Lure of Lord’s final remains big attraction for Yorkshire captain

ANDREW GALE has admitted that the YB40 competition is at the bottom of Yorkshire’s priority list.

The Yorkshire captain said the club put the County Championship first followed by the Twenty20 Cup and the 
40-over competition.

However, Gale, whose side start their YB40 season against Glamorgan at Colwyn Bay tomorrow (1.00pm), said that in no way detracted from his and Yorkshire’s determination to win the tournament.

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He described the prize at the end of the rainbow – a showpiece Lord’s final – as “still the pinnacle of county cricket”, even if, not unlike football’s FA Cup, teams sometimes rotate their squads in the earlier rounds.

Asked whether the YB40 was at the rear of Yorkshire’s priority list, Gale conceded: “Yes, I guess, but that’s not the message we give to the players.

“It’s still definitely an exciting competition, and we get some good crowds when we play at the likes of Scarborough and there are some exciting games.

“There’s three trophies to be won each year, but, as Yorkshire County Cricket Club, it’s fair to say that we put the County Championship first and our aim this year is to win the Championship.

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“The other two formats, yes, we want to compete in them, we want to do well, but at the forefront of our minds is Championship cricket.”

There would be no prouder moment for Gale in this, the club’s 150th anniversary year, than to lift the Championship trophy, but a Lord’s final would be up there, too.

To lead his side out at headquarters on September 21 would be a dream come true for a man who exudes tremendous passion in his role.

“People tend to talk more about Twenty20 finals nowadays, and it was a great experience to lead Yorkshire out at Finals Day in Cardiff last year,” he added.

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“But, for me, a Lord’s final is still the pinnacle of county cricket and something we would all love to go to as a club.

“I remember watching Yorkshire the last time we got to a Lord’s final in the C&G Trophy in 2002.

“I was there, sat in the stands as a young Academy player, and thinking that I want a piece of that.”

Since then, Yorkshire have four times reached the semi-finals of the competition in its various sponsorship guises.

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In 2004, they lost by five wickets against Gloucestershire at Bristol; in 2005, they went down by eight wickets against Hampshire at Southampton; in 2008, they were defeated by 87 runs against Essex at Chelmsford; and, in 2010, they lost by four wickets to Warwickshire at Scarborough.

Otherwise, it has been a tournament in which Yorkshire have generally struggled of late – emphasised by their disappointing showing last year.

In stark contrast to their stunning Twenty20 form, Yorkshire finished fifth out of seven in their 40-over group after four wins, seven defeats and a no-result.

“We had a good year in 2010 when we got to the semis, but since then we haven’t really cracked it,” said Gale.

“It’s just the consistency that’s cost us in all honesty.

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“We’ve seen glimpses of what we can do, but we haven’t been able to put together a consistent run of form.

“We’re too hot and cold and need to find more consistency.”

A fillip to Yorkshire this year could be the extra strength and depth provided by new signings Jack Brooks and Liam Plunkett.

With that having reduced opportunities for the likes of Moin Ashraf in Championship cricket, a positive knock-on effect for Yorkshire’s one-day hopes could be that players such as Ashraf are more fired-up to show what they can do. “For players like Moin Ashraf, Rich Pyrah and Iain Wardlaw, the one-day competitions are a chance for them to shine,” said Gale.

“Those lads will want to do well because they’ll want to prove a point that they’re not in the team for Championship cricket.

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“I’m not sure, for example, how much Ryan Sidebottom will feature in 40-over cricket because we want to keep him as fresh as we can for the Championship and Twenty20.

“The likes of Moin, Rich and Iain, on the other hand, will be chomping at the bit when they get their chance.”

Although the name of the tournament has changed once more, with Yorkshire Bank having taken over as sponsor from Clydesdale Bank, the format remains the same.

The 18 first-class counties play alongside Scotland, the Netherlands and the Unicorns (out-of-contract professionals), with the teams divided into 
three groups and playing the others in their group home and away.

The three teams finishing top of each group will qualify for the semi-finals with the next best side across all groups awarded the remaining place.

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