Sudden impact from Brooks sees Yorkshire blow off early cobwebs

We could have done without the violent wind, which whipped across this most quintessentially English of venues with a vengeance out of keeping with the tranquil setting, but Spring has only recently sprung and there were sufficient bursts of sunshine to compensate.

As 2,000 watched in jumpers and coats (it was never quite warm enough to shed the top layers), Yorkshire began their title defence in picturesque surroundings.

A good number of those spectators had come down from Yorkshire, keen to see the champions start that defence, and they started it well enough as Worcestershire scored 264-8 after winning the toss, a competitive but hardly convincing total.

Jack Brooks and Tim Bresnan each took three wickets, Brooks blowing the day wide open at the beginning with two inside his first four overs as the hosts slipped to 11-2, and there was some frugal fare from Steve Patterson.

Tom Fell, a 21-year-old product of Oakham School, starred for Worcestershire with 114, an innings full of positive strokeplay and powerful drives that suggests he has a promising future.

In tandem with Moeen Ali, the England all-rounder making his first appearance since suffering an abdominal tear during the World Cup game against Bangladesh on March 9, Fell added 118 for the third-wicket in 35 overs to help Worcestershire recover from their shaky start.

Ali – dropped on nought by wicketkeeper Andrew Hodd, diving to his left off Ryan Sidebottom, and again on 21 by Will Rhodes at short extra-cover off Patterson – stroked a fluent 62 before Bresnan broke the third-wicket stand when Hodd made amends with a good low catch.

But apart from Gareth Andrew, the No 8 who scored an unbeaten 42 before bad light claimed the last 14 overs, no one else contributed significantly on a dry, grassless-looking pitch which Worcestershire hope will assist off-spinners Ali and Sachithra Senanayake, the debutant Sri Lankan, later in the game.

Jason Gillespie, the Yorkshire first team coach, pronounced himself largely pleased with his side’s performance.

“Overall, I’m happy,” he said. “I think the pitch and outfield is a bit slow-ish, so batters have had to work hard for their runs and bowlers have had to work hard to get anything from the pitch, so it’s been a patience game really, and, by and large, we stuck to our task quite well.

“We had some periods either side of lunch where we didn’t quite get it right, but, overall, I was pretty happy.”

Gillespie paid particular tribute to Brooks, who he said had been working hard in the winter on trying to start his spells in dynamic style, which was certainly the case yesterday.

“I thought Brooksy was brilliant,” said Gillespie. “He ran in and bowled quick and with really good line and length, and he’s worked hard at not having any warm-up balls, going straight in and having an impact.”

Bowling from the New Road end, Brooks struck with his fourth ball – the 10th of the morning – when Richard Oliver was caught behind.

In his fourth over, Brooks had Daryl Mitchell, the Worcestershire captain, well-caught at head height by Jack Leaning at second slip, and with new-ball partner Sidebottom causing problems from the Diglis End, Worcestershire were indebted to Ali and Fell for digging them out of trouble.

Although dropped twice, Ali was fluent and graceful and he played one of the shots of the day when he drove Sidebottom off the back foot to the cover boundary in front of the Cathedral.

His dismissal came as a bolt from the blue, but if he can prove his fitness with the ball later in the game, it is anticipated that he will join England’s tour of the West Indies, where Yorkshire currently have six players on duty.

Fell was not without moments of fortune and he was also dropped by Hodd.

The right-hander had 66 to his name when he tried to withdraw his bat to a teasing delivery from Bresnan which Hodd picked up late in its flight as he dived to his right.

Bresnan was a little too short in his opening spell from the New Road end but he seemed much happier at the Diglis End, adding to the wicket of Ali that of Alex Gidman, trapped lbw on the crease.

Bresnan also got rid of Fell, who was seventh out at 216 when he was caught by Hodd as he moved to leg.

Earlier, Brooks claimed his third wicket when Tom Kohler-Cadmore was bowled attempting to hit to leg, an ugly-looking shot followed by a suitably doleful walk back to the pavilion, and there was a wicket for Sidebottom when Ben Cox was brilliantly held by Bresnan low to his left at third slip.

Jack Shantry was the other man to fall, the left-hander lbw to a good ball from Patterson.