Yorkshire 554/7d beat Hampshire 302 & 208 by an innings and 44 runs

YORKSHIRE romped to an innings victory over Hampshire to continue their unbeaten start to the Specsavers County Championship season.

Ben Coad took three of the five wickets needed on the final day as he produced unblemished figures of three for five from his morning spell before Steven Patterson and Duanne Olivier finished the job in the afternoon.

Yorkshire were held up by Liam Dawson and Keith Barker’s half centuries in a 131-run stand for the ninth wicket, but confirmed their triumph by an innings and 44 runs at 2.40pm.

Yorkshire move above Hampshire, and up to second, in the Division One table having secured maximum points at the Ageas Bowl.

Hampshire, who had won their first fixture against Essex with the full 24 points on offer, were brought back down to earth as they only gathered four points.

Hampshire director of cricket Giles White said: “You almost look at this game and say it is the complete opposite to last week which is a shame because it was a really good result and we were proud with how the boys played.

“Yorkshire played a good game and thoroughly outplayed us.

“Last night I thought they bowled really well with their lengths. This morning we saw early wickets but then we saw Daws and Keith show the fight we need.

“It was the positive we needed to take out the match.

“Daws has played well. It has been a good start to the season for him. We look through his XI and see they have all made a contribution which is good going forward.

“After last week we would have wanted more points but this is where we are at.”

The White Rose county had fought to draw their opening Championship fixture at Nottinghamshire – after a monumental partnership between Joe Root and Gary Ballance.

The pair had set the win on course having scored 94 and 148 respectively before the bowling attack had teamed up to enforce the follow-on.

Yorkshire needed five wickets on the final day having catapulted the Hampshire top order the previous evening.

Steven Patterson had been the chief destroyer having taken three for nine from seven overs – accounting for Joe Weatherley, James Vince and Sam Northeast.

Matt Waite also leaned in with the wickets of Aiden Markram and night-watchman Kyle Abbott as Hampshire ended day three on 54 for five – following on having been bowled out for 302 in response to the visitors’ mammoth 554.

Hampshire attempted to batten down the hatches in an attempted to save the match – only scoring one run in the opening seven overs off the bat.

But during that barren spell, they lost their first wicket of the day as Rilee Rossouw, playing an unfamiliar defensive role, was lbw to Coad to the 33rd ball of the day.

Gareth Berg lasted just three deliveries before he completed a pair for the match – edging Coad to Tom Kohler-Cadmore at first slip.

Hampshire were forced to utilise the concussion rule, where a county can bring in a like-for-like replacement if a player suffers a head injury during the match, after Lewis McManus had been struck twice on the helmet by Olivier he was deemed unfit to bat – he was replaced by all-rounder Ian Holland.

But the Australian’s only involvement in the match was to be struck on the pads first ball by the rampant Coad, although Keith Barker blocked out the hat-trick ball.

Dawson and Barker held up proceedings for with a record 131-run partnership for the ninth wicket both for Hampshire against Yorkshire and at the Ageas Bowl.

Both played their natural game, with Dawson in particular driving freely on his way to a 90-ball fifty – his fourth in as many first-class innings this season.

Having taken the game into a 11th session, Barker raised his bat on an 88-ball maiden half century for his new county – having arrived from Warwickshire in the winter.

But Barker fell for 64 when he edged Patterson behind having occupied the crease for just under 36 overs, before Dawson, after an entertaining burst to try and reach a century, skied to Kohler-Cadmore at mid-wicket.