7pm That’s it folks. Hope you have all enjoyed the blog this summer. There will be plenty of coverage from Abu Dhabi next week, so stayed tuned to club channels.
Andrew Gale
“I thought the last four or five weeks of the season was a really strong finish.
“To perform the way we have done, under immense pressure after the game at Scarborough and the loss against Somerset at Headingley, we were massively under the pump.
“But to win the Roses game and then kick on and back it up in the last three weeks of the season, it shows what character, determination, team spirit and togetherness we have in that dressing room.
“I’m really proud of the boys.
“It’s pleasing (to finish fourth) because four or five weeks ago we were staring down the barrel. To finish fourth in the table is nice, and we’ll get a lot of confidence going forwards.
“This season has been tough. It’s been eventful and unpredictable.
“All the stuff that’s happened has been out of our control and has got in the way of performance.
“I’m amazed how the lads have stayed together throughout it all really because without that I’m sure we’d be playing Division Two cricket.
“People have questioned the team spirit, and that’s what’s annoyed me most – things such as the dressing room’s a fractious place and splitting up.
“But you don’t perform like that for the last five weeks of the season if you haven’t got that togetherness. It’s testament to the lads.
“During the last four weeks of the season, we have shown what Yorkshire Cricket is about.
“I’ve just said to the lads ‘When people look from the outside at Yorkshire, they should see a group of cricketers who are together and strong, determined, have a great attitude towards the game and play the game hard’.
“That’s what we’ve had.
“Skill wise, we know there’s lots and lots of work to do, and we’re far from the finished article. But if you keep the team spirit up, you always have a chance.”
5.22pm Yorkshire win by seven wickets, their fifth win of the season and fourth place is secured. A target of 134 is achieved as Ballance and JackLeaning1 shared 77 for third wicket. Ballance with 60 and JackLeaning1 22.
Ballance gone! Caught at deep mid-on, slog sweeping at Twohig. Falls for 60. 124-3 #YourYorkshire
— Yorkshire CCC (@YorkshireCCC) September 26, 2018
5.12pm Ballance reaches 50 for the second time in the match off 55 balls with 9×4s. Yorkshire 118-2, needing 16 to win.
.
JackLeaning1</a> pulls Twohig for four through mid-wicket to move to 16. <a href="https://twitter.com/YorkshireCCC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">YorkshireCCC 102-2, needing 32 #YourYorkshire— Yorkshire CCC (@YorkshireCCC) September 26, 2018
4.42pm Yorkshire 70-2, with Gary Ballance recently hitting three successive boundaries off Moeen Ali.
4.11pm OUT! Lyth has been caught and bowled by Barnard, 20. 47-2. 77 more to win.
4.04pm Pennington bowls Raval for 13. 39-1 in the 10th over.
4.03pm Congratulations to Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who has been called up to the England Lions squad for four-day and limited overs series against Pakistan A in the UAE in November and December #YourYorkshire
3.55pm Yorkshire’s pursuit of 134 has advanced to 27-0. Lyth has 15 and Raval has 6.
Tea Report
Yorkshire are chasing a target of 134 to beat Worcestershire inside three days at New Road.
The White Rose county are on course to end the season with a fifth Specsavers County Championship win, which would seal fourth spot in Division One for the second year running.
Ben Coad claimed two of three wickets to fall in the first nine balls of the afternoon as Worcester, trailing by 88 on first innings, slipped from 122-3 to 122-6.
Coad and Steve Patterson equally shared six of the seven afternoon wickets to fall as the hosts were all out for 221.
Patterson had Moeen Ali caught and bowled for 67 three balls into the session after the England batsman had been dropped by Jack Brooks running back from point two balls earlier.
Coad then had Alex Milton caught behind and Barnard caught at third slip by Jack Leaning, the third wicket to fall with the score on 122.
Coad picked up his fourth of the innings when Ben Twohig drove him to mid-off before Patterson bowled Ben Cox and had Josh Tongue caught at first slip, leaving Worcestershire at 198-9, a lead of 110.
Wayne Parnell kept the hosts afloat with a 47-ball fifty and finished 58 not out.
Yorkshire’s coaching staff and squad members not playing then gave departing Brooks and retiring Andrew Hodd, on the field as a sub fielder, a guard of honour as they left the field for tea.
There are 41 overs remaining in the day, excluding a possible extra half hour.
3.07pm Pennington b Bresnan. Worcestershire 221 all out and Yorkshire need 134 to win. Tea. Yorkshire coaching staff and squad members give Jack Brooks and sub-fielder Andrew Hodd a guard of honour.
2.38pm Tongue caught at first slip off Bresnan. Kohler-Cadmore takes the catch. Worcester move to 198-9, a lead of 110.
Parnell keeping
WorcsCCC</a> afloat here with some lusty striking. He has 37 out of 187-8, a lead of 99 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YourYorkshire?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YourYorkshire</a></p>— Yorkshire CCC (YorkshireCCC) September 26, 2018
2.04pm Cox gone! He’s been bowled by Patterson for 18. 158-8, a @WorcsCCC lead of 70. Josh Tongue comes into bat nursing a foot injury.
1.40pm Coad gets Twohig caught at mid-off by Bresnan. 132-7.
OUT!
BenCoad10</a> gets Barnard caught at third slip by <a href="https://twitter.com/JackLeaning1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">JackLeaning1. 122-6 now. Two in the over for Coad.— Graham Hardcastle (@tykestravels) September 26, 2018
1.18pm Milton gone! He’s been caught behind off Coad, 10. 122-5, a lead of 34.
1.14pm OUT! Moeen caught and bowled by Patterson for 67. 122-4. Was dropped first ball of the session by Brooks running back from back (skier). Two balls later he’s gone.
1.09pm Just catching up with a couple of results from elsewhere. Notts have lost to Somerset and Lancashire have beaten Hampshire. Lancashire, however, have been relegated. They needed 27 runs with three wickets left in their first innings to get to 300 and failed. They have been relegated on 133 points alongside Notts, who won once more. Remember, Lancashire had a point docked for slow over-rate against Yorkshire at Old Trafford in July.
Lunch Report
Yorkshire struck three times at the start of Worcestershire’s second innings to maintain the advantage on day three at New Road, but England star Moeen Ali is a potential danger.
Gary Ballance finished with a brilliant 194 in Yorkshire’s first-innings 428 all out having started the day on 417-9.
He was caught at long-leg having top-edged a pull at Ed Barnard.
Jack Brooks, Ben Coad and Steve Patterson all struck at the start of Worcester’s second innings, which slipped to 63-3 in the 13th over.
They have since reached lunch on 120-3, a lead of 32.
Brooks had Daryl Mitchell caught behind, Coad had Tom Fell caught at second slip and Patterson forced Joe Clarke to play on.
Moeen then played in a particularly free-flowing manner on the way to a 55-ball half-century, including clipping Tim Bresnan’s first ball over long-leg for six.
He will begin the afternoon 65 alongside Alex Milton on 10.
12.16pm Moeen reaches his fifty off 55 balls with 9×4s and 1×6s. 104-3.
12.10pm Worcester are 94-3, leading by six. Moeen has 44 in particularly free flowing style.
11.46am Clarke gone! He’s been bowled by Patterson for 16, playing on. Worcester 63-3, trailing by 25.
Runs coming freely here. Moeen has just clipped Bresnan’s first ball over long-leg for six. 63-2.
— Graham Hardcastle (@tykestravels) September 26, 2018
Fell gone! He’s been caught at second slip head high by
lythy09</a> off <a href="https://twitter.com/BenCoad10?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">BenCoad10, 21.WorcsCCC</a> are 33-2 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YourYorkshire?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YourYorkshire</a></p>— Yorkshire CCC (YorkshireCCC) September 26, 2018
11.03am Brooks gets Mitchell caught behind, extra bounce does the trick. Worcester are 15-1 in the fourth.
10.56am Worcestershire’s second innings is underway. They are 5-0, trailing by 83. We are unsure whether Josh Tongue will bat having sustained a foot injury yesterday.
10.42am Ballance gone! He’s been caught at long-leg by Pennington off Barnard for 194 after a top-edge at a tentative pull. Superb knock. 428 all out. Lead of 88.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore talks Abu Dhabi T20 after Yorkshire announced a strong 14-man squad this morning
????
tomkcadmore</a> ???? “It’s going to be a really exciting learning experience for us.”<br><br>The club depart for the <a href="https://twitter.com/AbuDhabiCricket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">AbuDhabiCricket T20 tournament on Monday morning.#YourYorkshire pic.twitter.com/CcnKe7S5f3— Yorkshire CCC (@YorkshireCCC) September 26, 2018
Good morning from New Road, where the sun is shining ahead of day three of our County Championship clash with Worcestershire.
What an evening session last night was!
Gary Ballance and Jack Brooks shared 171 for the ninth wicket to swing this game firmly Yorkshire’s way.
The White Rose were 214-7 at tea and closed on 417-9 in reply to 340, a lead of 77. 203 runs came in the session.
Ballance will begin day three unbeaten on 189 alongside Ben Coad, who has two.
Brooks posted 82 having taken his 50th wicket at the start of play yesterday. Having taken six wickets in the first innings, Brooks is on course for his maiden 10-wicket haul.
Enjoy the day.
