IN-FORM duo Sam Northeast and Colin Ingram hit superb final day rearguard centuries to help Glamorgan secure a Vitality County Championship draw against frustrated Yorkshire at Headingley.

South African veteran Ingram and unbeaten captain Northeast continued their excellent starts to the season with patient scores of 113 and 142, completing a double-century partnership for the fourth wicket in their side’s second innings.

Yorkshire had claimed a first-innings lead of 298 just after lunch on day three and would have been confident of forcing a first win of 2024 at the fifth attempt as Glamorgan started the day on 171 for three. 

But, when thunder and lightning intervened just before 4.20pm, they were 372 for seven with a lead of 74. No more play was possible. 

Pre-season Division Two title favourites Yorkshire have now gone five games without a win to ensure a slow start to their promotion bid. 

They were thwarted by Northeast, who is the leading run-scorer in the country with 561 and hit 15 fours in 336 balls.

While Yorkshire claimed 16 points from their fourth draw, added to a defeat, Glamorgan took ten from their fourth successive draw.

There remains plenty of time left for Yorkshire - nine games to be precise -  to get on a roll and secure a top-two finish. 

But they have to find a way to take 20 wickets in a match, something they haven’t done at Headingley since June 2021, a run of 15 Championship fixtures.

Glamorgan started the day 127 runs behind, with Ingram 43 and Northeast 46. 

The pair ended the day amongst the top three run-scorers in the division having shared a 210 stand - their county’s highest ever fourth-wicket partnership in first-class meetings with Yorkshire. Ingram has 467 runs to his name. 

While this used pitch showed signs of turn throughout the four days, it failed to deteriorate as much as Yorkshire would have hoped in Harry Brook’s last of five early-season appearances before England’s T20 World Cup preparations. 

Left-handed Ingram and 2021 Yorkshire loanee Northeast were watchful against the spin of Dom Bess and Dan Moriarty and the seam of Ben Coad and Matthew Revis, the latter two taking a mid-morning new ball.

Yorkshire used four spinners in all, with part-time offies Joe Root and Adam Lyth employed as well as they raced through the overs. They claimed two wickets apiece. 

Ingram took Revis for three successive boundaries to move into the eighties and went on to complete his second century of the season, off 202 balls, just before lunch. 

Glamorgan reached lunch at 277 for three, trailing by only 21, and Northeast reached his latest century during the early stages of the afternoon.

By that stage, the Welshmen were in front, and what had been an unlikely draw at the start of the day had turned into a highly likely one against a home attack hurt - literally - by the absence of injured fast bowler Matthew Fisher.

He had suffered a left ankle injury whilst fielding just before tea on day three and failed to take the field again.

Ingram and Northeast each reached three figures for the second time this season. Northeast’s previous hundred was his record-breaking 335 against Middlesex last month - the highest ever individual score posted at Lord’s.

Northeast raised his bat early in the afternoon off 226 balls. 

Just moments before, Ingram had picked out mid-off against Root’s off-spin to fall as the first wicket of the day, leaving the score at 304 for four in the 100th over. 

Glamorgan had a lead of five runs by then, with the hard work done.

Root forced Chris Cooke to play on and Lyth trapped Tom Bevan and James Harris lbw either side of tea, leaving Glamorgan at 370 for seven with a lead of 72.

But the weather intervened for happy Glamorgan, whose captain was outstanding.