Category Sports News

Rothesay County Championship Division One, Ambassador Cruise Line Ground, Chelmsford (day three)

Yorkshire 216 & 426-6 dec: Lyth 185, Bairstow 79, Wharton 61; Thain 3-96

Essex 123: Pepper 30; Hill 6-51, Coad 3-20 & 64-4 White 3-17

Essex (3 pts) need another 456 to beat Yorkshire (3 pts) with six wickets standing

Adam Lyth’s patiently accumulated 185, and Jonny Bairstow’s typically belligerent half-century, set Essex an unlikely 520 to prevent Yorkshire chalking up their second County Championship win of the season.

Lyth’s second century of the spring, the 39th of his 18-year first-class career, spanned six hours and 41 minutes of determination and obduracy.

The 37-year-old left-hander shared a 153-run second-wicket stand with James Wharton, who added 61 to his unbeaten 63 from the first innings, that underpinned Yorkshire’s 426-6 declared.

The declaration was hastened by Bairstow’s 79 from74 balls that included three sixes and was part of a roller-coaster sixth-wicket stand of 99 with Matty Revis, who contributed 37 off 32 balls.

Bairstow, dropped on five by slip that would have enhanced Thain’s analysis, played an unorthodox reverse sweep-cum-pull that sent a delivery from Critchley for six over point.

With the declaration looming, Bairstow and Revis rattled off 29 runs in a 14-ball spree before the captain raced past his second half-century of the season with two sixes in the last over before tea from Shane Snater that also included a ramped four.

Yorkshire batted on for 14 balls after tea before Bairstow holed out to long-on and immediately called a halt to proceedings.

With Sam Cook rested in light of his potential England debut against Zimbabwe later this month, the Essex attack had lacked penetration.

And the only consolation for Essex’s dispirited fielders who circled the boundary by the end, were career-best bowling figures of 3-96 for young seamer Noah Thain.

The sense of gathering despair continued when Essex batted.

They lost four wickets in the 27 overs that remained in the day in the face of some accurate seam bowling from Jack White, who took 3-17.

Essex eked out 64 runs by the close but, with 456 to win, are staring down the barrel of back-to-back defeats when they resume on day four.

Their chances of batting out nearly four sessions became considerably slimmer when White got a delivery to jump up around Dean Elgar’s adam’s apple as early as the second over and it was fended off into third slip’s hands.

George Hill followed up his six-wicket haul from the first innings by trapping Tom Westley lbw with only his fourth delivery in the second.

And next over Charlie Allison drove White uppishly to a tumbling mid-off while Robin Das nudged one to first slip.

Aldershot Town scored three second-half goals as they beat Spennymoor Town 3-0 to win the FA Trophy at Wembley Stadium.

Jack Barham opened the scoring early in the second half, bundling the ball home after a cross by James Henry from the right-hand side.

With 20 minutes remaining, manager Tommy Widdrington’s side doubled their lead, Dan Ellison glancing the ball into the net from a corner kick.

The Shots fans that made the trip to Wembley travelled in great numbers, and with over 18,000 tickets sold they packed out their allocated quarter of the ground.

Before the match, their supporters were bouncing as the players made their way to the pitch, a sea of red and blue throwing balloons and streamers into the air.

It was the National League side’s Wembley debut after they beat Woking 2-1 to progress to the final, while Spennymoor, of the National League North, reached the final after beating Rochdale on penalties.

Despite being smaller in number, the Spennymoor supporters still made a decent noise, with a big group of their fans packed into a section behind the goal as well as further along the stand.

It was Aldershot who had the first real chance, a cross was whipped in from the right and forward Barham’s glancing header sailed just wide of the far post.

After 20 minutes Spennymoor had a brilliant chance to take the lead. Finley Shrimpton burst down the right and charged into the box, laying the ball off to Rob Ramshaw, but his weak attempt fell right into the grasp of Aldershot keeper Marcus Dewhurst.

Early in the second half, Aldershot found the breakthrough that they were looking for when Barrett produced a beautiful touch to send Henry down the right.

His cross found Barham waiting at the far post and he helped the ball over the line before standing on the advertising boards in front of him, hands raised to the delighted Shots fans.

That lead was then doubled with 20 minutes remaining as Barrett sent in an inswinging corner and Ellison was there to nod it home.

Aldershot Town boss Tommy Widdrington told BBC Radio Surrey:

“I thought the lads struggled a bit in the first half, but in the second we really stepped up and the substitutions were very positive.

“There is not a prouder person in this stadium. I’m very appreciative of the support I’ve had during my health problems and the people of Aldershot have been incredible.

“To finish the year I had with this moment is great. This final is the best of the teams outside the top four divisions, it’s no mean feat to win this.

“The town of Aldershot have been waiting to go to Wembley, they have all come out and I’m thrilled to take the trophy back to the town.

Aldershot Town goalscorer Josh Barrett told BBC Radio Surrey:

“It’s crazy, I can’t believe these scenes, we didn’t really execute the game plan in the first half but in the second half we dominated. That finish was one I knew was coming, I always try things and that’s who I am.

“The fans deserve this, give our manager some money and we will be a League Two team in no time, let’s hope we can get back up that table next season.

Spennymoor Town boss Graeme Lee told BBC Radio Tees:

“I feel emotional, it’s been one hell of a journey just to get here.

“Every single one of the lads should be very proud, we just fell a little bit and weren’t able to get back into the game after going behind.

“It’s unbelievable for us to reach the final and in the first half we created some great chances, unfortunately we just got punished in the second.

Gallagher Premiership

Exeter (21) 42

Tries: Lilley, Skinner 2, Brown-Bampoe 2, Moloney Cons: Slade 5, Hodge

Northampton (7) 14

Exeter Chiefs gained some late season pride with a scrappy 42-14 victory over a youthful Northampton Saints at Sandy Park.

Chiefs’ debutant Nick Lilley and Saints’ Jake Garside exchanged tries before the home side took control on the verge of half-time with scores from Harvey Skinner and Paul Brown-Bampoe.

Tom Lockett reduced the deficit for the Saints soon after the break, but Martin Moloney’s opportunistic score put the game beyond the visitors before Brown-Bampoe and Skinner added late gloss to the scoreline.

With neither team likely to qualify for the play-offs, both were looking to give experience to younger players after difficult domestic seasons.

This was evident in a scrappy opening quarter littered with errors, as both teams struggled to get into a rhythm.

That was until Exeter pulled off an intricate set-piece move involving Henry Slade, Josh Hodge and finally Lilley, with the winger racing down the wing to score on his debut.

The Saints, resting most of their starters before the Champions Cup final later in the month, responded quickly.

With Will Rigg in the sin-bin following repeated Chiefs infringements, the visitors finally opted to go wide with Garside forcing his way through a closing gap to secure the Saints’ first points of the afternoon.

While there was no lack of effort, the lack of real quality was telling, with Slade forced to kick the ball downfield during an inviting counter-attacking opportunity because Hodge strayed ahead of him on the outside.

But seemingly out of nothing the Chiefs found their feet with a quick-fire double.

Skinner was first to cross the whitewash; the fly-half having read a wayward pass from Tom James close to halfway, before gathering and running clear to the delight of the home crowd.

The fans were on their feet again minutes later.

Knowing the game hung in the balance as they came out for the second half, the Saints quickly cut into the home side’s lead.

Following a quick tap from Jonny Weimann in front of the Chiefs’ posts, first-time captain Lockett stretched over the line to score despite two defenders trying to hold him up.

In the following play, Exeter should have had a fourth.

Skinner’s perfectly weighted grubber in the Saints’ 22 would not sit up for the on-rushing Hodge, who knocked the ball on with the try-line at his mercy.

But ultimately it did not matter with the Chiefs securing the try bonus point soon after.

Tom Cairns was responsible for pilfering the ball from debutant Archie Benson at the resulting scrum before feeding Moloney to score the easiest try of his career.

Exeter Chiefs’ director of rugby Rob Baxter told BBC Radio Devon:

“I made my mind up two weeks ago that I’m not going to sugar coat things. We’ve got to have some brutal honesty about what we did, some of that today was pretty poor.

“Some of our decision-making when we try to play a simpler system, to give them the opportunity to get through more than three phases and it couldn’t have been simpler, we were still struggling to get through three phases, we need to grow up a bit

“Our big problem is the crowd are quite happy we’ve got a five-point win today, I was fuming, absolutely fuming, it shows how much we have to cut out, of what’s wrong in what we’re doing and improve some very, very poor basics.”

Northampton Saints’ director of rugby Phil Dowson told BBC Radio Northampton:

“Most of the players put in an enormous amount of effort and work, they showed huge heart, clearly there are things we need to do better and clearly we’re not happy with the result, but I was delighted that for large parts today they performed really well.

“The two tries before half-time obviously hurt, and then towards the end it got a bit loose and we didn’t make them work hard enough for those scores.

“One intercept and one line break and then it’s a two score game and it becomes a bit more of a mountain.”

Exeter: Hodge; Lilley, Slade, Rigg, Brown-Bampoe; Skinner, Townsend; Sio, Yeandle, Street, Tuima, Jenkins, Vermuelen, Capstick, Roots.

Replacements: Frost, Blose, Iosefa-Scott, Tshiunza, Moloney, Cairns, Haydon-Wood, Tua.

Sin-bin: Rigg (21).

Northampton: Garside; Cousins, Seabrook, Litchfield, Glister; James, Weimann; West, Walker, Millar Mills, Prowse, Munga, Lockett, Brown, Scott-Young.

Replacements: Wright, Haffar, Green, Hunter-Hill, Logan, Benson, Witheat, Baker.

Great Britain’s Jack Draper beat Vit Kopriva to reach the last 16 of the Italian Open but his frustration boiled over during a straight-set win.

Although the fifth seed won 6-4 6-3 in Rome, he was made to work hard to close out the victory and at one point hit the court multiple times with his racquet.

Draper, who came into the tournament on the back of reaching the Madrid Open final, held serve throughout and took the first set in 41 minutes, saving one break point.

But it was by no means plain sailing in the second as Czech qualifier Kopriva saved four break points to cut his deficit to 3-2.

After Draper gave him the game by sending a drop shot into the net, he struck the clay four times with his racquet before slamming it on to the floor by his chair.

The 23-year-old left three divots in the centre of the court – and his racquet in tatters – and received a warning from the umpire.

Kopriva went 40-0 up in the following game but the world number 92 spurned the chance to break back as he sent a straightforward backhand long.

Draper regrouped to hold his serve and take a 4-2 lead, before setting up the chance to break Kopriva for the second time in the set – and the third overall.

Again Kopriva proved stubborn opposition by saving two match points, the second after a bad bounce on one of the divots left by Draper forced an error from the British number one.

But Draper clinched victory at the third time of asking, having hit twice as many winners as Kopriva (21-10), although Draper did notch up more unforced errors (37-27).