Yorkshire CCC batsman James Wharton keen to build on breakthrough innings

It was the day when he made his maiden hundred in first-class cricket, reward for all the hours of commitment to get to that point.

Wharton finished the day at Queen’s Park, Chesterfield, on 116 not out as Yorkshire laid the foundation for an innings win.

On day two, he extended his total to 188 before Derbyshire finally sent him on his way.

The 23-year-old had done himself, his family and his team-mates proud, even if he did quip that his dad, although “chuffed”, will no doubt “pick out a few faults… a few plays and misses” and that his Yorkshire colleagues were probably “all watching the football” in the pavilion as England faced Slovakia at the Euros.

In reality, of course, as Wharton put it, “everyone supports each other’s successes, which is a really nice trait of our group”, with Wharton himself keen to praise the contribution of fellow centurion Jonny Tattersall, who “came in at such a hard time with very gloomy, overcast conditions and played brilliantly”.

The 188 was not Wharton’s maiden hundred at first-team level - that was a memorable innings of 111 not out against Worcestershire at Headingley last year in the T20 Blast - but after a couple of near misses (most notably when he fell for 89 against the same opponents in the final Championship match of last season), it was a relief to get the monkey off his back, as it were, on his 13th (lucky for some) first-class appearance.

“It felt really good,” said Wharton, who made his runs at Chesterfield from just 241 balls with 23 fours and six sixes.

“There was a lot of relief, and I’m just happy to get that first one over the line.

“It had been frustrating in recent weeks; I’d been getting 20s but then getting out in weird ways. I was soft at Scarborough the week before, so to get a start on this occasion and kick on was pleasing, and just happy, really, to help the team.”

Had the lack of a Championship century been playing on his mind?

“A little bit. I mean, the 89 last year in the last game of the season, that was a hundred there for the taking, so I kick myself for that and throwing that one away.

“It’s just been frustrating - not necessarily not getting a hundred, but, as I say, getting to 20 - which is the hard part - and not carrying on.

“It’s something to work on, keeping the one-ball-at-a-time mentality and not getting carried away, and I feel like I can sometimes slip away from that, so I was just trying to be focused.

"But it’s a lot of relief to get the first one and hopefully now it’s the first of many.”

Wharton scored his runs from the No 3 position but can bat anywhere if needed.

In his short first-class career he has batted everywhere from opening right down to No 6, a tribute to his versatility.

“‘Gibbo’ (head coach Ottis Gibson always asks me, ‘What’s your preferred batting spot?’, and I don’t really know, to be honest.

“I’m used to batting all over, but I’ve always been an opening batter, which I think can stand you in good stead to bat wherever.

"But I’ll bat anywhere, really, wherever he wants to put me. Hopefully I can get a run in the side because nothing is certain and you can’t just assume you’re going to be playing in the next game.”

No one was more pleased for Wharton in the aftermath of his Chesterfield epic than Gibson, who also hopes it’s the catalyst for many more to come.

Although victory was a team effort, with the bowling of Vishwa Fernando, Ben Coad and Jordan Thompson also influential, Gibson hailed Wharton’s performance as especially significant.

“The hallmark of the win was James Wharton’s breakout innings in first-class cricket,” said Gibson.

“Hopefully that’s the springboard for him to really go on and show the qualities that we see in him every day with his batting.

“We see it a lot in the nets, but to deliver it out in the middle was fantastic for him. I thought he played really well; the wicket on the first day was a little tricky, but he played shots all around the ground and that was a class hundred.”

Equally impressed was Ali Maiden, Gibson’s assistant and the batting specialist.

There is nothing more satisfying for any coach, perhaps, than to see young players thrive.

“It’s brilliant because you see all the times when it’s not easy,” said Maiden.

“It’s a tough career as a batter because you fail more times than you succeed, so especially for a youngster like ‘Wharts’, what it does is give him that belief that he can do it again, so through all the tough times again in the future he’s still got that to go back to.

“I’m very pleased for him because he’s worked hard for it and the most pleasing thing was that he went on and got a big score. He’s a great lad, a great character around the team and he cares passionately.”