Picture by Dave Vokes/Hampshire Cricket. Adam Lyth this evening posted the first fifty of the match between Hampshire and Yorkshire.
George Hill and Adam Lyth impressed for Yorkshire during another seesaw day of Rothesay County Championship action against Hampshire at the Utilita Bowl, with both sides still battling for ascendency.
Hill finished with a superb 5-29 from 20 overs as Hampshire, replying to a first-innings 173, were bowled out for 197 having started the day on 60-4. Tom Prest top-scored with 46.
Thankfully the first batter in the match to reach a half-century in bowler-friendly conditions was Adam Lyth after tea, when the White Rose started their second innings just 24 runs in arrears. They closed on 135-5 from 40 overs, leading by 111.
Will Luxton was dropped on one but took Yorkshire into positive equity with a six and contributed 36 in addition to Lyth’s 51 off 108 balls. That Yorkshire lost three wickets in three overs late in the day clearly dampened their spirits, however.
These two sides start the fixture separated by 17 points in the Division One table. Yorkshire are third-bottom and Hampshire just below them, holding the second relegation place.
The morning session, the fourth of the match in all, was the most sedate to that point, with Hampshire advancing to 119-6 at lunch.
Top-scorer Prest was bowled by a beauty through the gate by Lyth, who had earlier got Nick Gubbins caught at slip for 38. The Gubbins dismissal was Lyth’s 50th first-class wicket, and it started an excellent day for the county legend.
There was some controversy just before midday when Prest tried to take a single off Ben Coad to Hill at mid-off. He basically ran two but didn’t get a run, sent back by partner Gubbins.
As he turned, he ran up the middle of the pitch and saw the ball rap him on the ankle. Jonny Bairstow appealed for obstructing the field with the score at 96-4, but umpires Jack Shantry and Russell Warren ruled in favour of the batter.
Jafer Chohan then bowled a pulling Ben Brown after lunch for his maiden first-class wicket – 144-7 in the 74th over.
Not long after lunch, a helicopter carrying Indian politician Revanth Reddy landed on the Nursery Ground here at the Utilita Bowl. He was here to meet officials from the Hampshire ownership group GMR.
Hampshire got themselves ahead seven down, with Andrew Neal and Felix Organ both adding useful runs. But, with the score on 179 in the 83rd over, Hill returned with the new ball and bowled Neal for 19.
By that stage, Yorkshire had not long swapped keepers, with Fin Bean coming on as a substitute fielder and taking the gloves from Bairstow, who took blows to both hands before going off to seek treatment.
Hill’s fifth wicket – his second five-for of the season against Hampshire – then came when Kyle Abbott was trapped lbw before Organ on 24 top-edged an ugly swipe at Ben Coad into the square-leg region, where Dom Bess took a good catch. Bess was now captaining the side in Bairstow’s absence.
While Hill bowled nine maidens in his 20 overs, Coad and Lyth finished with two wickets apiece. Lyth finished with 2-15 from 10 overs of off-spin.
Luxton was then dropped on one at slip off Sonny Baker before he and Lyth wiped off the deficit inside eight overs, passing 24 with a whipped six behind square off the same bowler, who he then hit for two boundaries later in the over. The latter, a drive on the up over the bowler’s head, was particularly memorable.
Luxton was the first wicket to fall, though, with the score on 69 when he played on to Eddie Jack’s pace.
Lyth, strong against seam and spin, shared 30 with Sam Whiteman, who was next to go when bowled by a Baker nip-backer with the score on 99 and the lead standing at 75.
By the time Lyth reached his 95-ball fifty inside the final hour of play, Yorkshire were 121-2 and with a lead of 97.
Unfortunately, though, Organ’s off-spin did oust Lyth just before close, sharply caught at slip by Toby Albert going to his right – 123-3.
And that soon became 125-5 when Abbott trapped the first of two nightwatchmen Ben Cliff lbw. Jafer Chohan followed him to the crease and was yorked by Baker.
James Wharton 17 and Matthew Revis 4 will begin day three at the crease.
icture by Dave Vokes/Hampshire Cricket. George Hill en-route to 5-29 against Hampshire at the Utilita Bowl.
