Yorkshire have been promoted back to Division One of the Vitality County Championship following another dominant day against Northamptonshire at Headingley.
A fabulous Adam Lyth century, a milestone matched by the rapidly developing James Wharton, secured second place at least in Division Two for Yorkshire, who closed day three on 371-2 from 83.2 overs in reply to 147 all out.
Opener Lyth led the way initially with 147 off 163 balls, as he has done throughout this season with the bat, posting his fifth Division Two century of 2024 – and Wharton provided expert support and went beyond him with 162 not out off 234 balls.
Just before 6pm, Wharton hit the run which sealed promotion as Yorkshire reached 350.
Yorkshire head into day four leading by 224.
Lyth and Wharton shared 260 from late morning to early evening, a record second-wicket partnership for Yorkshire in first-class matches against Northamptonshire.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Adam Lyth celebrates his century against Northamptonshire.
Yorkshire started this fixture needing a maximum of 10 points to seal a return to Division One of the Championship for the first time since 2022. But that was assuming Middlesex claimed all 24 points available in their match with Sussex at Hove.
Given they were bowled out for 271 in their first innings at Hove today, that target for Yorkshire was reduced to six points.
Three of those were achieved with the ball, meaning the hosts needed to get to 350 for the other three, which they did in fading light just before 6pm.
Lyth moved beyond 14,000 first-class runs for Yorkshire today, while Wharton’s innings took him beyond the 1,000 mark.
When left-handed Lyth reaches 15,000 – it could easily be this time next summer – the way he’s playing, the 37-year-old would be inside Yorkshire’s top 20 first-class run-scorers of all time.
This was as one-sided day of Championship cricket as you could wish to see.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. James Wharton celebrates his century against Northamptonshire.
Northamptonshire started on 117-6 and were bowled out within an hour, with Matthew Fisher claiming three of the four wickets to fall and new ball partner Ben Coad adding the other to finish with figures of 4-51 from 19 overs.
Lyth united with Wharton in the fifth over of Yorkshire’s reply when Fin Bean was caught behind pushing forwards against the seam of Ben Sanderson, leaving the hosts at 15-1 this morning.
From there, Northamptonshire were left floundering as Yorkshire proved once again – as they have on numerous occasions during the second half of the season – why they deserve to be playing Division One cricket next summer.
Lyth was strong on both sides of the wicket, pulling Justin Broad’s seam for six en-route to his ton, achieved off 111 balls – by which time Yorkshire were 184-1 during the second half of the afternoon session and leading by 37.
The hosts scored at an excellent rate against a visiting attack briefly shorn of seamer Jack White, who had to leave the field for treatment having been struck a blow on the knee trying to stop a crisply struck Wharton straight drive in his follow through.
Northamptonshire exerted very little pressure, and even dropped Lyth on 106 in the deep off Fateh Singh’s left-arm spin.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Ben Coad and Matthew Fisher after Yorkshire dismissed Northamptonshire for 147.
Yorkshire reached tea at 228-1 after 47 overs, leading by 81 with Lyth 127 and Wharton 82.
Wharton’s ton – his second of the season and the second of his career in red ball cricket – came in the early stages of the evening off 154 balls.
Singh trapped Lyth lbw sweeping just short of his 150, leaving Yorkshire at 275-2 in the 58th over.
The run-rate slowed for a time, with Will Luxton settling at the crease and Wharton becalmed, and there was a fear that the light would delay the confirmation of promotion.
But Wharton put his foot down and hammered a full toss from Saif Zaib’s left-arm spin for six over long-on. He then punched him down to long-off for one off the back foot to reach 350 for promotion, sparking jubilant scenes on the Yorkshire dressing room balcony and in the crowd.
Wharton hit a third six and reached his 350 off 228 balls before bad light did end the day 4.4 overs early with Luxton on 37. The pair shared an unbroken 96.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Yorkshire players and coaches celebrate promotion back to Division One of the County Championship.
Earlier, Yorkshire wrapped up the Northamptonshire innings inside the day’s opening 14 overs, keeping them below 150, which had been their aim at the start of the day as the bid to end the season in style and maintain that winning run.
Coad made the morning breakthrough when he had Lewis McManus caught at leg gully – 128-7 in the 47th over, the day’s seventh – to secure his fourth wicket.
That preceded a trio of Fisher wickets in his final Yorkshire appearance before heading off to pastures new.
He bowled Broad and Sanderson, uprooting the former’s off-stump with a yorker, and then wrapped things up when he had Jack White caught behind.
