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Yorkshire secure patchy draw thanks to dogged resistance
Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire (County Championship) : Day Four
"A PATCHY performance", that's
how Yorkshire director of cricket
Martin Moxon described the
County Championship draw with
Nottinghamshire at Headingley,
after some timely resilience from
the tail dragged the home side
over the line with Notts pressing
for an unlikely last-gasp victory.
"We did a lot of hard work but
didn't really capitalise when we
should have done," said Moxon.
"We seemed to keep letting
Notts back into the game. We've
got to give them credit for the
way they bowled but too many of
our dismissals were of our own
making."
After winning the toss and deciding
to bat, Yorkshire's total of
299 always looked reachable for
the visitors with conditions improving
the track no end.
"It wasn't easy batting in the
first innings," said Moxon. "But
we've come out with a draw and
at least we've avoided defeat."
A loss looked a real possibility
as the final hour was announced
and Yorkshire found themselves
batting to save the match with
Tim Bresnan and Morne Morkel
at the crease.
When the South African was
dismissed for eight the home side
had just two wickets remaining
in their second innings, having
scored 168 runs, a lead of just 45.
It was left to Bresnan and skipper
Darren Gough to martial the
home side through the dying embers
of the game and they were
equal to the challenge as they
stood, unbeaten, for half an hour,
long enough to take the game beyond
the visitors.
Earlier in the day Yorkshire
rallied to make light work of
wrapping up Nottinghamshire's
first innings with Chris Read the
final wicket after a superb 142.
In reply Michael Vaughan
looked assured at the crease once
more after Joe Sayers failed to
make double figures for the second
time in the match, but the
England captain was dismissed
just as he began to look like getting
some serious runs.
Vaughan played on to Graham
Swann for 34 and, after Anthony
McGrath was caught behind
seven short of a half century,
Jacques Rudolph completed a
trio of batsmen who lost their
wickets when seemingly well
placed as he was dismissed for 32.
At 140/4 a draw still looked on
the cards but the loss of five wickets
for 28 runs left the match on
a knife edge before Bresnan and
Gough rescued the game.
At stumps there was concern
for debutant Morne Morkel, who
batted with a runner during his
short stint and didn't come out to
field after tweaking his hamstring
on Friday, it now remains
to be scene whether he'll be available
to face Durham in the
Friends Provident Trophy today.
"We're hoping it's not as bad as
first feared," said Moxon. "He
turned up this morning a lot better
but we're being very cautious
about it, we don't want to risk
anything.
"There's a chance that he'll be
fit for Monday but if there's any
doubt we'll not play him."
9:25am Monday 5th May 2008
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