Ottis Gibson couldn’t hide his frustration as he reflected on Yorkshire’s latest Vitality County Championship draw, against Derbyshire at Headingley.
A washed out third day, added to 37 overs lost on day one, took valuable time out of this Division Two fixture which saw the hosts total 450-5 declared in their first innings and the visitors respond with 447 all out.
Centuries for Harry Brook and Joe Root, plus three early wickets on Saturday, put Yorkshire in an encouraging position. But a Wayne Madsen hundred led the Derbyshire fightback from 23-3.
Yorkshire came into day four with Derbyshire 190-3, requiring 17 wickets to win, including having to force the visitors to follow-on.
Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.
“I guess you can just go back to even some time last year and find one of your reports, play it out and it will say the same thing,” said coach Gibson.
“The weather and a lack of enterprise from them this morning. I said to them, ‘Let’s put something on the table and make a game of it’. They didn’t show any interest in that. It was another frustrating day.
“But I’m proud of the way we approached the game. We got five batting points and maximum bowling points today. In the end, you have to be satisfied with that. But it’s another early-season game ruined by the weather.”
Any potential contrivance would have likely seen Derbyshire declare their first-innings this morning and Yorkshire bat again to set up a suitable target for their visitors.
Gibson said: “We offered them 400 in 80 overs or whatever. But they didn’t go for that.
“I said, ‘You tell us what you’re happy to be chasing’. Nothing came back.
“Division Two is tough to get out of, and this is why personally I don’t like eight points for a draw. We have to try and win games and put ourselves in a position to win games, which we have.
“But when the weather plays a part and that’s the option, to try and elevate the game a little bit more, it’s a little bit disappointing when it doesn’t happen.”
After centuries for Brook and Root, Matthew Fisher claimed two early wickets on Saturday as Derbyshire fell to 23-3, as aforementioned. The new ball seamer added two more today to finish with 4-96.
“When he’s doing what he did on Saturday, he’s an international-class bowler,” said Gibson, of the York-born quick. “And I told him that in the dressing room.
“If we can have that from him, he will win games bowling like that.
“If he wants to play for England, that’s where he’s going to have to go every time he bowls for Yorkshire. It was fantastic.
“We got wickets up front, and we thought, ‘Here we go’. But as has happened in the past for us, partnerships develop.
“Once the ball loses it’s hardness on a pitch like that, it’s difficult to get wickets.”
Gibson also gave an update on the fitness of fast bowlers Matt Milnes and Mickey Edwards, who have been sidelined in recent weeks.
“Edwards has seen a specialist today on a foot injury. He’s been sort of shut down for a bit,” he said.
“Milnes is an interesting one because of the experiences we had with his back (a second stress fracture) last year.
“We took the cautious route to not rush him. He’s been with us this week batting and doing some fielding. He’s not done any bowling yet.
“Last year, when it happened, he knew something was wrong. This time around, he feels it’s not as bad as last year.
“He’s playing in the seconds this week as a batter at Lady Bay (Nottingham).
“He’s been in the field all day, and his body will give us a response with how he’s feeling after that. If that goes well alongside his batting, we’ll hopefully get him back to bowling by the end of this week.
“We have a game next weekend, which he won’t be ready for. Then we have a week off before we go away to Sussex. That’s two or three weeks away, so we will hopefully get him ready for that.”
And, ahead of Friday’s clash with Glamorgan at Headingley, Gibson added: “We’re playing some good cricket. I’m happy with where we are, but we’re in the performance business and winning makes everybody smile.”
