Fin Bean scored a magnificent maiden first-team century on day two of Yorkshire’s pre-season friendly clash with Leeds/Bradford MCC Universities today, the developing opener reaching three figures with a six.
“If you asked all of them, aside from Bessy, they haven’t yet had the volume of time in the middle,” said assistant coach Ali Maiden ahead of day two.
“If you asked them, they’re all playing well. But there’s a difference between playing well for 40 minutes and playing well for four hours so that you can get a hundred.
“The second innings will be really key.”
And so it proved, as Bean – like Dom Bess had done in the first innings during yesterday’s opened day – tonned up in grand style to give Yorkshire a lead approaching 500 heading into tomorrow’s final day. He retired out with 105 off 100 balls after tea, including seven sixes. Yorkshire closed on 266-5 from 51 second-innings overs.
Day two at Headingley started with the students 17-5 in their first-innings reply to 323-7 declared.
Ben Coad had taken all five of them late on day one, but he initially made way today for others to get overs in their legs.
Mickey Edwards struck in his second over of the day, trapping Nick Keast lbw, and finished with a useful 1-17 from six overs as Yorkshire fans got their first real look at the big Australian fast bowler.
In being bowled out for 96 on the stroke of lunch, Leeds/Bradford lost a couple of wickets to Matthew Revis, while Jordan Thompson and Matt Milnes also struck. Tail-ender Joe Pocklington was the students’ lone hand with a determined 34 not out.
Coad did come back to bowl five more overs at the cost of as many runs, finishing with eye-catching figures of 5-17 from 10.
He looks in fine fettle ahead of Leicestershire at Headingley on Thursday.
The same can be said for openers Adam Lyth and Bean, the left-handers who shared 146 for the first wicket in the second innings as they expanded Yorkshire’s lead to 373 through the afternoon and into the evening.
Lyth made 78 off 110 balls. His first of two sixes was pulled off the seam of Stanley Brown to reach a fifty in 78 balls before he retired out to give others time at the crease.
Bean carried on and was savage against spin. All seven sixes were slog-swept – one could maybe be described as a pull in the glorious Headingley sunshine.
His magnificent seventh six got him to 100 off 99 balls, and he too retired out shortly afterwards.
James Wharton finished the day with a pleasing 35 not out, while George Hill (4), Revis (12) and Thompson all fell conventionally late in the day, which ended with Yorkshire 493 runs ahead.
Thompson pulled and whipped two sixes in a 17-ball 21.
But Bean, the 20-year-old second-team record breaker, was the day’s big winner.
It may not have been the 441 he scored in the seconds last year, but it could prove to be just as important if he transfers this kind of knock into the competitive stuff over the next week or two.
