Looking towards another nail-biter as Yorkshire finally return to Lord’s

IT is so long since Yorkshire last played a County Championship match at Lord’s that Matthew Fisher, the 15-year-old pace bowler who made his one-day debut for the county on Sunday, had yet to celebrate his first birthday.

Mike Gatting scored the last of his 94 first-class centuries and the Middlesex side also included Australian batsman Justin Langer and England left-arm spinner Phil Tufnell.

The fixture took place in July, 1998 and resulted in a nail-biting draw.

After being set 321 to win, Yorkshire finished on 285-8, their challenge effectively ending when Darren Lehmann was dismissed for 93.

It is one of the more remarkable aspects of Yorkshire’s recent history that they have played only one Championship game in Middlesex since then.

That was exactly seven years ago when the visitors lost by eight wickets at Southgate.

Indeed, 2006 was the only year in which the sides have been in the same division since the Championship was split in 2000.

And it is why this week’s match will assume added significance, with no survivors from the 1998 game in the current Yorkshire line-up.

The fixture 15 years ago came slap-bang in the middle of a highly successful season for the club.

Yorkshire finished third in that year’s Championship, their highest placing since they were pipped to the post by Leicestershire in 1975, who also won the title in 1998.

After Middlesex captain Keith Brown won the toss, the home side made a shaky start against David Byas’s men.

David Goodchild, a 22-year-old making his first first-team appearance since his debut two years earlier, failed to survive the opening over, trapped lbw by a swinging delivery from Chris Silverwood.

Langer, however, was in the throes of a highly productive campaign and the left-hander soon passed 50 for the ninth time in 19 innings.

But after Gatting was bowled for 22 by Richard Stemp, the left-arm spinner followed up by having Langer lbw for 63 to leave the home side 108-3, 10 minutes before lunch.

That brought together Brown and Owais Shah, who added 78 in 33 overs before Brown – playing for turn that did not materialise – fell for 33 to give off-spinner James Middlebrook his maiden Championship wicket.

It was Yorkshire’s last success of the opening day as Middlesex stoically strengthened their position.

Shah, whom the Daily Telegraph called “circumspect but never dull”, sent a number of handsome backfoot drives to the boundary.

He found a willing ally in Paul Weekes, who finished the day unbeaten on 36 as Middlesex reached 278-4.

Day two saw Shah progress to a chanceless century as Yorkshire failed to maximise helpful conditions.

“When Middlesex resumed, the second new ball was only six overs old and clouds lingered overhead,” reported the Telegraph.

“But with Chris Silverwood unable to fix his radar, Yorkshire could derive no advantage from the conditions and the overnight partnership between Shah and Weekes flourished for another 95 minutes and 66 runs.”

A good delivery from Gavin Hamilton nipped back to pin Shah lbw for 140, Weekes going on to 67 before Middlesex were finally ejected 15 minutes before tea for 448.

Yorkshire closed day two on 90-2 in reply, Michael Vaughan leading the way with an unbeaten 56.

With Anthony McGrath struggling for runs at that time, Byas had promoted himself to open the innings with Vaughan, and the captain was the first to fall when he stepped down the pitch to drive Tufnell and was bowled for nine.

Then, with five overs of the day remaining, Matthew Wood propped forward to Weekes and was caught at short leg.

Vaughan reached his hundred early on day three, the Telegraph remarking that he “batted with delightful freedom, playing shots of stirring elegance”.

The future England captain reached his second century of the season from 253 balls with 18 fours, going on to 107 before being caught by Gatting off Tufnell.

With wickets having fallen all around him, however, the spectre of the follow-on still loomed over Yorkshire.

It was banished by a rollicking stand of 108 for the eighth wicket between Hamilton (72) and wicketkeeper Richard Blakey 
(65), which led Yorkshire to a final total of 335, Tufnell and Richard Johnson each collecting four wickets.

Leading by 113, Middlesex reached 105-1 at stumps on day three, Gatting striking an unbeaten 56 and Goodchild an undefeated 35.

Langer, edging a drive at an outswinger from Paul Hutchison, suffered a rare failure, but Gatting showed tenacity to hit five fours and a six. The former England captain progressed to 103 on the final day and Goodchild to 83 as Middlesex declared on 207-1.

It left Yorkshire needing to reach their target from a minimum of 78 overs, with their only higher successful chases at that time being 331-8 to beat Middlesex at Lord’s in 1910 and 323-5 to defeat Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 1977. Yorkshire were going well at 250-4, but a spell where they lost four wickets for 11 runs put paid to their hopes of a remarkable win.