We continue our Tatts’ Magic Moments series, Jonny Tattersall reflecting on the key moments in Yorkshire’s promotion-winning campaign in the County Championship.
Here, in his penultimate piece, Tatts looks back on Yorkshire’s win against Glamorgan at Cardiff and hails one of the key men behind the county’s return to Division One, Ben Coad.

Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Yorkshire’s stand-in captain Jonny Tattersall has paid tribute to the influence of Ben Coad.
Magic and wizards are all the rage at the moment. For those celebrating Christmas, it’s the most magical time of the year, while Wicked has proved a big hit with the kids in cinemas up and down the land.
So it seems an appropriate time to write a piece about Ben Coad, Yorkshire’s seam bowling star.
“We call him the wizard,” revealed team-mate Jonny Tattersall, who captained the county during the County Championship promotion run-in.
“There’s not really much more you can say about him over what’s already been said. His bowling and his stats speak for themselves.”
Former coaches Andrew Gale and Ottis Gibson have in the past described Coad as both “a genius” and “magic”, something he proved during the 2024 campaign by taking 56 wickets. He was the leading wicket-taker in Division Two.
Tattersall’s latest magic moment reflects on Yorkshire’s win a over Glamorgan at Cardiff in late September, a penultimate round victory by 186 runs which put the county on the verge of promotion.

Picture by John Heald. Ben Coad removed Glamorgan captain Sam Northeast twice in the match.
They went into the final round home clash with Northamptonshire needing 10 points.
And that was largely down to Coad’s excellence. He claimed four wickets in each innings and finished with match figures of 8-106.
“As a captain, he’s an absolute dream,” continued Tattersall.
“The only downside to him is that you have to take him off and almost protect him from himself because when you watch him bowl you could say, ‘Keep going’, because every time he bowls, he looks like he’s going to create chances.”
There were many contributors to this victory.
James Wharton (63), George Hill (90) and Dom Bess (50) all posted half-centuries in Yorkshire’s first-innings 361 all out after Glamorgan had elected to bowl first.

Picture by John Heald. George Hill’s excellent first-innings 90 was excellent.
Coad’s departing new ball partner Matthew Fisher also claimed four wickets in the first innings as the hosts were bowled out for 239 before Adam Lyth and Fin Bean posted 55 and 57 respectively in Yorkshire’s second-innings 273 all out. Bess continued his impressive performance with the bat to add 47 as Yorkshire set the hosts a 396-target on day three.
Fisher, in his penultimate appearance before joining Surrey, added three more second-innings wickets, expertly supporting Coad, as Glamorgan fell short at 209 all out.
Win number five in 13 matches all but sealed Yorkshire’s promotion. Middlesex needed a miracle bigger than the one which has Santa Claus dropping down your chimney!
“It was the Coad and Fisher partnership – they got 15 out of the 20 wickets in that game,” said Tattersall. “That was a big highlight for me, seeing them both operate a lot in that game.
“They bowled a lot of overs and a lot together.
“For them to get 15 wickets between them, it was testament to how they bowled and how good they’ve been as a partnership when they’ve both been out on the park.

Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Ben Coad and Matthew Fisher formed a potent partnership for Yorkshire and starred at Glamorgan.
“It’s just disappointing that we didn’t see it more than we’d have liked.
“Fish bowled really well in that game and you could argue he didn’t get as many wickets as he maybe should have done.
“I think Coady bowled a nine-over spell in the second innings late on the third day, and that just shows what he does for the team.
“Fish had been off the field, so he wasn’t able to bowl.
“I had to give Coady an extra over when he looked like he was out on his feet. It just gave me the chance to put the new bowlers on at the ends they needed to come on at.
“Hilly did that at Leicestershire as well, and it just shows the thing we have going in this team.”

Picture by John Heald. Ben Coad was the leading wicket-taker in the 2024 Division Two campaign with 56 wickets. In fact, no bowler in the country took more wickets than Coad, Hampshire’s Kyle Abbott and Essex’s Jamie Porter, who also finished with 56 apiece.