6.48pm – CLOSE Yorkshire finish a hard-fought day in which Leicestershire impressed for large parts on 220-4 from 47 overs, a lead of 322. Hope 83 and Hill 57. These two have shared 96. We will bowl for victory at some point tomorrow morning.
6.44pm – Fifty for George Hill off 60 balls with 6x4s and 2x6s. 215-4 and a lead of 317 ahead of the day’s final over.
6.41pm – Cracking knock from George Hill to end the day. He is 48 not out off 57 balls. With just under two overs remaining, Yorkshire are 207-4, leading by 309. Hope 81.
6pm – Hope reaches his fifty on debut, off 61 balls with 8x4s. Yorkshire 132-4, leading by 234 with the best part of 17 overs remaining. He doesn’t mind a run or two at Headingley, Mr Hope!
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
5.52pm – WICKET! Wharton is caught and bowled off Ahmed for a well made 52, ending a 96-run stand with Hope (47). Yorkshire 125-4, leading by 227.
5.42pm – James Wharton with an excellent maiden first-team fifty, off 77 balls with 7x4s and 1x6s. Congratulations. Yorkshire 113-3, a lead of 215.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
5.26pm – Every credit to James Wharton and Shai Hope, who have been excellent in turning the tide. They have shared 71 to take the score to 100-3, a lead of 202. Wharton has just hit Ahmed’s leg-spin over long-off for six to move to 41, with Hope 33.
4.57pm – Hope and Wharton have both played some eye-catching drives in moving to 20 apiece. We are now 64-3 in the 13th over, a lead of 166. Loads of time left today, a little more than 34 overs.
4.28pm – WICKET! Oh, heck. Malan has miscued Finan high to mid-wicket, falling for 3. We are 29-3 with a lead of 131.
4.23pm – WICKET! Bean caught behind off Wright in the first over of the afternoon, 11. Yorkshire 26-2 in the sixth over. We lead by 128.
4.02pm – TEA REPORT Yorkshire have endured a frustrating third afternoon against Leicestershire at Headingley, though they still remain very much in the hunt for an opening round LV= Insurance County Championship win.
Jordan Thompson claimed two wickets from the first three balls of the afternoon, including Rehan Ahmed caught at first slip for 85 with the first, but Leicestershire advanced their first-innings reply to 517 to 415 all out, Chris Wright adding a meaty unbeaten 66.
Thompson and Matt Milnes finished with three wickets apiece as Yorkshire were made to wait until 20 minutes before tea until they could start their second innings with the bat.
Adam Lyth then fell without scoring in the first over, pulling Michael Finan to square-leg, before Fin Bean and James Wharton took the total to 25-1 from five overs at tea.
3.41pm – WICKET! Oh no, Lyth pulls Finan to square-leg, and we’re 0-1 in the first over of the second innings. The lead is 102.
3.28pm – WICKET! After some damage from Wright against Bess – two sixes in the last over – Revis gets Salisbury caught behind by Hope to wrap up the innings for 415. We lead by 102. Wright finished with 66. Milnes and Thompson finish with three wickets apiece.
3.18pm – Wright reaches his fifty off 71 balls with 7x4s and 1x6s. 398-9. Salisbury, by the way, is in with a runner.
3.17pm – WICKET! Hull has flicked a hip high Revis delivery to Bess at leg slip, 15. Leicestershire fall to 397-9 after 111 overs. Injured seamer Salisbury comes in and joins Wright.
2.58pm – Yorkshire’s route to victory is a lot clearer, though not any easier, following continued Leicestershire resistance. In moving to 375-8 – Wright 34, Hull 10 – they have avoided the follow-on. The hosts will now have to bat again to set up a target.
2.27pm – Leicestershire have steadied following the loss of the the early afternoon wickets. They have moved to 356-8. Wright has 21 and Hull 4.
1.53pm – WICKET! Thompson gets Ahmed caught at first slip by Hill for 85 with the opening ball of the afternoon. Leicestershire are 332-7.
Oh, wait. WICKET! Two in three balls as Finan is lbw for a second ball duck. What a start to the afternoon. 332-8.
1.45pm – Play about to resume after lunch. Leicestershire 332-6.
1.14pm – Matthew Fisher is on the outfield taking some high catches as he continues his recover from the broken hand suffered on Lions duty in Sri Lanka in February. Not 100 percent sure, but it may well be with one of the softer Incrediballs or something similar as he builds up intensity. Ali Maiden hitting the catches. The plan earlier this week was for Fisher to play at Bristol next week.
1.10pm – LUNCH REPORT Centurion Peter Handscomb and England teenager Rehan Ahmed frustrated Yorkshire by completing a 141-run partnership for the sixth wicket during the third morning at Headingley.
Handscomb, with 112, and an unbeaten 85 for Ahmed ensured the Foxes, replying to a first-innings 517, advanced from 201-5 overnight to reach lunch on 332-6.
They must reach 368 to avoid having to follow-on, and they will be confident of doing so in excellent batting conditions.
Yorkshire had to wait until the final 15 minutes of the morning before breaking through, with Ben Coad trapping Australian Handscomb – a 2017 Headingley player – lbw as the score fell to 328-6.
Yorkshire will still be confident of forcing a win from this opening round Division Two fixture.
But they will have to mix ingenuity with skill and determination given the pitch conditions and time remaining.
12.56pm – The new ball has not worked for Yorkshire just yet…….
Oh hang on, scratch that. WICKET! Handscomb is trapped lbw by Coad for 112. It’s 328-6 in the 89th over.
12.28pm – Thompson is the man tasked with sharing new ball duties.
12.24pm – Handscomb has reached an excellent century, off 180 balls, with 16 fours. He has taken his side to 298-5 after 80 overs. And Coad returns immediately with the new ball.
12.16pm – Ahmed takes Bess for three fours in the over, the Yorkshire off-spinner’s first of the day, and he moves to 63. Leicestershire now 285-5 after 78.
12.08pm – Rehan Ahmed moves to his fifty off 72 balls with seven boundaries. 267-5.
11.54am – Ah, a run out chance evades Yorkshire – a tough one, mind you. Handscomb dabs a Milnes delivery to backward point, where Dom Bess picks up and shies at the striker’s end stumps with the batter stranded mid-pitch having been sent back by Ahmed. Just a shade more than a stump to aim at and Bess was quite deep. 250-5, with Handscomb 76.
11.50am – Leicestershire have moved to within two runs of their first batting bonus point, at 248-5 after 72 overs. New ball due in eight overs, which will be a key passage of play.
11.37am – Ottis Gibson is having a wander around the boundary edge to have a chat and no doubt offer some advice to Matt Milnes, who has just come into the Yorkshire attack alongside his fellow Matt, Revis. Leicestershire will be delighted with this start to day three. They have moved to 234-5. Handscomb 73 and Ahmed 32.
11.10am – Coad and Jordan Thompson are the bowlers tasked with getting the early breakthrough. Three overs into the day – 63 gone in the Leicestershire innings – and the visitors have moved to 213-5.
11am – Ben Coad has opened the bowling this morning. Early boundary for Rehan Ahmed, who has 14 out of 205-5.
9.46am – Let’s have a look around the grounds at the other Championship scores after two days.
DIV ONE
Hampshire 231 v Nottinghamshire 185 and 147-6, The Ageas Bowl
Kent 222 v Northamptonshire 117 and 47-2, The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence
Lancashire 233-8 v Surrey 442, Emirates Old Trafford
Middlesex 170 v Essex 266, Lord’s
Somerset 269-8 v Warwickshire, The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton
DIV TWO
Derbyshire 321 v Worcestershire 331-6, The Incora County Ground, Derby
Glamorgan 388-8 v Gloucestershire 165, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
Sussex 332-9 v Durham 376, The 1st Central County Ground, Hove
8.55am – Good morning from Headingley, where the sun is shining and we’re all set for an 11am start.
Leicestershire, replying to Yorkshire’s first-innings 517, will begin on 201-5 with Australian overseas player Peter Handscomb 62 not out and Rehan Ahmed, the England all-round teenager, 10.
Yesterday was a progressive day for Yorkshire, who got to the total they wanted before prising out five Foxes batters on a flat pitch. The hosts were made hard to work for their wickets, Handscomb and Colin Ackermann (67) sharing a fourth-wicket century partnership.
It is by no means certain, but forcing Leicestershire to follow-on is a distinct possibility. They would need 368 to avoid. If Yorkshire do secure that option, it will be interesting to see what route they take. Do they bowl again or do they bat and rest their bowlers until the latter stages of the day or early tomorrow?
The players are just starting to warm-up. As stated previously, the sun is shining, though it is more hazy sunshine at the moment.
If you want to recap yesterday, you can do so via our match report and reaction piece with Matt Milnes, who completed a nightwatchman’s 75 before taking three wickets on debut.
To view today’s live stream and the match scorecard, click the Match Centre tab at the top of the page. Enjoy the day.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
