YORKSHIRE’S last man Jack Brooks survived two balls from England’s Stuart Broad yesterday evening to secure a thrilling draw for Andrew Gale’s side against Nottinghamshire at the end of one of the most gripping day’s County Championship cricket anyone is likely to see this season.

Brooks’s defiance came at the end of a dramatic evening session in which Yorkshire’s batsmen, led by centurion Alex Lees, had mounted an astonishing attempt to score 320 runs off 53 overs, an asking rate of 6.03 runs per over, only to lose six wickets for 26 runs in ten overs as the Notts seamers fought back in tremendous style.

That collapse took Yorkshire from the prosperity of 227-3 to the neediness of 253-9 and it illustrated the wonderful variety of first-class cricket, whose supporters were only grateful that the game was televised and could be seen by a wider audience that normally has the privilege of watching the county game.

But defeat was also desperately hard on man-of-the-match Lees, who had followed his 92 in the first innings with a 123-ball 107 in his side’s second dig. The Halifax batsman added 116 with Gary Ballance for the second wicket, a stand which did the groundwork preparatory to the later assault.

He then added 53 with Joe Root, who made 27 off 34 balls, at which point the Nottingham crowd and the travelling supporters realised that something special was on. When Root was caught at deep square leg off Jake Ball with the score on 173, Jonny Bairstow came in and started to hit the ball even harder, his 20-ball 35 included an absurdly skilful swept six off Broad.

However, Bairstow was eventually caught at deep cover by Broad off Ball and never, after his departure on 227, did Yorkshire seem to be sitting comfortably in the favourites’ chair. In the next over Lees was caught at long leg by Bird off Harry Gurney, whose four wickets in 18 balls completely changed the game.

Suddenly fielders who had been scattered like missionaries in distant lands were gathered round the bat like the faithful at at prayer meeting. However, Brooks held out and Yorkshire took ten points from a quite wonderful game of truly first-class cricket.

“I think when Alex and Gary were going well with 27 overs left in the day we decided that we wanted to take it as deep as we could,” said Gale afterwards. “We didn’t talk about what we could chase but once Joe Root could give the innings some freedom and impetus, there was a chance we could get close.

“It’s very different to T20, you can set the field back and bowl a little wider. So we knew it was going to be tough but it was a great game of cricket and a great advert for the county game.”

Gale also acknowledged that the Yorkshire bowling in the morning session at Trent Bridge had not been up to scratch and that was a typically honest observation as well.

Resuming on

151-5, Nottinghamshire added 197 runs in around two and a half hours’ cricket as Read and Broad put on 104 for the seventh wicket in only 20 overs.

Read was eventually last man out for 101 but Steve Patterson, who took 4-57, was the only member of Gale’s attack to emerge with much credit from a sloppy session or so for the White Rose bowlers.