| Scorecard: | Yorkshire v Hampshire |
Toss: Yorkshire decided to bat
Lunch: Yorkshire 94 for one (Wood 52*, Craven 15*)
Tea: Yorkshire 231 for two (Wood 116*, Lumb 34*)
Close: Yorkshire 326 for five (Yuvraj 6*, Guy 13*)
Matthew Woods big century dominated the first day of Yorkshires match against Hampshire at Scarborough after he won the toss. It was an innings of determination rather than domination, but he put his team in a very strong position, only to see the advantage somewhat squandered on his dismissal. After being 303 for two, Yorkshire were 326 for five at the close.
Yorkshire were without Anthony McGrath and Darren Gough from their team that played Durham last week, both in the England Test squad. They were replaced by Vic Craven and Chris Silverwood, the latter returning from injury. Wood resumed the captaincy. Hampshire had the misfortune to be without their in-form player Nic Pothas, who had a hamstring strain, as did Robin Smith, and also Allan Mullally, still not fully fit or in form.
Yorkshire made a slow start, not reaching double figures until the eighth over, and all of them to Wood. There were annoying delays in the first half-hour due to spectators who insisted on emerging from round the Trafalgar Road end sightscreen just as the bowler was about to deliver the ball, and one when a more careless throw by a fielder hit the bowler in a delicate area and put him down for the count.
It took Stephen Fleming 47 minutes to score his first runs, to third man off a miscued pull, in the 14th over. He went on to make 16 of the opening stand of 55, playing the occasional classy stroke but in general looking well short of his best. Finally he drove James Bruce straight to mid-off, perhaps misjudging a slower ball, and walked off with body language suggesting, I really cant get it together today. The slow pitch could not have helped but one would expect a New Zealander to be used to those!
Wood, partnered by Craven, reached a rather cautious fifty just before lunch. It was not quite a no-fours-before-lunch type of innings, but it was along the lines of a traditional Yorkshire openers foundation innings and would no doubt have received at least qualified approval from Geoffrey Boycott.
Lunch seemed to change things, though. A pull and a back-foot cover drive brought Wood two boundaries in the first over after the break, taking Yorkshire past 100. However he soon settled down again, although perhaps not with as much composure as before, playing and missing a few times. At the other end was Victor Craven, who made 47 with some good strokes, including a classic straight drive for four, before being adjudged lbw to Dimitri Mascarenhas. Yorkshire were 149 for two.
At this stage of the match the secondary scoreboard broke down, the official explanation being that the ice-cream van had been overworking and blown a fuse, which cut off the power for almost an hour. Since the main scoreboard cannot be seen from the pressbox, it was almost like a match at one of the Test grounds where the policy appears to be to site the boards where the press cannot see them. This does not include Lords, where the scoreboard is clearly visible from the pressbox. Unfortunately it usually reads Welcome to Lords or warns spectators against trespassing on the field most of the time when details of the score are actually required.
Wood went on to reach three figures before tea, off 221 balls with a neat drive through the off-side field. It was his 12th first-class century. With Michael Lumb also batting well, apart from the occasional rush of blood, Yorkshire still had only two wickets down at tea. Hampshire maintained a good over rate until after tea, with Shaun Udal bowling a long, economical 26-over spell without luck. On this sound but slow Scarborough pitch, though, the Hampshire pace attack looked very pedestrian, although Chris Tremlett occasionally got the ball to move or lift. Umpire Barrie Leadbeater said it was the slowest Scarborough pitch he had known, and it tended to be two-paced.
The century partnership came up soon after tea, followed soon after by Lumbs fifty. The left-handed Lumb was particularly effective and stylish when driving through the covers. Landmarks came and went, as Wood set out his stall for a major innings and passed 150. Hampshire noticeably took more time with their overs, and more time was wasted as Mascarenhas decided he wanted to use five minutes having his landing strip behind the popping crease filled in.
Wood eventually fell to the second new ball, driving Tremlett to backward point, for a fine innings of 155. In the next over Lumb was trapped lbw for 64, playing back and across but beaten by an inswinger from Mascarenhas, and Craig White, foolishly padding up, also adjudged lbw first ball. Yorkshire had lost three wickets at 303.
Simon Guy relieved the pressure by hitting the hat-trick delivery, a no-ball from Mascarenhas, through the covers for four. Yuvraj Singh was at the other end, no doubt hoping to come in with the pressure off considering his lack of form, but instead he had to stem a minor collapse. He hung on until the close, although never looking in touch.
Hampshires reserve keeper, Iain Brunnschweiler, in for Pothas, had a very impressive day behind the stumps, although having no chances to take. There was an appreciative crowd of 3,000 that will be keen to see Yorkshire build on their advantage on the second day.
(Article: Copyright © 2003 John Ward)
