The day could hardly have been more bittersweet for Matthew Revis as his first ever hat-trick at any level of cricket failed to produce a Metro Bank One-Day Cup win for Yorkshire against champions Kent at Scarborough today.
Rain, as it was always going to – it’s been that kind of season, played its part again.
Yorkshire ended up chasing a revised target of 181 in 24 overs after Kent had posted 282-9 from their action-packed 50 overs.
The Vikings finished on 117-4 from 17 overs when a fourth rain break proved terminal, the Vikings only three runs short of the winning target on Duckworth Lewis Stern after some lusty hitting from George Hill and Will Fraine, including taking 21 off a Matthew Parkinson over.
Kent were 49-4 after Ben Coad took three early wickets as part of a stunning 10-over spell which only cost him 16 runs.
But centuries from Joey Evison (136) and Ben Compton (103) shared 219 for the fifth wicket, a Kent record in List A cricket, to turn the tide somewhat.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com – 01/08/2023 – Cricket. Matthew Revis.
They could have even got 300, but Revis claimed three wickets in three balls in the penultimate over, two caught at deep square-leg and another bowled.
“I didn’t really expect to get a hat-trick, more so in white ball cricket than red. But I’m happy,” he said.
“James Wharton did well to take two good catches, and then I just tried to bowl the last one straight. I don’t think I’ve had a hat-trick before in any cricket. It’s a special feeling.
“It’s just a bit frustrating with what’s happened at the end. Going into the chase, we were confident. Joey Evison showed that it’s a good pitch, and if you play good shots you’ll get rewarded.
“When the rain came, it was about analysing what we had to do next.
“When Hilly and Frainey went at it, we had a real belief we were going to get over the line. We were ahead of the DLS for a few overs, but it just wasn’t to be.”
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com – 01/08/2023. Yorkshire captain Shan Masood.
Captain Shan Masood was back from Pakistan duty to lead the side, and he made 31 before falling on the wrong side of a tight run out call following a direct hit from Evison at the non-striker’s end from mid-on.
He said: “It’s extremely frustrating. The weather’s not in our control, but it keeps following us.
“The only thing I think we can learn from this game is that when we had them 50-4, I think they got too many runs even though conditions got better.
“That’s the only thing I can look at from our point of view. Everything else just went against us.
“Normally you bat second when there’s rain around because DLS favours the chasing side. I found it astonishing how DLS favoured them again and again. The margins were slim.”
Masood and his Yorkshire colleagues, for just this game on Yorkshire Day, sported a remake of the 1993 retro shirt which was the first ever piece of coloured clothing the county wore.
Back in the day, it was Richie Richardson who was overseas player. Now Masood holds that honour.
“I love it,” he said of the shirt. “I know it’s for just one day, but I’d like to wear this again if possible.”
