Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Gavin Hamilton has been looking ahead to Warwickshire and the rest of 2026 for Yorkshire’s men.
Gavin Hamilton has been looking ahead to what he describes as “a massive two weeks” in Yorkshire’s season.
The county’s general manager of cricket is encouraged with the start to the season across both the Rothesay County Championship and the Vitality Blast, the latter which has seen them take top spot in the North Group table at its halfway stage thanks to four wins in six.
And, if things go well in four-day matches against Warwickshire at Scarborough and then Leicestershire at Grace Road, it could be a real springboard into an exciting second half of the summer.
First up are the Bears, starting tomorrow – 11am.
“I think a good way of describing this season is progressive,” said Hamilton. “I know Mags feels the same, and we’re pretty happy.
“I’m certainly very happy with how we’ve started in the Blast and how we’ve bounced back from a couple of poor performances in the Championship.
“Certainly losing against Hampshire here was a hammer blow. I think that was our worst performance so far. We were outplayed by a side we should be better competing with.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Sam Whiteman is fit again having missed the last three Championship matches through injury.
“We obviously drew with Sussex here and then won at Somerset. That was outstanding.
“Look, the Warwickshire game at Edgbaston, these things happen. You are going to have bad days like we had on that Saturday.
“But to beat Surrey at home, that gave a real big boost coming into the Blast.
“And to see and be around the squad during the Blast campaign, it’s settled, it’s experienced. You can see out on the field that they’re all very controlled. Overall, I think we’re in a really good place.”
The Division One table is jam-packed.
Yorkshire are currently eighth out of the 10 teams on 71 points from six games with two wins, two draws and two defeats. They are only 20 behind leaders Nottinghamshire. Warwickshire, having won two, lost one and drawn three, are third on 86.
One of their two wins was the game Hamilton referenced – at Edgbaston in early May when the hosts won by 377 despite having been bowled out for 147 on day one. Yorkshire slipped from 101-3 to 152 all out in their reply and subsequently relinquished control.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Head coach Anthony McGrath is very encouraged by Yorkshire’s start to the new season, says Gavin Hamilton.
While Yorkshire won their last Championship match against Surrey by an innings at Headingley, Warwickshire drew theirs at home to Glamorgan.
“This is a massive two weeks,” continued Hamilton. “In terms of confidence, on the back of the Surrey game at Headingley, I think we’ll be pushing very hard to get two good results out of these games.
“If we can – pending weather – get a win and a decent draw, we’ll be well up there.
“We’d then be really confident going into the last six games from the end of August.
“I think we’ve got some players who we can just tell are going to perform. The way they’re training, the way they’re talking, the confidence levels – we just sense that.
“Yeah, I think these two weeks can really set the tone for the rest of the summer, obviously starting with the next six Blast games. Like everything, no matter what format you play in, winning breeds that culture.”
Hamilton went on: “Scarborough’s coming at a great time for us. The lads love playing there, there’s always a decent crowd, and it just always feels like Yorkshire when we go there. More often than not, we also put in decent performances. There’s no better time for another.”
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Hassan Ali could face his former county at Scarborough this weekend after impressing in T20 colours for Yorkshire.
Sam Whiteman and Ben Coad are both in contention to return following injuries, while coach and captain Anthony McGrath and Jonny Bairstow will be able to choose two from three overseas players.
Overseas wise, Pakistani fast bowler Hassan Ali and Dutch quick Logan van Beek are available for both upcoming games, while Hassan’s compatriot all-rounder Faheem Ashraf is available for “potentially one at this stage”, according to Hamilton.
Yorkshire are certainly much better placed after six Championship games of this season than they were at the same stage of last. By this time in 2025, they had lost three, won one and drawn one.
“In the early stages of last year, we didn’t really have a full understanding of the players we had,” said Hamilton. “That’s only natural, I guess, having only come in during the winter. Mags was still working out what he needed to do to get the best out of the players.
“But I think he’s got that now, and we’ve recruited well.
“I think everyone’s got used to one another, we know how things work, and we feel we’re on a journey together. We’re all aligned.
“It’s taken a year-and-a-half to get to where we are. We were never going to get there in just a few months. We knew that, but it’s easier said than done.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Jonny Bairstow and Adam Lyth both scored centuries against Surrey in Yorkshire’s last Championship match in mid-May, an innings victory over Surrey at Headingley.
“When you’re in it and you’re losing a few games, you’re constantly under pressure. But when we played Essex at York last year and beat them, you could sense the turn. That hasn’t changed.
“Yes, we’ll still lose a game or two here and there. But we have huge belief in the players.
“It’s hard to explain these things, but you get a sense of where we are as a squad, where players are, how people are training.
“It’s not one of those where we want to get to the end of the year, just try and stay up and do ok in the Blast.
“There’s a real confidence around what this season’s got for us.”
Warwickshire are captained by Ed Barnard and have fellow all-rounder, the Australian Beau Webster, as an overseas player. Another all-rounder in Jordan Thompson returns to the ground where he enjoyed a number of special moments in a Yorkshire shirt.
They have also just signed Indian left-arm spinner Manav Suthar on a short-term overseas deal for the next two games. Suthar, aged 23, made his Test debut against Afghanistan in New Chandigarh last week and took seven wickets in the match, including a first-innings 6-33. He has taken 136 wickets in 30 first-class career appearances to date.
Picture by Albert Perez/Getty Images. Indian Test spinner Manav Suthar is set to make his Warwickshire debut at Scarborough.
YORKSHIRE v WARWICKSHIRE, FIRST-CLASS CRICKET 1894-May 31 2026 – STAT PACK
Results (home and away): County Championship: Played 198; Yorkshire won 87, Warwickshire won 35, Drawn 76. In addition, the counties played two non-Championship matches (in 1894), both being drawn.
At Scarborough: Played 11; Yorkshire won 6, Warwickshire won 2, Drawn 3.
Most recent results: 2026, Yorkshire lost by 377 runs at Edgbaston. 2025, Yorkshire lost by five wickets at Headingley. 2022, match drawn at Headingley. Most recent victory, 2017, by two wickets at Headingley.
Most successive wins: Yorkshire 11 (1914-1923), Warwickshire 6 (1991-1995).
Two wins in a season: Yorkshire 17 times, Warwickshire 3.
Highest innings totals: For Yorkshire, 887 at Edgbaston in 1896. This remains the highest total by any county in a first-class match. For Warwickshire, 601-9d at Edgbaston in 2002.
Lowest innings totals: For Yorkshire, 49 at Huddersfield in 1951. For Warwickshire, 35 at Edgbaston in 1963 and at Sheffield (Abbeydale Park) in 1979.
Highest individual score: For Yorkshire, 275 by P Holmes at Bradford in 1928. For Warwickshire, 225 by DP Ostler at Edgbaston in 2002.
Highest partnerships: For Yorkshire, 346 for the third wicket between JJ Sayers (173) and A McGrath (211) at Edgbaston in 2009. This remains Yorkshire’s highest-ever third-wicket partnership. For Warwickshire, 266 unbroken for the fourth wicket between J Whitehouse (169*) and RB Kanhai (111*) at Edgbaston in 1976.
Best bowling figures (innings): For Yorkshire, 10-36 by H Verity at Headingley in 1931. For Warwickshire, 10-51 by H Howell at Edgbaston in 1923.
Best bowling figures (match): For Yorkshire, 14-92 (9-43 and 5-49) by H Verity at Headingley in 1937. For Warwickshire, 12-55 (5-21 and 7-34) by TW. Cartwright at Bradford in 1969.
Hat-tricks: For Yorkshire, 1 by GG Macaulay at Edgbaston in 1923. For Warwickshire, 1 by JD Bannister at Sheffield (Bramall Lane) in 1955.
Most dismissals in an innings by a wicketkeeper: For Yorkshire, 6 (all caught) by DL. Bairstow at Bradford in 1978. For Warwickshire, six instances of 5, the first being by AFA Lilley (4ct 1st) at Bradford in 1895 and the most recent being by K Smith (all caught) at Headingley in 2025.
Most dismissals in a match by a wicketkeeper: For Yorkshire, 7 (all caught) DL Bairstow at Bradford in 1978, GL Brophy (all caught) at Scarborough in 2007 and JM Bairstow (all caught) at Edgbaston in 2011. For Warwickshire, 7 (all caught) GW Humpage at Edgbaston in 1988 and K Smith at Headingley in 2025.
Most catches in an innings by a fielder: 6 TT Bresnan for Warwickshire at Headingley in 2021. No instance of 5 or more for Yorkshire.
Most catches in a match by a fielder: For Warwickshire, 7 TT Bresnan at Headingley in 2021, 6 RM Yates at Edgbaston in 2026. For Yorkshire: four players have taken six catches in a match, including PJ Sharpe twice – in 1959 and 1965 – both at Sheffield (Bramall Lane).
A century and five wickets in an innings in a match: For Yorkshire R. Illingworth (107 & 0 and 0-23 & 5-64) at Sheffield (Bramall Lane) in 1962. For Warwickshire FR Foster (105 & 18 and 9-118 & 3-84) at Edgbaston in 1911, JS Patel (100 & 11 and 2-61 & 6-50) at Headingley in 2017.
At Scarborough…
Highest innings totals: Yorkshire 561-7dec in 2007, Warwickshire 459 in 1994
Lowest innings totals: Yorkshire 101 in 1934, Warwickshire 45 in 1934
Highest individual score: For Yorkshire, 220 by JA Rudolph in 2007. For Warwickshire, 186 by DP Ostler in 1994.
Best bowling figures (innings): For Yorkshire, 8-33 by S Haigh in 1899. For Warwickshire, 8-62 by GAE Paine in 1934.
Best bowling figures (match): For Yorkshire, 12-45 by S Haigh in 1899. For Warwickshire, 12-121 by GAE Paine in 1923.
Compiled by Paul Dyson, Peter Horne and Martyn Webster – members of the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians.
