Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire: Champion display by Gale’s men has Notts in tatters

For a long time yesterday it seemed they were odds-on for another one, with the same opponents having played in a manner more befitting wooden spoonists than county champions.

When Samit Patel was bowled by Ryan Sidebottom for his second duck of the game, Nottinghamshire were 38-3 in their second innings, a deficit of 155, and there were still 47.1 overs of the day remaining.

Yorkshire were rampant on the back of an unbeaten 145 by captain Andrew Gale, which helped them to 336 in reply to Nottinghamshire’s first innings 143.

But a fourth-wicket stand of 105 between Alex Hales (83) and Adam Voges (42) helped carry the visitors to 175-6 at stumps, a deficit of 18, to tip the game into a third day.

Headingley may have a history of miracles, but Yorkshire’s second victory of the season appears a formality.

For the record, Yorkshire have not had a two-day finish since August, 2003, when they lost by five wickets to Worcestershire at Scarborough.

Their last two-day finish in a first-class game at Headingley was in July, 2000, when they lost by 10 wickets against the West Indian tourists, who were themselves beaten inside two days during that year’s Leeds Test.

Yorkshire were already well on course for victory when play resumed yesterday in hazy sunshine.

The home side were menacingly placed on 213-5, a lead of 70, with Gale and Adil Rashid having compiled an unbroken stand of 69 that had stymied a mini-revival by the visitors.

But Nottinghamshire, for whom star bowler Andre Adams was unable to play a part yesterday after suffering a groin strain on day one, began the brighter.

Rashid added just one run to his overnight 39 before being bowled by Patel, and Pyrah was bowled for a duck by a delivery from Luke Fletcher that kept low.

David Wainwright added a useful 19 before popping back a return catch to Patel, but Yorkshire’s lead was not as large as had seemed likely when Sidebottom was ninth out with the total on 254, lbw to Franks for a duck.

But Gale – 67 when Sidebottom fell – set about increasing the advantage in decisive fashion, taking the fight to Franks and Patel as he sped to his 11th first-class hundred from 169 balls.

As his last-wicket partnership with Oliver Hannon-Dalby rapidly exceeded nuisance value, Nottinghamshire lost their way, as though the ground had suddenly become enveloped in fog.

They bowled too short at Gale, who swatted the ball away with the disdain of a man casually killing flies with a rolled-up copy of the Yorkshire Post. He struck Luke Fletcher for two successive sixes over mid-wicket towards the East Stand to take Yorkshire into lunch on 334-9.

Eight balls after the break, Hannon-Dalby’s splendid vigil ended when he edged Charlie Shreck to second slip after contributing two runs to a stand of 82 in 14 overs.

Gale made 78 of their partnership and it was Yorkshire’s best 10th-wicket effort against Nottinghamshire at Headingley, eclipsing the 73 compiled by Wilfred Rhodes and Abe Waddington in 1920.

Gale finished just shy of his career-best 151 not out against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge last September, made after the home side had been routed for 59, and departed to a standing ovation.

It almost goes without saying that Chris Read’s men will be sick of the sight of him.

They will also be sick of the sight of Sidebottom, who followed his four-wicket return on day one by immediately putting his former club in trouble in their second innings.

He bowled Paul Franks with the total on 11 in the fifth over, the ball breaking the middle stump.

After Pyrah bowled Mark Wagh and Patel completed his pair, Notts looked likely to collapse in a heap. But Hales followed his first innings 85 with another classy display and found a willing ally in Voges, who offered stylish support.

The pair produced sparkling cover drives and clips through mid-wicket as conditions seemed to ease during the afternoon, displaying character hitherto absent among their team-mates.

They had taken Nottinghamshire to within 50 runs of parity when Pyrah broke their stand by bowling Hales with a ball that kept low from the Kirkstall Lane end.

Pyrah bowled a magnificent, miserly spell and soon got rid of Voges lbw to leave Notts 152-5.

Sidebottom had Ali Brown caught behind with five overs remaining, but Read and Steven Mullaney ensured an apparently hopeless cause lived to see another day.

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