County Championship: Harry Swindells lifts Leicestershire against Yorkshire

Swindells completed a 57-ball half-century containing seven fours

Harry Swindells kept alive Leicestershire's hopes of a return to Division One for the first time in 20 years on day three of the rain-affected match against Yorkshire at Grace Road.

Swindells was the unlikely hero as Leicestershire landed their first silverware in 12 years on Saturday, scoring 117 not out in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup final win over Hampshire - his first List A game of the season.

And the 24-year-old was at it again on Thursday, top-scoring with 73 in his first appearance of the year in the Foxes' red-ball team.

Swindells shared a 10th-wicket partnership of 93 with Will Davis, who added a career-best unbeaten 44 to his 4-28 with the ball, as the hosts recovered from 140-9 to reach 233, a first-innings lead of 78.

Openers Adam Lyth (51 not out) and Finlay Bean (43) continued their prolific form with their fourth 100-plus partnership of the season as Yorkshire closed 35 runs in front on 113-1, Bean having been bowled by Tom Scriven offering no shot at the end of a day which saw rain and bad light account for 25 overs.

Leicestershire have two matches in which to overturn a deficit of 21 points on second-placed Worcestershire if they are to join already-promoted Durham in Division One next season. A win in this match would be worth 19 points.

Frustrated by bad light on the first evening and a complete washout on day two, it took Leicestershire only three deliveries on the third morning to snare the last Yorkshire wicket, Ben Cox taking a smart one-handed catch as Tom Scriven dismissed Jordan Thompson to finish with 3-27.

Yet until Swindells and Davis came together, Leicestershire looked to have wasted an opportunity to put themselves in a dominant position.

The home side suffered a setback two balls into their reply when Rishi Patel was lbw but skipper Lewis Hill made sure Coad and new-ball partner Thompson did not call the shots.

Hill hit eight boundaries in the next nine overs as he and Sam Evans added 57 for the second wicket. But after his namesake George replaced Coad in the first change, Yorkshire seized the initiative.

The former England Under-19 seamer's first over conceded three of those eight boundaries, albeit one off a streaky inside edge, but he had the right-hander caught behind pushing at one in the next over and his dismissal prompted a collapse.

From 58-1, Leicestershire were 97-6 by lunch. Sam Evans and Umar Amin were lbw, before Finlay Bean caught Louis Kimber at third slip via the chest of second slip Lyth.

In the last over of the session, Ben Cox became the fourth batter to see umpire Neil Pratt's finger raised as George Hill claimed his fourth wicket.

Scriven, on two, was dropped twice off consecutive Coad deliveries soon after lunch, both put down by Lyth at second slip.

He and Swindells appeared to steady the ship, only for three wickets in the space of seven balls to threaten to hand Yorkshire a first-innings lead.

Lyth held a much more difficult catch to dismiss Scriven off Thompson, who bowled Chris Wright two balls later, before Ben Cliff captured Scott Currie.

However, Swindells led an equally assertive Davis in a record 10th-wicket stand for Leicestershire against Yorkshire, beating the mark of 70 set by George Geary and Alec Skelton in 1927.

Swindells completed a 57-ball half-century containing seven fours and Davis hit seven boundaries to pass his previous best of 42, before Swindells feathered a catch behind off Matthew Revis.

Both Davis and Swindells are out of contract at the end of the season and have yet to learn if they will be offered new ones.

Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.