Adam Lyth and Fin Bean made the absolute most of only 33.3 overs of play possible on day one at Worcestershire as Yorkshire raced out of the blocks at New Road.
Rain meant there was just over a session’s worth of play at the start of this LV= Insurance County Championship fixture, Yorkshire’s seventh of the season.
Yorkshire reached 154-0, with Lyth on 77 and Bean 69 having been invited to bat first under an overcast sky.
There was a three hours and 50-minute delay between 1.55pm and 5.45pm.
When play resumed, only 3.3 overs of play were possible before umpires David Millns and Chris Watts took the players off for bad light and called an end to day.
The century plus opening stand was Yorkshire’s highest for the first wicket since Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Shaun Marsh shared 162 in the first innings of a September 2017 draw against Surrey at the Kia Oval.
The pair played nicely, both particularly strong on the drive.
Worcestershire failed to make the most of winning the toss and electing to bowl on a pitch with a slight green tinge to it.
Not only did they err with the ball, they dropped three catches in 15 minutes just after a 10-minute rain break at midday. Bean was dropped on 28 and 41 and then Lyth also on 41.
The first two were in the gully and at slip and Lyth’s at second slip. Former Yorkshire all-rounder Matthew Waite was frustrated twice.
Lyth’s reprieve allowed him to cut the next ball for four to move to 45 and 13,000 first-class career runs.
Both men reached their half-centuries before lunch as Yorkshire reached 132-0 after 27 overs, Bean’s coming first off 67 balls and then Lyth’s off 75.
Worcestershire’s prolificacy was highlighted by the fact they conceded 24 boundaries, 15 of them hit by Lyth. Waite was the pick of their bowlers with 0-21 from 10 overs.
Yorkshire named an initial 14-man squad for this fixture, including Dom Bess, who joined home county Somerset on a one-game loan yesterday. He is playing for them against Hampshire at Taunton this week.
Will Luxton and Jordan Thompson were the other two to miss out from the squad.
International duo Shan Masood and Dawid Malan are both unavailable. Masood is on Pakistan Test duty and Malan is resting.
South African batter Ryan Rickelton is playing his first of three Championship games on a short-term overseas deal. The left-hander is carded to bat at number four behind James Wharton.
Ben Coad has returned to the side having missed the recent home draw with Gloucestershire at Headingley.
Should Lyth and Bean build on their partnership tomorrow morning, they could post the county’s first double century opening stand since July 2014 when Lyth and Alex Lees posted 270 against Durham at Headingley. That contributed to the first of back-to-back Championship titles.
PHOTOS (John Heald Photography): Matthew Waite and Adam Lyth.
