Match report Yorks v Lancs in Twenty20 Cup 2004 by John Ward

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Scorecard:

Yorkshire v Lancashire

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A superb innings by Andy Flintoff was trumped by a brilliant century from Ian Harvey as Yorkshire raced home to an eight-wicket victory over their neighbours Lancashire, with 17 balls in hand. While Flintoff’s was a one-man show, Harvey received much better support from his Yorkshire partners.

 

A grey day had turned into a largely sunny evening as Yorkshire won the toss and put Lancashire in to bat. The public responded well to the match and the weather, with the crowd more than eleven thousand in number. Yorkshire had Richard Blakey back behind the stumps as their third keeper of the season.

 

Flintoff, on one of his rare county appearances courtesy of the generally unsympathetic Duncan Fletcher, opened the batting with Mal Loye. He poked and missed at the first ball from Tim Bresnan, just outside off stump, and then pulled the second to cow corner for four. He turned the fourth ball with straight bat through midwicket for another four, so eight runs came off the first over.

 

In the next over Steven Kirby travelled to the long-off boundary, courtesy of Flintoff’s bat, followed by a slice for four to third man and another boundary to point. He took a single off a no-ball, but Loye made the most of the free ball that followed, swinging it over the square-leg boundary for six. After two overs, Lancashire were 30 without loss.

 

Yorkshire did strike in the next over, Bresnan taking a very sharp return catch as Loye (7) drove straight back at him. Lancashire were 35 for one in the third over. Later in the same over Flintoff on 26 skyed a catch beyond mid-on, but Craig White totally misjudged it and failed to get a hand to the ball as it dropped behind him; he also twisted a leg in the process and had to leave the field.

 

Ian Harvey, in his first live action for two months after injury, bowled a ragged first over but it did include the wicket of Glen Chapple (2), who drove a catch weakly to mid-on. Lancashire were 49 for two in the fifth over.

 

Carl Hooper immediately began to find the boundary, and after six overs the score was 63 for two. A further breakthrough for Yorkshire was critical, but Kirby continued to fulfill his apparent one-day role of cannon fodder to perfection. The crowd roared with excitement as Flintoff drove him straight down the throat of long-off – but it was another no-ball.

 

Acting captain Matthew Wood turned to spin and Richard Dawson did the trick, trapping Hooper lbw for 16 off 13 balls, and Lancashire were 86 for three in the ninth over. Shortly afterwards Flintoff reached his fifty off 29 balls.

 

Dominic Cork scored 5 before being unwise enough to try a reverse sweep off Dawson; Phil Jaques, fielding at backward point for a right-handed shot, leapt to his right to take a fine catch. After 10 overs, Lancashire were 104 for four.

 

Kirby’s four-over spell came to an inglorious end at a cost of 60 runs, but the runs still came with Flintoff in full spate, although he did play some wild slogs at times. Darren Schofield departed for 4, sent back looking for a second run and beaten by the strong arm of substitute fielder Chris Silverwood at long-off. Lancashire were 132 for five in the 13th over, with Flintoff 85.

 

The big all-rounder was not to add to this tally, as he hit Andy Gray straight down the pitch for the bowler to take a hard head-high return catch; 133 for six in the 14th over.

 

Warren Hegg, chopping a boundary to third man, twisted a strapped knee in the process and was forced to use a runner, but he continued to attack the bowling with success until sweeping Gray to Silverwood at deep square leg for 20 off 16 balls; 163 for seven in the 18th over.

 

Sajid Mahmood failed to score, lbw to Harvey (165 for eight in the 19th over) and then Gary Keedy (0) was run out in the same over, two runs later, after a fine throw from Wood at midwicket to the bowler. James Anderson failed to make anything of the rest of the over.

 

Then the innings came to a quick ending as Mark Chilton (11) came down the pitch and missed a cut at Gray, presenting Blakey with the easiest of stumpings. Lancashire were all out for 168 with five balls to spare, and it would have been a sorry scorecard without the 85 of Flintoff.

 

The last six wickets went down for 36 runs. Gray took three for 18 thanks to Lancastrian generosity, while Harvey took two for 30 and Dawson two for 23.

 

The light had deteriorated significantly as Harvey opened the Yorkshire batting in partnership with Wood. Loye kept wicket for Lancashire in place of the injured Hegg; in this brief match both captains had to be replaced.

 

Harvey was soon in the forefront of the action, with two powerful lofted off-side boundaries; 18 came off the second over of the innings, bowled by Chapple. Dominic Cork replaced Chapple, bowled two wides, one down each side, and then produced a lifter that struck Wood (2) on the glove and rebounded to Flintoff at short extra cover. Yorkshire were 34 for one in the fourth over.

 

Harvey continued his slash-and-burn tactics, supported by Jaques, and hit Cork for six over long-off and Mahmood for another, straight, to bring up his fifty off just 21 balls. Jaques joined the party by hitting Hooper into the crowd at cow corner, finding no difficulty in the now appalling light. After ten overs Yorkshire were 103 for one – almost all scored by Australians.

 

Sunlight unexpectedly flooded the field as Yorkshire’s Australians galloped towards victory. The century partnership came up off 62 balls, but shortly afterwards Jaques (39) drove Chapple to long-off for substitute John Wood to take the catch. Yorkshire were 142 for two in the 15th over.

 

Harvey cut Keedy for four to reach his century off just 53 balls, a stroke which also took Yorkshire past 150. The end was not long delayed, as Harvey swung Flintoff to the fine-leg boundary to finish unbeaten with 108, his partner Michael Lumb being on 9. None of the Lancashire bowlers returned figures they would wish to be recorded.

 

(Article: Copyright © 2004 John Ward)