Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Sam Whiteman at the crease en-route to his maiden Yorkshire century this morning.
Sam Whiteman scored his maiden Yorkshire century and England legend Joe Root contributed a pleasing 96 as the Rothesay County Championship match with Sussex at Headingley remains alive heading into tomorrow’s fourth day.
Whiteman reached three figures before lunch on day three, following opener Fin Bean after tea on day two. He finished with 101 off 195 balls and Bean 105 off 192.
Yorkshire, replying to Sussex’s first-innings 502, rarely looked in any danger of succumbing in a hurry on a slow pitch, advancing in similar fashion to how the visitors had done through day one and up to lunch on day two.
The White Rose started day three on 192-1 and were bowled out for 511. They took a lead of nine into the final 14 overs of the day, with Sussex’s second innings reaching 31-2, with a lead of 22.
Jhye Richardson and George Hill struck once apiece to leave the hosts thinking about a victory which has looked unlikely for the vast majority of the fixture. The draw remains the favourite, but you just never know.
Root looked for all money like he would join the pair in raising his bat, only to edge behind against Sussex fast bowler Henry Crocombe during the second half of the afternoon, leaving the score at 395-6.
Yorkshire had started the day on 192-1. Bean and Whiteman completed a second-wicket partnership of 182, Yorkshire’s highest for that wicket in the history of this first-class fixture.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Joe Root acknowledges the applause for reaching his fifty today.
Root arrived at the crease after Bean had been trapped lbw by Fynn Hudson-Prentice, adding only four more to the 101 he had overnight. The White Rose were 199-2 at that stage.
Sussex had to work through the day without the use of seam-bowling all-rounder Tom Price, who sprained his right ankle fielding the day’s second ball running around the deep square-leg boundary.
They didn’t substitute him out of the game, however.
The left-arm spin of James Coles, who later took the second new ball, bowled Jonny Bairstow through the gate for six, cartwheeling his middle-stump. Sandwiched in between, Whiteman was caught behind off Crocombe.
Whiteman, aged 34, had reached his first century – off 188 balls – for his home county in almost the best way possible, by drilling Coles for a straight six. It was the 18th of his first-class career in all, the bulk of them coming for Western Australia, his adopted home.
The left-hander had started the day with 73 to his name and straightaway completed a 182 second-wicket partnership with Bean.
Root started fluently. He was strong on both sides of wicket in his classy style. Without taking the Sussex attack apart, he dominated them in a style which had you looking up at the scoreboard as he neared fifty thinking, ‘I thought he only had 25’.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Jack Leaning fields against home county Yorkshire, with whom he won two Championship titles in 2014 and 2015.
Sussex’s attack included a trio of interesting bowlers from an England perspective; his former team-mate Ollie Robinson, the pace of emerging quick Crocombe and the spin of the much talked about Coles.
Coles and Crocombe were the pick of the Sussex bowlers with three wickets apiece.
Unfortunately for Root, instead of a third century in his last seven Championship innings for Yorkshire, he had to settle on a stat of a fifth 50-plus score in that same period – dating back exactly two years.
He reached his fifty off 59 balls before lunch.
Then, not long before tea, he fell. Crocombe got one to bounce a bit more than expected and forced Root to play. Unfortunately, he could only edge behind to wicketkeeper John Simpson.
Root had shared a fifth-wicket 86 with Matthew Revis, who had edged a drive at Coles to slip on 42. When Root followed him back to the pavilion, Yorkshire were 395-6.
Dom Bess was then trapped lbw by the miserly medium pace of Tom Haines before Hill, who posted a fluent 50 with a six over wide long-on off Coles, chipped Jack Carson’s off-spin to mid-wicket.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. George Hill recorded his second successive fifty today after one against Hampshire the weekend before last. He also struck with the ball before close.
Yorkshire were 457-8 at tea, and the tail converted that into a lead.
That was chiefly down to overseas duo Logan van Beek and Richardson, who shared a ninth-wicket 49 in entertaining fashion.
Van Beek contributed 29 before edging behind to hand Crocombe a third wicket.
Richardson, helped along by Jack White, then advanced from 495-9, and was last man out for 35 when bowled making room against Coles.
Yorkshire then struck twice with the ball before close.
Richardson bowled fellow Australian Daniel Hughes with a beauty which clipped the top of off-stump before Hill had the other opener Haines caught and bowled.
Tom Clark and nightwatchman Carson will begin day four at the crease for Sussex.
