Close Day One: Yorkshire v Gloucestershire, Vitality CC – Yorkshire County Cricket Club

Scorecard 

Gloucestershire must be sick of the sight of openers Adam Lyth and Fin Bean, who both scored superb centuries and shared a fabulous 307 to give Yorkshire the ideal start to their ongoing Vitality County Championship clash at sunny Scarborough today. 

The left-handed pair batted through the majority of the opening day as the hosts piled on 348-3 from 96 overs 

It was their sixth opening partnership of 100 or more since the start of last summer in the Championship, and by far the highest of them as well. 

They united for 80.1 overs, with Bean making 164 off 250 balls and Lyth 129 off 243. 

The pair shared the highest opening partnership made on this ground in first-class cricket, and it was Yorkshire’s first triple century opening stand for 10 years. 

The previous best stand between Lyth and Bean was 180 in the second innings against Gloucestershire at Bristol in April, a draw which Yorkshire had the better of without being able to convert into a victory.

Needless to say, but we will anyway. Here, they will be hoping for a different outcome as they bid to breathe life into their promotion bid from Division Two.

Yorkshire’s day was made to look even better by the fact they were inserted by Gloucestershire captain Graeme van Buuren, a poor decision with hindsight. However, in fairness, he would have been enticed by an overcast sky at 10.30am.

That quickly burnt off and allowed Lyth and Bean – 36-years-old and 22 respectively – to advance serenely against an attack who struggled to build sustained pressure.

Van Buuren was their first wicket-taker with his left-arm spin. But by far and away their standout bowler was new ball seamer Dom Goodman, who ended the day with 0-29 from 17 overs. 

He was closely followed by new ball partner Ajeet Singh Dale, who struck – as did towering Australian all-rounder Beau Webster.

Yorkshire’s left-handers hardly gave a chance on a pitch without the excessive pace and bounce we have seen previously at North Marine Road. We saw extra bounce, though it was more spongy.

Lyth took on the lead role this morning, with Bean more reserved. At 106-0 at lunch, the former had 64 and the latter 31, though both did sweep sixes off the leg-spin of Ed Middleton.

After lunch, things switched. Bean actually caught Lyth up on 92 before the latter drove Middleton through the covers to reach his fourth century of this season off 179 balls.

Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Adam Lyth drives en-route to 129 today.

When Bean followed him there – his second – not long afterwards, off 184 balls, Yorkshire were 216-0 in the closing stages of the afternoon.

Bean had swept two more sixes off spin en-route to his century and, in all, hit six to the leg-side against spin by the time he was out late in the day.

With the pair looking set at the crease, records were starting to be researched.

In the early stages of the evening, the pair bettered the 243 shared between Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe for the HDG Leveson-Gower’s XI against the touring New Zealanders in September 1931 for the highest opening partnership in first-class cricket on this ground.

By that stage, Bean had overtaken his partner and was first to 150, off 236 balls.

Such was Yorkshire’s domination, late in the day when Bean left a delivery alone outside off-stump from Zaman Akhter, Lyth at the non-striker’s end was seemingly – albeit playfully – questioning why his partner hadn’t attempted to play an MS Dhoni style helicopter shot at it.

Lyth was dropped on 121 by a diving Cameron Bancroft in the gully. It would have some catch had he taken it.

Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Fin Bean sweeps one of six sixes against Gloucestershire on day one at Scarborough.

Though Gloucestershire did gain some consolatory success.

Bean was caught at point off van Buuren’s left-arm spin at 307-1 in the 81st over before Lyth, with the score on 322 in the 85th, was bowled by Singh Dale. Webster later had James Wharton caught behind (342-3).

Lyth also featured in Yorkshire’s last triple century opening partnership – the 375 he and Alex Lees shared in the second innings of a victory at Northampton in 2014 – the year the county went on to win the Championship title.

Fingers crossed, there is something to celebrate at the end of this year too. 

If so, this day and this partnership might be reflected upon as the turning point in the campaign.