Yorkshire cement second place to earn reward for ‘fantastic’ efforts

YORKSHIRE guaranteed second spot in the County Championship – and a runners-up cheque for £235,000 – with an 80-run win against the only team who could have climbed above them.
WELL DONE: Yorkshire's players congratulate each other after finishing second in the County Championship table. Picture: Tony Johnson.WELL DONE: Yorkshire's players congratulate each other after finishing second in the County Championship table. Picture: Tony Johnson.
WELL DONE: Yorkshire's players congratulate each other after finishing second in the County Championship table. Picture: Tony Johnson.

Victory for Middlesex – allied to the improbability of Yorkshire failing to capture a single point from their final match of the season at Surrey next week – could have seen the London club pip them to second spot.

But Yorkshire shrugged off the disappointment of losing out on the title to Durham, whose crown had been confirmed the previous day, with a performance that showed why they ran them so close in the first place.

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Left to score 277 on the final day, Middlesex huffed and puffed for a time before Yorkshire blew their house down, dismissing them for 196 to seal their best Championship finish since they won the tournament in 2001.

Fittingly, during a season in which Yorkshire have prospered through a genuine team effort rather than key contributions from just one or two players, the wickets were shared around as the Yorkshire public said farewell to cricket at Headingley for another year.

Jack Brooks claimed four wickets, Steve Patterson three, Liam Plunkett two and Ryan Sidebottom one, with only the Australian left-hander Chris Rogers (65) threatening to derail the Yorkshire charge.

Earlier, Gary Ballance strengthened his claims for a place in the Ashes squad, which will be announced on Monday, with an innings of 90 that took him to 995 Championship runs for the summer.

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Yorkshire’s seventh victory of the campaign was a fitting send-off for their home support, who gave the players a standing ovation as they left the field before the players walked around the boundary to thank them for their efforts.

“It was nice to win this match for the crowd,” said Martyn Moxon, the county’s director of cricket.

“They appreciated the lads thanking them at the end of the game and they’ve appreciated their efforts throughout the year.

“Obviously there is a tinge of disappointment that we were unable to win the title for them, but to finish second is no mean feat.

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“It’s been a really good season and a fantastic effort by all the players.”

Yorkshire began the day on 
130-5 in their second innings, a lead of 21, with Ballance unbeaten on 53 and Adil Rashid yet to score.

Rashid soon unfurled a glorious on-drive off Tim Murtagh to the foot of the pavilion, while Ballance was equally easy on the eye.

The 23-year-old left-hander played some delightful cuts and cover drives as he carried on from where he left off the previous night.

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But he was ninth out with the score on 193 when he lofted pace bowler Tom Helm to Dawid Malan at long-leg.

As Yorkshire sought quick runs to give their bowlers time to dismiss the visitors, the hosts lost their last five wickets for 28 runs in nine overs.

Rashid was first to go, ballooning a catch to Malan at slip off Murtagh. Plunkett top-edged Helm to mid-wicket and Sidebottom was caught one-handed by Ollie Rayner at second slip off Gareth Berg, who had last man Brooks caught at second slip.

Yorkshire had half-an-hour at Middlesex before lunch and picked up one wicket in that time, Patterson removing Sam Robson with the aid of a catch at second slip by Adam Lyth.

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Sidebottom bowled Joe Denly shortly after the interval, his 50th first-class wicket of the season, and No 51 should have followed when Rogers, on 28, was caught behind off a no-ball.

Rogers and Malan added 56 for the third wicket in 11 overs before Plunkett finally broke their stand, trapping Malan lbw with a full-length delivery.

Middlesex fell to 103-4 when Brooks had Neil Dexter well caught by a diving Kane Williamson in the slips and to 134-5 when Plunkett claimed the all-important wicket of Rogers. The batsman was adjudged caught behind by umpire Nigel Llong and gestured at the official to indicate his view that he had not touched the ball.

Patterson had John Simpson caught by Lyth at second slip and then produced a lovely delivery that shaped away from Berg, took the edge and was snaffled by wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, which left Middlesex tottering on 149-7 at tea.

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Yorkshire were held up after the break as the eighth-wicket pair of Rayner and Helm dug in, although the home crowd’s frustration was lifted by news of Surrey’s defeat at Warwickshire, which flashed up on the big screen to confirm Surrey’s relegation to Division Two.

Brooks ended the stand at 36 when he trapped Helm lbw and three balls later he struck again, having Murtagh caught for a duck by first slip Ballance.

Brooks sealed the victory in his next over when he had Rayner caught at mid-off on a day when Yorkshire said goodbye to Tony Loffill, their matchday announcer for 17 years and one of county cricket’s nicest fellows.