Ottis Gibson admitted his frustration as Yorkshire were denied the chance of victory against Glamorgan at Cardiff today, but the county’s coach said: “All in all, it was a good effort from us.”
Glamorgan were made to follow-on in reply to Yorkshire’s first-innings 500 all out and came into the final day on 120-2 in their second innings, trailing by 107.
But centuries from Eddie Byrom 101 and Sam Northeast with 166 not out denied Yorkshire, Glamorgan finishing on 401-5 declared.
Shan Masood with 192 and Matthew Revis with 5-50 – both in the first innings – were Yorkshire’s standout performers from their eighth draw in Division Two this season.
Gibson said: “Frustration is the best way to describe it, and not just for the players – for everybody sitting watching.
“When we got here and saw we were playing on a used pitch, and the history of the pitch itself, we knew it was going to be a tough four days for us.
“We knew we were going to have to work hard in the second part of the game to get 20 wickets.
“I don’t think there have been many teams who have got 20 wickets here this year.
“We kept driving the game and tried all sorts with the keepers bowling and everything like that. In the end, it wasn’t to be.”
Yorkshire employed numerous tactics in trying to break Glamorgan’s resistance, including using wicketkeeper Jonny Tattersall’s part-time leg-spin early in the day. But Gibson believes they couldn’t have done any more to combat conditions as much as the opposition.
He smiled: “There was one point when I was sitting there thinking, ‘I wish I had Joel Garner and some bowlers like that’. But credit to my guys, they tried their best.
“I thought Dom Bess bowled really well on a pitch which offered some spin but nothing else. There was no bounce to get bat-pads.
“Also, credit to Glamorgan, they batted well – their two guys who got hundreds.
“Ben Cliff got his first first-class wicket, and I’m really pleased for Cliffy.
“He’s been bowling really well in the seconds, and it was good to give him an opportunity here. I’m sure he would have been thinking, ‘Why did you choose this place to let me make my debut?’ But I thought he went well.
“The captain getting a hundred, we know he’s a class player. It was good to see him get some runs.
“The disappointment of him not getting picked for Pakistan (World Cup squad), I know for sure was on his mind over the last couple of weeks. It was good to see him clear his mind of that clutter and put together a really good innings for us.
“Unfortunately Beany didn’t get his hundred.
“Rev got his first five-wicket haul. He’s someone we’ve invested a lot in over the last couple of years, and it was really good to see him get five wickets.
“He bowled with some good aggression on a very flat pitch.
“All in all, we tried everything to get 20 wickets. Ultimately we weren’t able to do it, and there’s a little bit of frustration.”
Yorkshire are back on the road next week for their penultimate fixture of 2023, facing Leicestershire at the Uptonsteel County Ground, Grace Road, from Tuesday.
