Yorkshire CCC endure more Chelmsford misery in Royal London Cup

Recent visits have seen Essex on FM and Yorkshire on medium-wave, with the hosts possessing the superior record.

Chelmsford was where Yorkshire were knocked out in the quarter-finals of the Royal London Cup last year, and they would probably have lost this group game anyway before heavy rain confirmed that state of affairs.

When the wet stuff descended, a novel sight in this summer of parched fields and scorched earth, Yorkshire were 76-6 from 19 overs in pursuit of 241 for victory; they were already up to their necks in deep water before puddles took hold of the County Ground outfield, Essex prevailing by 88 runs on the DLS method.

Defeat saw Yorkshire drop out of the top-three qualifying spots in Group B with three games left, a setback but by no means a terminal blow, with Essex leapfrogging them having played a match more.

A largely young Yorkshire side has played well enough hitherto to suggest that they could once again advance to the knockout stages; the remaining group games are against Kent in Canterbury on Friday, Derbyshire in Chesterfield on Sunday, and Hampshire in Scarborough on Tuesday.

This match was effectively decided by two batsmen, the Essex captain Tom Westley and Grant Roelofsen, the wicketkeeper, who shared 151 for the third-wicket in as many deliveries after Westley chose to bat on a used pitch.

Roelofsen made 90 and Westley 52, both falling to Harry Sullivan, the 19-year-old left-arm spinner, who took 2-50 from 10 overs. Sullivan was one of three spinners fielded by Yorkshire, with Jack Shutt returning 2-55 from his 10 and Dom Bess 1-32 from eight.

The most successful bowler was Matthew Waite, who claimed 3-23 from 7.1 overs, Ben Coad the other wicket-taker prior to a run-out early in the piece when Shutt’s lovely pick-up and throw from mid-off did for Josh Rymell.

After the final eight Essex wickets fell for 56 runs, as they tumbled from 184-2 to 240 all-out with 23 balls of their innings unused, the theme of low scores continued as Yorkshire slumped to 30-4.

Harry Duke edged a catch to the wicketkeeper; Will Luxton came down the pitch to left-arm spinner Aron Nijjar’s first ball and was stumped; Will Fraine pushed one to slip, and Jonny Tattersall was leg-before for a golden duck, three of those wickets going to pace man Shane Snater. When Matthew Waite was trapped on the back foot and Matty Revis caught behind, both off Snater’s opening partner Raymond Toole, Yorkshire were 71-6 after 17 overs. With or without the rain, it was a long way back from there.

“I thought we did really well first half,” said Tattersall, the Yorkshire captain. “They were looking like they were going to post more than what they did, and I thought the lads did well to stick at it, but we haven’t turned up with the bat and, unfortunately, we’ve come out on the wrong end of it.”