Jonny Tattersall completed his third Vitality County Championship career century and Matthew Fisher enjoyed a day to remember as Yorkshire pressed home their advantage against Leicestershire on day two at Grace Road.
Yorkshire’s first-innings reply to 98 all out advanced from 263-8 overnight to 379 all out, including the completion of a ninth-wicket partnership of 138 between Tattersall and Fisher.
Tattersall’s unbeaten 90 at the end of day one turned into 126 off 215 balls, undoubtedly amongst the conversation for Yorkshire’s best innings of 2024 given the circumstances. On a pitch doing all sorts, Leicestershire were 15-7 early on day one.
Fisher advanced from 28 not out to 88 off 124 balls, a career best score and his first fifty in red ball cricket for Yorkshire.
Yorkshire were bowled out inside the final 25 minutes of the morning session, taking with them a lead of 281 on a pitch which had clearly eased but still wasn’t straightforwards for batting.
Leicestershire then closed their second innings on 35-2 from 10.1 overs, with no play possible beyond 1.55pm because of rain. Fifty seven overs were lost.
Picture by John Heald. Matthew Fisher celebrates his maiden Yorkshire fifty this morning.
Tattersall and Fisher batted with caution on an overcast morning, the majority of which was played under the floodlights. But they rarely looked in trouble on a pitch which seemed to have lost some of its pace.
Tattersall reached his century off 170 balls and, shortly afterwards, pushed Scott Currie’s seam down the ground for back-to-back boundaries as Yorkshire moved to the verge of 300-8 and a second batting bonus point.
Yorkshire’s pursuit of batting bonus points in the promotion race added extra intrigue to this morning’s play. One was realistic at the start of play, two most welcome.
Fisher clipped the first ball of the day from the seam of Tom Scriven for four to fine-leg.
He drove nicely against seam and savagely pulled Rehan Ahmed down the ground for a couple of his 11 boundaries.
Fisher, who will leave Yorkshire at the end of the season for pastures new, scored his only previous senior fifty for the England Lions – 53 – against Sri Lanka A on tour at the start of last year.
Picture by John Heald. Jonny Tattersall and Matthew Fisher celebrate their century partnership.
He reached his maiden Yorkshire fifty off 74 balls, by which time Yorkshire were 308-8 after 82 overs – now facing the second new ball.
Both men fell in the final half hour of the morning, which finished with Ben Coad bowling just one over in Leicestershire’s second innings.
Tattersall edged Rehan Ahmed to slip, the leg-spinner who has just been recalled to England’s Test squad for next month’s tour of Pakistan. Harry Brook and Joe Root are in it, so too is Leicestershire’s towering left-arm quick Josh Hull, who made his Test debut against Sri Lanka at the Oval over the weekend.
Fisher was then caught behind off the same bowler.
Having played out the opening over of Leicestershire’s second innings from Coad, opener Rishi Patel then played a curious innings in the 20 minutes after lunch.
He came out and almost played a shot-a-ball and twice sliced Coad over the slips in a frantic run-a-ball 19.
Picture by John Heald. Matthew Fisher celebrates the wicket of Ian Holland shortly after lunch at Grace Road today.
It got to the stage that it was no surprise when he perished, lbw heaving across the line against Fisher, who then had the other opener Ian Holland caught low down at first slip by George Hill as the score fell to 34-2 in the 10th over.
Only three more balls were bowled before umpires Jack Shantry and Chris Watts took the players off the field with the Foxes 246 runs in arrears. Play was called off for the day at 3.40pm.
