Pace bowler’s maiden five-for secures victory in dying embers of the day
Lancashire509 for 9 dec (Bohannon 127*, Jennings 114, Lamb 61, Wells 60, Davies 52) beat Yorkshire 159 (Duke 52, Bailey 3-6) and 271 (Brook 52, Mahmood 5-49) by an innings and 79 runs
But this was Yorkshire’s day, too, although it will be years before they acknowledge the fact. Six of their batsmen had survived for 99 minutes or longer in their second innings and Bess had batted three hours and 35 minutes for his 46 runs. It is hardly a speculative effort of the imagination to suggest that Lancashire’s fielders had reminded him he was no longer in England’s Test team. But he had gutsed it out and three overs earlier it had looked as though Old Trafford’s sun would shine on his and Yorkshire’s righteousness. Then Mahmood, who already had three wickets to his name, snared Thompson, caught behind by Dane Vilas for 14. Next over, an agonised Coad saw Alex Wharf’s finger go up, adjudging he, too, had edged the ball to Lancashire’s captain. A few minutes later Parkinson bowled to Bess. There were 41 balls left in the match…
By the time there were 40 (or, indeed, none) Parkinson was being engulfed by his colleagues and Yorkshire’s last pair were standing in statuesque misery. Fair enough on both counts. The legspinner’s three wickets for 61 runs from 41.2 overs had played a vital role in the result. But this was still Mahmood’s day. Lancashire’s spearhead currently looks like one of the best fast bowlers in the country and he is certainly playing in one of the finest county sides. The in-ducker that removed Will Fraine’s middle stump in the fifth over of the morning and the ball that straightened to knock out Steve Patterson’s off pole ten minutes later were models of the fast bowler’s ferocious art.
The new ball was needed to separate the pair but it did the trick almost immediately. Vilas wisely chose to take it as soon as it became available and Tom Bailey’s third delivery found the narrowest of gaps between Hill’s bat and pad. All the same it was nearly an hour later before Parkinson had Brook leg before wicket for 52 when the ball hit him full on the front boot. It had long been clear to Lancashire’s bowlers that they would need to take the long route to victory and grab every opportunity that came their way. It seemed particularly galling, therefore, when Livingstone, put down a slip catch off Bess when the Yorkshire allrounder was 17 and there were still 45 overs left in the game.
Yorkshire took tea with their score reading 208 for 6 and many thought the balance of the day was shifting in their favour. But nine overs after the resumption Duke made perhaps his first plain error when he let a ball from Luke Wood go and watched in horror as it hit his off stump. Once again the misery of the moment was visited upon a young player; even the memory of his first-innings fifty may have receded. As for the sepia-tinged history of this game, what had that to do with him? And as for James Heap…
In time, perhaps, Duke will come to understand. For the moment he can be assured that he has already honoured his profession.
Until today, those games in 1913 and 1972 were the only occasions in the last 108 years when Lancashire have beaten Yorkshire by an innings at Old Trafford. Now there is a third match to go with them. Vilas and his players have become history boys, not that such things concern them this evening, for they are still sitting on the outfield, enjoying a beer and chatting quietly. Among them is Bess, recently an opponent but now someone altogether gentler. He is chatting with Mahmood and Parkinson. They have this summer and many more ahead of them.
Paul Edwards is a freelance cricket writer. He has written for the Times, ESPNcricinfo, Wisden, Southport Visiter and other publications
Source: ESPN Crickinfo