Yorkshire enjoyed an extremely productive first day of the new season against Leeds/Bradford MCC Universities at Weetwood, led by Matthew Waite’s maiden five-wicket haul.
Waite returned 5-16 from 12 overs as the students were bowled out for 119 inside 50 overs, slipping from 88-3 shortly after lunch having elected to bat first.
Duanne Olivier claimed two wickets on debut, including his 400th first-class career wicket, and improved as the innings went on.
Ben Coad later picked up the last three wickets in four balls before Tom Kohler-Cadmore underpinned a healthy response with an unbeaten 64 off 100 balls.
The White Rose will begin day two on 164-3 from 41 overs.
Although Yorkshire dominated on a chilly day, Leeds/Bradford weren’t completely over-run and had fleeting moments of success.
Captain Angus Dahl played nicely for 46 before he was Coad’s first wicket, caught at second slip fending at a short ball.
And Josh Holling and Stephen Cantwell removed Yorkshire openers Harry Brook and Adam Lyth in the teens in successive overs as the county’s reply fell to 31-2.
Kohler-Cadmore then batted unbroken through to close from just before tea, playing confidently ahead of Friday’s County Championship opener against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.
Waite and Olivier extracted life from a sluggish pitch.
Olivier made the initial breakthrough by forcing Taylor Cornall to play on – wicket number 400 – but the pacy South African had early problems with the foot holes. He even fell heavily as he got into his delivery stride inside the first hour of play.
However, he was particularly dangerous after lunch – as Yorkshire were in general – and finished with 2-38 from 14 overs.
Waite was the pick of the bowlers after benefitting from a winter of grade cricket in Sydney where, ironically, he didn’t bowl as much as he would have wanted before Christmas for Bankstown.
The 23-year-old had struck twice before lunch with his bustling seamers, getting Oliver Batchelor caught behind and opener Josh Haynes (20) lbw with a full in-swinger as the score fell to 49-3 in the 24th over.
He then picked up his third and fourth wickets in the 35th over, his first after lunch after Olivier had begun proceedings.
Waite yorked Saad Ashraf for 24 with his first ball of the session and then trapped Darren Ironside lbw as he shouldered arms – 88-5.
Olivier had former Yorkshire second-team wicketkeeper Johnny Read caught in the slips as he fended at a short ball and looped a simple catch to Jack Leaning, the score now 93-6 in the 40th.
Shortly afterwards, Waite’s fifth came as Andrew Neal nibbled at one outside off-stump and edged behind to Jonny Tattersall – 102-7.
Captain Dahl then fell early in the 50th over to Coad, although he indicated that it had been forearm rather than glove which had deflected a catch Lyth’s way.
Holling was bowled next ball before Cantwell chipped the hat-trick ball just wide of Steve Patterson at mid-off. Coad, however, had Josh Fallows caught behind with his next ball.
Brook played some eye-catching strokes through the covers at the start of Yorkshire’s response before falling caught behind down leg for 17 off Holling, with Lyth trapped lbw in the next over by Cantwell as the score fell to 31-2 in the eighth.
Kohler-Cadmore and Gary Ballance, who made 39, then shared 88 either side of tea for the third wicket before the latter slapped Neal to point – 119-3 in the 25th.
Kohler-Cadmore reached his fifty off 72 balls with eight fours. Jack Leaning is unbeaten on 20.