Picture by John Clifton/SWPix.com. Matthew Revis plays off the back foot en-route to a second successive Championship half-century, at York today.
Hundred hero Matthew Revis and ninth-wicket partner Ben Coad both hit career best scores to turn the tables on Essex during an entertaining day three as Yorkshire gave themselves a chance of what would be a remarkable Rothesay County Championship victory at York.
Yorkshire started the day on 143-3 after 54 overs in reply to a first-innings 368 and slipped into trouble at 273-8 during the first half of the afternoon session.
But all-rounder Revis and new-ball seamer Coad united to take Yorkshire into the lead at tea with controlled aggression. They went on to share a record-breaking 169 inside 33 overs to fashion a total of 459 all out, a lead of 91.
Revis made a stunning 150 off 187 balls and Coad a brilliant 89 off 110, the pair sharing five sixes.
That left shellshocked Essex with 16 overs of batting to do – and they closed on 33-3, trailing by 58.
Adam Lyth also contributed 84 off 257 balls having started the day on 65 alongside Jonny Bairstow on 14.
Picture by John Clifton/SWPix.com. Ben Coad traps Paul Walter lbw at the start of Essex’s second innings.
Essex claimed three morning wickets to get themselves into decent shape.
Bairstow cut two boundaries off Indian left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed before falling caught behind for 29 when trying to uppercut another, leaving the hosts 169-4 after 61 overs.
Lyth batted with a calf injury picked up during the latter stages of day two and missed the chance to join Revis in making a day two century as he edged behind a drive against Shane Snater (4-93 from 33 overs).
That was the first of two wickets for the Dutch international in as many overs with the new ball – 228-6 in the 84th over – with George Hill trapped lbw on the back pad pushing forwards.
After lunch, Simon Harmer dismissed Will Sutherland lbw before Dom Bess became the fifth batter in the match to be strangled, handing Snater a fourth wicket and leaving Yorkshire 273-8 after 97.
Sandwiched in between the seventh and eighth wickets, Revis reached his fifty off 89 balls.
Picture by John Clifton/SWPix.com. Matthew Revis celebrates reaching his third career first-class century, going on to make 150.
That Yorkshire managed to get above 300 for a second batting point came courtesy of Revis and Coad, the latter who launched Harmer’s off-spin over long-on for six to take the deficit below 50. They also denied Essex a third bowling point.
Revis played confidently through the off-side off front foot and back against seam and spin to increase the pressure, while Coad was belligerent in reaching his fifty off 69 balls. He also drilled Matt Critchley’s leg-spin down the ground.
Yorkshire had secured a lead of two by the time they reached tea at 370-8, with Revis unbeaten on 94 and Coad celebrating his second career fifty – and his second against Essex after 69 at Headingley in a 2022 defeat.
Revis reached his ton, off 151 balls, inside the opening 10 minutes of the evening, and went on to smash two leg-side sixes off the seam of Noah Thain.
They were two shots which had Andrew Flintoff written all over them.
Coad was understandably frustrated when bowled by Critchley, 11 runs short of what would have been a maiden century. And Revis then holed out to long-on against the same bowler.
Picture by John Clifton/SWPix.com. Yorkshire benefited to the tune of five penalty runs early in the day as Indian seamer Khaleel Ahmed threw a ball at Adam Lyth in his follow through, causing the opener to hop about in pain.
But Coad was not done.
He trapped Paul Walter lbw for a duck three overs into Essex’s second dig, and then had visiting captain Tom Westley caught behind down leg without scoring – the sixth batter in the match to fall that way – as the score fell to 6-2 in the seventh over.
And that became 28-3 in the 14th when Hill bowled Dean Elgar with a beauty just before close.
