Northamptonshire’s hopes of securing a top-four finish in Division Two of the Vitality County Championship took a significant blow on day two of their clash with Yorkshire at Headingley. Yorkshire, on the other hand, moved to the brink of promotion to Division One with a dominant bowling performance that left Northamptonshire reeling at 117 for 6.
After a rain-delayed start, Yorkshire’s Ben Coad led the charge with a superb spell of bowling, claiming three wickets for just 29 runs from 12 overs. Coad’s wickets included his 300th first-class scalp, a significant milestone in his career.
Northamptonshire’s innings got off to a shaky start as opener Gus Miller was dismissed cheaply by Coad. Debutant Krish Patel impressed with a fluent 26, but his innings was cut short by Jordan Thompson. Luke Procter and James Sales also made starts but failed to convert them into substantial scores, falling to George Hill and Coad, respectively.
George Bartlett emerged as Northamptonshire’s top scorer, remaining unbeaten on 41 with nine boundaries. However, his efforts were not enough to prevent Yorkshire from securing two of the maximum 10 points they need to secure second place behind Sussex.
Yorkshire’s promotion hopes were further boosted by the abandonment of the opening two days of Middlesex’s clash with leaders Sussex at Hove. Middlesex, who are third in the standings, now face an uphill task to catch Yorkshire.
Northamptonshire, meanwhile, have handed first-class debuts to both Patel and on-loan Nottinghamshire spinner Fateh Singh. Patel, in particular, impressed with his attacking batting, while Singh will be hoping to make an impact with the ball in the remaining days of the match.
As the sun set on Headingley, Yorkshire were in a commanding position, needing only a draw to secure their return to Division One for the first time since 2022. Northamptonshire, on the other hand, will need to dig deep to salvage something from the match and maintain their fourth-place position.
