Picture by John Heald. Jonny Bairstow was to the fore as Yorkshire batted out much of the final two sessions at Hove for a draw.
Yorkshire’s penultimate round Rothesay County Championship match against Sussex finished, as expected, in a draw at The 1st Central County Ground, Hove. But it came with the briefest of scares for the visitors before a crucial captain’s half-century for unbeaten Jonny Bairstow.
The White Rose’s sixth draw in 13 games saw them take 11 points to Sussex’s 12 from a heavily weather-affected fixture, with almost 200 overs lost.
Yorkshire bowled Sussex out for 250 inside 80 overs as they replied to 194, the hosts gaining a lead of 56 with a minimum of 60 overs remaining in the game.
George Hill’s seam accounted for the two home wickets to fall today after play started at 1pm following morning rain and a wet outfield, and he finished with 4-43 from 19.2 overs. But wickets continued to fall, and Yorkshire slipped to 6-3 inside four overs. Left-arm spinner James Coles took the new ball and claimed all three.
At that stage, Sussex had their tails up. But things needed to happen incredibly quickly for them. And, thankfully, it was James Wharton and Bairstow who took the sting out of the situation with 23 not out off 105 balls and 64 not out off 100 respectively.
They shared an impressively determined and responsible 103 unbroken for the fourth wicket, Yorkshire finishing on 109-3 from 37 overs when the umpires Tom Lungley and Jack Shantry took the players off for bad light just before 4pm. There was no more play possible.
Picture by John Heald. George Hill is congratulated after taking two afternoon wickets in Sussex’s first innings, finishing with 4-43.
Bairstow, who hit 11 fours, and his team-mates will go into next week’s final round clash with Durham at Headingley confident of preserving their Division One status. They need 10 more points.
Second-bottom Durham (140 points) drew their match with Worcestershire at the Riverside this evening but cut the gap to Yorkshire (146) to six points thanks. Hampshire are sandwiched in between on 142. They drew at Somerset tonight.
One thing for certain is that a win next week will see Yorkshire safe. A draw may be enough, while there is a scenario which could see them lose and still stay up should Hampshire lose at home to title-chasing Surrey.
Play started two-and-a-half-hours late here at Hove with a minimum of 67 overs remaining in the day.
Sussex resumed on 232-8 from 75 overs, and it took Yorkshire only 4.2 overs to wrap up the innings as Hill had Sean Hunt caught behind pushing forwards and Jaydev Unadkat caught at first slip on the cut.
Picture by John Heald. Oli Carter dives forward from short-leg to catch Fin Bean off James Coles.
Bairstow took a low catch for the first, Dom Bess a catch high to his right for the second.
Then came the wobble as wickets continued to fall.
In all, five went in the first nine overs of the day.
Coles excelled from the Sea End of this ground, including two in his first over.
Adam Lyth chipped to mid-wicket before Mayank Agarwal was caught at slip pushing forwards. In his next over, the England Lion had Fin Bean caught by short-leg diving forwards off a combination of inside-edge and thigh pad.
Thankfully, however, Bairstow and Wharton were there to settle any increasing nerves.
Picture by John Heald. James Wharton on the defence this afternoon as Sussex captain John Simpson watches on.
As Yorkshire slipped early in their innings, the sun briefly shone. But the longer the fourth-wicket pair dug in, the gloomier the light got.
Wharton was particularly determined, while Bairstow was more expansive without being anywhere near aggressive.
By the time the pair reached their 50-stand, Yorkshire were into the lead – by two runs – at 58-3 after 21 overs, with a minimum of 39 remaining.
The pair took the score to 81-3 from 30 at tea, a lead of 75. Bairstow had 46 of them.
Bairstow reached his latest fifty off 78 balls in the evening’s opening over.
He was quick to latch onto anything short against spin, while his most eye-catching stroke was a near arrow-straight drive for four off left-arm seamer Unadkat to reach his fifty.
