Yorkshire CCC coach Ottis Gibson left to rue ‘small margins’ after unbeaten record is ended

The head coach watched his side lose by two wickets against Hampshire in Southampton – their first defeat in seven matches.

“There are small margins in the game all the time,” said Gibson. “When we had them eight down for 330 in their first innings (and they scored 410), that’s a turning point.

“We again missed a couple of chances (in the field) which has plagued us all year. Again, you could say that’s cost us.

“But there’s no panic stations. That’s the first game we’ve lost in seven, and we could have won three.”

Yorkshire are fourth in the table at the halfway stage – 31 points behind leaders Surrey.

There remains plenty of time for a tilt at the title, with potentially pivotal matches coming up against Surrey and second-placed Hampshire again at Scarborough next month, followed by a Roses clash at Old Trafford in September against third-placed Lancashire.

“This is a massive learning curve for everyone, including myself – it’s my first time coaching in county cricket,” said Gibson. “But we’re all learning together. We’re still confident we can play some good cricket in the County Championship, and we feel we’re good enough to be in the conversation when September 29 comes.”