Yorkshire set quite the standard this week. They completed their second County Championship victory of the summer by dominating Essex and cruising to a comprehensive 10-wicket victory. The match, which concluded at the picturesque venue in York, allowed Yorkshire to leapfrog to eighth place in the Division One standings, while Essex found themselves in a precarious position, now sitting second-bottom on the table.
Essex put on a total of 368 runs batting out the first innings. Yorkshire hit back hard to set a mammoth 459 in their opener. That big lead still proved vital as Yorkshire then skittled Essex for just 131 runs in their second innings to win by an innings and 37 runs. Yorkshire then started to chase down their target and went quickly to 41 without loss. This phenomenal performance guaranteed their win and gave them 20 points from the match.
Jonny Bairstow, Yorkshire’s key player, expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance.
“After them holding out for a draw down at Essex and us dominating the game (in May), we had the bit between our teeth to try and win this one this week.” – Jonny Bairstow
Jack White and Ben Coad bagged eight wickets between them to lead the line for Yorkshire. They each played critical roles in ripping through the entire Essex batting order. White took four for 37 and Coad three for 33 in the second innings. They helped set the early tone and were instrumental in restricting Essex to a paltry total. This gave Yorkshire plenty of confidence to chase down the target.
Yorkshire’s batting was as impressive, particularly opening batsmen Adam Lyth and Harry Brook, who were both still at the crease when play finished. Vianni Lyth hit an exceptional 15 not out to get the momentum going. In reply, Bean wasn’t out, 18 as his side passed their target in their second innings without the loss of a wicket.
Chris Silverwood, head coach of Essex, was magnanimous in defeat, admitting that his side had had their chances and paid the price for not taking them.
“First innings, from a decent start, we should have gone on and scored more runs. Then, first innings when we were bowling, we could potentially have come out with a 70-run lead and ended up with a deficit of nearly 100.” – Chris Silverwood
The win also increases Yorkshire’s position in the Championship table, taking their total points accumulated up to 20, just eight off the top spot. Essex find themselves in an even deeper hole, earning a mere three points thus far after falling to yet another frustrating loss.
With the season continuing, Yorkshire will be looking to carry on from what they’ve already achieved. They’re closely focused on finding a way to do better in their next engagement. Essex needs to collect themselves fast if they intend to keep falling out of the top of the league standing.
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