Positive approach puts Yorkshire back at the top in emphatic style

It is: “Who is going to stop them?”

On this evidence, it is going to take a very good side to prevent them winning the title in their 150th anniversary year.

No other conclusion is possible after yet another emphatic performance, yet another innings victory, and yet another tribute to the positive brand of cricket being played by captain Andrew Gale and his players.

This latest win, by an innings and 113 runs over bottom club Derbyshire, sent Yorkshire back to the top of the table – a position they will not readily relinquish on all available evidence.

Having called for a “ruthless” performance prior to this match, that is exactly what Gale got, the captain leading from the front in typical fashion.

After Derbyshire began day three on 94-5 in reply to Yorkshire’s first innings 617-5 declared, they were dismissed for 235 and then 269 following-on, Liam Plunkett claiming the last wicket with just 2.4 overs remaining before Yorkshire had the option of an extra half-hour.

The last wicket was significant for it was that of Wayne Madsen, the Derbyshire captain who had near single-handed threatened to tip the game over into day four.

Madsen scored 141 from 195 balls with 26 fours, his driving as exquisite as the Queen’s Park surroundings, resplendent on yet another sunlit and swelteringly hot day.

Madsen made Yorkshire work for the kill, but the victory, in truth, was just a formality.

Although Yorkshire needed 15 wickets at the start of the day, you sensed there was a good chance they would get them before stumps were drawn, despite that glorious weather and a batsman-friendly pitch.

Derbyshire, without a Championship win all season, and missing their best batsman in Shivnarine Chanderpaul and their best bowler in Tony Palladino, had not even been second-best in the first half of the match – a point readily acknowledged by their coach Karl Krikken.

“I’d rather have my whatsits hit with a big hammer than let the other side score 617-5 and then go down to 94-5,” was Krikken’s colourful assessment before start of play yesterday.

“But I question at the present time whether my players feel the same way,” he added, before revealing he had told them that their performance was “pitiful”.

It did not take long for the validity of Krikken’s words to become all-too apparent.

The first wicket fell in the day’s seventh over, Mark Turner, the nightwatchman, getting a horrible leading edge off Jack Brooks that flew into Gale’s hands at mid-off.

Derbyshire fell to 146-7 when Richard Johnson threw away his wicket in careless fashion.

Having thrashed Adil Rashid’s second ball of the morning down the ground for four, Johnson tried to whack the cover off each delivery for the rest of the over and predictably perished when he tried one slog too many from the final ball, carving to Plunkett at short mid-wicket.

By this time, Yorkshire’s tails were well and truly up – a fact evidenced by their energetic fielding.

No less obvious was their enthusiasm to congratulate each other on that fielding, which has become a common feature in recent times.

When Brooks pulled off a brilliant diving stop at mid-on, Plunkett ran all the way from mid-wicket to pat him on the back.

When Plunkett produced a brilliant diving stop from the very next ball, Brooks returned the compliment by jogging all the way to mid-wicket to pat him on the back too.

Rashid gave the ball plenty of air from the Lake End and Derbyshire, considering their hopeless position, decided to attack him at every opportunity, riding their luck on occasions as the ball dropped agonisingly out of fielders’ reach.

Rashid was twice particularly unfortunate in the space of three balls, Peter Burgoyne lofting him just over Ryan Sidebottom at long-off and then Tom Poynton striking him just over Steve Patterson at long-on, the fielders possibly losing sight of the ball as they were looking towards the sun.

There was no such frustration for Plunkett, who ripped out the next two wickets to leave Derbyshire 202-9.

The former Durham man had Burgoyne caught behind for 15 and then trapped Tim Groenewald lbw for nine with a delivery that seemed to keep a touch low.

Tom Poynton, the 23-year-old wicketkeeper, irritated Yorkshire with a dynamic innings from the No 9 position.

Poynton took a particular liking to Rashid, crashing him for a straight six en route to a 34-ball half century that put the efforts of his top-order colleagues into perspective.

Poynton hit Rashid for two further leg-side sixes from successive deliveries, the last of which just missed a group of spectators queuing at Frederick’s ice-cream van.

When Rashid had last man Mark Footitt caught at slip by Adam Lyth on the stroke of lunch, Poynton was left unbeaten on 63, made from 37 balls with eight fours and three sixes.

Leading by 382, Yorkshire had no hesitation in asking Derbyshire to bat again, and they were immediately in trouble when Brooks had Ben Slater caught behind from the 10th ball of the innings.

Brooks struck again to leave Derbyshire 30-2, Chesney Hughes edging to first slip where Lyth parried the ball into the hands of Gary Ballance at second slip.

When Wes Durston was bowled shouldering arms to Steve Patterson, and Dan Redfern athletically caught by a diving Gale at mid-off off Plunkett, the hosts were in disarray at 38-4.

It was Plunkett’s 350th first-class wicket on a day when he turned in another whole-hearted performance.

Madsen and Johnson added 36 for the fifth wicket in 12 overs before Patterson had Johnson caught behind for 23.

After Masden went to his half-century from 93 balls, Ryan Sidebottom got in on the act by bowling Burgoyne for 18 on the stroke of tea. That left Derbyshire 120-6 going into the final session with 32.3 overs left in the day - plus the option of the extra half-hour.

It seemed only a matter of time before Yorkshire prevailed, but Madsen and Poynton rolled up their sleeves in a stubborn stand, Madsen progressing to three figures from 139 balls with 18 fours.

Madsen and Poynton added 111 for the seventh wicket before Patterson had Poynton caught by Plunkett at short cover.

Plunkett bowled Groenewald off a no-ball and then had the same batsman dropped at second slip by Lyth.

But Sidebottom finally pinned Groenewald lbw before bowling Turner for a duck three balls later.

Plunkett applied the coup de grace with the wicket of Madsen, the last three wickets going down in the space of six balls.

The day ended with the Yorkshire players relaxing on the outfield with ice-cold drinks.

The way things are going, they could be sipping champagne before summer is out.

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