Lancashire v Yorkshire: Honour in Roses defeat for Gale’s men after courageous fightback

Amid remarkable scenes at the Aigburth venue, Lancashire beat Yorkshire by six wickets with just four balls of an absorbing contest remaining.

Left to chase 121 in 15 overs, the home side prevailed in nail-biting fashion.

Victory lifted them to the top of the Championship and left Yorkshire third-bottom of the First Division table.

The visitors appeared to have done enough to escape with a draw on the final day.

Yorkshire fought hard after conceding a first innings deficit of 188, scoring 308 in a second innings that stretched deep into Saturday’s final session.

But an unbeaten 31 from Sri Lanka all-rounder Farveez Maharoof, who clubbed two sixes and a four in a 19-ball stay, and a quickfire 28 from Steven Croft sent Yorkshire to their third defeat in this year’s Championship.

Ultimately, the visitors paid for their efforts on the first day, when a total of 141 in 73.3 overs left them with the proverbial mountain to climb.

It would be easy to dwell on that first-innings failure rather than the courageous fightback Yorkshire produced, or the thrilling denouement when Lancashire performed exceedingly well.

Granted, Yorkshire’s batting continues to be up and down – more down than up, if truth be told.

But to nearly emerge with a share of the spoils said much for the character and spirit in the side.

Yorkshire were without six first-team players due to injuries or international commitments – Tim Bresnan, Ajmal Shahzad, Jonny Bairstow, Rich Pyrah, Anthony McGrath and Gerard Brophy – which was akin to going into battle with half a suit of armour and a twisted spear.

Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of professional cricket, said he was pleased with the way his players fought back before losing out in heart-breaking manner.

“Clearly we didn’t score as many runs as we would have liked in our first innings, but I couldn’t have asked any more of the lads in the field during the Lancashire first innings when conditions, in contrast, were perfect for batting,” he said.

“We then fought really hard in our second innings and were only four or five overs away from batting long enough to save the game. In the final analysis, you’d also have to say it was a bad toss to lose.

“I don’t think I’ve been involved in a game where the pitch was so damp at the start of the match, so it was always going to be very tough for us in the first innings and that made it difficult right from the start.”

Yorkshire were a whisker away from leaving Lancashire too much to do in their 11th-hour run-chase.

A target of 121 at just over eight runs an over was tough enough anyway, seeing as there were none of the bowling or fielding restrictions in place in one-day cricket.

But Lancashire kept up with the rate despite Adil Rashid taking three wickets to reduce them to 64-3 in the eighth over, Maharoof providing the key late impetus by clubbing Ryan Sidebottom for a six over long-on in the penultimate over that knocked out the power in the press tent.

With eight runs wanted from the final over, Maharoof struck the first ball from Rashid over long-on for six and then won the match by launching the spinner over mid-wicket to spark jubilant scenes.

Yorkshire were always up against it after starting day four on 131-2 in their second innings, a deficit of 57.

However, Joe Sayers (51 overnight) and Andrew Gale (47) set the tone for a gritty display as they negotiated the first hour’s play.

Sayers came in for a prolonged verbal assault from James Anderson, who peppered him with numerous short deliveries and sledged him relentlessly until the umpires were eventually forced to intervene.

Yorkshire were extremely unhappy with Anderson’s behaviour, the England man also appearing to laugh in Gale’s face when he caught him at slip for 60 off Gary Keedy to leave the visitors 163-3.

Sayers did his best to ignore Anderson, whom Moxon felt “crossed the line” with his puerile antics.

Sayers also played through the pain barrier after taking a blow on the right foot early in his innings.

Having scrapped tenaciously to 75, Sayers fell 10 minutes before lunch in unfortunate fashion.

He played a firm sweep to a delivery from Keedy which Mark Chilton somehow parried up at short-leg, Paul Horton snatching the rebound as he ran round from leg-slip.

Yorkshire lunched on 196-4 – effectively 8-4 – after scoring 65 runs in the morning session.

Further resistance was supplied after the break by Gary Ballance and Rashid, who lifted the total to 278 before Rashid was fifth out for 52, lured out of his ground by Croft and smartly stumped by Gareth Cross.

Ballance progressed to a maiden Championship half-century from 122 balls before Yorkshire lost their sixth wicket on the stroke of tea, Simon Guy caught at slip pushing forward at Keedy.

The left-arm spinner then turned the game with three wickets in seven balls straight after the interval.

Ballance was bowled leg-stump shouldering arms to a ball that spun back sharply out of the rough, Sidebottom was bowled playing back and Moin Ashraf lbw.

The last-wicket pair of Steve Patterson and Oliver Hannon-Dalby fought doggedly to survive 14.2 overs before Patterson fell to a brilliant diving catch in the gully by Croft off Anderson.

Keedy finished with 6-133 from 54 overs – his best figures against Yorkshire.

Anderson, in contrast, claimed just two wickets in the match and should rightly be censured for his childish conduct.