Yorkshire punished by two of their own

Yorkshire 515-5dec and 124-7 Lancashire 487 Match drawn

The coach Wayne Clark told Yorkshire at the weekend: "Back me or sack me". At today's meeting of the club's General Committee, after another near-catastrophe, that challenge is sure to be addressed.

How could the champions, after declaring at 515, come perilously close to losing to the club second to them at the bottom of the table? Yorkshire's second innings had sunk to 73 for 7, a lead of 110 with at least 25 overs remaining, before Richard Blakey, Chris Silverwood and bad light ended the crisis.

With seven games remaining, Yorkshire are almost certainly relegated and the decisive moment came when Gary Keedy, Wakefield-born, pushed Ryan Sidebottom through mid-on for the two runs that meant Lancashire had averted the follow-on. John Wood, also born in Wakefield, looked on approvingly, as the ninth-wicket pair added 120 in 32 overs and took Lancashire close to their best score against Yorkshire, 484 here in 1998.

With four wickets standing Lancashire had needed 36 to avoid the follow-on. Silverwood dismissed the stubborn Alec Swann with a fine high return catch and Sidebottom pinned the equally-defiant Peter Martin, so that the target became 19 with two wickets standing.

Keedy and Wood smoothly eased their way through the crisis and by early afternoon Yorkshire were batting again, 37 ahead. Matthew Wood fell, hooking, Craig White was snatched at slip, Vic Craven played on at 25, Anthony McGrath was bowled by a shooter and Richard Dawson was beaten for pace. When Darren Lehmann, batting at seven, attempted to pull Keedy, the ball flew high to leg gully where another Lancashire Yorkie, a grinning David Byas, took the catch.