Refreshed Yorkshire seeking boost for title charge

No wonder, therefore, that the county’s first-team coach is happy that his charges have just had a rare week without any competitive action.

“The break has been timely,” said Gillespie ahead of today’s YB40 clash with Middlesex Panthers at Radlett, a fixture which Liam Plunkett will miss through a thigh strain. “We know how much cricket is coming up, we have three four-dayers in a row coming up with a couple of one-dayers mixed in. That means a lot of cricket without a break.

“We have to be mindful of that, especially with our fast bowlers. We have to make sure they are completely fresh because, when you get to the business end of the season, you want to make sure all your fast bowlers are fit and firing.

“We are confident that the odd game that they miss, here and there through a season, will hold them in good stead.”

With that in mind, Yorkshire will take on Middlesex today without not only the injured Plunkett but also possibly Ryan Sidebottom and Steve Patterson.

The duo are likely to be rested with tomorrow’s LV=County Championship game against Somerset at Taunton in mind. The rest Sidebottom and Patterson means that the White Rose attack today is expected to be led by Moin Ashraf and Iain Wardlaw.

Gillespie added: “The last week has been helpful. We have been able to give the lads a couple of days off, while we also gave Ryan an extra day.

“He came in (Thursday) for a long bowl. We can do these things with a week off. Mind, what we didn’t want this week to be was a light week in the sense of just ticking over. And just going through the motions.

“Yes, we had a rest and we do have days when the players are off. But when we are in to work, we work really hard.

“That is what Wednesday was like when we came in. We spent a good hour plus on our fielding. With a real running element to it as well.

“The lads were having a net 
under a little bit of fatigue, which is good. Thursday was very much more a net-based skills session with the batsmen spending a bit more time batting and the bowlers bowling. The aim was to fine-tune for the challenges that lay ahead.”

With four Championship games in as many weeks, Yorkshire’s title challenge will receive a serious examination at the hands of Somerset, Nottinghamshire, Middlesex and Surrey.

However, before that quartet of contests gets underway, the focus will be on building on last week’s YB40 victory over Unicorns – the county’s first triumph in their third outing.

Gillespie said: “We want to build on the win over Unicorns. They made us fight hard for our win and played some really good cricket against us in conditions that were a bit more like league cricket.

“The pitch was a bit lower and a bit slower but I felt Unicorns played those conditions really well and made us fight for our victory. It would be nice to continue in that vein against Middlesex and come away with a win.”

The Yorkshire squad travelled south yesterday knowing little about the ground they were due to visit.

On arrival, however, the players found a venue where significant investment has been made over the past three years to transform the dressing rooms and provide physio facilities.

The square has also undergone substantial work to turn Radlett into the second-team base for Middlesex.

Much of pre-season was also spent here after the county erected a temporary 800 square metre indoor training area – which was affectionately dubbed ‘the greenhouse’ by the players – to allow the squad to practice.

Gillespie added: “We didn’t know too much about Radlett when we got the fixture list. But that is what a practice session is about on the day before a game. It allows us to get used to a place so that won’t be a problem.

“I always enjoy getting to outgrounds and this is one we are looking forward to playing. Hopefully, there will be a nice crowd that comes along to watch the game.”

After defeats against Glamorgan and Somerset in their opening two group games, Yorkshire, who have taken Academy wicketkeeper Eddie Wilson south to provide him with first-team experience, cannot afford too many slip-ups to retain a hope of making the semi-finals.

Last season, for instance, Sussex lost just once and Lancashire twice, while the other two semi-finalists, Hampshire and Warwickshire, suffered three defeats in 12 group games.

Yorkshire squad for today’s game at Radlett: Gale, Ashraf, Ballance, Bresnan, Hodd, Jaques, Lyth, Pyrah, Rashid, Rhodes, Sayers, Wardlaw, Wilson.

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