AFTER months of negotiations a deal which will see Yorkshire play county cricket at Scarborough for at least the next ten-years has finally been agreed.

The ceremony may have been short and sweet at North Marine Road, lasting just a couple of minutes at tea during a disappointing day’s play against Hampshire yesterday, but the significance of the contract is likely to be felt for many years to come.

“The Scarborough festival is one of the oldest and most important in cricket,” said Yorkshire’s chief executive Stewart Regan after putting his signature to the deal.

“Although talks have been ongoing for a while we have always remained committed to playing at North Marine Road. This deal should mean that our supporters get an enhanced experience when they come here in the future.”

It is believed that the contract is subject to a degree of small redevelopment work taking place at the ground, with some national media outlets voicing their disapproval of the facilities during the past 12 months.

The club have also confirmed that negotiations with the ECB are going well over whether the Tykes can play a possible Clydesdale Bank 40 semi-final at North Marine Road.

“We are very confident that, if we qualify, we can have the match at Scarborough,”

confirmed Regan.

“Both BSkyB and the ECB are behind staging the match here and we are now in discussions with the cricket club about how the arrangement would work.”

On the pitch, a devastating partnership of more than 200 from Jimmy Adams, who is unbeaten on 162, and James Vince, who is at the crease on 122, means that Hampshire have seized control of the two side’s LV County Championship match.

Yorkshire had began with plenty of optimism that they could trouble the visitors’ batsmen, after declaring late on Tuesday, but Adams soon made sure it was a day of toil instead of celebration.

On a drab day’s play it was he that got to three figures first, after Rich Pyrah, Steve Patterson and Ajmal Shahzad had all taken a wicket apiece, before 19-year-old Vince reached the landmark for the first time in first-class cricket as the close approached.

Coming together with the score at 152 for three, they helped Hampshire post a total of 367 for three by the end of play and their partnership of 215 is only 48 runs short of the county’s highest ever total for the fourth wicket.

It means a draw is still the most likely result, with the visitors having a slender first-innings lead of 45 to take into the final day, but the ever wily Dominic Cork could yet spring a surprise on Yorkshire and declare to try and win the match.

Yorkshire v Hampshire At Scarborough.

Overnight: Yorkshire 322-9 dec (A U Rashid 76, A Lyth 63; D G Cork5-64).

Hampshire 8-0.

Scoreboard

Hampshire First Innings Close

M A Carberry c McGrath b Pyrah ...... 40

J H Adams not out ..........................162

C C Benham b Shahzad .................. 26

N D McKenzie b Patterson ............... 0

J M Vince not out ............................122

Extras (b12 lb2 w1 nb2 pens 0) .................................17

Total 3 wkts (99 overs) .......367

Fall: 1-105 2-135 3-152

To Bat: S M Ervine, M D Bates, D G Cork, D J Balcombe, J A Tomlinson, D J Briggs.

Bonus Pts: Yorkshire 3 Hampshire 3

Bowling: Bresnan 2-0-7-0. Shahzad 21-5- 74-1. Patterson 23-5-58-1. Hannon-Dalby 17-4-55-0. A U Rashid 17-1-65-0. Pyrah 11- 0-62-1. McGrath 7-0-27-0. Rudolph 1-0-5-0.