By Charles Randall at Scarborough
First day of four: Yorkshire (43-1) trail Nottinghamshire (234) by 191 runs
DARREN GOUGH bowled encouragingly well for Yorkshire in his first championship match for two months and, without Tim Robinson's 114, Nottinghamshire's innings would have been a shambles at Scarborough yesterday.
England need Gough in this sort of form and his four-wicket haul hardly reflected the problems he caused. If Robinson had not been dropped at first slip early on, the fast bowler might well have dismantled a compliant middle order.
The ground, wedged in among the holiday flats and guest houses at North Marine Road, looked in perfect condition and the pitch's touch of green gave the cricket a combative edge for a crowd of around 3,000.
Notts' only stand of substance was between Robinson and Usman Afzaal, but when Afzaal, out of character, attempted to take on a Gough bouncer, the innings fell away so badly that Yorkshire could already scent victory. Afzaal scored the bulk of his 71 in the cover to third man arc while Robinson, though edging Gough three times for boundaries past the slips, showed there were few better batsmen on the circuit through midwicket during his 4.5 hours.
Robinson, with his 63rd hundred in the first-class game, produced an innings of character which ended when the second chance he offered was held gratefully by Anthony McGrath, the man who had let him off when his score was eight.
Apart from Gough's challenging bursts, Yorkshire's attack proved notably inaccurate until Gavin Hamilton produced some penetration either side of the tea interval, his best delivery being an in-curver that swept through the left-handed Paul Franks as he attempted to drive his second ball.
The impression of Notts' batting was of uniform mediocrity and, on this evidence, Robinson's intended retirement at the age of 39 might have to be put on hold.
Day 2: Lehmann turns on the power
By Charles Randall at Scarborough
Second day of four: Yorkshire (358-7) lead Nottinghamshire (234) by 124 runs
THE TWO which Darren Lehmann clipped to leg off the first ball he received yesterday was significant in that it was the Australian's first championship scoring stroke on Yorkshire soil this season. Neither was it his last.
Lehmann had missed all four home matches owing to unavailability and injury and his pugnacious 131 at North Marine Road showed what Yorkshire's public in Leeds had been missing.
This was his second championship hundred in a row, following his 136 at Maidstone. Nottinghamshire's attack persevered well and Kevin Evans's five wickets proved they had their moments, but for sheer audacity and power Lehmann was the master.
It will be a surprise if Yorkshire, with the possibility of moving up to third place, fail to press home an advantage offered by Nottinghamshire's paltry first-innings total.
David Byas, at his home club, and Lehmann were the only Yorkshire batsmen not to treat Evans and company with the utmost suspicion, Paul Strang, the crafty Zimbabwean leg-spinner, losing an intriguing contest against the two left-handers.
Though Byas was fortunate to escape first ball from Evans when his off-balance glance flew past leg gully, he plundered the leg side ruthlessly during an 81-ball fifty.
Strang was treated with nil respect by Lehmann until he adjusted his line to outside the off-stump and forced a fluent, entertaining partnership to throttle down from its run-a-ball momentum.
Nottinghamshire's attack became depleted by the loss of Alex Wharf, making an ignominious return to the scene of his Yorkshire debut four years ago. He had lasted only two balls with the bat, and yesterday he retired disconsolately with a side strain after bowling two deliveries, both no-balls.
The stocky Lehmann took risks and gave no chances, easing into the nineties with a five, thanks to four overthrows, and punching a glorious on-driven boundary off Mathew Dowman to reach his hundred in 157 balls.
Evans, bending the ball around consistently, had Byas edging to slip, and he found some bewildering movement to end Lehmann's four-hour stay.
Day 3: Yorkshire remain in the chase
By Charles Randall at Scarborough
Third day of four: Notts (234 & 37-2) trail Yorkshire (406) by 135 runs
YORKSHIRE will be well placed among a group of counties pursuing Surrey at the top if they can chisel out a deserved victory over Nottinghamshire at Scarborough today.
This would be some compensation for a miserably cold festival week at North Marine Road, which has been kept alive commercially by the sponsorship of four companies - McCain, Northern Electric, Tetley and Boyes Stores. In the theatre trade they would be called 'angels'.
Twin rainbows appeared in the evening in the South Bay direction yesterday as a shortened day drew to a close. Cec Snell, the Scarborough club's chief executive, no doubt considered sending out a search party for the two pots of gold as a further guarantee for a most worthy cricket occasion.
The attendances for Yorkshire matches have been respectable, but the experiment of switching the festival from September to July for two years has proved unsuccessful probably because cricket followers prefer an off-peak holiday period.
Yesterday the ground had to absorb half a day of rain before Yorkshire's tail could resume at 4.30, adding 48 at a brisk rate. Darren Gough led the way before giving Paul Franks his second five-wicket haul in a row with a near-vertical skier, high enough to affect a seagull's flight path.
The buoyant Gough added two quick wickets when Nottinghamshire began their second innings 172 runs behind.
Jason Gallian misjudged a full-length delivery and Usman Afzaal, having swatted a short ball for four over the wicketkeeper, looped a hook to long leg, where Michael Vaughan took an awkward catch neatly.
Day 4: Damp squib for Moxon
By Paul Weaver at Scarborough
Final day of four: Yorkshire drew with Nottinghamshire
EVEN Martyn Moxon's perseveringly boyish features looked strained as rain again threatened to wreck Yorkshire's attempts to improve on last year's outside challenge for the Championship.
The white rose county are one of half-a-dozen impressive sides in an otherwise impoverished title chase, but have been hit by a miserable sequence of Saturdays. Before this damp finish against Nottinghamshire, their previous three home Saturdays of first-class cricket - against Hampshire, Leicestershire, and Cambridge University - had been washed out. Hampshire had followed on 223 runs behind and were two wickets down before the rain came.
Yorkshire were again well placed when Nottinghamshire resumed on 37 for two, still 135 runs behind. But only five overs and six runs were possible before rain drove the players off the field until 3.45pm.
Moxon, the club's director of coaching, shrugged: ``It's frustrating because we feel we are as good as anybody on our day. Only twice this season, against Northants and Gloucestershire, have we not played well. The trouble is that while we are being held up by rain, all the others are racing away. Surrey keep winning, Lancashire look ominous, Leicestershire are consistent and no-one can write off Gloucestershire.''
When play did restart Tim Robinson edged Gavin Hamilton just short of Darren Lehman at third slip and then drove and cut the seamer for three successive fours before Chris Silverwood dismissed him with a lifter. Silverwood then trapped Mathew Dowman lbw for 36 and Notts were 83 for four.