Yorkshire enjoyed a stunning seven-wicket afternoon with the ball followed by a brilliant evening with the bat on day two at Scarborough as they seized control of their LV= Insurance County Championship clash with Derbyshire.
Jordan Thompson and Matthew Fisher finished with three wickets apiece as Derbyshire, responding to a first-innings 297, slipped from 173-3 to 247 all out.
Openers Adam Lyth and Fin Bean then built on the home side’s lead of 50 after tea, continuing their excellent recent form with an opening partnership of 100 en-route to a close of play 179-2 from 38 overs – a lead of 229.
This was their sixth successive stand above 50 in the Championship. Lyth made 43 and Bean 64.
Yorkshire are now on course for their second Division Two win of the season, backing up June’s success against this same opponent at Chesterfield.
Derbyshire veteran Wayne Madsen top-scored with 93 off 140 balls, backed up by opener Mitch Wagstaff’s 52.
Thirty-nine-year-old Madsen shone in his 200th first-class appearance for Derbyshire, while Wagstaff, aged 20, posted his maiden fifty in only his second first-class match.
Thompson finished with Yorkshire’s best figures – 3-48 from 20.1 overs.
But Fisher stood out during the afternoon and was the one to engineer the collapse amidst a fast and accurate five-over spell which brought two key wickets.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Matthew Fisher bowls Anuj Dal.
Madsen and Wagstaff both reached their fifties before lunch, where Derbyshire reached at 149-3.
Left-hander Wagstaff advanced from 32 overnight and brought up his landmark off 99 balls.
Madsen was much swifter – reaching his fifty off 67 balls, including a lofted six over long-on as he shimmied down the pitch at Ben Coad.
Yorkshire made the ideal start to day two when Thompson had Brooke Guest caught behind to leave Derbyshire at 47-2. But the visitors held firm.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Jordan Thompson (c) is congratulated on dismissing Leus du Plooy.
Wagstaff was the only other morning departure when he miscued a pull at Fisher to square-leg – 103-3 in the 33rd over.
Madsen and captain Leus du Plooy, Derbyshire’s two best and most experienced batters, then shared 70 either side of lunch.
Yorkshire believed they had removed du Plooy on 20 when an appeal from Thompson for caught behind was turned down by umpire Neil Pratt just before lunch.
When Thompson did get du Plooy for 30 after lunch courtesy of a good low catch by George Hill at first slip, leaving the score at 173-4 in the 51st over, his celebration indicated relief and frustration as much as it did joy.
Thankfully, that wicket changed the momentum – and it proved the first of the seven-star afternoon.
Despite Madsen remaining, Fisher blew away two of his partners, Matt Lamb and Anuj Dal, in successive overs as the score slipped to 193-6 in the 59th. Both men were beaten for pace with deliveries which kept a touch low – Lamb losing his off-stump and Dal seeing his off and middle disturbed.
Understandably, Madsen’s rhythm was interrupted.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Wayne Madsen.
Despite having beautifully driven Coad down the ground for four, he crept through the eighties and into the nineties
Further success for Yorkshire came courtesy of Matthew Revis, who bowled Alex Thomson through the gate with a nip-backer.
And when Hill had Madsen caught in the gully seven short of a century, Derbyshire were 209-8 in the 68th over.
Zak Chappell and Sam Conners – 20 and 15 – then belligerently added some useful runs for Derbyshire.
But both were caught trying to attack late in the afternoon. Conners was caught behind off a top-edged pull at Revis (2-38) before Chappell failed to clear Shan Masood at mid-off against Thompson.
Bean and Lyth then completely dominated during the evening, trading boundaries.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Adam Lyth and Fin Bean celebrate their century stand at Scarborough.
Derbyshire looked completely flat, as if the stuffing had been knocked out of them by their afternoon collapse.
Since the second innings of the late June draw against Gloucestershire at Headingley, Bean and Lyth have shared partnerships of 73, 177, 94, 113, 59 and now 100.
This century stand came inside 21 overs. Bean reached his fifty off 61 balls, only to lose Lyth caught at slip by Madsen as he looked to take off-spinner Thomson over the top.
Shortly afterwards, he was run out backing up by Thomson, who got a hand on a crisp James Wharton straight drive and deflected it onto the stumps – 116-2 in the 25th.
Wharton and Masood then continued the dominance of Bean and Lyth, ensuring there was no further alarm before close. The latter even lofted Thomson for two sumptuous sixes over long-on in an unbeaten 41. Wharton finished 21 amidst a 63-run partnership.
