Town loss completes sorry day for Gale at Sussex

AS an avid Huddersfield Town supporter, Andrew Gale must have been tempted to bat first after winning the toss at the County Ground yesterday.

The chance to put his feet up in the pavilion and watch his beloved Terriers on television in their League One play-off final against Peterborough would have been an attractive one for the Yorkshire captain while his batsmen made hay against rivals Sussex.

Instead, Gale surveyed the thick banks of cloud that hung above Hove and a pitch with a palpable covering of grass, put professionalism ahead of personal interest and invited the home side to take first strike instead.

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It was a decision that backfired as Sussex scored 295-2, Luke Wells and Murray Goodwin finishing unbeaten on 143 and 102 respectively.

In fairness to Gale, this had the feel of a bowling day.

The atmospheric conditions carried the promise of swing, while the pitch suggested the prospect of seam movement.

Throw in a strong wind blowing off the English Channel, which prompted plenty of coats and head scarves among a durable crowd, and it was not obviously a day for making oodles of runs.

Appearances, however, proved decidedly deceptive as Yorkshire toiled beneath overcast skies which constantly threatened – but tantalisingly failed – to come to their aid.

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Following their 10-wicket defeat against Somerset on Friday, when their opponents chased down 228 on a typical Taunton featherbed, Gale’s decision to field offered his bowlers the chance of instant redemption.

They stepped from the pavilion and on to a remarkably parched outfield for this time of year with Joe Sayers back in their ranks following a foot injury and with Adam Lyth relegated to 12th-man duties after 336 runs in seven Championship games at 25.84.

Sussex, who had won their previous two Championship matches against Somerset and Nottinghamshire to move into sixth spot, one place above Yorkshire, were missing four players.

Ed Joyce and Matt Prior are on international duty – although Joyce could still play a role in this game following today’s one-day international between Ireland and Pakistan in Belfast, with Joe Gatting designated as the man to drop out.

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Luke Wright has a knee injury, while former Yorkshire fast bowler Rana Naved has returned to Pakistan for family reasons.

With Rana away, Sussex handed a first appearance to South African overseas player Wayne Parnell, who only arrived in England at 6.30 yesterday morning.

They also gave a first-team debut to Kirk Wernars, another South African all-rounder who qualifies by the well-established route of a Dutch passport.

Popular wisdom dictates that a team must take at least three wickets before lunch to justify a decision to bowl first.

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Yorkshire did not even manage that during the entire day but claimed both wickets to fall before the lunch break, Ajmal Shahzad having Chris Nash lbw for 16 and Steve Patterson removing Gatting for nine with the aid of an athletic catch at cover by Sayers, who dived forward to clutch the ball inches from the turf.

Shahzad found it tough going during an opening spell of 10-1-42-1 from the Cromwell Road end, although Ryan Sidebottom’s opening burst of 8-3-16-0 was a fair reflection of accurate work.

Sidebottom got the ball to swing away from the left-hander and back into the right-hander, while Patterson and Oliver Hannon-Dalby afforded useful control.

Yorkshire, in fact, did not bowl particularly badly; indeed, this was an improved showing from Taunton.

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But they encountered fastidious foes in Wells and Goodwin, who compiled an unbroken third-wicket stand of 217 after coming together 20 minutes before lunch.

Wells, son of former England batsman Alan Wells, is a tall, 20-year-old left-hander playing only his eighth first-class match.

He had already scored two Championship hundreds this year and played superbly for a third, driving confidently, judging length impressively and showing fine judgment of the location of his off-stump.

Wells reached fifty from 99 balls with a glorious cover-drive off Patterson and brought up his century stand with Goodwin by advancing down the track to loft Adil Rashid for four over long-off.

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The leg-spinner bowled better than he has of late but did not really look like taking a wicket, the seam bowlers appearing more dangerous.

The closest Yorkshire came to dislodging Wells was when Sidebottom speared a yorker into his pads that knocked him clean off his feet when he had made 79.

Sidebottom appealed loudly and imploringly to umpire Richard Kettleborough, who shook his head from side to side as if to say: “Sorry old chap, but it was just drifting down.”

Goodwin got lucky on 45 when he edged Patterson between Gary Ballance and Adil Rashid through the vacant second slip region but was otherwise as comfortable as a favourite jumper.

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The Zimbabwean reached his hundred just before the close, whereupon Gale led his players off to be greeted by the news that his beloved Huddersfield had lost 3-0.

It was not a day he will remember with fondness.