Gibson’s farewell starts with a win as Yorkshire boost hopes of knockout place

It began with a three-wicket victory against an Essex side coached by Anthony McGrath, the former Yorkshire and England batsman, who is among the contenders to replace him.

All will be revealed, as the actress said to the bishop, with the closing date for applications not until August 26 and an appointment not expected until autumn.

In the meantime, Gibson’s focus is on qualification for the knockout stages of the 50-over competition and on promotion from Division Two of the County Championship, the minimum requirement going into the year.

Hopes in that first regard were lifted at North Marine Road, where Essex scored 243-9 (Ben Coad and Ben Cliff each taking three wickets) before Yorkshire sealed their third win in five group games with 11 balls left.

James Wharton followed up on his publicly stated aim to turn more of his starts into match-defining innings, striking a career-best 71 from 89 balls, and Shan Masood chipped in with 58 from 56.

Dom Bess (53 from 55) and Coad (26 from 26) then added an unbroken 60 to win it for the hosts, who are back in action here against Leicestershire on Thursday, needing to win two of their last three group matches to qualify for those knockouts and prolong the Farewell Tour (merchandise sadly out of stock).

On a day of blustery conditions and watery sunshine, not quite cracking-the-flags weather but pleasant nevertheless, there was a poignant touch before play began. The teams lined up in front of the pavilion for a minute’s silence in memory of Graham Thorpe, the former Surrey and England batsman, who died at the weekend, aged 55.

After a brief flurry of runs after Yorkshire inserted, unchanged from their most recent outing, Essex lost three wickets in 11 balls to slip to 27-3. Cliff bowled Feroze Khushi off an inside edge, flirting with one outside the off stump; Nick Browne lazily flicked Coad to mid-wicket, and Tom Westley flashed a loose drive at Cliff to backward-point, the visitors still asleep a little after 11am.

That impression continued when Robin Das, the No 4, walked out to bat wearing someone else’s shirt – that of Charlie Allison, a non-playing team-mate. It prompted the umpires to check with the scorers over the walkie-talkie whether it was, in fact, Allison at the crease.

Das, a 22-year-old right-hander, might have forgotten his shirt but he did not forget his bat, which was just as well for Essex as he set about repairing the innings with Luc Benkenstein, the 19-year-old son of Dale, the Lancashire head coach. Compact and busy, Das showed a particular liking for the pull – not least when launching Matty Revis’s first ball for six.

Benkenstein was also effective off the back foot, the pair sharing 125 inside 33 overs, an Essex record for the fourth wicket against Yorkshire in one-day cricket. A rush of blood ended the stand, Das lofting Revis to deep cover, having made a career-best 67 from 92 balls, with eight fours and two sixes.

Benkenstein also achieved a career-best, advancing to 68 before pulling Coad to a widish deep mid-on, where Revis judged the catch nicely – moments after Wharton pulled off a screamer at deep backward-point, diving full length to pouch a reverse-sweeping Noah Thain off Dan Moriarty.

When Shane Snater slapped his second ball off Coad to backward point, and Cliff trapped Jamal Richards, Essex had lost four wickets in 12 balls to collapse to 190-8 in the 42nd.

Simon Fernandes aimed a wild hack at George Hill and paid for it, but the wicketkeeper still helped the score up past 200 during a ninth-wicket stand of 34 with Ben Allison, Charlie’s older brother. Allison finished unbeaten on 27 – another career-best – as the last two wickets put on 53.

After a trio of single-figure scores for Will Luxton, Yorkshire promoted Harry Duke to open with Fin Bean. But Duke fell early, well caught high at second slip off Snater, who then had Bean skying to mid-on.

Masood and Wharton added 84 before the former was dubiously ruled lbw trying to pull Westley, who then had an over-stretching Luxton swatting to cover. Snater bowled Hill for a second-ball duck, Revis flashed at Richards and was caught behind, but Wharton and Bess added 61 to change the picture again.

When Wharton was brilliantly held by Browne at mid-on, it looked as if the majority of a 3,113 crowd would leave disappointed, but Bess pulled the winning four off Allison to reach his fifty – and in the process another career-best – as Farewell Tour had a winning opening night.