da pinup bet： Another century by Shivnarine Chanderapaul further undermined Yorkshire’s holdon Division One status and edged Warwickshire closer to the CountyChampionship crown at Edgbaston
01-Sep-2011
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Another century by Shivnarine Chanderapaul further undermined Yorkshire’s holdon Division One status and edged Warwickshire closer to the CountyChampionship crown at Edgbaston.Needing to make 350 to have enough bonus points to overhaul Lancashire afterthe leaders’ early defeat at Worcester, they were just about on course asChanderpaul’s 110 from 182 balls helped level the scores with six wickets downat the end of the second day.Having dismissed Yorkshire for 281 in the morning, when Rikki Clarke mopped upthe last two wickets after signing a new two-year contract, the title-chasingMidlanders did not have things all their own way when they batted. Ryan Sidebottom and fellow-seamers Ajmal Shahzad and Moin Ashraf bowled with purpose to capture the first four wickets for 137, but the in-form Tim Ambrose made an unbeaten 68 and shared in a stand of 135.For the second time in nine days Yorkshire’s bowlers were run ragged byChanderpaul’s powers of concentration and destruction. Having made 193 in 434 minute at Headingley Carnegie last week, the West Indies left hander adopted his familiar pose, crouched over the crease, almost square on to the bowler, and refused to budge for four-and-a-half hours.It has been Yorkshire’s misfortune to run into an exceptional player who istargeting a third county championship after previously winning successive titleswith Durham. His arrival for the last five matches could be the key component instrengthening a batting line-up in which only one of the top-order regulars hasaveraged more than 40.This fragility was evident as Varun Chopra and William Porterfield edgedcatches off Shahzad and Sidebottom, but Ian Westwood found some form as hecomfortably outpaced Chanderpaul in a stand of 67. Seven fours helped the opener to 55 before he was caught at first slip off Sidebottom, and when Jim Troughton followed suit, flashing at a ball from Ashraf, Yorkshire seemed to be in the box seat.However Chanderpaul continued to be the immoveable object, although not withouta delicate touch in finding gaps in the field. Ambrose, with ten fours in hishalf-century, was generally the more forceful until his partner quickened upwith two sixes and six fours after reaching 50.Sidebottom finally gave Yorkshire renewed hope by breaking a stand of 135 whenChanderpaul nicked a catch behind the wicket and the former England bowler alsotrapped nightwatchman Chris Metters lbw in the final over. Somehow the Tykes have to find a way to win this match and then beat Somerset in the final fixture to have a realistic chance of finishing above resurgent rivals Worcestershire and Hampshire.