Warwickshire v Yorkshire
(County Championship)
Day Four

GALLANT Yorkshire posted a record which they did not deserve in their Championship thriller with Warwickshire at Edgbaston on Saturday.

It ended in defeat by 66 runs when they lost their last wicket with three balls remaining after the tenth wicket pair of Jason Gillespie and John Blain had blocked out 115 deliveries between them.

Chasing a mammoth 500 for victory, Yorkshire were all out for 433 to give them the highest losing fourth innings score in the history of Championship cricket. It overtook the 425 by Warwickshire against Surrey in 2003.

The final strand of resistance ended when Blain was lbw to Heath Streak in the last over after keeping out 56 balls.

Gillespie, who only the previous week had scored a sensational unbeaten double century for Australia in Bangladesh, defied Warwickshire for 63 balls.

Despite their defeat, Yorkshire had every reason to feel proud of their fightback and there was even a time in mid-afternoon when they stood a good chance of winning.

That would have given them the second highest winning chase in the Championship.

Anthony McGrath (84) and Michael Lumb (71) both played their part, but it was Darren Lehmann who was top-of-the-bill with a breathtaking 150 from 174 balls with 17 fours and four sixes.

In his first match for Yorkshire since temporarily taking leave of them at the end of the 2004 season, Lehmann showed that he has lost none of his brilliance, nor any of his audacious strokeplay, and even at 36 he remains one of the most gifted batsmen on the world stage.

He came in at 165 for three when McGrath was unfortunate to be lbw to one which scudded through from James Anyon.

Lehmann added 76 with the watchful Lumb, who was out when he lost his balance and was stumped down the leg side by Tim Ambrose.

Lehmann and his brother-inlaw, Craig White, kept Yorkshire in with a shout until White lost his off-stump in a good spell from Neil Carter.

But Lehmann went calmly on to his 21st century for Yorkshire and the 75th of his career, lacing it with 11 fours and two sixes.

At tea, Yorkshire were 340 for five with a further 160 wanted but hopes rapidly receded when Gerard Brophy and Tim Bresnan were taken in the slips and Richard Dawson patted back a return catch to Alex Loudon.

Lehmann, however, refused to accept that the battle was lost and it was an over-adventurous stroke that led to his downfall when he could not resist trying to swipe across the line at a wide long hop from Carter, only to edge to the wicketkeeper.

All seemed done and dusted for Warwickshire when last man Blain joined Gillespie with almost 20 overs remaining.

The home fans became increasingly frustrated as the stubborn pair dug in.

In the penultimate over from Jamie Troughton, Gillespie edged to Jonathan Trott at first slip but the umpire ruled the ball did not carry and Warwickshire's celebrations were stifled until captain Streak delivered the killer blow.

Mike Yardy and Murray Goodwin carried their Liverpool Victoria County Championship form into the limited overs format as Sussex opened their C&G Trophy campaign with a five-wicket win over Surrey at The Oval.

The pair put on 156 for the fourth wicket as Sussex overhauled Surrey's 272 for nine with ten balls to spare. Goodwin scored 89 and Yardy finished on 98 not out.

Scorecard

Warwickshire v Yorkshire at Edgbaston.

Overnight: Warwickshire 316 (J O Troughton 73,
A G R Loudon 73; A McGrath 4-62) and 399-5
dec (I J L Trott 177 no, N V Knight 126). Yorkshire
216 and 134-2 (A McGrath 73 no).

Yorkshire Second Innings
A McGrath lbw b Anyon 84
M J Lumb st Ambrose b Troughton 71
D S Lehmann c Ambrose b Carter 150
C White b Carter 24
G L Brophy c Trott b Anyon 19
T T Bresnan c Trott b Loudon 9
R K Dawson c & b Loudon 1
J N Gillespie not out 17
J A Blain lbw b Streak 10
Extras (b2 lb7 w1 nb10 pens 0) 20
Total (135.3 overs) 433
Fall: 1-15 2-61 3-165 4-241 5-305 6-353 7-
380 8-392 9-396
Total Bonus Pts: Warwickshire 6 Yorkshire 4
Streak 28.3-5-77-2. Carter 27-4-120-2. Anyon 22-
6-66-3. Groenewald 16-5-34-0. Loudon 27-7-65-
2. Powell 1-0-4-0. Troughton 14-3-58-1.

Warwickshire (20pts) beat Yorkshire (4pts) by 66 runs