Date-stamped : 07 Jun97 - 06:16 Inspired cameo is served up by Lynch By Stephen Thorpe at Headingley First day of four: Yorkshire (127-6) trail Gloucs (205) by 78 runs THE new spirit in Gloucestershire`s ranks was tested to the full after they had been bowled out for 205 inside 58 overs. But six Yorkshire wickets by the close did much to restore morale on a remarkable day. Everybody`s rubbing rags just a few short weeks ago, Gloucestershire are now more the purveyors of fine muslin but neither side can be entirely confident of victory. A tight contest is virtually guaranteed on a hard, quickish pitch with inordinate bounce. The surface is a mosaic but was never dangerous despite Michael Vaughan`s cracked wrist, and a blistering cameo from Monte Lynch (60) proved what a positive outlook could achieve. Gloucestershire won the toss but Chris Silverwood, with only five wickets in three championship games, struggled for a consistent line. Tony Wright and Bobby Cunliffe, though, were quickly dispatched, allowing Lynch centre-stage. He was soon punching drives through extra cover and backward square. David Byas, the Yorkshire captain, offered a life when Lynch steered a Gavin Hamilton lifter to second slip, an escape celebrated by further slashing square cuts and a half- century off only 27 balls. Byas deployed an astonishing eight-one off-side field in an attempt to stem the flow. Then, with Lynch in full spate and Graham Lloyd`s fastest hundred of the season under threat, Darren Lehmann held him in the gully. Nick Trainor`s long vigil ended on 40 when Richard Stemp trapped him lbw and suddenly Gloucestershire were in crisis, heightened after Tim Hancock played on and Jack Russell was run out. Martyn Ball (35) hit out at Stemp but the damage was done. Not that Gloucestershire were concerned. Mike Smith is riding high in the averages again and, despite being Yorkshire born and schooled, there was little sentiment when away drifters accounted for the left-handers, Byas and Lehmann, and the trademark in-ducker for Bradley Parker. Lord`s will automatically be notified after 15 wickets fell in the day but the ball swung throughout and no repercussions should be incurred. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Wright in obdurate mood By Stephen Thorpe at Headingley Second day of four: Gloucestershire (205 & 281-5) lead York- shire (183) by 303 runs GLOUCESTERSHIRE are primed for a return to the head of the cham- pionship and will be aiming to set Yorkshire a target well in ex- cess of 400 after another stirring day of no quarter. Harry Brind, the ECB pitches inspector, arrived early to pass judgment on a surface where the cracks had widened somewhat but the pronouncement was, as expected, of no great concern for the Headingley ground staff. A touch of uneven bounce, but no fur- ther action would be taken. Gloucestershire required immediate application to build on a nominal lead of 24, and Tony Wright, with 79, supplied it in full mea- sure for 2.75 hours when the vagaries of the pitch were still plainly apparent. "Billy" is an obdurate soul and allied good foot movement and workmanship off his legs to solid determi- nation. Indeed, at this stage, there were even light-hearted musings that Brind would have been better employed surveying the carnage at Edgbaston. Then, after Nick Trainor edged Richard Stemp behind and Chris Silverwood bowled Rob Cunliffe, Monte Lynch, ignoring a strained hamstring, upped the tempo with a typically forthright 64 off only 72 balls. Wright was brilliantly held by David Byas, diving low to his right at second slip, redeeming two previous errors, before Mark Al- leyne (49 not out) pressed home the advantage with Jack Russell. Mike Smith was quickly into the tail in the morning, finishing with six for 58 and raising his season`s tally to 29 wickets at a healthy 14.37 - still fractionally behind Phil Newport in the national bowling averages. Yorkshire trailed by 78 overnight and Gavin Hamilton was soon lbw before Silverwood`s lusty ambition, including a six levered one-handed over backward square, briefly hinted at an improba- ble lead. Smith, though, had other ideas, flattening his mid- dle stump then claiming a nonplussed Stemp caught behind. Richard Blakey overcame the occasional rogue delivery well and he remained undefeated on 51 after Michael Vaughan`s cracked wrist prevented his reappearance at the crease. The Yorkshire opener will be missing for at least a month. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Young`s swing makes it difficult for Yorkshire By Stephen Thorpe at Headingley Third day of four: Yorks (183 & 194-4) require 217 runs to beat Gloucs (205 & 388) GLOUCESTERSHIRE will be confident of notching a third champi- onship victory today, weather permitting, after Yorkshire reached 194 for four in their quest for an unlikely record-breaking target. Bad light, then slashing rain, halted play with 16 overs remaining. Yorkshire required 411 for victory on a much flatter pitch, with time an irrelevance, but Michael Vaughan`s cracked wrist will pre- vent his further participation and Gloucestershire have a strong hand of swing merchants. Martyn Moxon is still a highly accomplished batsman, as his first championship half-century of the season proved after Sean Young`s late inswing had accounted for David Byas. Darren Lehmann`s wicket, however, provided greater jubilation for Tasmania`s all- rounder, his old Sheffield Shield adversary shuffling across another in- ducker. Yorkshire were in dire need of another innings of substance to sustain any mild grounds for optimism, a sentiment certainly shared by Bradley Parker in a partnership worth 90 with Craig White. Parker worked the off-spinner, Martyn Ball, confidently into gaps, striking 12 fours in 2.25 hours before Young`s reintroduc- tion tipped the balance in Gloucestershire`s favour. His proficiency with the ball has given them another dimen- sion, also allowing the luxury of an extra batsman and, when Jack Russell snared a magnificent one-handed catch high in front of first slip, the visitors were cock-a-hoop. Gloucestershire extended their overnight lead of 303 by 107 on an overcast morning but were indebted to the late order after early setbacks. Although Yorkshire were hampered at the start when veteran seamer Peter Hartley reported ill with food poison- ing, Richard Stemp bore the extra burden. His teasing loop soon prompted a rush of blood from Russell, then Mark Alleyne (52) dragged on a wide one from White. Chris Silverwood has not lived up to his England Test pedigree in this match. Armed with the new ball, though, he managed to re- move an ebullient Tim Hancock off a leading edge, but was then carved to distraction in a hugely entertaining last-wicket partnership of 45. Anyone born in Aylesbury and raised in Wiltshire must have agri- cultural leanings, a fact confirmed during a career-best 25 by Swindon tyro Jonathan Lewis. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Yorkshire humbled by reject Smith By Andrew Collomosse at Headingley Gloucestershire (205 & 388) beat Yorks (183 & 246) by 164 runs GLOUCESTERSHIRE needed only 75 minutes yesterday to claim the five wickets that carried them back to the top of the champi- onship table. Whether they stay there remains to be seen but they can expect to encounter sterner opposition than Yorkshire were able to pro- vide on an overcast Headingley morning. The chances of Yorkshire, reduced to 10 men by the absence of the injured Michael Vaughan, scoring the 217 they needed for victory when play began were al- ways remote in the extreme. Indeed, rain was always going to pose a far greater threat to Gloucestershire`s ambitions. But once the admirable Mike Smith had trapped Craig White leg before after he had added only five to his overnight score of 27, the Yorkshire tail was exposed. Peter Hartley perished after lash- ing two powerful fours off Smith and Richard Blakey, dropped by Richard Davis in the gully off the bowling of Shaun Young, was unable to re- peat the heroics of his rearguard action at Ilford a week ago. After surviving a confident lbw appeal off Smith, he lashed Young into the covers only to see Rob Cunliffe launch himself in- to early contention for the catch of the season. Thus encouraged, Cunliffe proceeded to run out Chris Silver- wood with a superb throw from the cover boundary and it was all over when Smith yorked Richard Stemp in the 18th over of the day. A disap- pointing performance, then, by Yorkshire who spent more than an hour in the dressing-room afterwards working out where it had all gone wrong as the opposition planned their afternoon off. No one earned it more than Smith, whose match haul of 10 for 134 served to confirm that he is not a million miles away from the England selectors` thoughts. Born down the road in Dewsbury, educated at Wakefield Grammar School and a former captain of the Yorkshire Under-13 side, this was indeed a happy homecoming. "I love coming back here," he said afterwards. "I played all my junior cricket here but I never really had a chance at second- team level. In the end I asked to be released and came down to Gloucester. "My first few years were a bit scratchy and in `93 I promised myself that if I didn`t have a good year I would pack it in. Thirty- odd wickets persuaded me to give it another year and it`s gone re- ally well since then." He can say that again. And after emerging from the formidable shadow of the departed Courtney Walsh to become his adopted coun- ty`s front-line seamer he has, in the words of the chairman of se- lectors David Graveney, been mentioned in dispatches. "I`m happy with the way I`m bowling. Without Courtney I don`t seem to be getting as much donkey work this season. It certainly makes a change to have choice of ends." And the chances of that first championship since 1986? "A few people are wondering how long it will continue - even down in Bris- tol. We were always looking for a top-five place but there`s a growing belief that we can win it. "The batting has improved a lot and that`s important. We`ve always been able to bowl teams out but now we`re batting right down the order and it`s going well. So far so good." Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)