Fin Bean continued his excellent breakthrough summer by completing a third LV= Insurance County Championship century – a career best 135 – on day two against Worcestershire at New Road, dodging more rain in the process.
The opener, 21, advanced from 69 not out overnight to reach his latest century off 140 balls during a morning session which started at 11.15am and had a second brief interruption.
Yorkshire advanced from 154-0 in 33.3 overs overnight to 407 all out, also including George Hill’s 53 and 5-100 from seamer Adam Finch.
Worcestershire then responded with 46-2 from 13 overs before close, new ball duo Matthew Fisher and Ben Coad striking. Bad light stopped played with eight overs remaining, despite the sun shining.
Bean shared 177 for the first wicket with Adam Lyth, who only added two runs this morning and fell for 79 when trapped lbw by Ben Gibbon.
Left-handed Bean scored centuries against Leicestershire and Gloucestershire at Headingley previously this summer, his first full campaign at the top of Yorkshire’s order having debuted briefly last season.
He drove particularly handsomely and, having reached his ton, twice slog swept left-arm spinner Josh Baker for six in the same over.
Credit to Worcestershire. They were off colour with the ball during yesterday’s first day, but led by former Yorkshire all-rounder Matthew Waite and then Finch they improved significantly today and enjoyed success in useful bowling conditions.
Waite claimed two of the first three wickets to fall, with James Wharton trapped lbw for 18 and debutant Ryan Rickelton caught behind pushing forwards for six. That left Yorkshire are 234-3 in the 55th over.
Having been inserted in tricky conditions, Yorkshire will be delighted with this position in the game and they can now push on for a second win of the season during the next two days.
But, in isolation, Worcestershire had the better of this day’s play, threatening Yorkshire’s pursuit of 450 and the maximum five batting points when it had looked certain at the start of play.
Bean had hit 17 fours and two sixes by the time he was lbw playing to leg against his 180th delivery, sent down by Finch. 275-4 after 63 overs.
Hill took on the lead role from Bean, backing up the century he scored against Gloucestershire at Headingley last time out.
While Bean slog swept Baker for two sixes, Hill lofted the same man for an arrow straight six en-route to a 55-ball half-century.
But the left-arm spinner gained revenge when he had him caught behind – 327-6 in the 74th. His departure followed quickly after Jonny Tattersall had been trapped lbw by Finch.
Finch gained further success when Fisher edged behind an over after Hill fell – 330-7 in the 75th over.
Thankfully, Coad and Matthew Revis shared 69 inside 14 overs to take the score up towards the 400-mark, with Coad crashing four of his five boundaries through the off side in 41 off 39 balls.
When he was caught at mid-off against the bowling of Gibbon (with the new ball), Yorkshire were 399-8 in the 88th.
A fourth batting bonus point was secured before Finch bowled Mark Steketee and had Revis caught at mid-off for 31, leaving Worcestershire with an hour and a half’s batting to do before close.
And they lost wicketkeeper-opener Gareth Roderick with the 20th ball of the innings, caught at third slip by Bean as he felt for one which left him and offered a chest high catch – 11-1.
Further reward came Yorkshire’s way when captain Jake Libby turned a Coad delivery off his hip and was sharply caught by Wharton, an excellent reflex catch, as the score fell to 15-2 in the seventh over.
Pakistan Test batter Azhar Ali and Jack Haynes will resume on 14 and 12 respectively tomorrow, and there was no play beyond 6.45pm. Twenty nine overs were lost from the day’s allotted 104.
