beat Yorkshire 183 all out and 222 all out
by 18 runs
County Championship Division 1
Day Three
Wednesday 28 Sep 2022
Played at Headingley
And so. The Yorkshire County Cricket shitshow ends as it started. With an exceptionally poor range of beers being served in, frankly illegal, paper cups in The Headingley Long Room.
Had Yorkshire got that over the line, we'd have stayed in Division One on the night. Even with that loss, results could go our way the next day to save us. They didn't. A magnificent effort by The Bears sent Yorkshire down. Although not really. Yorkshire sent Yorkshire down. By only winning one match all season.
No point in rehashing The Rafiq Affair here. Sponsor & International Cricket income lost overnight. Yorkshire became a toxic brand. Non-Member Patel. He's a Lord you know, so that's nice. He came riding out of nowhere. Hoping for a plan to stabilise the finances & reputation. I'm sort of OK saying - and he did.
But, he did that by deploying Initiatives and Celebrities. A black, overseas, celebrity international coach. A media personality, former Yorkshire and England bowler celebrity Director of Cricket. Any fucking number of independent celebrity board members with long and impressive CVs alongside other celebrities on other boards. Overseas celebrity players picked for their profile rather than performance.
Those things stabilise. Granted. But, need some grafters alongside the grifters. And those aren't them. So, while the schmoozing stabilised the finances & reputation (somewhat). Handcarts were hired so the actual game on the pitch could more easily go to hell.
I rocked up for just the Third Day. That started with Glos leading by 211, 6 gone. I thought Yorkshire did OK to hold it to a 241 chase. George Hill taking two quick 'uns to move it along.
My mantra;
"If you're in a chase, chase"
And, I'm not sure that really happened. Maybe early on. When Lyth and Hill were batting. Bringing the target under 200. 50 partnership. But then 95 for 4 with Wharton, Hill, Kohler-Cadmore and Tattersall gone.
Lyth & Duke gone at just 119 for 6. That's shit awful. Long way back. By Tea (remember, it's just Day 3), under a hundred needed (90), Bess and Thompson settling in a bit.
But, Thompson and the Fish' gone at 172 for 8 - still needing 69. Bess employed a bit of biff. That's the only way to chase from there. Put some runs in the game.
And so, the final scene gets set. Steve Patterson. Playing his final game for the County. He's already had "many" standing ovations in this game. He's rafter cheered to the crease at 191 for nine. Fifty to win. Fifty to stay in Division One. Fifty to get all the Patel Celebrities out of the hole.
Patto has finished on nought from 27 balls. Inject that into my veins. Unfortunately, he's carved that 27th and Chris Dent has held a low catch. Bess is 79 Red Ink. And Yorkshire pull up short.
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