Centurions Fin Bean and George Hill helped Yorkshire make a flying start to their LV= Insurance County Championship clash with Gloucestershire at Headingley, the hosts closing on 393-6 from 91 overs.
Bean’s second career century, 114 off 153 balls, was backed up by Hill’s third in the Championship. This was Bean’s second ton of the summer, but Hill’s first.
Yorkshire benefitted from an off-colour bowling performance from a visiting attack who failed to apply sustained pressure with the Kookaburra ball before rain accounted for the loss of five overs late in the day.
Left-handed Bean, 21-years-old, shared a half-century stand with Dawid Malan for the third wicket and 153 for the fourth either side of lunch with Hill.
All-rounder Hill, 22, finished with 101 off 180 balls. He shared 111 for the fifth wicket with Jonny Tattersall, who added a fine 79.
Bean backed up the 118 he scored in the very first innings of the season, here against Leicestershire in a match which ultimately ended in defeat, while this was Hill’s best effort of 2023 after three previous fifties.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Fin Bean
This day’s play was notable for two onlookers in the stands.
New Yorkshire chair Harry Chathli was here, as was the county’s former title-winning coach Jason Gillespie, who was here for the first time since leaving as coach in 2016.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Harry Chathli.
Gillespie was part of the BBC’s online commentary team for the day before heading to Lord’s for the second Ashes Test, where he is hosting a touring party.
The morning saw Yorkshire post 139-3 in 29 overs, including 24 fours and a six, after Shan Masood had elected to bat in what proved excellent batting conditions.
While Gloucestershire would have been delighted to remove key trio Adam Lyth, Masood and Malan – the former two in the same Matt Taylor over – they just leaked too many fours against a short boundary to the East Stand side of this ground.
Taylor was by far and away his side’s pick of the bowlers with 3-43 from 17 overs.
Left-handed Bean led the way for Yorkshire, him slog-sweeping Zafar Gohar’s left-arm spin for six over midwicket to the long boundary, ironically.
He reached a fifty off 59 balls having earlier seen Yorkshire fall to 33-2 in the sixth over and 90-3 in the 17th.
Lyth edged left-arm seamer Taylor to second slip trying to leave alone for 14 before, three balls later, Masood was trapped lbw for a duck. Later, Malan edged behind down leg trying to pull the seam of Ben Charlesworth.
After Bean and Malan shared 57 for the third wicket, Bean and Hill were the ones who really made Gloucestershire pay for their profligacy with an impressive alliance from mid-morning through to mid-afternoon.
Hill used his feet well and also took on Gohar, launching him over long-on for six on the way to a fifty off 82 balls. By that time, Yorkshire were 194-3 after 42 overs with Bean in the eighties and the century partnership recorded.
And the runs continued to flow. When Bean pulled Charlesworth through mid-wicket to reach his hundred off 140 balls with 14 fours and a six, Yorkshire were 219-3 in the 49th over.
However, he fell caught at deep square-leg off Zaman Akhter’s seam shortly afterwards, with the score now 243-4 in the 53rd.
There was a brief period of calm for Gloucestershire, but nothing to write home about as Tattersall soon found his range. He also played calmly but confident.
After tea, Hill slog-swept Gohar over mid-wicket for a second six as 19 came off the 72nd over, with Yorkshire passing 300-4.
Within moments of each other, Tattersall reached his first fifty of the summer off 74 balls before Hill’s century came up in 177 balls with 13 fours added to his pair of sixes.
Hill was caught behind driving at Ollie’s Price’s off-spin almost immediately before the new ball at 354-5 in the 79th.
Taylor then took the new ball and had Tattersall caught at second slip (368-6 after 86 overs). Matthew Revis will begin day two on 25 alongside Matthew Fisher on eight.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Mark Steketee.
