Date-stamped : 06 Sep97 - 06:08 Slices of luck bring reward for McGrath By Peter Deeley at Headingley First day of four: Yorkshire (369-5) v Worcestershire AN innings of high quality by Anthony McGrath which brought him a career-best score of 141 was curiously Yorkshire`s first cham- pionship hundred of the summer at their Leeds headquarters. For the moment, the home side are in the driving seat in a game where failure for either side would virtually end their ti- tle hopes, but Worcestershire`s big guns must be scenting simi- lar rewards on this batsmen-friendly pitch. The visitors` fielding hardly suggests a side capable of tak- ing the pennant back to New Road. They put down four eminently take- able catches, three in the slips. This was McGrath`s fifth three-figure score in his three sea- sons with Yorkshire, and on this form a county cap cannot be far away. He showed patience in his five-hour stay and the abil- ity to use his feet to pierce a tightly packed cover field, where many of his 21 boundaries came. Before jabbing down on a delivery from Richard Illingworth which rolled back on to the stumps, McGrath late on enjoyed two slices of luck. On 94, he drove firmly back at Gavin Haynes but the bowler could not hold on; then, at 109, Reuben Spiring at slip juggled with but failed to grasp an edge off Stuart Lampitt. Earlier, Spiring made a similar hash of a chance when David Byas fenced at Alamgir Sheriyar. Byas went on to make a ro- bust half-century before Illingworth`s quicker ball got under his guard. The former England spinner, in his fourth game of the summer after a long absence through a shoulder injury, worked hard on a day when the 39 overs sent down after tea suggests Worces- tershire are prompted by an understandable pecuniary need to reduce the fine they face at season`s end for their slow over rate. Illingworth, not yet back to full fitness, nevertheless went for less than two runs an over and his final 15-over spell of one for 18 was largely responsible for Worcestershire retaining some vestige of hope. Sheriyar had a particularly frustrating day, ending wicketless because of the ham-fistedness of the slips. As early as the ninth over, Michael Vaughan edged him at very catchable height to second slip where Graeme Hick, of all people, parried at the chance and let it go. But Vaughan profited little from the escape, scoring only five more before he drove expansively at Maneer Mirza and Hick this time held on. Darren Lehmann announced his aggressive intentions by immedi- ately sweeping Illingworth for six, the ball bouncing up and fin- ish- ing in the guttering above the club offices. He reached fifty at al- most a run a ball but then swung across the line at Haynes and Tom Moody took the catch at mid-on - falling back perhaps in surprise that one had at last stuck. Then Craig White`s highest innings of the campaign took York- shire to maximum batting points with 16 overs to spare. It was some compensation for the club`s anger at the Old Trafford farce on Saturday when water inexplicably got under the covers and robbed them of the chance of crucial points. Yorkshire have written in bitter terms to the England and Wales Cricket Board and Bob Platt, their cricket chairman, said: "I am still furious. Lancashire seemed to have plenty of peo- ple able to dash around and get the field ready for the Sun- day game. The 40-over slog seems to get priority these days." Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) White delights in wayward fare By Peter Deeley at Headingley Second day of four: Yorkshire (414-6) v Worcs THESE outsiders in the title stakes may presently be locked in battle, but they would certainly unite in the view that this particu- lar championship is becoming a lottery, with the win- ning ticket probably going to the county which has most fortune in avoiding the rain. A miserable 10.4 overs were bowled yesterday, and the game is still at that skirmishing stage where first-innings points are being sought. Yorkshire have certainly had the best of the preliminaries, taking full batting points, and are in a position where, if the weather relents, they can take the match to their opponents. Worcestershire, at seventh in the table, are three places be- hind, and the gap in points widened to seven when the West Mid- landers could only take two bowling points - though a very good ball from Stuart Lampitt almost gained them a third at the death, in the 120th over, when he cut one back inside Craig White`s guard, the ball just missing the edge. Unlike Yorkshire, however, they hardly have the look of cham- pionship contenders in their bowling, which is the only part we have seen of them so far. After a traditionally shaky start to the season, their ambitions may be limited to prize money, which now goes down to -L6,000 for ninth place. That would just about pay for the fines they will incur for slow over rates if they cannot improve in their final games. But Worcestershire have had awful luck with the weather. They have so far lost over 1,400 overs this "summer" - the equivalent of about 3.5 games - and most of that rain has fallen on them at New Road. Indeed, the Midlands in general seems to have been a watery grave for the game. Both Northamptonshire and Leicestershire re- port dis- asters on a similar scale: perhaps the whole area could qualify for flood-relief monies from the England and Wales Cricket Board. That cannot excuse the wayward bowling by Alamgir Sheriyar yesterday in the little play possible, which saw White become the second Yorkshireman in 24 hours - following Anthony McGrath - in scoring a hundred on home soil this season. After Richard Blakey had fallen to an edge taken by Steve Rhodes from one delivery Sheriyar managed to pitch on line, White pulled the bowler for six, and in his next over scored an- other 14 runs. This took him to his century off only 130 balls, and included 14 bound- aries and two sixes. White seems to love this Leeds ground. Four of his seven hundreds have come here. Sheriyar, on the other hand, can have little appetite for the setting. His five overs yesterday went for 36, and he too has passed three figures, conceding 101 runs in 23 overs. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) No mercy from dashing White By Peter Deeley at Headingley Third day of four: Worcs (313-6) trail Yorks (501-7 dec) by 188 runs IF either side wants to hang on to the coat-tails of the cham- pionship leaders there will have to be some contrivance to- day on a pitch that is still a batsman`s dream. There was a whiff of contrivance in the air last night when Yorkshire inexplicably relaxed their grip and allowed Worces- tershire enough runs virtually to dispel fears of a follow-on. It compared unfavourably with the earlier taut play when David Leatherdale and Gavin Haynes battled against disciplined bowl- ing and added 94 for the fifth wicket before both departed in circum- stances which clearly displeased them. Leatherdale was adjudged caught via bat and pad off Richard Stemp and trudged unhappily back to the pavilion. Then Haynes - dropped in the slips on two - was given out stumped when Richard Blakey took the ball, looked down and apparently saw the batsman standing out- side his crease. Haynes`s displeasure took the form of a divot dug out of the ground by his bat on the way off, but his replacement, Stuart Lampitt, thoughtfully pressed the offending sod back in place. Craig White pummelled the visitors` attack unmercifully before Yorkshire declared. He reached an unbeaten 172 in 167 balls which included 20 boundaries and seven sixes. Five of them came in the morning off Richard Illingworth and White needed only 28 balls to add 62 to his overnight century. Surprisingly, Yorkshire gave Paul Hutchison, their fast-bowl- ing find, only nine overs in the day - even though the left- armer con- stantly troubled Tom Moody with the new ball before getting him to fence at a lifting ball cutting sharply. Blakey`s catch was his 500th in 13 seasons of first-class crick- et. When Gavin Hamilton broke through after lunch with two wickets in seven balls Yorkshire must have sensed the possibility of a follow-on. Graeme Hick, who had hit a faultless half-century, flicked his first delivery low to square leg, then Reuben Spiring was beaten for pace. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Young generation help Yorkshire bridge the gap By Peter Deeley at Headingley Yorkshire (501-7 dec & 83-4 dec) bt Worcs (313-6 dec & 205) by 66 runs YORKSHIRE moved to third place in the table with this win and folk up here will no doubt turn up in numbers next week to see what local headlines have described as their "match of destiny" against leaders Kent on this ground. Victory then would give them hope of their first title win since 1968 when five of the present side were not even born. In- tegral to their success were two such youngsters - the open- ing pace pair of Chris Silverwood and 20-year-old Paul Hutchison, who has now taken 34 wickets in five games. Injuries robbed Yorkshire of their most experienced fast bowlers, Darren Gough and Peter Hartley, but Silverwood and Hutchison shared six wickets yesterday as Worcestershire, who were themselves outsiders in the hunt for the pennant, proved un- equal to the task of scoring 272 in the minimum of 71 overs possible. Although only five points and three places separated the two at the start of the game, Yorkshire always looked the only side with the steely character capable of taking them to the higher reach- es and they settled the issue with 11.1 overs remaining. Twelve overs were lost to rain and by agreement, after Worces- tershire declared their first innings 188 runs behind, the home batsmen attacked with effect, adding 83 in 10 overs - though Alamgir Sheriyar gained some revenge for his first-innings pasting with three victims. When the visitors launched their bid, wickets clattered to such good effect that half the Worcestershire batting was back in the pavilion by the 25th over for only 87 runs. Tom Moody sent in Steve Rhodes to open the batting with Phillip Weston, saving himself for the heart of the run-chase later on. The openers took nine off the first over but then two wickets in the space of three balls dampened their ardour. Rhodes was bowled around his legs by Hutchison and then at the other end Weston, reaching for a square drive, plopped an easy catch to point. Graeme Hick is always to be feared in such situations but when, after lunch, he launched a square cut at the fourth ball from Sil- verwood, Richard Blakey, behind the stumps, took a flying catch. Hutchison, got his swing going to trap Reuben Spiring and when Gavin Haynes dragged on to Craig White, Worcestershire`s hopes rest- ed on Moody. He willingly took up the attack, milking Richard Stemp in particular through mid-wicket and over the cover field. At tea the visitors, with five wickets still in hand, were looking for another 143 runs off 37 overs. But Worcestershire`s slim hopes disappeared when Moody, whose 67 had come off 94 balls, tried to swing White through the on- side, Stemp taking an athletic diving catch. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)