with a thumping straight six off Samit Patel than he took off his helmet and punched the air.

His relief was as big as the smile on his face.

And a 2,000 crowd warmly shared in his triumph.

Gale’s career-best, unbeaten 159, which led Yorkshire to 358-4 in reply to Nottinghamshire’s first innings 443, was important for his team as well as himself.

Yorkshire had begun the third day on 29-3 and in palpable danger of following-on – and that after Gale had invited the visitors to bat.

They ended it in no danger of losing a match that has “draw” written all over it barring a turn of events more unexpected than the Scarborough PA system working properly.

Gale pronounced himself thrilled to have reached three figures after coming close last week with 75 at Somerset.

“It was preying on my mind a little bit (not having scored a hundred) and I was gutted not to do it last week,” admitted Gale, whose previous best was 151 not out against the same opponents at Trent Bridge three years ago.

“It hurt me a lot and I wanted to make sure that if I got that opportunity again I made it count.

“It was a great day for the team and we knew the morning session was going to be difficult and that they probably had a grip of the game.

“It was important that we batted well in the morning, built some partnerships and took the edge away from it.”

Gale began the day on nought not out and with his side unquestionably in a spot of strife.

Trailing by 414 with seven wickets left, Yorkshire needed another 265 just to avoid being asked to bat again.

With him at the crease was the Australian Phil Jaques, whose need for runs was only marginally less acute.

Jaques, 19 overnight, had scored 198 in the Championship this season at 22, while Gale had garnered 210 at 23.

It soon became apparent that batting conditions had eased somewhat since the previous evening, when two wickets from Luke Fletcher and one from Harry Gurney had put Nottinghamshire into a commanding position.

There was little deviation through the air or off the pitch yesterday, although the occasional delivery still misbehaved, while batsmen had to remain vigilant for the odd one that bounced.

Gale got off the mark with a delightful clip off his legs for four off Gurney before cutting the same bowler to the West Stand rope.

Jaques found his range with a thumping off-drive off Paul Franks, whom he then pulled for four to the popular bank.

Nottinghamshire’s likeliest bowler seemed Ajmal Shahzad, introduced from the Trafalgar Square end after 40 minutes’ play.

Shahzad bowled with good pace and control and almost had Jaques caught behind attempting a wide expansive drive.

Jaques went to fifty from 94 balls with eight fours and Gale followed him to the landmark from 87 deliveries with seven boundaries.

The stand was not broken until 20 minutes before lunch, Jaques turning Patel to James Taylor at forward short-leg.

Gale and Gary Ballance batted through an afternoon session notable for Gale reaching three-figures and also a bizarre incident when Fletcher wanted to go round the wicket to Ballance but appeared to be prevented from so doing because spectators at the Peasholm Park end were sat in the batsman’s eyeline.

It seemed the spectators either did not want to move or did not know they were expected to move, which was entirely possible given the recurring problems with the wonky PA.

Either way, Fletcher gave it up as a bad job and decided to stay over the wicket.

“We’ve been sat here two-and-a-half days and no one’s complained,” chuntered one irate punter at the top of the stand.

Ballance reached his half-century from 108 balls just before tea – only to find out during the interval that he had not reached it at all because four leg-byes had erroneously been credited to his total.

The left-hander faced a further 32 balls after the break before bringing up the milestone for real, going on to his second century in this year’s tournament in the third over before close of play. Gale and Ballance’s stand of 237 is a fifth-wicket record in county cricket at Scarborough, surpassing the 198 by Sussex’s Michael Yardy and Ben Brown in 2011.

More statistical milestones could follow today, when a certain Adil Rashid (average 254.50 and counting) will be hoping for further rich pickings.

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