MATCH CENTRE 

Seam duo Mickey Edwards and George Hill contributed three wickets apiece as Yorkshire bowled Glamorgan out for 245 before suffering a damaging late collapse with the bat late on day one of the LV= Insurance County Championship match at Headingley.

On the day Jonny Bairstow made his welcome return to competitive action after more than eight months out injured, the England star claiming three catches behind the stumps, Australian Edwards had a significant impact on his home debut with 3-54 from 15 overs.

Hill pretty much matched him with 3-62 from 14.5, while Ben Coad, who had a mixed day, struck twice. But Yorkshire closed on 62-5 from 22 overs in their first-innings reply. Bairstow came in at seven behind two night-watchmen and finished two not out off seven balls.

Coad’s wickets came with the new ball this morning, including his 200th in Championship cricket in his 51st appearance, but he left the field after lunch clutching his right groin.

Australian Test star Marnus Labuschagne top-scored for Glamorgan with a doughty 65 under an overcast sky, while former Yorkshire loanee Sam Northeast made 49.

Bairstow moved freely behind the stumps and his trio of catches stood out for different reasons.

His first was four balls into the day when David Lloyd feathered behind a big booming drive at Coad, his second after lunch was a one-handed stunner to help Hill remove Kiran Carlson and his third helped the same bowler get rid of Labuschagne not long afterwards.

The catches of Lloyd and Labuschagne were regulation, while the catch of Carlson was anything but. After an inside-edge from Hill’s bowling, Bairstow flung himself to his left and held on one-handed. At that stage, Glamorgan were 135-4.

Jonny Bairstow

Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Jonny Bairstow

After electing to bowl first, Yorkshire enjoyed success on a green-tinged pitch with some ill-advised Glamorgan strokeplay helping their cause. Lloyd’s early drive was the obvious example. 

But make no mistake, this wasn’t a dominant, one-way traffic kind of day for a Yorkshire attack which employed only seam and left off-spinner Dom Bess unused.

From 1-2 and 174-7 shortly before tea, the Welshmen will be satisfied with their first-innings total.

Northeast and Labuschagne shared 81 for the third wicket through until early afternoon, and they both gave Yorkshire chances in the slips. Northeast survived on nine and the Australian on 23. 

Edwards was also convinced he had his compatriot caught behind on 10, though umpire Ian Blackwell was unmoved.

Labuschagne struck 10 fours in 166 balls, and his approach was as far removed as possible from the Bazball style of batting he is likely to see from England in this summer’s Ashes, starting next month. But it was wholly understandable.

The conditions favoured the bowlers, and he was losing partners with reasonable regularity.

After Coad’s morning wickets of Lloyd caught behind and fellow opener Andrew Salter lbw, Yorkshire struck six times after lunch as Glamorgan fell from 83-2 to reach tea at 215-8.

Edwards struck three balls into the afternoon when Northeast, one short of his fifty, misjudged a short ball and edged high to third slip off his bat handle as he tried to leave alone.

Hill then got Carlson and determined Labuschagne caught behind before Chris Cooke clipped Jordan Thompson to mid-wicket, leaving the score at 161-6 in the 53rd over.

Edwards bowled fellow Aussie Michael Neser as he left alone and then had Billy Root caught at backward point -199-8 in the 60th over.

Mickey Edwards

Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Mickey Edwards

After tea, Matthew Fisher had James Harris caught at second slip by captain Adam Lyth and Hill’s third wrapped up the innings when Jamie McIlroy was victim to a fine third slip catch by Fin Bean diving to his right in the 72nd over.

Catchers Lyth and Bean were then back in action to begin Yorkshire’s reply.

Lyth had made his way to 17 before being trapped lbw by Timm van der Gugten as the score slipped to 21-1 in the sixth over.

Dutch international van der Gugten had earlier hit a useful unbeaten 35 down the order for the visitors, and he was not done. He also bowled Bean for 11 before close (46-2 in the 14th).

Australian Neser then trapped Saud Shakeel lbw for 19, leaving Yorkshire at 51-3 in the 18th. It was the first of three late wickets for Neser as he had both night-watchmen, Edwards and Fisher, caught in the slips in the 20th over, leaving Bairstow and Dawid Malan to see out the day.

 

 

 

 

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