Yorkshire are still alive in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup as they prepare to face Glamorgan at Cardiff (11am) in tomorrow’s final Group B fixture – but only just.
Their task of achieving a top-three finish to qualify for Friday’s quarter-finals looks seriously tough but not impossible.
The Vikings are currently fifth in the table on eight points having won four and lost three of their seven games.
The best they can achieve is third place in the table given the top two, Glamorgan and Warwickshire, both have 11 points.
Directly above Yorkshire sit Gloucestershire in fourth on eight points and a superior net run-rate – +0.322 to Yorkshire’s -0.059 – and then Leicestershire on 10 points. Their net run-rate is -0.538
Unfortunately, for the Vikings, those two teams play each other in the final round at Bristol tomorrow.
Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com. Jonny Tattersall is captaining Yorkshire in the latter stages of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.
First things first, Yorkshire have to beat Glamorgan. That’s first base – and they have to win big.
That then has to be coupled with Gloucestershire beating Leicestershire.
A tie, a No Result or a Foxes win would end Yorkshire’s chances. But a Glos win would keep things alive.
Then it would come down to net run-rate, with both counties finishing on 10 points.
This is where things get complicated.
Here are a couple of examples of what Yorkshire may need to happen tomorrow, highlighting the size of their task.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. George Hill was outstanding with the ball at Rugby School on Sunday, claiming a career best 6-28.
If Gloucestershire beat Leicestershire by one run and, batting first, Yorkshire score 300 at Glamorgan, they would then have to bowl the Welshmen out for 180. Every run that Glos win by more than a one-run margin, Yorkshire would have to match by bowling Glamorgan out for less than 180. So Glos win by 25 runs, Glamorgan would have to be bowled out for 155.
Another example would come if Glos won by one run and Yorkshire were set a victory target of 250 at Cardiff. They would have to chase it down in 28 overs – or less if Glos won more comfortably.
“Regardless of what happens, if we can put in another performance like the one at Warwickshire, it will give us great confidence going into the red ball for the rest of the season,” said captain Jonny Tattersall.
As Tattersall alluded to, the Vikings head to Cardiff on the back of a fabulous six-wicket win over Warwickshire on Sunday at Rugby School, where they chased down 243 with significant comfort.
Will Luxton’s 105 not out represented his maiden first-team century, while Harry Duke and Matthew Revis both added fifties.
That came after George Hill’s career best 6-28 in limiting the previously unbeaten Bears to 242-9.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Will Luxton was in the runs with a maiden first-team century at Rugby. A second in Cardiff tomorrow may just help Yorkshire into the knockouts.
“It was a great performance,” reflected Tattersall.
“Hilly bowled outstandingly well, and everybody played their part.
“Rev bowled the dirty overs, a couple of two-over spells and coming back at the end.
“Everybody pulled their weight, and we did really well. The run chase, we got off to a fantastic start with Dukey. There was a bit of a stutter, but Rev and Luxy played brilliantly.”
Such was the level of performance at Rugby, it was surely up there with one of Yorkshire’s best performances of the season – across any of the three competitions.
“Probably, off the top of my head,” agreed Hill.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Harry Duke set the tone with a dynamic fifty against Warwickshire.
“To restrict them to below 250 on such a small ground, especially when this season with the ball our biggest advantage has been it seaming with Coady and Cliffy up top.
“It wasn’t doing that, but we didn’t panic.
“We understood that the wicket was completely different, and we bowled gun-barrel straight. To adapt quite quickly was pleasing.
“With the bat, it was ideal. Dukey got us off to a solid start, which we’ve not had for whatever reason. Then Luxy to play the way he played, it was a mature innings. Rev as well.”
With four Academy products leading the way – Duke, Hill, Luxton and Revis – it highlighted the huge benefits that come with the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, something many people have tagged as a development competition.
“It’s pretty good to look around, and the majority of lads have come through the Academy,” continued Hill.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Jonny Tattersall has scored fifties on each of Yorkshire’s last two one-day visits to Cardiff, yielding victories against Glamorgan.
“We’ve played a lot of cricket with each other as juniors and kids.
“It’s testament to the Academy and how good it was when we were coming through. Hopefully that continues with some more Academy lads coming through.”
Hill struck with his very first ball at Rugby on Sunday, bowling in-form opener Ed Barnard.
He quipped: “The King of Seam, Ben Coad, said, ‘It’s not nipping’. And I nipped one! I was probably the most surprised man out there.
“I’m enjoying it with the ball. It’s quite a nice release from my batting, which isn’t going well at the minute.”
Glamorgan sit top of Group B on 11 points having won five of seven games, but they suffered their first defeat at Leicestershire on Sunday as they fell to a nine-run loss chasing 272 at Grace Road.
Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com. Matthew Revis impressed with ball and bat at Rugby on Sunday.
Top order batter Kiran Carlson is their captain, while they have significant experience in the form of batters Colin Ingram and Sam Northeast plus the seam of Timm van der Gugten.
Seamer Dan Douthwaite has taken 16 wickets – the second best return across the entire competition.
But the Vikings have won their last two trips to Cardiff in 2021 and 2022.
They defended a target of 231 three years ago and 258 two years ago. Tattersall hit middle order half-centuries in both fixtures, with Glamorgan going on to win the competition in 2021.
“When we’ve played there in the past, it’s always been either used or very slow and tricky to make big runs,” added Tattersall. “We’ll have to see what the pitch is like.
“It might be win the toss, bat, make as many as we can and let the bowlers get to work. We’ve been fantastic with the ball, apart from the Leicestershire game in this competition.”
