County Championship: Yardy & Brown make Yorkshire toil

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Michael YardyImage source, Getty Images
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Michael Yardy's century was his 22nd in first-class cricket

LV= County Championship Division One, BrightonandHoveJobs.com County Ground (day three, close)

Yorkshire 494: Ballance 165 no, Bresnan 78; Robinson 3-72

Sussex 493-7: Yardy 127, Brown 106 no, Joyce 100; Rashid 3-159

Sussex 7 pts, Yorkshire 6 pts

Michael Yardy marked his final season with a century against title-chasing Yorkshire as Sussex comfortably avoided the follow-on at Hove.

Ben Brown also reached three figures, taking just 84 balls to do so, in their 493-7 at stumps, just one run behind.

Yardy, who will retire at the end of the summer, was more sedate in his 200-ball hundred, which included 14 fours.

He was eventually lbw to paceman Ryan Sidebottom for 127 after a stand of 135, but Brown survived on 106 not out.

Yardy sets new yardstick

Mike Yardy's 22nd first-class century was the first of his final summer in cricket. The former England one-day international has hit 10,475 runs in 191 first-class matches in his 15 years in the game.

No play was possible until after lunch because of rain and it now seems inevitable that leaders Yorkshire will have to settle for a draw, but they can take comfort from having a substantial lead and a game in hand on closest rivals Middlesex.

When play eventually began, Ollie Robinson again showed his value to the home side with a mature innings of 48 against his former club, adding 97 with Yardy before he was taken at gully off Liam Plunkett just before the tea interval.

Luke Wright hit four boundaries in a single Plunkett over after the resumption as he passed 6,000 first-class runs, but was bowled by Steven Patterson for 23 after a six over mid-wicket from the previous ball.

Brown, however, followed Wright's lead and, while Yardy accumulated towards his century, the wicketkeeper went for his shots, hitting 19 fours as they saw off the follow-on threat to put Sussex in line for a first-innings lead on the final day.

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