Cricket: Yorkshire faithful frustrated

Yorkshire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209 and 410-6 dec

Kent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .298 and 167-6

Match drawn

THERE IS a growing sense of frustration, if not exasperation, among Yorkshire's faithful. The team have not won a Sunday League match at home since last September and yesterday, once again, they proved unable to force a Championship victory from a winning position. A season that began so handsomely, with a friendly thrashing of Lancashire and away wins at Essex and Hampshire, is falling away into a familiar sterility.

Four times last summer Yorkshire were unable to administer the coup de grace. On this occasion their bowling could not be blamed because at least four catches were put down. Kent, reduced in effect to nine men yesterday, are resilient but they should not have been allowed to escape.

Yorkshire were all but invulnerable whan play started. They were 229 ahead with Martyn Moxon having occupied one crease since Saturday afternoon and Alan Igglesden under treatment. Nor did Kent risk Martin McCague, who strained an elbow on Saturday trying to out-do Merv Hughes by bowling an 80mph googly.

Kent thus contented themselves with containment, Matthew Fleming bowling line and length downhill while Richard Davis resumed his investment of the leg stump. Yorkshire, not too successfully, tried to press on quickly for an early declaration. Craig White drove well, and sacrificed himself for the cause, but it was Moxon, reaching his best of the season, who completed an outstanding innings, 171 not out (421 balls, 18 fours).

Kent set off to score 322 in 75 overs at 12.35 but banished all thought of winning once they had lost their first three batsmen for 43. Carl Hooper and Nigel Llong took the score past 100 before Mark Robinson dismissed the West Indian first ball after tea.

Llong was caught at slip at 111 and Yorkshire's possible last chance went when Steve Marsh was dropped, when 3, at 118, off Robinson, and Fleming might have been missed off Peter Hartley when 16. Fleming lost his off stump with six overs remaining and Yorkshire believed Marsh was caught behind two overs later, but umpire Barrie Leadbeater disagreed.

Playing five seamers, including White, and leaving out the off-spinner Jeremy Batty was a mistake.