| LV= County Championship Division One, North Marine Road, Scarborough (day one): |
| Yorkshire 158-8 (54.2 overs): Bess 67, Fraine 53; Abbott 4-36, Abbas 3-25) |
| Hampshire: Yet to bat |
| Hampshire 2 pts, Yorkshire 0 pts |
| Scorecard |
Title-chasing Hampshire enjoyed a fine morning session at Scarborough before Yorkshire recovered on a rain-hit day.
After opting to bat, the Tykes slipped to 33-6 in the opening 21 overs before later recovering to reach the early close on 158-8 thanks to half-centuries from Will Fraine (53) and England spinner Dom Bess (67) in a seventh-wicket stand of 116.
Hampshire’s two overseas seamers Kyle Abbott (4-36) and Muhammad Abbas (3-25) shared seven wickets after Keith Barker had struck in the first over.
On a day when no other Yorkshire player reached double figures, there was no play beyond tea – and the day was shorn of nearly 42 overs when umpires Peter Hartley and Neil Mallender abandoned play just before 5pm.
After Yorkshire captain Steve Patterson elected to bat upon his return to the side following a week out with a hamstring injury, Barker set the tone for Hampshire by trapping George Hill lbw for a golden duck after only five balls.
Pakistan international Abbas then benefited from two batters misjudging attempted leaves, as Adam Lyth played on before Jonny Tattersall was bowled, with Tom Kohler-Cadmore LBW in between.
20-4 inside 14 overs became worse when South African Abbott added the wickets of Matthew Waite and Matthew Revis caught in the slips.
Given the absence of some heavy batting artillery for Yorkshire, including Harry Brook due to England T20 duty, added to the potency of Hampshire’s bowling attack, it was a surprise that Patterson opted to bat.
On a North Marine Road pitch which offers notorious bounce, it may have been wise to insert given that unsettled weather had been forecast.
However, after the first rain break half an hour before lunch, Fraine and Bess went some way to vindicating Patterson’s decision as they excelled to the delight of an usually sparse Scarborough Festival crowd.
Fraine drove handsomely, taking two boundaries off Ian Holland in the afternoon’s opening over to set the tone, while Bess scored his runs on both sides of the wicket and was more fortunate, edging boundaries over the slips off Abbas and Holland.
But Abbott reasserted Hampshire’s authority when he had bagged both Fraine and Bess.
Having reached his first fifty of the season, Fraine was caught at third slip off an attempted pull by Joe Weatherley, who atoned for his earlier error in dropping a tough chance off him on 1, then Bess fell with what proved to be the day’s last ball when a regulation edge was pouched by Liam Dawson at second slip.
Report supplied by the ECB Reporters’ Network.
