By Geoffrey Dean at Headingley
First day of four: Lancs 455-8 v Yorks
NOT ON many occasions, if any, can either side in a Roses match have passed 200 as early as the first over after lunch. It happened yesterday as Lancashire's array of stroke-makers, led by John Crawley, feasted on some of the most palatable fare that can ever have been on offer for a whole session at Headingley.
It was marvellous to watch while it lasted, and not simply a case of bad bowling. Crawley, galloping to 78 before lunch, played wonderfully well, passing 1,000 championship runs for the season with his fourth hundred in his last five innings. His 180, assembled in 5.5 hours, was his highest score this summer.
The tone for the morning, if not quite the whole day, was set by Matthew Hoggard's wayward opening spell of 4-0-48-0. This included eight no-balls as he came down the hill, upsetting his rhythm so badly that he lost composure and control. He has some pace though, as Crawley discovered when he was late on a hook, top-edging it over the slips for six. A no-ball made it worth eight.
Paul Hutchison, at the other end, caused some early problems in conditions initially conducive to seam and swing. Nathan Wood was soon beautifully held at second slip after nibbling at an outswinger, and Crawley was lucky that an airy edge off Hutchison flew for four through the slip cordon. When 55, he was dropped at second slip off the unfortunate Hoggard, now coming up the slope.
These moments apart, Yorkshire's inexperienced seam quartet had a day they will want to forget, bowling both sides of the wicket, short and wide or too full. As many as 26 boundaries were struck in the 34 overs before lunch, with Lancashire matching the scoring rate of the Sri Lankans an hour or so south.
Crawley's innings contained an enriching procession of wristy flicks and cover drives, immaculate placement of which brought him 24 fours. His timing would have been hard to better as would some of his on-side play. He used his feet nimbly to the spinners, as did Graham Lloyd, who completely dismantled slow left-armer Richard Stemp in a three-over first spell that cost 32.
Lloyd's destructive 56 occupied only 49 balls, a rate of scoring matched by Neil Fairbrother who took three fours off one Gavin Hamilton over. In their excitement most of the middle order got themselves out - Fairbrother to a drive and both Lloyd and Andy Flintoff to miscued pulls. Warren Hegg was beaten by an inswinger to give Anthony McGrath two wickets in an innings for the first time. That was about the only consolation for Yorkshire on a day of woe.
Day 2: Austin added to missing personnel
By Paul Weaver at Headingley
Lancashire 484 v Yorkshire 264-4
HARDLY anyone appeared to be watching this important match yesterday. The spectators were far too busy pawing through the Cricketers' Who's Who with furrowed brows as they attempted to identify the personnel.
A Roses cricket match always has a strong sense of occasion but this fixture had promised a special piquancy, with the winners likely to sustain their interest in the championship until the end of the season.
Instead, a combination of injuries and England calls has cut such a swath through the cast list that it has become a largely anonymous match.
Yesterday Ian Austin left the match at lunchtime to replace the injured Mark Ealham in the England squad for today's Emirates Triangular Tournament match against Sri Lanka.
Lancashire were already without Michael Atherton and Peter Martin for the same reason, as well as their young leg-spinner Christopher Schofield, who is on England Under-19 duty at Worcester. Yesterday they were also without Wasim Akram, who has a sore toe.
When Austin left Headingley for the M1, having bowled 10-3-28-0, the 12th man, Richard Green, who had already been on the field for Wasim, was upgraded from sub to a recognised member of the team and coach Dav Whatmore helped out with the fielding.
Yorkshire too are well below strength. Darren Gough is with England, Chris Silverwood has sore shins and Craig White has missed most of the season with a bad back. Their absence does help to explain how Lancashire totalled 484 yesterday, their highest score in Yorkshire.
The call-up of Austin, 32, is a triumph for the yeomanry. He is a quiet, popular, dedicated county all-rounder whose controlled medium pace and potentially violent late-order batting has been discussed before in the context of international one-day cricket. He was told of his selection when Whatmore raced on the field to deliver the happy message halfway through the morning session.
Lancashire resumed yesterday on 455 for eight and added 29 at a run a minute. Matthew Hoggard took the final two wickets, having Glen Chapple and Gary Keedy, playing his first match for three months, caught by Richard Blakey.
When Yorkshire batted again David Byas and Michael Vaughan took them to 62 without loss at lunch. They extended their first-wicket partnership to 82 before Vaughan, who had faced 87 deliveries, drove Keedy softly to Yates at extra cover.
Yorkshire lost a second wicket at 93 when Matthew Wood gloved a lifter from Chapple to the wicketkeeper. Byas was still struggling to recover his best form but, happily for Yorkshire, Darren Lehmann was at his sprightly best.
Byas had scored 37 at the fall of the second wicket but by tea, when Yorkshire were 203 for two, the Australian had scored 65 against his captain's 77. Lehmann reached his fifty from only 48 balls, and had nine fours and a six.
It had taken him just 55 minutes. But his innings ended when he had made 71, caught at silly point off the bowling of Yates, and Yorkshire were 210 for three. Byas was out just before the close for 101, his fourth century of the season, and Yorkshire, needing 335 to avoid the follow-on, were 264 for four.
Day 3: Gritty show could yield Roses reward
By Geoffrey Dean at Headingley
Third day of four: Lancs (484 & 109-4) lead Yorks (457-8 dec) by 136 runs
PROCEEDINGS in this 232nd Roses match have ranged from scintillating to soporific. After the excitement of Lancashire's first-day cavalry charge at nearly four-and-a-half runs an over, Yorkshire clawed their way back into the game with necessarily gritty and foot soldier-like batting, and may be rewarded with the chance to chase a reachable target today.
The Tykes will not have abandoned hopes of bowling Lancashire out after Paul Hutchison's excellent opening spell, but this pitch has so far been the bane of seamers and spinners alike. ``Why do they give us a wicket like this when we both need to win - really flat and no turn at all except out of the rough?'' complained Wasim Akram.
Hutchison feels that this is the most benign surface for any first-class fixture at Headingley this season. His ability to swing the ball was the key to his four wickets in the space of 25 deliveries - Nathan Wood nicked an out- swinger of perfect line; Neil Fairbrother was opened up by his first ball, a snorter, and superbly caught at third slip; Andrew Flintoff, without moving his feet, edged to second slip, and Graham Lloyd inside-edged an inswinger into his stumps.
None of the other Yorkshire pace bowlers got the ball to swing, and once Hutchison had to be rested, batting once again became straightforward enough. At times John Crawley made it look easy, hitting several devastating offside shots off the back foot and taking almost every opportunity to score off anything directed near his pads. Warren Hegg thumped several rasping shots through his favourite area, extra cover, as 86 were added for the fifth wicket in 23 overs.
Yorkshire, well though they batted, benefited from Wasim's inability to bowl because of continuing problems with a bruised toe and Ian Austin's absence following his late England call-up. Austin fielded and bowled until lunch on Saturday, whereupon Richard Green was given automatic dispensation to bowl (and bat) as 12th man. Unfortunately for Lancashire, he made no impression.
David Byas set a new record when he became the first batsman to score four championship hundreds in a season at Headingley. A dogged innings, particularly against Lancashire's two spinners who bowled 91 overs between them, came to an end when he was caught by Lancashire coach Dav Whatmore. Standing at slip as a substitute for the last two sessions on Saturday, Whatmore showed why, in his playing days, he gained a reputation for being one of the best slip fielders in the world.
At 284 for six Yorkshire faced the possibility of having to follow on before Richard Blakey and Gavin Hamilton added 94 for the seventh wicket in 24 overs. Hamilton reached his fifty in only 59 balls while Blakey, hitting only two fours in his, dropped anchor to finish with an unbeaten 67 in 51 overs at the crease. James Middlebrook hinted at potential all-rounder status with some fluent shots.
Day 4: Morris explains century gesture
By Tim Wellock at Riverside
Durham (396 & 385-7) drew with Glamorgan (486)
IT WAS a tale of three figures and two fingers for John Morris yesterday as Durham's vice-captain enlivened a day of tedium. In the fifth season of his six-year contract, Morris became Durham's leading century-maker but was captured on film waving two fingers at a section of the sparse crowd on reaching his hundred.
He had been the subject of some barracking while fielding on the boundary on Sunday and, as word spread of his apparently offensive gesture, it seemed Morris had shot himself in the foot in view of his benefit next season. But Morris explained: ``The gesture was directed at a mate of mine who bet me £20 I wouldn't make a century. If the members think it was aimed at them, I apologise.'' He later walked over to speak to the members involved, who accepted his explanation.
There was no applause from Glamorgan either for Morris's hundred or at the end of his innings of 163 as they thought they had him out off successive balls from Darren Thomas when he was on 19. The second appeal was for lbw and the first for a catch behind.
Even when Morris hit Andrew Davies for five successive fours in racing from 100 to 150 in 39 balls, there was never any prospect of Durham setting a target because of the absence of their leading bowler, Melvyn Betts, who tore a groin muscle on Saturday. They began the day 38 ahead with all wickets intact and lost Jon Lewis, bowled by Thomas in the third over. But few other balls misbehaved as David Boon avoided any chance of defeat with 62 not out.
With Betts unable to bat, Glamorgan had a very brief scent of a run-chase when Durham slipped from 267 for two to 301 for six after Morris's exit.
Jimmy Daley continued his habit of getting out when well-set, edging to Dawood to give Simon Jones, 19, his first championship wicket.
Martin Speight swept a Cosker full toss to backward square leg and Nicky Phillips chipped a catch to the same position.