Rothesay County Championship, Division One, Scarborough (day three)
Yorkshire 263: Wharton 70, Hill 62; Hull 3-57
Leicestershire 84-0: Patel 41, Gumbs 39
Yorkshire 1 pt, Leicestershire 3 pts
Match scorecard
Leicestershire batted through bowler-friendly conditions on a heavily weather-affected day three of the County Championship clash with Yorkshire at Scarborough.
The Division One match is heading for a draw, a result which could prove to be a healthy one for a Foxes side bidding to avoid relegation.
Openers Rishi Patel and Sheridon Gumbs returned to the crease at midday at 12-0 in reply to Yorkshire’s 263 all out following a delayed start because of a wet outfield.
They took the score to 84-0 before further rain ended the day after only 31.5 overs were bowled. It took the total lost in this match beyond the 140-over mark.
When play started, openers Patel and Gumbs had to contend with seam, swing and a touch of uneven bounce. That there was little to say about the 70-minute morning session was credit to the right-hand, left-hand pair.
They quietly went about their business against the new ball, taking the lunchtime score to 43-0.
One Gumbs cover drive off Jack White before lunch, and a Patel back-foot punch through the same region off Ben Coad just after were particularly memorable.
On another day, Yorkshire could have easily gained significant success, although they will be a touch frustrated that they weren’t at their best line-wise.
The scoreline will be more of a disappointment to Yorkshire than Leicestershire.
The White Rose county believe they can elevate themselves up into what is already a jam-packed title race as the Championship season draws to a thrilling conclusion.
But they need to keep winning to back up last weekend’s success over Hampshire at the Utilita Bowl.
However, they are not yet out of the woods relegation-wise either. They started the round 17 points ahead of second-bottom Leicestershire and 27 behind leaders Nottinghamshire.
There was a knee injury concern for Yorkshire, too, with talismanic all-rounder George Hill leaving the field not long before play was halted, two balls into his sixth over.
Report by ECB Reporters’ Network, supported by Rothesay.
