As we count down to the start of the new season, in our weekly feature, we look back at some of Yorkshire’s highlights throughout last summer, be it great wins or memorable individual performances……
Just when Yorkshire needed two of their most experienced campaigners to stand up, enter current and former captains Steve Patterson and Gary Ballance.
In 2018, the county just loved travelling to Chelmsford, arguably securing their two most impressive wins of the season there.
Having beaten reigning county champions Essex there in the Championship in early May after being bowled out for 50 in the first innings, they would return for a Royal London one-day Cup eliminator clash in mid June.
And what a win this one was, especially considering they were without their six internationals, including India overseas batsman Che Pujara.
The team’s togetherness and character was questioned at stages through last summer, but this win demonstrated all of those qualities in bucketloads against an experienced Essex side including former England Test captain Alastair Cook.
Essex had finished second in the South Group to Yorkshire’s third in the North, and they were definitely the pre-game favourites.
But Ballance hit a superb 91, helping the visitors recover from early strife at 5-2 and underpinning a challenging score of 259-7 on a sluggish pitch.
Ballance had made an impressive return from a brief time out of the game with anxiety issues, and he shared a fine stand of 129 for the fifth wicket with Jack Leaning, who provided crucial support with a watchful 57.
They recovered the score from 45-4 before Tim Bresnan (41) and Matthew Fisher (35 not out) added crucial late runs.
Then, Essex were always behind the rate in reply under lights from the moment Cook holed out for eleven off Ben Coad’s bowling before captain fantastic Patterson claimed four wickets through the middle of the innings.
Essex fell to 159-8 before some late runs from Adam Wheater and Neil Wagner dragged the game out just a bit longer, with them bowled out for 234.
Patterson had only been captain for a matter of weeks, and he had stepped into the role seamlessly.
