Picture by John Heald. George Hill breaks the 154 partnership between Matt Critchley and Michael Pepper, trapping the latter lbw with the last ball before tea.
Essex’s fifth-wicket duo Matt Critchley and Michael Pepper frustrated Yorkshire during the first two sessions of today’s final day by sharing a determined 154 partnership at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground as they helped to turn a likely defeat into a draw.
Patient and determined Yorkshire started the day in pole position to claim a second win at the fifth attempt in this season’s Rothesay County Championship. Chasing 520, Essex were 64-4 from 27 overs overnight.
However, all-rounder Critchley and wicketkeeper-batter Pepper batted through all but the first two sessions of a baking hot Chelmsford day, including against the second new ball, and helped their side close on 273-9 from 133 overs in a thrilling finish.
Pepper was lbw to the last ball before tea, from the outstanding George Hill, for 68 off 229 balls, while Critchley fell shortly after tea for 75 to the same man.
Essex later slipped to 251-9 with 38 minutes of play remaining, but last pair Simon Harmer and Jamie Porter survived 82 balls with a host of catchers around the bat.
Picture by John Heald. Dom Bess and Yorkshire were frustrated late on day four at Chelmsford.
Both counties claimed 11 points apiece from a fascinating contest.
Yorkshire’s second draw of 2025 was added to a win and two defeats, and their dominance across days two and three wasn’t rewarded.
The White Rose have moved up to seventh in the Division One table on 53 points ahead of this coming Friday’s clash with champions Surrey at the Kia Oval. They are third.
This result was a significant triumph for an Essex side who were behind the game from tea-time on day one onwards. Having been bowled out for 216 in the first innings, Yorkshire roared back with gusto to bowl Essex out for 123 and claim a 93-run lead. They then built on it with a second-innings total of 426-6 declared.
In league cricket terms, you may say this was a winning draw for Yorkshire even though the points gained don’t suggest so.
Picture by John Heald. Dan Moriarty celebrates the dismissal of Kasun Rajitha, the ninth wicket to fall.
Hill with a career best 9-77 from 37.4 overs in the match, including a first-innings 6-51, and Adam Lyth with a second-innings 185 were Yorkshire’s standout performers. Jack White also impressed with 4-43 in the second innings.
But significant credit should be given to Pepper and Critchley, who came together late last night with the hosts tottering on 45-4 in the 17th over of the innings.
Yorkshire didn’t bowl badly by any stretch of the imagination. But they were thwarted by resilience on a deadening pitch.
Chances were few and far between as Critchley and Pepper united for just short of five hours and 76.2 overs.
While the pair dug in for the majority of their alliance, there were flashes of aggression. Before lunch, for example, Pepper twice hoisted the off-spin of Dom Bess over the leg-side for six.
Picture by John Heald. Simon Harmer defends the last ballot the match from Dan Moriarty.
The pair shared in the contest’s highest partnership, beating the 153 Lyth and James Wharton shared for the second wicket in Yorkshire’s second innings.
Both reached their fifties during the afternoon, Pepper first.
Essex resilience placed increased importance on the introduction of the new ball, which came with the score at 180-4 and a minimum of 43 overs remaining in the day.
That Yorkshire had bowled with spinners Dom Bess, Dan Moriarty and Lyth for a significant period meant we were always likely to get more overs than the day’s allotted 96.
The breakthrough came with the last ball of the afternoon, at the end of the 93rd over of the innings, when Hill had Pepper lbw stuck on the crease, leaving the score at 199-5.
Picture by John Heald. George Hill and James Wharton (l) celebrate the dismissal of Matt Critchley just after tea, leaving Essex seven down.
One wicket brought two and then three, as Essex slipped to 206-7 in the 97th.
Bess’s off-spin bowled Noah Thain through the gate for one shortly after tea. Three balls later, Hill had Critchley caught by captain Jonny Bairstow, his sixth catch of the match added to a second-innings 79 with the bat.
Yorkshire were jubilant.
Shane Snater, however, faced 30 balls to delay things before being trapped lbw by White – 212-8 in the 107th over.
Sri Lankan overseas seamer Kasun Rajitha also delayed things with 21 before he was bowled through the gate by a beauty from Moriarty – 251-9 in the 120th. And then Harmer (32 not out) and Porter decisively resisted against seam and spin for 13.4 overs, the last of which was bowled by Moriarty.
