Adam Lyth narrowly missed out on a second hundred of the match as Yorkshire and Hampshire played out a turgid final day’s play at the Rose Bowl
27-May-2010
ScorecardAdam Lyth narrowly missed out on a second hundred of the match as Yorkshire and Hampshire played out a turgid final day’s play at the Rose Bowl.Resuming on 152 for 1 after a 16-over delay for rain in the morning session, quick Yorkshire runs were the order of the day if a sparse crowd was to see anything other than a predictable draw.But their progress was pitifully slow, captain Andrew Gale clearly content with mere bonus points and a tepid stalemate as his side added just 28 runs in an hour, for the loss of Anthony McGrath for the addition of just four to his overnight 60.Even the arrival of Jacques Rudolph at the crease could not lift Yorkshire’s scoring rate above a dismal three per over, as the former South African man limped to 28 from 85 balls before being dismissed by Rangana Herath with the first ball of the afternoon session.The only point of interest for the travelling White Rose fans was whether Lyth, imperious all game, could add a second-innings hundred to his marvellous 133 in the first. But even that scant moment of potential jubilation was dashed as Lyth snicked David Balcombe to Neil McKenzie at second slip for a patient 98.The tea interval did not change things as the Tykes continued to bat with dour intentions. Such was the respect shown to Hampshire’s bowlers that even Michael Carberry’s looping part-time off-spin was rendered dangerous enough for the England hopeful to dismiss Andrew Gale for 12.Finally, after reaching 292 for the loss of five second-innings wickets and with James Vince replacing Nic Pothas behind the Hampshire stumps as Pothas threatened to have a bowl himself, the declaration came – to sarcastic applause.Gale’s lack of a killer instinct frustrated a pocket of Yorkshire fans, who felt a demoralised Hampshire were there for the taking. But as the dreary fare continued on the south coast, even the staunchest White Rose fan drifted into indifference.All that was left was for Hampshire’s openers to dully block out the remaining 14 overs – bowled by Adil Rashid and part-time spinners Joe Sayers, Lyth and Rudolph – as both sides finished with nine points on a day which was a dismally poor advert for the competitiveness of county cricket.
