Lancashire v Yorkshire, Old Trafford, 3rd day

Gale and McGrath grind down Lancashire

John Ward at Old Trafford

August 14, 2008

Yorkshire 234 for 2 (Gale 111*, McGrath 99) lead Lancashire 231 (Croft 68, Rashid 5-95) by three runs
Scorecard

A 215-run partnership, almost the equal of the entire Lancashire innings, kept Yorkshire in with a chance of winning the rain-affected Roses match at Old Trafford. Andrew Gale and Anthony McGrath showed admirable determination and application as Yorkshire took the lead by the close of the third day, with eight wickets still in hand.

As one person, only half joking, put it, Dominic Cork had an unprecedented experience to endure in this match: applause from the crowd. A prickly character but still a fine player, Cork clearly has a great deal of membership support after the announcement of his controversial sacking, and he responded by trapping Chris Taylor lbw for 2 in his first over.

That was Lancashire's last success for almost five hours and 200 runs, as the two batting heroes held centre stage almost until close of play. They began with necessary caution against sharp bowling from Cork and Glenn Chapple, and after ten overs only 15 runs were on the board. But they then took nine off an over from Chapple, and the shackles were loosened.

The pitch so favoured spin that Gary Keedy came on for the twelfth over at the Brian Statham end and, like Adil Rashid had done, he was on duty there for most of the innings. In the days before covered pitches, counties may well have played three spinners on a surface like this, but in the 21st century most teams seem to consider two a ridiculous notion under any circumstances; Yorkshire could have profited, though, from the inclusion of left-armer David Wainwright.

Between lunch and tea, the pair raised the score, with one wicket down, from 57 to 147, by sound accumulation, with nothing flashy and few even of those special McGrath cover-drives. He reached his workmanlike 50 off 97 balls, while Gale, playing a superb supporting role, took 139 over his. Keedy at times caused them concern, the seamers worked hard but could do nothing more than make the batsmen do the same, and Mahmood again disappointed.

After tea the batsmen continued with 'business as usual' in the traditional Roses match style, no frills, just hard-working runs. Chapple reduced his pace, shortened his run and bowled medium-paced cutters, which did slow down the scoring for a time, while Gale survived a hard chance at slip off Keedy. McGrath broke the stranglehold by driving Keedy for a straight six, while Gale became more fluent, and both the batsmen were in the nineties together, with the stand now worth more than 200.

Both got away with uppish strokes just clear of the fielders, but then "We'll get them in singles" seemed to be the watchword. They were on 97, 98 and 99 together, where they stuck, until McGrath, playing forward, was adjudged lbw to the occasional leg-spin of Faf du Plessis. Their partnership was worth 215 runs in 80 overs. So the experienced McGrath was denied a well-deserved century, but he had done a marvellous job for his side after facing 222 balls.

Gale was more successful, as in the next over he nudged Steven Croft through the vacant slips to the equally vacant third-man boundary; his hundred took him 265 balls. Jacques Rudolph survived the day with him.

Lancashire, resuming at their overnight score of 204 for eight, looked positive from the start, although Keedy enjoyed some luck as he played and missed on several occasions. The overnight pair completed the highest partnership of the innings, 66, before Croft, like a number of his predecessors, finally lost his wicket through what tennis pundits would call an unforced error, as he drove a catch to long-off. Last man Mahmood soon sliced a catch to backward point and the innings closed at 231. Both wickets fell to Rashid, who spun and flighted his leg-spinners well to take 5 for 95.

If the weather, sunny for most of the afternoon, continues to hold, Yorkshire's obvious course on the final day will be quick runs, a declaration and a push for victory. Time is not on their side, and if Lancashire can bat with more purpose than in their first innings, they should escape with a draw.

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