Yorkshire secure patchy draw thanks to dogged resistance

9:25am Monday 5th May 2008

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."

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