Yorkshire cleared over Headingley pitch after Somerset clash
YORKSHIRE will not be punished for the pitch they prepared for the County Championship match against Somerset at Headingley.
The club announced on Monday that there was no case to answer after the matter was considered by the Cricket Regulator.
Andy Mackay, the England and Wales Cricket Board’s pitch and grounds advisor, carried out a lengthy inspection of the pitch immediately after the fixture at Headingley earlier this month.
Yorkshire won by 185 runs - one of their best performances of the season - inspired by a career-best contribution from pace bowler Ben Cliff, who took 11 wickets in the match.
Defeat effectively ended Somerset’s hopes of winning a maiden Championship and they went on to finish second, 20 points behind Warwickshire.
In a statement, Yorkshire said: “Yorkshire Cricket can confirm that the Cricket Regulator has advised the club that no further action will be taken following the on-field umpires’ referral of the pitch used in September’s victory over Somerset.
“The club will not be making any further comment.”
Mackay’s appearance at Headingley, following the referral by on-field umpires Richard Kettleborough and Jack Shantry, sparked plenty of speculation on social media.
This included suggestions that Yorkshire could potentially be hit by a points deduction, although such a penalty would not have benefited Somerset points-wise.
It followed comments from the Somerset camp that the pitch, in their opinion, was not up to scratch.
Steve Kirby, the Somerset bowling coach and a former Yorkshire fast bowler, said after the first day’s play that it was worse than a pitch at Taunton for which Somerset had been docked four points against Durham last year.
“It’s not the best surface,” said Kirby. “If I’m completely honest, I thought the pitch was doing considerably more than when we got done against Durham.
“I’m a bit disappointed with that and thought it would be a lot, lot better.”
After the game, Jason Kerr, the Somerset head coach, claimed there had been “a ridiculous amount of life in that surface for a four-day pitch”.
However, Anthony McGrath, his Yorkshire counterpart, said at the time that there was nothing untoward.
“I think it was a pitch which you don’t normally see in England in terms of the bounce, and there was the odd one that misbehaved,” said McGrath.
“But I think everyone knows that Headingley, when the overheads are in, is a different place to bat.”
Commenting on the Headingley pitches more generally, McGrath added: “I think they’ve been great.
“I think we were all worried before coming back to the club, when there’d been something like nine out of ten draws, that it was going to be boring cricket, but we’ve seen good pace and bounce.
“We saw turn in the Essex game the other day, and we've also seen some high-scoring games as well, which have resulted in positive results.
“I think it's a great place to play.
“Obviously I'm biased, but the one-day wickets have been fantastic, and the four-day games here have been great to be a part of.”