Yorkshire are on track to claim their first Vitality County Championship win of the season, after three days against Glamorgan at Headingley.
Fin Bean completed a brilliant career best 173 today, supplemented by Joe Root’s expert 156 as the hosts, replying to a first-innings 221, advanced from 295-2 overnight to 519-7 declared during the opening hour of the afternoon.
Opener Bean and England’s Root completed a third-wicket partnership of 265 inside 45 overs before Harry Brook and Jonny Tattersall played very nicely for 65 and 55 respectively.
Glamorgan started their second innings with a a deficit of 298 and 56 overs remaining in the day, and they closed on 171-3 from 60 overs, a deficit of 128.
Should Yorkshire go on to complete victory, it would be their first in Division Two this season, in their fifth game.
And, despite some Glamorgan resistance during the final two sessions, the hosts will still be very confident of doing so given there are signs of definite turn from this used pitch.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com Joe Root celebrates his century against Glamorgan – his second in the Championship in as many games.
It is far from a batter’s graveyard, but there is enough there for the bowlers to create chances.
Yes, Yorkshire batted superbly, and nothing should be taking away from the likes of Bean, Root, Brook and Tattersall. But this was a Glamorgan attack who failed to build any pressure at all and went at a little over 5.5 runs per over throughout.
They have been hurt by injuries to seamers Timm van der Gugten and Harry Podmore, and Yorkshire took toll on the men selected for this fixture.
That was true of Mason Crane, the leg-spinner capped once in Test cricket by England.
His five wickets came at a cost of 152 runs in 23.1 overs, though his last three came at a cost of only one run. He had Tattersall stumped, Matthew Revis bowled and Brook caught at backward point, the latter signalling an immediate declaration.
Bean was handed a life on his overnight 140 when dropped at first slip, while Root advanced from 92 to reach his second successive Championship ton off 100 balls.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Fin Bean celebrates his 150 against today.
Having hit five sixes in all – four against spin down the ground – Bean was the first wicket to fall, bowled playing back to Crane, before Root was trapped lbw by seamer James Harris (431-4 in the 76th over).
Bean hit 24 fours and five sixes in 189 balls and Root 21 fours in 165.
Brook and Tattersall then played nicely, the latter particularly so.
Tattersall came in and effortless maintained the tempo.
With Brook reaching his fifty off 63 balls, Tattersall’s came off 51, including a pulled six over mid-wicket off Crane.
However, Crane got his revenge – albeit consolatory – when Tattersall was stumped as part of that late and mini flurry of wickets.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Jonny Tattersall (l) and Harry Brook both added fluent fifties.
Yorkshire then chipped away at the wickets during the afternoon and evening, the latter played out with the floodlights on.
Glamorgan openers Billy Root and Eddie Byrom shared a half-century opening stand – 56 inside 18 overs to be precise – and started brightly.
But both then fell either side of tea, Root for 35 and Byrom for 30, as the score fell to 72-2. Root played on to Dan Moriarty before Byrom was caught at deep square-leg on the sweep against Dom Bess.
Matthew Fisher injured his left ankle trying to save a boundary just before tea and didn’t take the field during the evening, when the spin of Moriarty, Bess and Root bowled through the majority of the session.
Next to fall was Kiran Carlson, who was run out having struck a ball from Bess into Root at silly point. The ball ricocheted back towards wicketkeeper Tattersall, who whipped the bails off with Carlson having taken a couple of steps down the wicket now scrambling to make his ground.
That left the score at 93-3 in the 32nd over of the innings.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Dan Moriarty was one of the wicket-takers on day three.
From there, Yorkshire will be disappointed they didn’t get more rewards. But credit to Glamorgan fourth-wicket pair Sam Northeast and Colin Ingram, who confidently saw out the day.
They shared an unbroken 78 and will begin day four on 46 and 43 respectively.
Both sides still have work to do on day four to reach their respective goals, but Glamorgan’s task remains greater to clinch a draw.
