Yorkshire v Worcestershire (County Championship) : Day Three

Yorkshire got rid of their pent up frustrations over weather delays by routing Worcestershire for 129 when play finally got under way at Headingley Carnegie yesterday and they made them follow on still 392 runs in arrears.

Worcestershire quickly lost opener Stephen Moore but at 29 for one in 10.2 overs, bad light and rain foiled Yorkshire's attempts to cause further mayhem.

The man to do most of the damage in the first innings was Matthew Hoggard, who had the perfect dress rehearsal for next week's first Test between England and the West Indies at Lord's.

In a ferocious burst of bowling, Hoggard grabbed three wickets in an over on his way to a 20-ball spell in which he claimed four wickets for two runs and he ended up with five for 34, his second five-wicket haul of the season.

Morning rain meant a start could not be made to the third day of the LV County Championship match until 2.30pm, when 45 overs had already been lost, and with further bad weather forecast for the final day, Yorkshire's top priority was to bowl out Worcestershire quickly to pick up maximum bonus points.

Worcestershire resumed on 57 for two and Hoggard's fifth ball from the Kirkstall Lane end brought a prize wicket as Australian Phil Jaques, the former Yorkshire batsman, was caught at wide mid-off by a leaping Darren Gough.

The third delivery of the next over from Gough had Ben Smith giving a low catch to Jacques Rudolph at first slip, but it was Hoggard who really knocked the stuffing out of Worcestershire in one dynamic over.

Graeme Hick was lbw propping half forward, Steven Davies skimmed a ball to cover point, where he was snapped up by the alert Adil Rashid, and Kabir Ali went to a chest-high catch at third slip by Anthony McGrath.

Hoggard was rested from a spell which read 6-3-7-4 and it was not the first time this season he had grabbed three wickets in an over at Headingley because he did the same against Durham, when Dale Benkenstein, Ben Harmison and Will Smith were his victims.

Roger Sillence and Bradford-born Gareth Batty took Worcestershire into three figures with a 30 stand which ended when Sillence attempted a big pull at a short ball from Jason Gillespie that ballooned to Rashid at point, then Batty departed to a top-edged sweep at Rashid with Gillespie returning the favour.

The last wicket to fall was that of Dewald Nel, who edged Gillespie into Gerard Brophy's gloves, Worcestershire's last eight wickets toppling in the afternoon's 26.5 overs.

Jaques was back at the wicket straight after tea but he soon lost Moore to a good delivery from Gough which flew fast and straight to Rudolph at first slip.

The main obstacle to a Yorkshire victory was turning out to be the weather and they were unable to return when the umpires brought them off for bad light.

Hoggard said: "I feel to be building up a good rhythm ahead of the first Test."

SCORECARD

Yorkshire v Worcestershire at Headingley Carnegie.

Overnight: Yorkshire 521-7 dec (J A Rudolph
129 no, J J Sayers 123, C White 97; J D Nel 4-
74). Worcestershire 57-2.

Worcestershire First Innings
P A Jaques c Gough b Hoggard 38
Kabir Ali c McGrath b Hoggard 12
B F Smith c Rudolph b Gough 0
G A Hick lbw b Hoggard 11
S M Davies c A Rashid b Hoggard 0
G J Batty c Gillespie b A Rashid 24
R J Sillence c A Rashid b Gillespie 22
J D Nel c Brophy b Gillespie 8
M N Malik not out 1
Extras (b1 lb5 nb2 pens 0) 8
Total (42.5 overs) 129
Fall: 1-12 2-39 3-57 4-58 5-71 6-71 7-72 8-102
9-122
Bowling: Hoggard 14-5-34-5. Gillespie 13.5-2-
56-3. A Rashid 8-2-14-1. Gough 7-2-19-1.

Worcestershire Second Innings Close
P A Jaques not out 15
S C Moore c Rudolph b Gough 9
V S Solanki not out 4
Extras (lb1 pens 0) 1
Total 1 wkt (10.2 overs) 29
Fall: 1-14
To Bat: B F Smith, Kabir Ali, S M Davies, G J
Batty, R J Sillence, G A Hick, M N Malik.
Bonus Pts: Yorkshire 8 Worcestershire 2
Bowling: Hoggard 5-1-14-0. Gough 5-1-14-1.
McGrath 0.2-0-0-0.