Cricket: Moles accepts invitation to the ball

Warwickshire 289-8 v Yorkshire

ANDY MOLES, like any solid citizen of Solihull, does not look a gift horse in the mouth. Given an old-style Birmingham flattie, one boundary so close that mid-wicket was almost running along the Brumbrella, and a Yorkshire attack that began with a fit of the vapours, Moles murmured 'thank you, so kind', and scored 113 off 187 balls, including 18 fours.

His opening partnership with Jason Ratcliffe, 140 in 41 overs, was the best for any wicket against Yorkshire this season, which confirms that the Tykes do not always bowl as badly as they did yesterday morning.

They did have an extraordinary first session, starting with the omission of Mark Robinson, their most successful bowler last year, who has taken 19 Championship wickets at 25 this summer, no bad record considering the weather in the first six weeks.

Richie Richardson, at third slip, dropped Ratcliffe off Paul Jarvis, when nought, but the West Indian was already complaining of a sore throat, sickness and a headache and had to leave for treatment, returning in mid-afternoon.

Moles, when 10, nicked Jarvis over Richardson's head and the Bears' picnic was under way. Fifty runs in 12 overs, 76 in 15, 101 in 22; after 80 minutes Martyn Moxon, having run through four seamers, tried a spinner, Richard Stemp, who promptly bowled four successive maidens.

Why do modern captains feel they must try every minute permutation of seam before they trust spin? In Hawke's time, Hirst invariably opened with Rhodes; in Yardley's time, Wardle was almost always first change.

By then Moles had hit 71 off 23 overs but Jeremy Batty had joined Stemp so that Moxon usually had one spinner, at least, operating for the rest of the day; the quicks took heart and Yorkshire bowled and fielded with some heart and growing zest.

Moles needed another 38 overs to add the remaining 42 runs of a fine innings, virtually chanceless, aggressive even in defence. He drove at Peter Hartley, a shade wide, and gave cover a very low catch. Dominic Ostler never settled, falling at slip while Trevor Penney agonised over 15.

Not until Dermot Reeve arrived did the innings take shape again. Paul Smith tried to cut Stemp and was taken at slip. Roger Twose, out of form, was happy to see his captain give the stray delivery a good thump, smiting one leg-side half-volley so mightily he all but decapitated Moxon at mid-on, then reaching a deserved half-century before the new ball arrived.

Given the cherry, Jarvis and Gough then made amends for the morning by rattling the tail, Reeve and Tim Munton disappearing in four balls from Jarvis and the stubborn Twose being trapped. Stemp finished the day with 29-16-33-2.