Yorkshire v Kent: Yorkshire blow their big chance but pride is restored

THE standing ovation said it all.

As Yorkshire's players walked from the field, following a four-wicket defeat that ended their title hopes, the Headingley crowd rose to its feet and applauded warmly in the afternoon sunshine.

Although their team missed out in agonising style, finishing third in the table behind Nottinghamshire and Somerset, they recognised the efforts of a young group of players who had given their all during a season to remember.

For this was a side who were widely written off, a team tipped by bookmakers to suffer the pain of relegation.

No last day hiccough was going to detract from the strides made by Andrew Gale and his players.

It was just such a shame that it ended how it did, with a batting collapse and a tale of what might have been.

Although they were not to know it at the time, with their game finishing earlier than those of their rivals, Yorkshire would have won the Championship had they beaten a Kent team who were relegated by Warwickshire's victory at Hampshire.

After going into the final day with the intention of setting up a run-chase, Yorkshire imploded in sensational manner.

Having resumed on 51-1 in their second innings, a lead of 10, they lost nine wickets for 37 runs in 55 balls.

"That 44-minute period was dreadful," conceded Gale. "It was reminiscent of the old Yorkshire side of the last couple of years.

"That isn't the way we've played our cricket this year and it was totally out of character. It will take a while to get over the disappointment of that.

"I think the lads just thought it was going to be easy, that we'd score seven or eight runs an over no problem and then set them a target.

"But at this level you've got to respect the game because, if you don't, it will kick you up the backside. You simply can't afford to take your eye off the ball."

There was no hint of the mayhem to follow when Adam Lyth and Anthony McGrath walked out to resume their second-wicket stand.

They added 42 in just six overs before McGrath fell to the one delivery of the day that behaved unpredictably, Dewald Nel getting one to climb sharply off a length from the Kirkstall Lane end that McGrath could only edge to the wicketkeeper.

After Gale played-on to Nel, Yorkshire were rocked by a hat-trick from off-spinner James Tredwell that left them 108-6.

Lyth was bowled trying to cut a good length ball and reacted by knocking the leg-stump out of the ground with his bat, a display of dissent that could well attract censure.

Gerard Brophy was lured out of his crease and stumped first ball before Jonathan Bairstow was caught at mid-wicket off a leading edge.

After Adil Rashid edged to second slip, Tredwell rounded off the innings with another three wickets to finish with 7-22 from 6.5 overs.

"We needed to give ourselves a solid base, a solid foundation, and we simply didn't do that," bemoaned Gale.

"We threw the game away, quite frankly, and I don't think we played well throughout the match anyway.

"We were already thinking about how many runs to leave them instead of putting the hard work in first and getting a score on the board.

"We needed a lot more runs to give ourselves a chance."

No sooner were Yorkshire cursing their capitulation than Kent were threatening even greater catastrophe, plunging to 6-2 inside three overs.

Moin Ashraf continued a fine start to his Yorkshire career by having Joe Denly lbw before Ajmal Shahzad won an lbw decision against Sam Northeast.

Incredibly, it meant 11 wickets had fallen in exactly one hour – despite a 10-minute break for change of innings.

Robert Key settled Kent's nerves in alliance with Martin van Jaarsveld, who punished Yorkshire with another fine innings.

After scoring 89 on the second day, van Jaarsveld made 44 from 72 balls with three fours and two sixes, the maximums struck into the Rugby Stand off Adil Rashid.

Rashid exacted revenge when he had van Jaarsveld caught at slip, but there were to be no Tredwell-esque heroics from the Yorkshire leg-spinner.

Key was caught at mid-wicket off Steve Patterson, who also had Geraint Jones held at mid-on as Kent stumbled in pursuit of 90.

The visitors slipped to 82-6 when first-innings centurion Alex Blake was bowled by Rashid, and Yorkshire sensed an improbable lifeline.

But Tredwell put paid to that by pulling a Rashid long-hop to the mid-wicket boundary that sealed the victory.

As the ball travelled to the rope in front of the West Stand, Gale and his team-mates sank to their knees before picking themselves up and walking off slowly.

Disappointment was clearly etched on their faces, but the cheers of the Headingley faithful left them in no doubt they had done their county proud during a season that put a smile back on the face of Yorkshire cricket.

MAN OF THE MATCH

James Tredwell

His dramatic wicket-taking burst proved decisive as Yorkshire missed out in their attempt to win the Championship.