Yorkshire make huge total in draw with Northants
James Wharton's previous highest score was 188
- Published
Vitality County Championship Division Two, Headingley (day four)
Northamptonshire 147: Bartlett 64*; Coad 4-51 & 71-2: Miller 22, Fisher 2-16
Yorkshire 726-7 dec: Wharton 285, Lyth 147, Bairstow 78; Singh 3-193
Yorkshire (16 pts) drew with Northants (9 pts)
James Wharton posted the fifth-highest individual first-class score at Headingley and joint eighth-highest in Yorkshire history as their County Championship clash with Northamptonshire drifted to a final-day draw.
England's Jonny Bairstow added an aggressive 78 to Wharton's mammoth 285 as promoted Yorkshire, who started the day on 371-2, decided to bat on instead of chasing a season-ending sixth victory in seven games.
They declared at tea on 726-7, a lead of 579 and when the players shook hands at 4.20pm, Northamptonshire were 71-2 in their second innings.
Considering Yorkshire, who posted their second-highest first-class total ever and highest by any team on this ground, had clinched promotion late on day three, it was no shock that they opted against exerting their bowlers on the final day of the 2024 season.
That allowed Bairstow to post his third 50-plus score in five late-season appearances, including one century, and for Wharton to write his name into the record books.
Wharton's 319-ball innings, including 32 fours and 10 sixes, marked a career-best score, beating the 188 he scored in a win over Derbyshire.
Although fourth-placed Northamptonshire were not at full tilt with nothing at stake, Wharton and Bairstow royally entertained the spectators who had braved the late September chill.
At one stage late in the morning, Wharton hit 44 of 45 runs to come off successive overs of seam from James Sales and Gus Miller as Yorkshire moved to 503-3 after 99 overs.
He reached his double hundred off 272 balls and went to 250 in only another 17 deliveries.
A 15-minute delay to the afternoon preceded Wharton's departure as he holed out at long-on off Fateh Singh's left-arm spin, before Bairstow was bowled by Saif Zaib, who also bowled Jonny Tattersall.
It was harsh on on-loan Nottinghamshire spinner Singh that his haul of 3-193 from 40 overs was the most runs conceded in English first-class cricket.
His third wicket was that of Dom Bess lbw before George Hill and Jordan Thompson took the hosts beyond 700 with 54 and 56 not out respectively - the highest first-class total Northamptonshire have conceded.
Matthew Fisher, on his final day as a Yorkshire player, then claimed two new-ball wickets after tea, getting Gus Miller brilliantly caught by a diving Bess at deep midwicket and the other opener Krish Patel caught behind.
Yorkshire head coach Ottis Gibson told BBC West Yorkshire Sport:
"When I was a young boy I used to watch The A Team and Hannibal used to say 'I love it when a plan comes together'.
"We've done exactly what we set out to do - the first five weeks we've got (Harry) Brook and Rooty (Joe Root) in our team and think we should be winning games and weren't able to get them.
"We were doing a lot of good things but just couldn't get ourselves over the line. But I saw enough to know that if we got one (win), we'd get more.
"We got one and we've never lost a game since then and here we are now, going up and it's a fantastic feeling."
Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.
