Yorkshire CCC left stunned by historic run-chase as they slide to defeat against Leicestershire CCC at Headingley

George V had recently ascended to the throne, following the death of his father, Edward VII, and Dr Crippen was under arrest for the murder of his wife.

The year was 1910, and a Yorkshire side containing such luminaries as George Hirst and Wilfred Rhodes lost by 259 runs.

It can happen to the best of them and, on this Easter Sunday some 113 years later, it happened again, Leicestershire winning an extraordinary game by three wickets with seven balls remaining, pipping a crestfallen Yorkshire as surely as the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen had pipped Captain Scott in the race for the pole.

On a day that felt polar enough for Scott and Amundsen to have felt at home, or at least not entirely discombobulated, Leicestershire’s victory was truly incredible, only their 16th against Yorkshire in the competition, home or away, and their first in the tournament for 19 months.

Set 389 in a minimum of 87 overs, after what had felt like a slightly cautious declaration by Yorkshire some 45 minutes into day four but, as it turned out, was perhaps shrewder than it seemed, they achieved the second-highest chase in their Championship history, behind only the 394-7 that brought a three-wicket triumph over Derbyshire at Grace Road in 1947.

Only four times in Yorkshire’s history had they succumbed to a higher run-chase, and only once previously at Headingley, hence why the declaration felt somewhat circumspect, notwithstanding a good batting surface.

Leicestershire, in fact, had never chased more than 300 to beat Yorkshire in a Championship game full stop; their previous best against them was 238 at Grace Road in 1986.

On a murky morning with the floodlights on, and in front of another disappointingly small crowd, Yorkshire resumed on 220-4 in their second innings, a lead of 322. They batted on for a further seven overs before pulling out, adding 66 in the process for the loss of four wickets, Shai Hope missing out on a debut hundred when he lofted the day’s second delivery out to deep cover, the West Indian failing to add to his overnight 83.

Jordan Thompson sliced to backward point after an entertaining cameo; George Hill departed to a juggling catch at long-on after a fine 67 that had lit up the third evening along with Hope’s contribution, and Dom Bess scooped to the wicketkeeper.

Matty Revis and Matt Milnes supplied some heft at the end, and the only question seemed to be whether Yorkshire had left themselves enough time to force the win, with a Leicestershire victory seemingly fanciful.

Yorkshire’s task would have been easier had James Wharton clung on at point in the fifth over when Rishi Patel cut Ben Coad to the fielder’s right. Wharton was diving, or at least tumbling, so it was by no means simple, but it was the sort of chance that should have been snaffled. Patel, on eight, made Yorkshire pay with a maiden first-class century. At times, Yorkshire’s fielding and catching bore the mark of early-season rustiness.

Not until the second over after lunch did the breakthrough arrive, by which time Leicestershire had made largely serene progress to 80-0. Dom Bess enticed a horrible hack from Sol Budinger to mid-wicket, undoing all the hard work that had taken him to 41.

Two overs later, Bess struck again, Lewis Hill edging behind an attempted cut, but Patel and Colin Ackermann added 113 for the third-wicket, a fine stand ended just before tea when Ackermann went lbw to Bess.

As the tension built, swelled by the noise of spectators arriving for the rugby on the other side of the stadium, Patel reached three figures in the grand manner, depositing Bess over mid-wicket and into the West Stand. Just when the 24-year-old seemed to be guiding his side home, Coad produced a snorter from nowhere, and Patel was adjudged caught behind, a decision with which he evidently disagreed as he looked longingly at the umpire, throwing back his head when no mercy came.

Wiaan Mulder made a mess of an attempted big hit off Bess, skying to cover, which left Leicestershire 298-5 and reunited their first innings heroes Peter Handscomb and Rehan Ahmed, who had rescued them with a sixth-wicket stand of 141 as the visitors recovered from 187-5 to 415 in reply to Yorkshire’s first innings 517.

They added just 20 this time before Ahmed came down the pitch and threw the bat at Bess, missed and was stumped to give the spinner his fifth wicket.

Michael Finan eyed up Milnes over mid-wicket but sliced to third man, where Fin Bean took a fine diving catch running in off the boundary, and the loss of wickets at crucial stages kept Leicestershire mindful of the perennial question – do we keep going for the runs and risk losing, or do we shut up shop?

They kept going, Handscomb thwarting Yorkshire for a second time with an unbeaten 68 and Wright chipping in with 40 from 32 balls, the latter upper-cutting Thompson for the winning boundary to spark contrasting scenes on the Dickie Bird balcony.