Yorkshire coach Ottis Gibson reflected on Yorkshire’s fabulous four-wicket win over Division Two leaders Sussex at Scarborough and beamed: “We’re delighted.”
Yorkshire claimed their third successive win in the Vitality County Championship on the back of a polished success achieved in an hour’s play on day four.
It was a success which moved them up to second in the table and within nine points of the leaders with four games to play.
It’s hoped they will end the day in second place, which they will should Middlesex fail to beat Northamptonshire later.
Middlesex are Yorkshire’s next opponents at Headingley, starting on Thursday, in another promotion blockbuster – for which Jonny Bairstow is available.
Bairstow was one of a number of contributors for Yorkshire, who claimed 21 points, this week.
He hit 59 in the first innings, added to Will Luxton’s 57, while brilliant Ben Coad’s second-innings 5-69 took his match tally to seven wickets.
Gibson said: “We lost a few wickets today, but it was a day four pitch with a bit of spin. I thought their spinner (Carson) bowled really well throughout the whole match.
“To get across the line is an amazing feeling because we’ve invested a lot in the game over the course of four days.
“I think it was won with endeavour from all the players, especially the bowlers. Their effort across the two innings was fantastic. At no stage in the game did they get away from us.
“Coady will get all the plaudits for his efforts yesterday, but all the seamers did well – even Dan Moriarty yesterday without getting any wickets, he was fantastic.
“I felt like we should have made more runs in the first innings, but some of our batting – Jonny Bairstow coming back in, young Will Luxton – was really good.
“I’ve been telling you for so long that it’s good as a coach to give young players opportunity. But it’s even better when they take them. Everybody made a contribution.”
On Bairstow’s contribution, Gibson said: “We love welcoming our international players back. Certainly with Jonny – with Shan Masood going back to Pakistan (for the Test series) – it adds experience to our batting line-up.
“Jonny Bairstow in any batting line-up is a problem for the opposition. He got some runs this week, and hopefully next week at Headingley (Middlesex), he can make some more.”
Asked if there were any areas for improvement, Gibson said: “I think we’ve done well across the game, but I think some of our players had opportunities to get hundreds this game.
“We’d like to see some of those starts converted into bigger scores. At the end of the day, hundreds win Championships.”
And on Luxton, who posted his maiden first-class fifty, the coach added: “I think Luxy’s talent is there for everybody to see.
“He’s a fantastic player and is smart cricketer as well.
“He’s been captaining our second team, and you cam have a real good cricket conversation with him.
“He’s what I call a high-potential player. There’s no reason why he can’t go on and play for England with the talent that he has.”
