These two counties have played against each other in all of the 17 seasons of T20 cricket, both being permanent members of the North Group, with Nottinghamshire having the upper hand as far as results are concerned. Yorkshire have played 30 games against the midland county, a total exceeded only by their number against Durham. Paul Dyson looks back at one of the closest matches in this series.
June 26, 2005 at Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 170-8 in 20 overs (CMW Read 43, TT Bresnan 3-22); Yorkshire 174-8 in 19.5 overs (IJ Harvey 74). Yorkshire won by two wickets.
This game took place during the third season of the new Twenty20 competition. Nottinghamshire already had a poor record finishing fifth and sixth (out of six) in the first two seasons, Yorkshire’s positions being second and fifth. Nottinghamshire had played two games thus far in 2005, winning one and losing one; this would be Yorkshire’s second game – they had lost their first to Lancashire.
Craig White won the toss for Yorkshire in front of a crowd of over 8,000 and decided to field. Nottinghamshire made a rapid start but also lost wickets; they slipped to 42 for three – Tim Bresnan taking all three – but recovered later. Chris Read, the home side’s captain and wicket-keeper, top-scored with 43 from 35 balls and he shared a fifth-wicket stand of 41 with former Yorkshire-player Gareth Clough (23 from 13 balls). The hosts continued to press the accelerator, only two batsmen having a strike-rate of fewer than 100; Yorkshire tried seven bowlers but all conceded at least seven runs per over and Nottinghamshire’s innings ended on 170 for eight. Bresnan finished with three for 22.
Yorkshire began their reply well with an opening stand of 61 between Australian Ian Harvey and Michael Lumb before the latter was caught off the left-arm spin of Samit Patel for 21 from 13 balls. Harvey reached his half-century from only 18 balls and continued to bat extremely rapidly; when he was dislmissed the scoreboard was showing 121 for three – after only nine overs – and he had made 74 of those from only 32 balls, striking 13 fours and two sixes, i.e. running only 10 of his runs. This brilliant knock meant that Yorkshire were well ahead of the rate but a ‘keen and experienced attack’ (YCCC Yearbook) posted challenges. Graeme Swann’s off-spin applied the breaks most of all, wickets were lost and after five had gone down for 14 the score was 135 for six. White held firm, though, and when he was dismissed only three runs were required, Yorkshire duly winning by two wickets with one ball to spare.
It ended up being another campaign when neither county qualified for the quarter-final stage, Nottinghamshire again finishing in sixth place and Yorkshire fourth.
Man of the Match
The fact that Ian Harvey played in 73 ODIs for his native Australia but not a single Test match indicates what a white-ball specialist he was. Born in Wonthaggi, Victoria in 1972 he made his name in the successful Gloucestershire limited-overs side of the turn of the century which won seven such trophies in six seasons. Harvey enjoyed five seasons with the south-west county before spending two seasons with Yorkshire (2004-05) before returning to Gloucestershire as assistant coach.
