Day One
Unfortunately no play was possible on day one due to a wet outfield.
Day Tw0
Day two was brighter and dry but doubts remained about the bowlers run ups. Therefore play didn’t commence until noon with 88 overs scheduled.
The toss was won by the home side who elected to bowl.
A steady start saw openers, Will Fraine and Yash Vagadia take the total to 26 before the latter was bowled for eight in the 10th over. However in the remaining 11 overs up to lunch only 14 runs were added for the loss of three further wickets: Fraine was lbw for 16, Will Luxton and James Wharton both bowled for one and no score respectively. At lunch 40 for 4, Duke four not out and Ben Mike five not out.
After lunch Duke and Mike took their partnership past 50 in 83 balls and they had added 65 before the former was lbw for 21 from 76 deliveries with 2 fours. Alex Cree made 12 before he was bowled and in the same over Chohan was caught behind without scoring and Yorkshire had fallen from 99-4 to 134-8. A further 18 was added as we were dismissed for 152 but Ben Mike stood firm on his return to Leicestershire – his 50 came from76 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes and he remained unbeaten on 72 from 89 balls with 4 fours and 5 sixes.
Tea was taken at 4.16pm with 38 overs still left in the days play. Dominic Leech struck in his first over having Steel lbw and Ben Cliff had Evans caught behind and the home side were 6-2. Swindells and Kimber added 45 in 93 balls before Ben Mike added to his excellent day by striking twice in an over when two lbw appeals were upheld and he finished the day with 2-9 from five overs.
Jack Shutt bowled the last eight overs from one end and returned figures of 3-23 as Leicestershire finished on 105-7, trailing by 47.
Day Three
On another bitterly cold day Ben Mike struck in the fourth over of the day having Wood caught at mid on by Ben Cliff and Leicestershire were 110-8. Will Davis joined Tom Scriven and they added 48 in 59 balls for the 9th wicket before Will Luxton to a low, sharp catch at second slip to remove Davis for 27. This was shortly after Scriven had reached his 50 from 89 balls and he remained undefeated on 55 as Leech struck for the second time in the morning to dismiss the home side for 160 – a lead of eight.
Skipper, Will Fraine and Yash Vagadia opened our second innings but the latter was caught at the wicket for four and our first wicket was lost before the deficit had been cleared. However Will Luxton joined Fraine and at lunch Yorkshire had reached 59-1 – Fraine 23 not out and Luxton 21 not out, the 50 partnership having been reached in 69 balls.
Luxton was caught at cover for 27 (61 balls, 2 fours) to become the first of former Yorkshire player, Harry Sullivans victims. Fraine reached his 50 from 81 deliveries with 5 fours and when he was dismissed for 71 from 127 balls with 8 fours we were 137-3, leading by 129. However either side of the tea interval the final seven wickets were lost for the addition of only 55 runs in 16 overs as Yorkshire were dismissed for 192 leaving Leicestershire needing 185 to win.
Harry Duke battled to make 43 from 99 balls with 4 fours and the final 7 wickets fell to former Yorkshire players; Sullivan who finished with 4-31 from 15 overs and Michael Finan who trialled for us last year, his final figures 5-43 from 11.
Evans and Steel opened for the home side and had added 42 before Ben Cliff had the former lbw for 14. Steel made 46 from 51 deliveries before he was bowled by Jack Shutt but no further breakthroughs were made and Leicestershire closed on 117-2 needing 68 further runs for victory.
Day Four
It took the home side 75 minutes to wrap up a six wicket victory. Resuming needing 67 to win they lost Kimber for 52 made from 72 balls with 7 fours (caught at first slip by Fraine from the bowling of Dominic Leech) and Welch also caught by Fraine at short mid wicket off Jack Shutt.
Swindells finished unbeaten on 51 from 85 balls including 5 fours.
Yorkshire take three points and Leicestershire 17 (was 19 but over rate penalty)
John Virr – 2nd XI Scorer
