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, Tatts looks back on Yorkshire’s memorable away win against Leicestershire in September when he scored a superb century having earlier won an important toss and seen his bowlers ransack the home side’s top order, leaving them 15-7.

Jonny Tattersall

Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Jonny Tattersall enjoyed a week to remember at Grace Road in September. 

Jonny Tattersall has revealed how, ‘We’ll have a bowl, please’ wasn’t his immediate reaction upon winning a crucial toss at the start of Yorkshire’s County Championship clash with Leicestershire at Grace Road in September.

Stand-in captain Tattersall called correctly and invited his opposite number Lewis Hill to have a bat first on an emerald green pitch at the Uptonsteel County Ground.

What followed was an incredible opening morning bowling performance which saw the Foxes crumble to 15-7 and then 98 all out in the face of brilliance from Ben Coad, in particular, and new ball partner Matthew Fisher.

They shared eight wickets, with Coad claiming 5-15 from 10 overs.

It set Yorkshire on their way to a three-day innings and 72-run victory, their fourth win in 12 matches, and helped them take the upper hand in the race for the second promotion place from Division Two ahead of Middlesex, who were beaten at home by Gloucestershire at Lord’s.

Tattersall’s correct call at the toss was his first of two crucial contributions, with him scoring an outstanding middle order 126 to underpin Yorkshire’s brilliant 379 all out response. 

Ben Coad

Picture by John Heald. Ben Coad celebrates his opening-morning five-wicket haul against Leicestershire at Grace Road.

Upon arrival at Grace Road, the colour of the pitch made it obvious that it was a ‘bowl first’ morning.

And asked whether he was nervous walking out to the toss, Tattersall chuckled: “I wouldn’t say I was necessarily nervous because it was 50/50. But as soon as the coin came down tails, I was like, ‘Get in!’. 

“When you have Coady – he seams it on glass anyway – on a pitch with a bit of grass on it, I think we knew we’d be in business.

“I obviously didn’t expect them to be 15-7. If you’d offered us 98 or whatever they got in the first innings, we’d have more than happily taken it. But it could have been a lot better.

“It was certainly a nice toss to win. And I think my record at the toss was quite good this year – surprisingly.”

There were a whole host of highlights from this particular week, which ended with Yorkshire in second place in the table and 15 points clear of Middlesex with two rounds remaining.

Leics, Grace Road

Picture by YCCC. The morning scene at the Uptonsteel County Ground on day one, showing just how green the pitch was.

As Yorkshire won in the East Midlands, claiming 22 points, Middlesex were beaten by Gloucestershire, as aforementioned. 

There was obviously Coad’s fabulous first-innings performance, George Hill’s stunning second-innings 6-59 to help bowl the Foxes out for 209 on day three and Fisher’s impressive all-round display of six wickets in the match and his career best 88 with the bat to rubber-stamp Yorkshire’s dominance.

Tattersall shared an important 53 for the fifth wicket with James Wharton (41) from 56-4 before adding a ninth-wicket 138 from 210-8 with Fisher.

And this was Tattersall’s match.

After all, his second century of the season was undoubtedly one of Yorkshire’s best innings in 2024. Others may have scored more, few were as important.

“I was chuffed with that, yeah,” recalled the man who turned 30 on Sunday just gone. 

Jonny Tattersall

Picture by John Heald. Having won a crucial toss, captain Jonny Tattersall went on to score his second century of the Championship season. 

“People keep telling me that I’m the man for a crisis!

“I just backed myself and had a feeling that I knew what I needed to do on that pitch. 

“I’m always one for backing my defence, even when the ball’s seaming around. I tried to stick with that even though people were struggling to defend. 

“Myself and Wharts put a good partnership on from 50-4, and then I just kicked on with Fish, who was excellent.

“I scored the hundred, but even Dom Bess (33) coming in and making 30 in quick time after I got out, it just kept applying the pressure onto them.”

Talking of pressure, Tattersall, whose side started the game one point behind Middlesex but ended it with a vice like grip on promotion, added: “Having Leicestershire 15-7, it was almost like the damage was done.

Matthew Fisher

Picture by John Heald. Matthew Fisher contributed against the Foxes with bat and ball.

“But the bonus points were massively important for us in that game. 

“I think we were all looking at that in the changing room – I certainly was as captain, anyway. I was thinking, ‘We might struggle to get 250 on this pitch’. If that was the case, we’d have only picked up 19 points. 

“I think Middlesex made 370 in their first innings against Gloucestershire and got three batting points. But we kept on going and going. That was the pleasing thing, that we got to 350. 

“And we knew that even if Middlesex won and we did, we weren’t going to lose any ground on them. But then they obviously lost to put us in the driving seat.

“You don’t know how they looked at it. What we did with the batting points could have really increased the pressure on them. 

“That was certainly a good week.”

George Hill

Picture by John Heald. George Hill with the ball after his super six-for to wrap up victory on day three.

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