An entertaining ninth-wicket partnership of 35 from Ben Coad and Jordan Thompson ensured Yorkshire secured a third batting bonus point at the end of their LV= Insurance County Championship draw with Kent at Emerald Headingley.
A wet outfield delayed play until 2.45pm, with 47 overs scheduled. Yorkshire advanced their first-innings reply to 305 from 240-5 from 77 overs to 321 all out inside 106.
But they slipped to 269-8 at tea before Coad and Thompson freed their arms in almost 15 overs together. Coad finished with a run-a-ball unbeaten 33 and Thompson 18.
The two sides were playing out day four for bonus points alone.
The White Rose started needing 160 runs in 33 overs for the full five batting points. Kent required four more wickets for three bowling points.
Unbeaten Yorkshire finished with 13 points and remain second in Group Three behind Lancashire at the halfway stage of the campaign, which has seen them win three and draw two so far.
Kent, without a win and bottom of the table, finished with 14 points.
Seamer Nathan Gilchrist, 20, secured figures of 4-74 from 18 overs and bowled nicely. They were his first wickets in only his second first-class appearance.
Gary Ballance was run out for 96, four runs short of a 41st career first-class century and a first since July 2019, while Dom Bess was bowled by Darren Stevens for 15 in the early stages of play.
Ballance was short of his ground at the striker’s end following a direct hit from Marcus O’Riordan at backward point. The decision to go for a single would seem to have been Ballance’s.
Bess had his off stump removed by Stevens for 15 shortly afterwards as Yorkshire slipped to 256-7 in the 92nd over.
Thompson and Steve Patterson tried to play positively, but Kent bowled well with the new ball.
And they were further rewarded when Gilchrist had Patterson caught behind at the start of the final over of the afternoon, leaving the White Rose at 269-8 in the 97th over.
This is expected to be the final day of cricket at Headingley without a crowd present, and it was largely played under floodlights.
After tea, Coad hit four boundaries in his first 12 balls at the crease to help secure a third batting point at 300.
A lovely back foot punch through the covers off Gilchrist was the pick of them.
Gilchrist had Thompson caught behind (304-9) in the 101st over before a bad light delay at 5pm was interpreted by some as the end of the fixture.
Play resumed and Duanne Olivier was last man out off Jack Leaning’s off-spin – caught at long-on – to signal a draw.
Yorkshire are back in action against Glamorgan at Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens, starting on Thursday.
