Yorkshire have it all to do against Leicestershire Foxes at Grace Road after being bowled out for 184 inside 48 overs in today’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup clash.
The Vikings, inserted, lost regular wickets against the Group One leaders, who had already qualified for the knockout stages.
Opener Fin Bean hit 28, while James Wharton added middle order 26 at the Uptonsteel County Ground.
But it wasn’t until ninth-wicket pair Dom Bess and Ben Coad came together that a score of real note was posted, with them sharing 75 – a record partnership for that wicket for Yorkshire in one-day matches against Leicestershire.
Coad top-scored with 45 off 52 balls from number 10, while Bess added an equally impressive 40 off 50. Both players posted their career best scores in List A cricket.
The Vikings more than doubled their total from 91-8 and now have at least something to bowl at.
Yorkshire realistically need to win this fixture, their penultimate, to maintain hopes of a top-three finish in the group and knockout qualification. If they don’t, they could be eliminated by the end of the day.
New ball seamer Chris Wright took the first three wickets as the score fell to 24-3 after eight overs; Harry Duke caught behind, captain Shan Masood caught at slip and Will Luxton bowled.
The latter two, including Luxton for a golden duck, came in as many balls.
While Yorkshire have picked two spinners in Bess and Jack Shutt, Leicestershire have gone with a pretty much all-seam attack on a slow and low used pitch.
But that is no great surprise given their trio of Hundred absentees – Colin Ackermann, Rehan Ahmed and Callum Parkinson – are their three main spin options.
Louis Kimber did bowl 2.5 overs of part-time off-spin, but that was only because the Foxes were struggling to wrap up the innings. He had Coad – the last wicket to fall – stumped.
Matt Salisbury also struck three times, finishing with the pick of the figures at 3-28 from 10 overs. Wright finished with 3-31.
Salisbury trapped Bean and Ben Mike lbw and, sandwiched in between, had George Hill caught behind. Those three dismissals saw the score slip to 83-7 in the 26th over.
Will Davis also struck twice. He had Wharton caught at deep mid-wicket – and when he had Matthew Revis caught at short mid-wicket, Yorkshire were 91-8 in the 29th over.
But Bess and Coad, who struck the only six of the innings off Roman Walker – straight into the sight-screen, at least gave the Vikings hope.
Bess was then caught behind off South African Wiaan Mulder before Coad fell.
PHOTO of James Wharton by John Mallett.
