James Wharton lit up a largely overcast Headingley day by completing a memorable 285, writing his name into the record books as promoted Yorkshire drew their season-ending Vitality County Championship clash with Northamptonshire at Headingley.
Wharton, 23-years-old, completed century partnerships for the third and fourth wickets with Will Luxton and Jonny Bairstow – 49 and 78 respectively – as Yorkshire piled on a first-innings 728 for seven declared at tea in reply to 147.
George Hill and Jordan Thompson also posted unbeaten fifties – 54 and 56 – on a day which had an end of season feel.
When the players shook hands on the draw at 4.30pm, Northamptonshire were 71-2 from 13 overs in their second innings.
Huddersfield-born Wharton posted the fifth highest individual first-class score ever at Headingley and the joint-eighth highest in Yorkshire’s history.
Yorkshire’s total marked their second highest in first-class cricket, behind a first-innings 887 in a Championship draw against Warwickshire at Edgbaston in 1896. Their total was also the highest by any side in this season’s Championship and the highest first-class total ever on this ground.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. James Wharton salutes the Headingley faithful following his magnificent 285.
Yorkshire claimed 16 points for the draw and finish second behind Division Two champions Sussex. Fourth-placed Northamptonshire took nine points.
Yorkshire’s highest individual first-class score remains the 341 George Hirst scored against Leicestershire at Aylestone Road in 1905, while the highest score on this ground remains the 339 Darren Lehmann hit against Durham in 2006. Both of those innings were in the County Championship.
The highest scores at Headingley statistic is arguably the most impressive, especially given Wharton now sits on a list behind only triple centurions Lehmann, Don Bradman twice and John Edrich. The latter two shared three triple hundreds in Test Matches.
There was no doubt that, while Yorkshire had designs on winning this game earlier in the week, securing promotion towards the end of yesterday’s third day had taken the sting out of the situation.
Not exerting the bowlers on a chilly Headingley day with nothing to be decided would have been a consideration, as would potentially a young player’s place in history.
Wharton’s wonderful effort, the highest ever by a non-capped Yorkshire player, marked a career best score, usurping the 188 he score in the mid-summer victory over Derbyshire at Chesterfield.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Jonny Bairstow hits out against Northamptonshire today.
He started the day unbeaten on 162 and completed a third-wicket partnership of 117 with Luxton, who was bowled by Jack White’s seam – 392-3 in the 89th over, the day’s sixth.
He then added 194 with fourth-wicket partner Bairstow – 84 balls, 10 fours and two sixes, through to early afternoon, the pair uniting for just less than 25 overs.
It was 100 miles per hour stuff from these two.
At one stage late in the morning, under the Headingley floodlights, Wharton hit 44 of 45 runs to come off successive overs of seam from James Sales and Gus Miller as Yorkshire moved to 503-3 after 99 overs, a lead of 356.
In that two-over period, Wharton hit six fours and three leg-side sixes. Two of them were pulled. He reached his double hundred in that period, off 272 balls, and went to 250 in only another 17 deliveries.
While Bairstow, who hit 10x4s and 2x6s in 84 balls, has batted quicker on numerous occasions throughout his career, some of his striking was fearsome as well.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Jonny Bairstow and James Wharton shared the promotion-winning moment last night and impressed at the crease together today.
Bairstow and Wharton must have been horrible to bowl at for a Northamptonshire attack who had nothing to play for.
A 15-minute delay to the afternoon because of bad light preceded Wharton’s departure as he holed out at long-on off Fateh Singh’s left-arm spin before Bairstow was bowled by Saif Zaib as Yorkshire fell to 600-5, a lead of 453.
On-loan Nottinghamshire spinner Singh, aged 20, plugged away impressively in the face of adversity through his first outing in first-class cricket, finishing 3-193 from 40 overs.
He claimed three wickets in the innings, also getting Dom Bess lbw – 646-7 midway through the afternoon. By that time Jonny Tattersall had been bowled by Zaib’s left-arm spin.
Hill then capped off a memorable week which started with him being capped by the county. He reached his fifty off 61 balls.
Thompson followed him to the same milestone off 43 balls, reached with a six over long-off against Singh. He hit four sixes in all.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Matthew Fisher struck twice with the new ball after tea.
Yorkshire declared at tea with a lead of 579, allowing Matthew Fisher to bowl a final spell wearing the white rose before he leaves for pastures new.
And he signed off in on a high note by getting Gus Miller brilliantly caught by a diving Bess at deep mid-wicket and the other opener Krish Patel caught behind as the visitors fell to 38-2 inside eight overs.
