Yorkshire were unable to defend a target of 214 as title-chasing Hampshire secured a final day LV= Insurance County Championship victory at Scarborough today.
Hampshire, winners by seven wickets, advanced from 9-0 overnight to secure a 20 points to three success approximately 35 minutes before tea on a fourth day played out in overcast conditions.
This was Yorkshire’s third defeat in their last four games, as openers Felix Organ and Ian Holland shared 135 and made scores of 72 and 71 respectively. Captain James Vince later finished unbeaten on 43 to see his side home. He hit the winning runs.
That run of defeats includes two against second-placed Hampshire and two here at Scarborough, with Division One leaders Surrey victorious at North Marine Road earlier this month.
Hampshire made a fast start to day four, Holland and Organ scoring boundaries on both sides of the wicket against some errant bowling.
They recorded their 50 partnership inside the day’s opening 12 overs and reached lunch with a firm grip on proceedings at 121-0 after 35.
Holland put his foot down during the latter stages of the morning.
He reached his fifty off 92 balls, reverse swept Bess for four and uppercut a six over third off Jordan Thompson, by which time Hampshire had sailed to 99 in the 31st over.
Organ, meanwhile, was the beneficiary of a sharp missed stumping on 37 by Jonny Tattersall off the off-spin of Dom Bess, who had been introduced for the first time in the fixture midway through the morning session.
By lunch, it was clear that Yorkshire would need something special during the afternoon to turn this game around.
Both openers fell quickly as the score became 147-2 after 42, but not before Organ had recorded his fifty off 104 balls in the session’s opening over.
Holland guided a back-of-a-length ball from Ben Coad to Tom Kohler-Cadmore at first slip – 135-1 – before Organ pulled a short ball from Bess to Matthew Revis at deep square-leg.
The ball before, Organ had lofted Bess over long-on for six.
More success for Yorkshire was on the way as Coad trapped Joe Weatherley lbw for a duck, leaving the score at 147-3 in the 45th.
However, captain Vince and fourth-wicket partner Nick Gubbins ended any flicker of hope of a revival, sharing an unbroken 67. Vince clipped his first ball for four and later dragged Bess for six over wide long-on. Gubbins finished on 20.
Yorkshire will have to wait on other results to see their exact position in the table. They will, however, go into the last four games in September looking over their shoulders at the bottom end of Division One rather than looking up at the top.
The confidence they can take is that they have played some good cricket here to recover from 33-6 on day one. Unfortunately, it was a fightback which went unrewarded.
The competition now breaks for the Royal London Cup, which starts next Tuesday with a clash against Northamptonshire at York.
The county’s next Championship game is against Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford, starting on September 5.
