Hants in Control Thanks to Bates' Maiden Century

Report from day two of Hampshire's LV= County Championship match against Yorkshire at Headingley Carnegie

YORKshire v Hampshire
LV= County Championship
Day One: Wednesday 16 May 2012
Headingley Carnegie

Summary: Yorkshire trail Hampshire by 327 runs
with seven wickets remaining in the first innings
Hampshire: 427
Yorkshire: 100-3 (36 ovs)
Scorecard

Hampshire Team
Adams*, Dawson, Carberry, Katich, Vince, Ervine, Bates+, Wood, Ali, Tomlinson, Balcombe
Yorkshire Team
Lyth, Root, Jacques, Gale*, Ballance, McGrath, Brophy+, Rashid, Wardlaw, Sidebottom, Patterson

Hampshire wicketkeeper Michael Bates (103) scored a maiden First Class century to give his side a solid first innings base of 427 on day two of this LV= County Championship match against Yorkshire at Headingley Carnegie.

His innings, most of which was built on day one but was finished with aplomb on day two, combined with Simon Katich’s 196 to also guide the visitors to all five batting bonus points for the first time this season. 

Before the end of the day a half-century from the in-form Phil Jaques (59*) helped mount a mini-fightback for the hosts as they closed on 100-3. 

But much will depend on the first session in the morning to see how this game will shape up; Yorkshire currently 327 runs behind with seven wickets remaining in their first innings. 

Bates had started the day on 88* - a score that, although already a Championship best for him, was still some way short of the illustrious triple figures. No doubt keen to get on with it, a three-and-a-half hour wait while the rain fell can’t have done his nerves much good!

And so, when he and fellow not out batsman Katich finally got to the crease around 2:30, the 21 year old wasted no time at all in getting to the mark, thumping three fours off his first five balls to the boundary to bring up his ton in magnificent style. It had taken 151 balls and included 19 fours in total and must have felt every inch worth the wait.

In the process, the sixth wicket partnership passed 150 and would add a further 20 runs before coming to an undeservingly inauspicious end. Katich elected to run having squirted a ball to mid-off. Bates, unfortunately, slipped and when the ball came in from Andrew Gale to the wicketkeeper’s end, was run out; Hampshire 377-6.

Not long after, Katich’s massive innings would also come to an end when he skied Adil Rashid to Joe Root at mid-wicket, heading back in, tantalisingly, just four runs short of a double century.

At that point, individual performances took a back seat and it became all about the team. With 3.4 overs left before the 110-over threshold, they were still nine runs short of making 400 and maximum batting bonus points. But Kabir Ali – who put up epic resistance against a White Rose bowling attack last season to claim a dramatic draw on this ground - did his team proud once again as he crashed through the mark with a four off Rashid (3-86) in the 108th over.

The spinner would get his revenge, seeing off Ali (19) and James Tomlinson (11) to end the Hampshire innings but, by that point, the visitors’ opening deposit was beginning to look pretty hard to match.

And it got even harder when Ali (1-22*) continued his contribution with the ball, trapping opener Adam Lyth (4) lbw in the first over of the reply.

4-1 became 32-3 as, first, the division's leading wicket-taker, David Balcombe (1-21*) got the England Lions' latest centurion, Root (8) to push forward to a perfect away swinger (Liam Dawson taking, what is fast becoming his signature catch at second slip). Then, some excellent fielding from Michael Carberry at point saw Gale (0) run out - a direct hit at the keeper's end.

But Jaques and new man Gary Ballance (26*) were largely responsible (scoring 281 runs between them) for Yorkshire's admirable batting in chasing down of a target of 400 against Gloucestershire last week so these two know how to play under pressure.

And they, once again, did the business for their team here, the former hitting fours to bring up his 50 then the team 100 with four balls remaining in the day. Hampshire know their wickets will be key in the morning; let them settle and they can be unforgiving... just ask the men from Bristol.

 

Catch Up

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Preview:	Carberry Returns for Yorkshire Trip
Day One:	Katich Hits Bulls-Eye with 180

Words: Simon Vincent
Images: LMI Photography

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