Yorkshire CCC on the brink of promotion after fifth win in six

For all Yorkshire cared, Cardiff could have been hit by a storm of tropical intensity and Sophia Gardens swept out to sea.

The visitors needed just 59 minutes to take the final three wickets to wrap up victory by 186 runs, their fifth in six County Championship games and one that left them back where they began going into the match – second in Division Two in the final promotion position, 15 points above third-placed Middlesex, who finish off against already-promoted Sussex next week.

Yorkshire now need a maximum of 10 points from their final fixture, against Northamptonshire at Headingley, starting on Thursday, to secure a return to Division One two years after they were relegated in Ottis Gibson’s first season as coach.

Barring something incredible they are home and hosed now, not that Gibson is counting his chickens.

“You would think so, but it’s sport,” he said.

“Anything can happen in sport, and that’s why you should never take it for granted.

“Fifteen points clear of second is obviously good, and hopefully Sussex are not yet on holiday and they still turn up and put on a good show against Middlesex next week.

“We’ll continue to focus on ourselves and try to get as many points as we can.

"Hopefully, at the end of the four days against Northants, we’ll have enough points to make sure that Yorkshire will be a First Division team again, where it belongs.”

A maximum of a draw with two bonus points would be enough for Yorkshire, who have beaten Gloucestershire, Derbyshire, Sussex, Leicestershire and now Glamorgan on their present run, which includes a draw in their last game at Headingley, against Middlesex.

There could be no better venue, perhaps, than Leeds for Gibson and his men to clinch the deal, with 10 of the 14 Championship matches played there since he was appointed in 2022 having failed to produce a positive result (in remarkable contrast, only one of the last 23 Headingley Tests has ended in a draw).

“It’s been hard to win at Headingley, but we’ll see,” added Gibson.

“We’ll still try and win the game against Northants, that’s definitely the aim.

“I’ll have a good word with the groundsman this week and see what he’s got for us, and then we’ll try and pick the best XI to try and win that match as well.

“Everything that we wanted to do at the start of the year is still in our hands, which is the most important thing.”

There had looked to be a good four-hour window of opportunity, perhaps, for Yorkshire to wrap up their latest triumph before the weather turned sour in deepest South Wales.

The skies above Sophia Gardens were once more grey and overcast for the 10.30 start, just as they had been on the previous two mornings, before blue skies and sunshine finally broke through.

There was no sign of that happening on Friday, however, although the fierce wind had abated from earlier in the match.

There was a distinct nip in the air and a decided spring in the step of the Yorkshire players when they emerged from the pavilion, with only a sparse crowd present to watch the last rites, several of them sporting Yorkshire attire.

Glamorgan’s task was assuredly hopeless, their total standing at 141-7 in pursuit of a notional 396 for victory.

It would have been hard enough for them to have held out until lunch, let alone until any thunder and lightning came to their aid.

Still, Asa Tribe and James Harris, the overnight batsmen, were not of a mind to give it away lightly, settling down with purpose and intent. Harris cut Ben Coad to the boundary early in the piece, nicely getting on top of the bounce, then Tribe followed suit with a similar stroke as Coad charged in from the River Taff end.

Yorkshire broke through after 30 minutes with the opening delivery of the day’s ninth over.

Matty Fisher, operating from the Cathedral Road end, did Tribe with a jaffa that bowled him past the outside edge, the young opener having fought valiantly to score 58 from 155 balls with seven fours and a six. Four balls later, Fisher was at it again, trapping Andy Gorvin in front with a similar delivery.

That left Glamorgan 168-9 and effectively settled any lingering concerns that the visitors might have had regarding the rain.

Harris, the 34-year-old seamer, who took a five-wicket haul in the Yorkshire second innings, along with his 600th first-class wicket, is no slouch with the bat, as evidenced by 19 first-class half-centuries. He was within one run of his 20th when he swung hard at Jordan Thompson and was bowled to give Yorkshire the spoils, with Glamorgan all out for 209.

Yorkshire’s win was their first in the Championship at Cardiff since 1998; they are unlikely to be back there in the competition any time soon.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​