Yorkshire get there in the end to claim first Championship win of the season

The occasional dog was a pesky interruption, running behind the bowler’s arm and, sometimes, after the ball itself.

But it looked hard work for those bowlers toiling on the sands, the June day humid and mainly overcast, with not much breeze to blow the clouds along.

As it was on that beachfront, so it was inside North Marine Road, where Yorkshire chipped and chiselled for wickets on day three.

Nothing comes easy in professional sport and Gloucestershire were never just going to sink into quicksand but, after much struggling and striving, much straining and sweating, Yorkshire got there in the end, sealing victory by an innings and 22 runs with 13.2 overs left in the day.

It was their first County Championship win of the season at the eighth attempt, and their fifth on their last eight visits to North Marine Road. Perhaps they should play all of their Championship matches here - now there’s a thought, and a good one, too.

“There’s a lot of relief,” admitted Ottis Gibson, the Yorkshire head coach. “The amount of games where we’ve put ourselves in a position to win, but we haven’t been able to for one reason or another, to get across the line is a proud moment for us.

“I’ve been preaching all the time that we’re good enough to win, and this result will be massive for confidence. Winning is hard, winning in first-class cricket is hard, and hopefully this is the springboard to a lot more wins.”

Before a crowd of 1,715, Yorkshire’s first task was to take the last three Gloucestershire first innings wickets to enforce the follow-on. This they did within 45 minutes after the visitors resumed on 168-7, trailing by 288.

Jordan Thompson pounced in the day’s third over, having Zaman Akhter caught at first slip by George Hill from a fine delivery that turned him around. The new ball then accounted for Dominic Goodman and Ajeet Singh Dale, removed in successive deliveries by Conor McKerr, who had the former leg-before and the latter skying wildly to mid-on.

There was an early breakthrough in the follow-on too, Vishwa Fernando striking with his sixth delivery - the last one of the second over - when Ben Charlseworth was bowled by a full-length ball. Cameron Bancroft and Ollie Price ensured no further incursions before lunch, which Gloucestershire reached at 43-1 after 14 overs.

Wickets are liable to fall in clusters at this ground, and Gloucestershire were rocked by the loss of three for 18 runs inside five overs shortly after lunch. Price drove away from his body and was caught at fourth slip by Dom Bess off Matty Revis, who bowled an excellent spell from the Trafalgar Square end.

Hill swung a beauty back into the pads of Cameron Bancroft, the Australian opener, and the scoreboard showed 73-4 when James Bracey cue-ended an attempted pull off Fernando to second slip, where Adam Lyth brought off a magnificent catch, one-handed to his left, before peeling away in jubilation to be pursued by team-mates.

It is difficult to know for the batting team whether to stick or twist in such circumstances, whether to try and hit their way out of strife, as it were. Graeme van Buuren, the Gloucestershire captain, decided to twist when he aimed an expansive drive at Thompson and was caught behind to leave his side 82-5.

It might have been 106-6 but Bess spilled Miles Hammond on 28 off his own bowling, a difficult chance, diving to his left, but one that he would nevertheless have hoped to take.

No matter.

In the next over, Hammond skied a pull off McKerr to Fin Bean at leg-slip, McKerr taking two in two for the second time in the day when Ed Middleton edged a lazy drive to Lyth at second slip.

Also inclined to twist as opposed to stick were Beau Webster and Zaman Akhter, who combined in an entertaining eighth-wicket partnership of 47 in 57 balls. Webster hit five fours before getting a rising delivery from Hill that he could do little about, edging behind, after which Hill pinged Goodman on the helmet first ball.

Akhter, the 25-year-old seamer, enjoyed himself en route to a maiden half-century at first-team level, three times lofting Bess for six, including a remarkable reverse-hit into the Popular Bank. He should have fallen for 57 half-an-hour after tea, Lyth dropping a regulation opportunity at second slip off Hill, but Hill had his man eventually when Akhter advanced and was bowled for 70 from 83 balls, having shared 58 for the ninth-wicket with Goodman.

It was left to McKerr to finish things off, Singh Dale caught down the leg-side as Yorkshire finally got in the wins column.