Gale’s bold intent ruined as wet weather ends Yorkshire assault

Yorkshire did not win the raffle at Headingley Carnegie yesterday, but the fact they were prepared to buy a ticket – by virtue of an adventurous declaration against Essex – was a course of action to be loudly commended.

When Yorkshire declared 70 minutes into the fourth and final day, they led by 261 runs and a minimum of 74 overs remained to be bowled.

Although the weather was ropy and the pitch competitive, it was an aggressive decision by captain Andrew Gale.

Two runs short of his half-century when he pulled the plug, with Yorkshire 214-4 in their second innings, Gale is not the sort of leader who likes to die wondering.

Prepared to risk defeat in an effort to gain victory, he favours an attacking, aggressive brand of cricket.

Although the weather mitigated somewhat against his speculation, with Gale having to give his bowlers sufficient time to try to force a win, no one could criticise his positive intent.

Ultimately, however, the gamble proved futile: intermittent bursts of rain from 1.50pm onwards eventually led to a 3.50pm abandonment, with Essex 26-2 after 11.1 overs and Yorkshire handily placed to push for a victory.

Following an unconvincing display against Kent in their opening match, when they were forced to follow-on in a drawn encounter, this was an improved performance from Gale’s men.

Yorkshire know they have plenty still to work on – they collapsed from 184-2 in their first innings to 246 all out, which suggested their propensity for sudden poor passages of play has yet to desert them, while it is true that Essex were not the strongest opposition they will encounter this season.

However, there was a splendid century from Phil Jaques on his return to the county, along with a fine half-century from Joe Root, while the bowling, in general, was certainly improved.

There were five wickets for the excellent Ryan Sidebottom in the first innings and three for the returning Steve Patterson, which helped eject Essex for 199, followed by two quick wickets yesterday for Ajmal Shahzad, which left Essex in difficulty in their second innings before the rains came.

It was always likely that the elements would have the final say in this match, for the forecast was poor throughout.

Indeed, it was remarkable that we had as much cricket as we did – not least on a final day in which 23.1 overs were possible despite some weathermen forecasting impending Armageddon.

Notwithstanding skies that seemed likely to spew at any moment, with the ground encircled by swathes of grey cloud, play even began on time yesterday when Gale and Joe Sayers walked out to resume the Yorkshire second innings on 144-2, a lead of 191.

It proved the briefest of returns to the middle for Sayers, who was caught behind trying to cut the first ball of the day from David Masters, having made 45 from 127 balls with five fours.

But Jonny Bairstow injected impetus with 24 from 30 deliveries before he was next out with the total on 193 in the 55th over.

Bairstow pulled Greg Smith to Adam Wheater on the square-leg boundary as Yorkshire endeavoured to step up the tempo.

Gale, also seeking to accelerate, was badly dropped in the same over on 31 by substitute fielder Charl Willoughby, who was fielding at long-off in front of the pavilion.

It was village green stuff from Willoughby but the blunder hardly mattered: minutes later, Gale brought the innings to a close having faced 52 balls and clubbed a brace of sixes and a brace of fours in a typically selfless effort.

With rain around and precious little wind to blow along the showers, it seemed imperative that Yorkshire struck early if they were to have any chance of forcing a result.

They did so twice in the eight overs that remained before lunch courtesy of the lively Shahzad, who bowled a better line and length than he had in the first innings when, in fairness, he did not have the best of luck.

This time, bowling from the Kirkstall Lane end with a spring in his step, Shahzad showed flashes of the form that not so long ago saw him playing for England.

First, Alviro Petersen had no answer to a ball that rapped him on the pad as he played back, the South African perishing for three with the total on four.

Shahzad then trapped Billy Godleman lbw, also playing back, as Essex slipped to 7-2.

However, there was no time for Shahzad to reprise his efforts after the interval, with Tom Westley and first-innings centurion Ravi Bopara adding a further nine runs before the weather closed in to end a match which, thanks to Gale’s bold gamble, had been shaping up nicely.