Picture by Dave Vokes/Hampshire Cricket. James Wharton and Matthew Revis shared a fourth-wicket half-century partnership either side of lunch today, recovering Yorkshire from 9-3.
Two superb seam-bowling performances from Kyle Abbott and George Hill headlined an action-packed and briefly weather-interrupted opening day between Yorkshire and Hampshire at the Utilita Bowl.
Rothesay County Championship cricket returned to the summer schedule for the first time since late July, and Hampshire had much the better of things as the White Rose, who elected to bat, were bowled out for 173 shortly after tea. South African Abbott claimed four of their wickets.
On a used pitch which spun, overseas Abbott was both potent and metronomic to give second-bottom Hampshire a start they will be chuffed with even though Yorkshire fought back with the ball to limit their response to 60-4 from 26 overs. Hill struck three times in a burst which was identical to now Abbott had bowled.
Abbott took 10 wickets in Hampshire’s win over Yorkshire at Headingley in April, and here he bowled 10 overs in his first 15 maidens, claiming all of his four wickets in that period. He finished with 4-17 from 18. Hill finished with 3-4 from eight overs. Combined, Abbott and Hill took 7-21 from 26 overs with 14 maidens. Incredible.
Dom Bess top-scored for Yorkshire with 40 not out, while Matthew Revis was the only other visiting batter to make it into the thirties with 33.
He shared 55 for the fourth wicket, from 9-3, with James Wharton (24) either side of lunch before Bess and last man Ben Cliff (16) added a valuable 53 either side of tea.
Yorkshire will clearly be frustrated with not being able to stamp their authority on this fixture, which sees them handing a first-class debut to the leg-spinner Jafer Chohan, who has solely featured in white-ball cricket for the county since joining them at the start of 2023.
Picture by Dave Vokes/Hampshire Cricket. Ben Brown and Jonny Bairstow at the toss this morning. Yorkshire won it.
But conditions are expected to become more bowler-friendly – certainly for the spinners anyway – and they have started to drag things back through an impressive start with the ball.
There are some days when teams are bowled out cheaply are their innings is filled with a plethora of ill-judged shots. This wasn’t one of them.
Yorkshire, who fell to 9-3, were bowled out by Abbott, fellow seamer Eddie Jack and the left-arm spin of Andrew Neal. Jack struck twice, Neal three times. England quick Sonny Baker got the other.
Neal’s success, in particular, will have certainly caught the eye of Bess and Chohan, who are going to have a lot of bowling to do on a used pitch.
This was a day when play was interrupted by two brief rain showers, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Six overs were lost from the day’s allotted 96, though we should get them back tomorrow.
Five Yorkshire batters were trapped lbw, with Abbott getting Will Luxton that way, Revis and Jonny Bairstow too. Unfortunately, the latter fell to the first ball back after the afternoon rain shower.
Picture by Dave Vokes/Hampshire Cricket. Dom Bess bats against Hampshire today.
Abbott, father to a second child born last week, also had Sam Whiteman caught behind feeling for one outside off-stump.
Ben Coad hit sixes down the ground off Baker and Neal in a late 21 which came as Yorkshire advanced importantly from 83-7, more than doubling their total with the last three wickets.
Hampshire started this game second from bottom in Division One, with the gap to third-bottom Yorkshire 17 points. This is the first of six remaining matches.
Coad then struck with the ball in the 11th over of the Hampshire reply – 26-1 – when he had Ali Orr caught behind by Bairstow stood up to the stumps.
Coad is back in Yorkshire’s red-ball team for the first time since the Hampshire game at Headingley in April, with him having suffered a side injury shortly afterwards.
Hill then bowled Toby Albert and then trapped Jake Lehmann lbw, leaving the score at 48-3 in the 21st.
And that became 50-4 when the same bowler had nightwatchman Baker lbw, although replays suggest that inside-edge played its part. Opener Nick Gubbins reached close unbeaten on 30, with Hampshire 113 behind.
Picture by Dave Vokes/Hampshire Cricket. George Hill was superb for three wickets this evening.
