Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Bowling coach Mick Lewis talks tactics with Jack White.
Mick Lewis and Jonny Bairstow have both heaped praise on Jack White as the new-ball seamer continues to enjoy an impressive debut season with Yorkshire.
White has been superb in his first summer at Headingley having joined from Northamptonshire.
A lot of the focus has quite rightly been on George Hill’s exploits with the ball given the 24-year-old’s 41 wicket-haul in 11 appearances is the fourth best in Division One of the Rothesay County Championship and has earned him an England Lions call-up.
But White has shone too and is not a million miles behind his team-mate.
Both men could still reach the 50-wicket mark this season.
White has taken 36 wickets in 12 Championship appearances and last week, in the draw against Somerset at Taunton, took his 150th career first-class wicket. He has also impressed in white-ball cricket, taking 14 wickets in eight appearances across the Metro Bank One-Day Cup and Vitality Blast combined.
Ahead of this week’s penultimate round clash with Sussex at the 1st Central County Ground Hove, starting tomorrow – 10.30am, bowling coach Lewis said: “Jack’s been brilliant.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Superb Jack White celebrates dismissing Sussex’s Danial Ibrahim during the Championship win against the Martlets at Scarborough in July.
“We knew he had some skill when he was at Northants. But, seeing him first hand, he’s highly impressive.
“There’s a lot of talk about Sam Cook and Jamie Porter, but we’re pretty close (with Jack). Pretty good!
“He knows his game, and he wants to be the best. He’s got targets he wants to get. He’s on the way to doing it.”
White has hit the ground running in 2025 having arrived from Wantage Road, a task which may not always be straightforward when you move clubs.
“I think it’s easier than you think,” reasoned Australian Lewis.
“Because you’re a new signing, you want to impress your peers and the boys you come to play with.
“Jack spent a bit of time away training by himself (in the winter) and came back.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Captain Jonny Bairstow has been speaking about Jack White’s impressive first season at Headingley.
“My first session with him at Headingley, he was ready to play straightaway.
“In that sense, because you come to a new club, you want to impress everyone. So you almost take your training preparation to the next level.”
White has played 11 of Yorkshire’s 12 Championship matches in 2025.
“He’s been fit for every game, I think,” said captain Bairstow.
“We’ve had to be quite clever with when we’ve rested people in order for them not to be too tired leading into these last three games because we know how challenging they can be.
“Jack’s been exceptional. He’s fitted into the group great.”
The only four-day game White has not played in this year was the defeat to Warwickshire at Headingley at the start of May, a game in which overseas quicks Jordan Buckingham and Ben Sears played.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. James Wharton took a stunning running catch at deep square-leg on the first morning to help Jack White dismiss Tom Haines as Yorkshire beat Sussex at Scarborough in late July and early August.
“I remember we rested him that one game, but he wasn’t very happy about it,” said Lewis.
“We explained why and said, ‘You know, Championships title aren’t won in April and May, but they can be lost’.
“Our plan was to have him fit and firing in September at the back end just in case we were in for a shot of a title.
“He said to me the other week before one of the one-day games, ‘I’ve never felt as fresh in my life going into August. I feel amazing’.
“It’s impossible to play every four-day game, every T20 game, every one-day game. You need to have a break, and that break sometimes is a week to 10 days.
“We’ve done the same with all bowlers.
“We did the same with George Hill obviously after his first seven Championship games.
Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com. Matthew Revis posted a superb first-innings 152 not out against Sussex at Scarborough in the reverse fixture.
“The plan was to rest for a week to 10 days in the first T20 block. But then he got picked for the Lions.
So then we had to rest him sort of after he finished the Lions. Matty Revis been the same, obviously coming back from his stress fracture last year.
“Milnesy, the same. He’s been back, but we’ve been cautious with his loads as well.
“We include all these guys in the conversation, making sure they’re okay. At the end of the day, we want to protect them, we want them to play as long as they can, and we’ve got to do the right thing by them.”
Seventh-placed Yorkshire remain in the thick of a jam-packed battle to avoid relegation from Division One.
Bottom-placed Worcestershire are all but relegated given they are 44 points behind third-bottom Hampshire with only 48 more available.
But five teams directly above them, including the White Rose, are fighting to avoid the second relegation place, which Durham currently hold in ninth.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Matt Milnes has taken 14 wickets in two appearances against Sussex this year. He took seven in the Championship win at Scarborough, including a second-innings five-for, and seven wickets in the One-Day Cup win at Hove. He should be fit following a groin injury to face them again.
They sit on 126 points, Hampshire 132, Yorkshire 135, Sussex 138 and fifth-placed Essex on on 140.
Durham host Worcestershire in this penultimate round, Hampshire travel to Somerset and Essex visit Warwickshire.
Coach Anthony McGrath described it as “very poor week” performance wise for Yorkshire down at Somerset last week as they allowed Somerset to total 441-6 declared in their first innings before responding with 134-9 on the final day.
However, they are five games unbeaten in the Championship since losing to Nottinghamshire at Headingley at the end of May. They have since drawn three and won two.
Sussex drew a rain-affected game against Hampshire at Hove last week, one which the visitors had the better of.
Like Yorkshire with top-order batter Mayank Agarwal, they will field an Indian overseas player in left-arm quick Jaydev Unadkat.
Matt Milnes is set to return for Yorkshire from a groin injury. If selected, he will play at the ground where he took a superb seven wickets in last month’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup victory over the Sharks.
Picture by John Heald. George Hill bowls Sussex’s new-ball seamer Ollie Robinson in a Division Two defeat at Hove last May.
Sussex continue to be coached by ex-Yorkshire second-team coach Paul Farbrace and captained by experienced wicketkeeper-batter John Simpson.
Yorkshire won the reverse fixture at Scarborough at the start of last month.
All-rounder James Coles leads the way for Sussex with 901 Championship runs, while former Yorkshire and England Test seamer Ollie Robinson has taken 27 wickets.
Should Yorkshire better Durham’s haul in their match at home to Worcester by 15 points this week – assuming no over-rate penalties come into play – they will be safe with a round left.
SUSSEX v YORKSHIRE, FIRST-CLASS CRICKET – 1863-August 31, 2025 – STAT PACK
Results (home & away) County Championship: Played 182: Yorkshire won 73, Sussex won 31, Drawn 78. (Abandoned 2).
In addition, the counties have played 26 non-Championship matches, 16 won by Yorkshire, 3 by Sussex and 7 drawn.
At Hove – Played 88: Yorkshire won 34, Sussex won 16, Drawn 38.
Most recent results: 2025 – Yorkshire won by an innings and 128 runs at Scarborough; 2024 – Sussex won by 21 runs at Hove. Most recent draw – 2023 at Headingley.
Most successive wins: Yorkshire 10 (1873-1882, non-Championship), 8 (1891-95, Championship), Sussex 3 (1933-34).
Two wins in a season: Yorkshire 20 times, Sussex 3.
Highest innings totals: For Yorkshire, 681-5dec at Sheffield (Bramall Lane) in 1897.
For Sussex, 597-8dec at Hove in 2007.
Lowest innings totals: For Yorkshire, 42 at Hove in 1922.
For Sussex, 20 at Hull in 1922.
Highest individual innings: For Yorkshire, 311 by JT Brown at Sheffield (Bramall Lane) in 1897.
For Sussex, 274* by MW Goodwin at Hove in 2011.
Highest wicket partnership: For Yorkshire, 378 for the first wicket between JT Brown (311) and J Tunnicliffe (147) at Sheffield (Bramall Lane) in 1897.
For Sussex, 349 for the second wicket between CB Fry (204) and E Killick (200) at Hove in 1901.
Best bowling figures (innings): For Yorkshire, 9-48 by JH Wardle at Hull in 1954.
For Sussex, 9-34 by James Langridge at Sheffield (Bramall Lane) in 1934.
Best bowling figures (match): For Yorkshire, 16-112 (9-48 and 7-64) by JH Wardle at Hull in 1954.
For Sussex, 12-138 (7-54 and 5-84) by ID Salisbury at Hove in 1992.
Hat-tricks: For Yorkshire, 3 – by E Wainwright at Dewsbury in 1894, E Robinson at Hull in 1926 and MJ Hoggard at Hove in 2009.
For Sussex, 0.
Most dismissals in an innings by a wicketkeeper: For Yorkshire, 6 (all caught) by WR Allen at Hove in 1921, RJ Blakey at Eastbourne in 1990 and JM Bairstow at Arundel in 2014. No Sussex wicketkeeper has taken more than 5 in an innings.
Most dismissals in a match by a wicketkeeper: For Yorkshire, 9 (all caught) by RJ Blakey at Eastbourne in 1990.
For Sussex, 8 (all caught) by P Moores at Middlesbrough in 1991.
Most catches in a match by a fielder: For Yorkshire, 6 PJ Sharpe at Bradford in 1965. No Sussex fielder has taken more than 5 catches in a match.
One hundred runs and 10 wickets in a match: For Yorkshire, E Wainwright 10 and 104 and 7-66 and 4-57 at Sheffield (Bramall Lane) in 1892. No instance for Sussex.
A century and five wickets in an innings in a match: For Yorkshire, A Drake 115 and 5-53 and 3-30 at Hastings in 1911. No instance for Sussex.
At Hove…
Highest innings totals: Yorkshire 494 in 2015, Sussex 597-8dec in 2007.
Lowest innings totals: Yorkshire 42 in 1922, Sussex 24 in 1878.
Highest individual innings: For Yorkshire, 199 by W Rhodes in 1909.
For Sussex, 274* by MW Goodwin in 2011.
Best bowling figures (innings): For Yorkshire, 8-27 by JM Preston in 1888.
For Sussex, 9-60 by AE James in 1955.
Best bowling figures (match): For Yorkshire, 14-130 (6-61 and 8-69) by E Peate in 1881.
For Sussex, 12-138 (7-54 and 5-84) by IDK Salisbury in 1992.
Compiled by Paul Dyson, Peter Horne & Martyn Webster – members of the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians.
