Yorkshire v Middlesex: Rudolph's century delivers Yorkshire triumph

IT is commonly held that there are two certainties in life – death and taxes.

But, as every Yorkshireman knows, there is actually a third – that Jacques Rudolph will make runs for the White Rose county.

The South African left-hander is like a machine, one of the well-oiled and exceptionally reliable variety.

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Whatever the venue, conditions or tournament, Rudolph churns out scores with remarkable consistency.

Yesterday, Rudolph made 124 not out – his highest one-day innings of the summer – to help Yorkshire to a narrow five-run win over Middlesex.

It was his third century in this year's competition and lifted Yorkshire to 250-6, Middlesex responding with 245-8 as the home side gained their ninth victory in 10 CB 40 League games to go six points clear at the top of Group B.

Rudolph's innings also enhanced his status as the tournament's leading run-scorer, with 642 at 107.00.

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His CB 40 League scores this season are 101*, 83, 26, 83*, 86*, 12, 6, 105, 16 and 124*, and he is within sight of Michael Bevan's record for the most one-day league runs in a summer for Yorkshire (704 in 1995).

Rudolph grew in stature as his innings progressed.

Initially he was circumspect, scoring only one run during the first four overs and taking time to find his feet.

He had a let-off when he skied Tim Murtagh to mid-on, where the 41-year-old Shaun Udal got nowhere near a possible catch, while he was dropped on 10 by wicketkeeper John Simpson standing up to the stumps off Murtagh.

But they were isolated blemishes by a man who needed no second invitation to capitalise before a sun-kissed crowd of 6,500.

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Rudolph and fellow opener Andrew Gale added 50 during the first eight overs before Gale fell for a breezy 36.

The Yorkshire captain looked all set for a big score and played one of the shots of the day when he nearly decapitated Toby Roland-Jones with a vicious straight-driven four to the Trafalgar Square end. But Gale fell in disappointing fashion when he pulled the same bowler straight down the throat of Tom Scollay at deep mid-wicket after

striking 36 from 28 balls with six fours.

Adam Lyth, Yorkshire's most improved player this season, would have loved a big score in front of his home crowd but suffered a rare failure.

Lyth top-edged a ball from Roland-Jones – once of Bradford-Leeds University – to short third-man, where Owais Shah took the catch running round from slip.

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Despite Murtagh's excellent opening spell of 0-19 from five overs, Yorkshire still ticked along comfortably at six-an-over and were stabilised by the old firm of Rudolph and Anthony McGrath.

Fresh from superb centuries in the four-wicket victory over Durham in the County Championship, the pair made serene progress to attractive fifties – Rudolph's accrued from 52 balls with six fours, McGrath's from 63 deliveries with four fours.

They had accumulated 138 in 23 overs when McGrath departed for 68, slashing the second delivery of Murtagh's second spell to Dawid Malan on the deep-cover boundary.

It triggered a period in which Yorkshire briefly lost their way, managing only 18 runs and losing three wickets during four overs of batting power play.

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No sooner had McGrath exited than Jonathan Bairstow was caught behind to give Roland-Jones his third wicket.

Gerard Brophy was brilliantly held by a diving Gareth Berg at mid-wicket off Murtagh as Yorkshire slipped to 207-5.

But Rudolph injected late impetus as he reached his hundred from 98 balls with nine fours, lifting Yorkshire to 250-6 after Tim Bresnan holed out to deep third-man to give Murtagh a third scalp.

Middlesex began positively in pursuit of a tough but not insurmountable target, with Yorkshire perhaps 20 runs short.

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They had an early escape when Simpson, on three, was dropped by Lyth at deep-cover off Steve Patterson, but Scott Newman took the attack to the home team, who were without Ajmal Shahzad due to an ankle

injury.

The openers had posted 47 in eight overs when Adil Rashid struck with his first ball from the Trafalgar Square end, pinning Simpson lbw as he tried to sweep.

Richard Pyrah – who received his cap before the start of play and is currently considering a new contract – dropped a difficult caught-and-bowled chance offered by Newman on 34, the batsman rubbing salt into the wounds by twice clubbing him for six over mid-wicket.

But when Newman was trapped lbw by Bresnan for 77, made from 70 balls with five fours and three sixes, Middlesex were 137-4 in the 27th over and up against it.

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Rashid bowled Malan and had Berg caught around the corner by McGrath, who bowled Owais Shah and had Scollay lbw to leave the visitors 156-6 in the 30th over.

Neil Dexter (56 from 43 balls) and Roland-Jones (23 from 18) fought hard to add an unbeaten 51 in seven overs, but their efforts were in vain.

DISPLAY OF THE DAY

Jacques Rudolph

He scored 124 not out from 108 balls with 13 fours to help Yorkshire to another one-day victory.

Yorkshire v Middlesex

Scarborough: Yorkshire beat Middlesex by 5 runs

Yorkshire Innings

A W Gale c Scollay b Roland-Jones 36

J A Rudolph not out 124

A Lyth c Shah b Roland-Jones 3

A McGrath c Malan b T J Murtagh 68

J M Bairstow c Simpson b Roland-Jones 3

G L Brophy c Berg b T J Murtagh 1

T T Bresnan c Shah b T J Murtagh 8

A U Rashid not out 3

Extras w4 4

Total 6 wkts 250

Fall: 1-50 2-59 3-197 4-204 5-207 6-231

Did Not Bat: R M Pyrah, S A Patterson, B W Sanderson.

Bowling: T J Murtagh 8 1 35 3; Williams 6 0 56 0; Roland-Jones 8 0 55 3; Dexter 8 0 41 0; Udal 8 0 44 0; Malan 2 0 19 0;

Middlesex Innings

S A Newman lbw b Bresnan 77

J A Simpson lbw b A U Rashid 17

O A Shah b McGrath 23

D J Malan b A U Rashid 17

G K Berg c McGrath b A U Rashid 3

N J Dexter not out 56

T E Scollay lbw b McGrath 10

S D Udal b Patterson 10

T J Murtagh c McGrath b Pyrah 7

T S Roland-Jones not out 23

Extras b1 lb1 2

Total 8 wkts 245

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Fall: 1-47 2-101 3-135 4-137 5-141 6-156 7-181 8-194

Did Not Bat: R E M Williams.

Bowling: Patterson 8 0 60 1; Bresnan 8 1 50 1; A U Rashid 8 0 28 3; Pyrah 7 0 52 1; Sanderson 4 0 27 0; McGrath 5 0 26 2.