Billy Root Half-Century Against Brother Joe’s Yorkshire in Rain-Hit Opener
Glamorgan’s Billy Root, the younger brother of England Test captain Joe Root, made a half-century against his sibling’s Yorkshire side on the rain-affected opening day of their Vitality County Championship clash at Headingley.
Billy Root, a left-handed opener, scored a measured 51 off 95 balls before lunch, helping Glamorgan reach 109 for four from 41 overs after electing to bat first. However, rain forced a three-and-a-half-hour delay from 1.45pm, and Yorkshire struck twice quickly in the delayed evening session. Bad light then meant no play beyond 6pm.
Yorkshire, desperate for their first win in five matches, opted to play two frontline spinners in Dan Moriarty and Dom Bess on the pitch used for last weekend’s draw against Derbyshire. Both bowlers claimed a wicket apiece in the morning session, with Moriarty dismissing Billy Root caught at short-leg just before lunch.
Earlier, Yorkshire seamer Matthew Coad trapped Eddie Byrom lbw for 18, leaving Glamorgan 18 for one. Billy Root and captain Sam Northeast then put on a 74-run stand, with Root driving nicely against seam and sweeping and reverse sweeping against spin. Northeast went on to make 29 before being run out in the evening.
The Root brothers have faced each other three times previously in county cricket, with Billy playing for either Nottinghamshire or Glamorgan. In the build-up to this game, Joe Root described the experience as a “horrible situation.” However, both have performed well against each other in the past.
In the two Championship matches they played in early 2021, Billy scored a century at Headingley and Joe a 99 at Cardiff. In this fixture, Joe Root dropped a tough first slip catch off Coad with Billy on six.
When play resumed at 5.30pm following afternoon rain, Northeast was run out backing up two balls into the delayed evening, leaving Glamorgan at 96 for three in the 34th over. Matthew Fisher got a hand on a crisp Kiran Carlson drive and deflected it onto the stumps.
Bess then had Carlson caught and bowled off an inside-edge with the first ball of his second over, his first of the session – 97 for four. Moriarty finished with one for 29 from 15 overs and Bess one for 14 from four.
Both sides are searching for their first win of 2024. While Yorkshire have drawn three and lost one, Glamorgan have drawn all three and came into this fixture bottom of the embryonic Division Two table.
The day’s play was preceded by a minute’s silence in memory of Worcestershire spinner Josh Baker, whose death at the age of 20 was announced on Thursday.
