James Wharton hit a dominant 98 off 86 balls and headlined a trio of half-centuries during a hard-fought day of friendly cricket with Lancashire at Headingley today.
Yorkshire’s final day of pre-season action before Friday’s Rothesay County Championship opener at Hampshire saw them respond to Lancashire’s opening day 288-14, closing on 397-8 from 78 overs.
Opener Fin Bean was more measured than Wharton, hitting 59 off 87 balls. Later in the day, Dom Bess retired not out on a run-a-ball 53, while Harry Duke did likewise on 43 off 66.
Left-arm seamer Ollie Sutton led the way for Lancashire with 3-49 from nine overs.
After the Red Rose batted all through day one, the White Rose would do the same through day two, which was more overcast.
Despite the early loss of Adam Lyth, for 14, Yorkshire dominated the morning thanks to second-wicket pair Wharton and opener Bean.
From 27-1 in the 10th over, they added a further 123 inside 18 overs through to lunch, where the hosts reached at 151-1 in 27.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Fin Bean started 2025 in fine fashion, compiling a confidence-boosting fifty ahead of Friday’s trip to Hampshire.
Bean pushed a couple of early boundaries almost arrow straight down the ground and pulled with conviction, while a couple of Wharton cover driven off England Lions pacer Mitch Stanley caught the eye in particular.
He drove another off Tom Aspinwall’s seam to reach his fifty in 45 balls before Bean slapped a short ball from left-armer Josh Boyden in front of point not long afterwards to bring up his fifty in 66 balls.
The pair advanced their partnership to 147 during the early stages of the afternoon before Bean was trapped lbw by Sutton – 170-2 in the 32nd over.
But Wharton hoisted the same bowler over long-on and long-off for a pair of sixes as he raced to 98. Unfortunately, however, he clothed another attempted loft over the top to mid-on, ending his innings with 19 fours and two sixes.
Bean had hit 11 fours in 87 balls.
Lancashire have fielded a side looking more like a second team than a first over the last couple of days, and they were under the cosh this morning.
But credit to them, they responded well in the afternoon and had the better of things through to tea, where Yorkshire reached at 271-7.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Harry Duke has enjoyed a winter of club cricket in Melbourne. On today’s evidence, he looks in good order with the bat heading into the new season. Duke spent time on loan with Anthony McGrath at Essex early last summer.
Dawid Malan fell for six and George Hill and Jonny Bairstow for eight apiece.
Malan steered Sutton to second slip before Aspinwall bowled Hill and trapped captain Bairstow lbw, leaving the score at 220-6 in the 43rd over.
Will Luxton was next to go, for nine, bowled by a beauty of an in-ducker from Academy seamer Hassan Mughal, who played for Bradford League side Jer Lane last summer having moved from Cherry Tree in his home town of Blackburn.
Jonny Tattersall steadied things with a pleasing 30 either side of tea before he was caught behind down leg off new ball seamer Tom Bailey, leaving Yorkshire at 273-8 in the 55th over.
By this stage, the hosts were closing in on Lancashire’s total of 288, and they went beyond it thanks to Duke and Bess, who were both busy in sharing 87 inside 16 overs for the ninth wicket.
With approximately 45 minutes remaining in the day, and with Bess having just reached his fifty off 52 balls, both men walked off to give others time at the crease.
Bess had square-driven Mughal for his 11th boundary, reaching his fifty in the process.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Dom Bess will hope to fill one of the all-rounder’s slots against Hampshire at the Utilita Bowl from Friday morning onwards.
Luxton returned to the crease, joined by Jordan Thompson.
Luxton hit three fours and two pulled sixes over mid-wicket, off Harry Singh’s off-spin, in 27 not out before the players shook hands at 5.45pm. Thompson finished with nine.
FIN BEAN SAID:
“For us young lads, Division Two was maybe a blessing just to play games in first-class cricket and to develop and understand our games and to be better equipped for Division One.
“I think we’ve got a great core group of players, and then to have Mala to come back into the mix, Jonny and then Rooty and Brooky, I think we’re in a very good spot as a group to compete in Division One.
“There’s a stat that says speed and (the amount of) short balls don’t go up from Division Two to Division One. It’s just that the forward defence percentages go up.
“So it’s just been about fine-tuning technically. That was the main focus going into this winter.
“It can be relentless (facing Division One bowlers), but it’s just been about getting well-equipped to deal with that. If you combat that, I think you’re in a good place.”
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Jonny Tattersall helped steady the ship this afternoon after Yorkshire lost five wickets for 47 this afternoon.
