Yorkshire have wrapped up their pre-season friendly programme with a dominant draw against Leeds/Bradford MCC Universities at sunny Headingley, though the students enjoyed success with the bat during today’s final day.
The county set the visitors an out of the question 569 to win shortly before lunch on day three, and they finished 253-7 from 58 overs.
Matthew Fisher returned an encouraging 1-20 from eight overs either side of lunch as the fast bowler continues his recovery from a broken hand suffered on England Lions duty in Sri Lanka in February.
He is targeting full fitness for the second round LV= Insurance County Championship match against Gloucestershire at Bristol next week having not batted or fielded in this fixture.
Ben Mike claimed two wickets, including Yorkshire team-mate Harry Duke – a student in Leeds, but wicketkeeper Tom Keast later attacked against the former Leicestershire man on the way to an eye-catching 86 off 73 balls. Tom’s brother Nic also added a useful 42.
Yorkshire’s big winners from this fixture were centurions Dom Bess and Fin Bean and Ben Coad with his five wickets in the first innings, all three performances coming during the first two days.
Yorkshire started today on 266-5 in their second innings, a lead of 493.
That score was advanced to 341-9 declared shortly before lunch, thanks mainly to James Wharton making his way to 49 and fast bowlers Matt Milnes (39) and Mickey Edwards (17). The latter two clubbed sixes over long-on.
Milnes was caught at mid-on off Kurtis Watson’s seam, the same bowler later getting Coad caught at cover.
Edwards was caught at long-off against the spin of Nic Keast, the declaration coming immediately.
The Leeds/Bradford innings started with Fisher taking the new ball, and he was the first of eight bowlers used.
Fisher did not bowl in the first innings and did not bat or field in this fixture, but bowled today with the permission of the visiting side.
Yorkshire also took the field with Harry Duke behind the stumps.
Duke had been called upon with Jonny Tattersall off the field as a precaution having taken a knock to the hand yesterday.
Duke swapped sides twice again later in the day, first coming back to the crease to bat when the students were 74-2.
Bean took the wicketkeeping gloves before Duke kept wicket for Yorkshire again after tea. The manoeuvring was able to happen due to this fixture’s non-first-class status.
Fisher bowled his eight overs either side of lunch and had Sam Dorsey – the right-hander squared up – caught low down at fourth slip by Jordan Thompson as the score fell 27-1 in the ninth over.
Matthew Revis also squared Zac Perren (25) up, this time the edge ballooning up off the shoulder of the bat to Bess at gully – 74-2 in the 24th.
Duke made 18 but was the second of Mike’s two wickets when he played on (115-4). Mike’s first had seen him uproot the off-stump of opener Henry Dobson for a determined 43.
Tom Keast hoisted Bess over long-on for six and pulled Mike over the ropes in the latter stages of the afternoon, and later reached his fifty off 34 balls.
He dominated a half-century partnership with USA international Abhishek Paradkar, who was smartly caught by Milnes running back from mid-off having tried to take Bess over the top – 182-5.
He then shared 66 with brother Nic before holing out to Coad at mid-off (248-6). Nic later fell lbw to Bess as the game drew to a close.
Yorkshire begin their Championship campaign against Leicestershire at Headingley on Thursday.
