Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Back to red-ball action after The Hundred for captain Jonny Bairstow.
“I believe we can still win the Championship if we win five of the last six. That starts with Hampshire.”
Anthony McGrath is aiming high as Yorkshire prepare to return to Rothesay County Championship action tomorrow, against Hampshire at the Utilita Bowl, 11am.
Yorkshire are currently eighth out of 10 teams in Division One, a table which is incredibly tight to say the least.
The White Rose county are 17 points clear of second-bottom Hampshire with six to play but 27 behind leaders and reigning champions Nottinghamshire.
“It’s about desire and belief and starting well, and I’m sure we will do,” continued head coach McGrath.
“Hampshire are fighting for their lives, as are Leicestershire who we have at Scarborough next week (bottom two sides in the division).
“Our first two games back are crucial, really, because if we get a positive result in both, it puts us a bit further ahead. If we don’t, we’re going to be probably in a scrap.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Will Luxton is set to continue at the top of Yorkshire’s batting order.
“First game back after a long break, I always think you can get some odd things happening, especially after The Hundred and the 50-overs. So we’re going to have to start well.
“It looks very dry down there. Just looking at some of the pitches, they were dry when we were there for the T20. So it’ll be interesting to see what surface we get. You’d think they’d need to win three or four games, so it probably will be a result pitch.”
Make no mistake, Yorkshire owe Hampshire one.
Hampshire won the reverse Championship fixture at Headingley in April, then again in the Vitality Blast at Southampton’s Utilita Bowl in June and also at Scarborough last month in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.
In the Championship game at Headingley, Yorkshire were beaten by 214 runs. South African new-ball seamer Kyle Abbott claimed 10 wickets in the match, which was memorably followed by some stinging comments from McGrath.
“We’ve had a couple of those this year, haven’t we,” he reflected. “Particularly the Hampshire game, Warwickshire and Leicestershire.
“But Hampshire was a strange one. We just didn’t put any fight up with bat or ball, really, and it was a difficult one to stomach.
Picture by John Heald. Ben Coad has not played a Championship match since Hampshire at Headingley in April due to a side injury.
“We know we can play better, which we showed against Surrey and Warwickshire at Scarborough. For us, in this form of cricket, it’s about consistency because we want to be looking up and trying to have a really positive finish.”
This is the first match in the Championship since late June, when Yorkshire were beaten inside three days by Leicestershire at Grace Road.
Since then, the county have suffered quarter-final defeats in both the Vitality Blast and the One-Day Cup, the latter against Nottinghamshire at York last week.
Hampshire were beaten finalists in the Blast by Northamptonshire before failing to qualify for the knockout stages of the One-Day Cup.
They won their last Championship match, away against Sussex at Hove inside three days.
Overseas seamer Abbott is the leading wicket-taker in Division One with 39 to date.
HAMPSHIRE v YORKSHIRE, FIRST CLASS CRICKET 1895-August 1st 2026 – STAT PACK
NB: Southampton means Rose Bowl, Ageas Bowl, etc except where NR (Northlands Road) is shown.
Results (home & away): County Championship: Played 181; Yorkshire won 75, Hampshire won 24, drawn 82 (Abandoned 1) Non-Championship: Match drawn at Scarborough in 1961.
At Southampton: Played 38; Yorkshire won 14, Hampshire won 4, drawn 20.
Most recent results: 2026 at Headingley, Hampshire won by 214 runs; 2025 at Southampton, Hampshire won by 5 wkts; most recent Yorkshire win – 2019 at Southampton, won by an innings and 44 runs; most recent draw – 2021 at Southampton.
Most consecutive wins: Yorkshire 7 (1900-05 and 1950-54), Hampshire 4 (2022-26)
Two wins in a season: Yorkshire 14 times, Hampshire twice
Highest innings totals: For Yorkshire, 593-9dec at Headingley in 2016. For Hampshire, 599-3dec at Southampton in 2011.
Lowest innings totals: For Yorkshire, 23 at Middlesbrough in 1965. For Hampshire, 36 at Southampton (NR) in 1898 and at Headingley in 1904.
Highest individual score: For Yorkshire, 302* by P Holmes at Portsmouth in 1920. For Hampshire, 300* by MA Carberry at Southampton in 2011 – one of only two triple- centuries ever scored against Yorkshire.
Highest partnerships: For Yorkshire, 347 for the first wicket between P Holmes (302*) and H Sutcliffe (131) at Portsmouth in 1920. For Hampshire, 523 for the third wicket between MA Carberry (300*) and ND McKenzie (237) at Southampton in 2011; this is the highest stand ever made against Yorkshire.
Best bowling figures (innings): For Yorkshire, 9-29 by AC Williams at Dewsbury in 1919. For Hampshire, 8-49 by OW Herman at Bournemouth in 1930.
Best bowling figures (match): For Yorkshire, 14-43, (8-21 & 6-22) by S Haigh at Southampton (NR) in 1898; For Hampshire, 12-145 (7-78 & 5-67) by D Shackleton at Bradford in 1962.
Hat tricks: No instances by either county in this series.
Most dismissals in a match by a wicket-keeper: For Yorkshire, RJ Blakey 8 (all caught) at Southampton in 1989. For Hampshire, AJA Wheater 7 (all caught) at Headingley in 2016.
Most dismissals in an innings by a wicket-keeper: For Yorkshire, 5 seven times, firstly by D Hunter (4 ct 1 st) at Portsmouth in 1904, and most recently by AJ Hodd (4 ct 1 st) at Southampton in 2015. For Hampshire, 5 by N Pothas (5 ct) at Southampton in 2004, by N Pothas (5 ct) at Southampton in 2010 and by MD Bates (5 ct) at Southampton in 2012
Most catches in an innings by a fielder: 5 by FWD Quinton (Hampshire) at Harrogate in 1896. No instance of 5 or more for Yorkshire.
Most catches in a match by a fielder: 7 by T Kohler-Cadmore (Yorkshire) at Southampton in 2019. No instance of 6 or more for Hampshire.
A hundred runs and 10 wickets in a match: EP Robinson (Yorkshire) 108 and 7-25 and 4-60 at Bradford 1930. No instance for Hampshire.
A century and five wickets in an innings in a match: For Yorkshire GH Hirst 152 and 5-95 and 2-43 at Portsmouth in 1904; W Rhodes 135 and 6-66 at Dewsbury in 1919; AU Rashid 110* and 2-78 & 6-51at Southampton in 2016. No instances for Hampshire.
A century and five dismissals in an innings by a wicket-keeper: For Yorkshire, GL Brophy 13 and 100* and 5 ct and 1 ct at Southampton in 2007. No instance for Hampshire.
At Southampton…
Highest innings totals: Yorkshire 554-7dec in 2019, Hampshire 599-3dec in 2011.
Lowest innings totals: Yorkshire 107 in 2008, Hampshire 36 (NR) in 1898.
Highest individual score: For Yorkshire, 243 by PA Jaques in 2004, For Hampshire, 300* by MA Carberry in 2011.
Best bowling figures (innings): For Yorkshire 8-21 (NR) by S Haigh in 1898. For Hampshire, 7-97 (NR) by T Soar in 1896.
Best bowling figures (match): For Yorkshire 14-43 (8-21 & 6-22) (NR) by S Haigh in 1898. For Hampshire, 10-178 (3-81 & 7-97) (NR) by T Soar in 1896.
Compiled by Paul Dyson, Peter Horne and Martyn Webster – members of the Association of Cricket Statisticians & Historians.
