Report & Reaction: Hampshire Men v Yorkshire, Rothesay CC

Day Three

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The Ben Brown era as Hampshire captain began with a five-wicket Rothesay County Championship win over newly promoted Yorkshire.

Brown took over from James Vince as the club skipper – who had led the side to a second-placed finish last season – but was given an anxious 148 run chase.

Yorkshire had been behind the eight-ball since they had been bowled out for 121 on the first day but Adam Lyth ground out 106 to give them hope of a sensational turnaround victory.

Jack White and Dom Bess’s two wickets left Hampshire sweating on 86 for four, but Tom Prest eased the worries with a bullish 57 to take his side towards the win with Liam Dawson.

It meant Hampshire’s fresh start without Vince and influential fast bowler Mo Abbas began with 19 points, while the visitors – with their new-look leadership team of Jonny Bairstow and Anthony McGrath – took three points from the contest.

Hampshire began the day with the dream of the last four wickets, a short chase of less than 100 and getting home in time for Antiques Roadshow.

The route to victory didn’t quite follow that script, with Lyth stoutly compiling runs with some brave defensive tail-end batting.

Lyth had taken 123 balls to strike his first boundary of the innings, but started day three with luscious straight drive for four – it marked an upshift from the 56 off 192 balls, that would accelerate with 49 runs in his 83 third day deliveries.

He found a willing remainer in night watcher Ben Cliff – who had suffered an injury earlier in the match which prevented him from bowling.

Cliff stuck around for 78 balls, adding 42 with Lyth, before Kyle Abbott found his outside edge during the first over with the second new ball.

It didn’t blow Yorkshire open. Dom Bess blocked out for 17 balls before Abbott sent his off stump cartwheeling, before Ben Coad hung firm for nine off 46 balls.

But the main contributor was the experienced Lyth. The 37-year-old went to a 38th first class century in 263 balls – four short of his slowest.

He brought it up with a firm back foot drive to the boundary and quickly celebrated with two arms akimbo, before a series of fist pumps. He is Yorkshire’s 11th all-time leading red ball century-maker.

New Zealander Brett Hampton ended Hampshire’s toil. Firstly, he got one to bounce on Coad, who edged behind, before Lyth skied straight up in the air.

Initially, Hampshire strode towards the winning post, with Fletcha Middleton and Mark Stoneman putting on 47 in 14 overs, but things went south.

Stoneman got frustrated, having been dropped, after only scoring 11 in an hour and attempted to attack Bess, and was bowled.

Nick Gubbins was lbw after being struck on the front pad, Toby Albert edged behind – both falling to Jack White – and Middleton’s 38 – which also saw him dropped – was ended when Bess had him lbw.

Four wickets had been lost for 40 runs, and at tea 62 runs were still required.

Prest got the bit between his teeth and refused to bow to the pressure by trying to knock the runs off swiftly, although he was also put down.

His sixth first-class fifty came in 64 balls, a ball before reaching a half-century stand with Dawson. Prest was bowled to give Bess a third with the scores level, to end a 61-run stand - before Brown came in to score the winning run to delight a sun-kissed Utilita Bowl crowd.

Day Two

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay

New Yorkshire captain Jonny Bairstow led from the front to rally his side on day two of their Rothesay County Championship clash with Hampshire.

Bairstow struck 56 in an innings which mixed good fortune and international level shot making, as he and Adam Lyth put on 105  to take the first-innings deficit into a 61-run lead by close.

Lyth ended the day unbeaten on 57, having scored his fifty in a career-slow 176 deliveries, and Brad Wheal took four for 41.

Ben Brown had earlier been left stranded on 49 as George Hill and Jack White both took three wickets each to stem Hampshire’s advantage.

If the first day of captain had its struggles, the second was closer to ideal for Bairstow - other than an inside edge into his own groin!

On the opening day, Bairstow had won the toss and taken a stunning catch but his side had been routed for 121 – although the leadership’s response was cavalier and to move on quickly.

That approach picked up five evening wickets, and the other five were seen off before lunch – with Hampshire’s lead only rising to a manageable 128 runs.

The first wicket of the day was not from Bairstow’s captaincy handbook, as Toby Albert was left flat-footed by Liam Dawson wanting a quick single before Will Luxton swooped to run him out.

From then on, it was a ‘bowl straight, hit the batter on the pads, and appeal’ spell as the last four wickets fell lbw – one for Dom Bess, one for White, one for Ben Coad, and one for Hill, who ended with three for 36.

Dawson missed a sweep off the spinner Bess, Brett Hampton gave White his third on Yorkshire debut, Abbott lasted just two balls before Coad pinned him with a nip-backer and Hill ended the innings when Baker missed a straight one.

Yorkshire had barely missed fast bowler Ben Cliff, who was absent with a damaged side.

That left Hampshire one run shy of a bonus point, and Brown stranded on 49 after a fine attacking innings marshalling the tail during his first match as club captain.

Brown’s disappointment would have been reversed as a potential two-day finish looked a distinct possibility when Brad Wheal whipped out two early wickets.

Fin Bean got an on drive very wrong to chip to mid on, before James Wharton had the ball speared into his pads next ball – Dawid Malan let the hat-trick ball sail past his off stump.

Yorkshire barely put a foot wrong in the remaining 63 overs of the day as they slowly by surely cancelled out their deficit and created a foothold to turn the match around.

Lyth barely played a shot through the afternoon. He took 74 balls to reach double figures, with his first boundary not coming until the 61st over, and the 123rd ball he had faced.

As in the first innings, Malan was comfortable, reached the 30s and then failed to live up to his potential. Wheal picked up his third as he found a prod behind.

At 53 for three, and still behind by 75 runs, Bairstow came to the crease.

The light glinting off his bat sticker after unfurling a luscious cover drive early in his innings only added to the aura around him, while also chuntering away with whichever opposition player was in earshot.

There were three lives before he had reached 20.

Firstly, Dawson spilled a caught and bowled, then Nick Gubbins had the ball bounce off his head and for six before Gubbins’ substitute Joe Weatherley dropped a tough diving catch with the following delivery.

But after that it was the typically pugnacious and determined Bairstow that stuck around to pick up his 102nd first-class half-century in 92 balls.

He was eventually bowled by Sonny Baker – who also dismissed him in the first innings – before Hill followed four balls later.

Lyth sluggishly reached 50 in 176 balls, but also lost Luxton - caught down the legside - before the close.

Day One

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay

Kyle Abbott and Liam Dawson made sure Jonny Bairstow had a roller-coaster of a first day as Yorkshire captain, as Hampshire edged the opening day of their Rothesay County Championship fixture.

The Bairstow era started strongly after winning the toss, but quickly fell apart as Yorkshire crumpled to 121 all out, with the last five wickets collapsing in four overs.

Abbott and Dawson both shared three wickets apiece, while Brad Wheal and debutants Brett Hampton and Sonny Baker also picked up one each.

But late wickets in the day - including two for Jack White and George Hill - left Hampshire five down at close with a 43-run first innings lead - to bookend the day with smiles for Bairstow.

England wicketkeeper-batter Bairstow took the reins of newly promoted Yorkshire on the eve of the season after the role had been shared by Jonny Tattersall and Shan Masood in 2024.

His leadership experience is slim – with just three professional matches, all of which being white-ball, on his CV – but is following in the footsteps of his late father David Bairstow, who captained Yorkshire between 1984 and 1986.

Bairstow’s first decision was to call heads, and when that succeeded, his second was to choose to bat – the obvious choice on a dry pitch with uncharacteristic April heat in the air.

Opposite him at the toss was another fresh skipper. Ben Brown has taken over from James Vince after 10 years as Hampshire’s club captain.

Unlike Bairstow he has a cache of 85 Championship games as captain of Sussex to pull from, and his rotation of bowlers was a key part of Hampshire’s morning and afternoon success – starting with some overseas glory.

South African Abbott got the wickets flowing when he pinned Adam Lyth lbw, before New Zealander Hampton found Fin Bean slashing to point with his fifth delivery since becoming a late replacement for the injured Jack Edwards.

James Wharton was undone by some nip off the pitch from Brad Wheal to edge to third slip, before Bairstow arrived at the crease.

After 20 largely uneventful balls, exciting fast bowler Baker’s introduction – his first in the Championship brought drama.

Bairstow swatted a wide first delivery of the over to the fence, before his concentration was disturbed by an insect.

Baker’s follow-up was equally wide but this time Bairstow sliced to deep third man.

Dawid Malan had been the most lucid Yorkshire batter – striking six boundaries in his 31 – but ran himself out by taking on Mark Stoneman’s arm from extra cover.

The visitors made it to 106 for five at lunch, but after that they disintegrated. Abbott was relentless, while Dawson continued from his impressive 54-wicket 2024 campaign.

With the score on 110, Will Luxton was bowled, George Hill edged behind and Ben Coad has his stumps rattled. Only two runs later and Dom Bess followed when he was leg-before to Dawson.

Ben Cliff was the last man out – lbw trying to reverse Dawson – with the last five wickets disappearing in 27 post-lunch deliveries.

Hampshire’s response was initially emphatic. Stoneman – to some degree a batting replacement for Vince – and Fletcha Middleton eased to a 70-run opening stand.

Former Middlesex left-hander Stoneman was particularly bullish in his 67-ball 46 – with two legside sixes summing up his approach to poor deliveries.

But he was bowled by a George Hill in-swinger – just reward for a tight opening spell – before Nick Gubbins edged to first slip to hand Jack White his first Yorkshire scalp.

Yorkshire then had their best spell of the day, with Ben Coad in particular, stemming Hampshire’s runs – typified by new batter Toby Albert taking 23 balls to get off the mark.

The stifle paid out with Middleton bat-padding, and Bairstow leaping cat like around the batter to make the catch in a short leg position.

Tom Prest made a brisk 32 before Hill set his off-stump tumbling and nightwatcher Brad Wheal was lbw as Hampshire reached the end of the day on 164 for five.