Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Jonny Tattersall starred with career best scores as Yorkshire closed in on an innings victory over Leeds/Bradford MCC Universities on day two the first-class friendly at Weetwood.
Kohler-Cadmore posted his seventh first-class century, his third in his last eight innings dating back to the end of last summer, and he went on to register 176 out of Yorkshire’s imposing first-innings 489-8 declared from 112 overs.
As the county replied to 119, Kohler-Cadmore and Tattersall shared 213 for the fifth wicket either side of lunch as they advanced from 165-4.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Tattersall registered his maiden first-class century shortly after Kohler-Cadmore had fallen midway through the afternoon and finished with 135 not out off 211 balls.
Leeds/Bradford started their second innings 370 behind immediately after tea and reached close on 91-3.
The hosts actually kept Yorkshire’s scoring rate in check for large parts of the morning, led by left-arm seamer Andrew Neal, who bowled Jack Leaning (20) inside the first 10 minutes of play and finished with 3-77.
But, as the confidence grew, Kohler-Cadmore in particular cut loose.
He smashed a pavilion window with a straight six off the left-arm spin of Josh Haynes and later pulled a full toss from Angus Dahl’s leg-spin over the ropes at deep mid-wicket.
Kohler-Cadmore reached his hundred off 168 balls before lunch and his 150 off 220 shortly after the break.
The England Lions man fell caught at long-off to Darren Ironside’s off-spin having hit the two previous balls for a straight four and six over long-on. That left Yorkshire at 378-5 in the 89th over.
In all, the 24-year-old hit 20 fours and three sixes in 235 balls.
Tattersall was more circumspect as he attempted to convert his third first-class fifty into a maiden ton.
He, like Kohler-Cadmore, rarely looked in trouble against an attack which tried manfully but lacked potency on this slow surface.
Tattersall, also aged 24, had to navigate the nineties against the second new ball, by which stage Yorkshire’s lead had gone beyond 250 in chilly conditions.
Tattersall reached three figures off 161 balls with eleven fours, coinciding with the White Rose passing 400.
Had the sole aim of this match been to win, there is a good chance they would have declared at that stage with the lead at 285.
But time at the crease for the likes of Matthew Waite, who made 15, and Steve Patterson was going to be useful ahead of Friday’s Specsavers County Championship opener against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.
Waite fell when he edged Neal behind as the score fell to 404-6 after 97 overs before Patterson hit an entertaining 39, ended when he miscued a catch to mid-off against the spin of Haynes – 475-7.
Mat Pillans then slapped a catch to mid-off, falling for three to Ironside, shortly afterwards.
Ben Coad and Duanne Olivier later struck three times in the space of five balls in the ninth and tenth overs of the students’ second innings, with Coad on a hat-trick for the second time in the match.
Coad trapped Taylor Cornall lbw shouldering arms and had Oliver Batchelor caught behind before Olivier trapped Haynes lbw as the score fell to 30-3.
Dahl and Saad Ashraf closed unbeaten on 31 and 30 respectively having shared 61 unbroken for the fourth wicket.
