Anthony McGrath, pictured, weighed in with a century and a half-century...and first-teamer Joe Root made 100 in the two innings – but Lancashire won the Second Eleven Championship clash by three wickets to complete a week’s Roses double.

The squads decamped to Stamford Bridge - scene of the historic battle before Hastings in 1066 - after Lancashire’s one-day Trophy triumph at Bingley, and this time hostilities raged well into the last hour of the three-day engagement.

Yorkshire batted first and posted 316 - which included McGrath’s century and a half-century from Alex Lees - but it was the bane of Yorkshire batsmen who took the headlines with another “five-for”, Oliver Newby, the most experienced of the Red Rosebud bowlers.

A dozen overs of Day 1 remained for the Lancashire batsmen...two of whom lost their wickets. Two more fell in the first hour next morning to leave the visitors on the back foot at 76-4, but skipper Steven Parry joined Jordan Clark in a monumental stand of 186 - the best fifth-wicket Championship partnership for Lancashire against Yorkshire.

This stand erased a record that had stood since the second Championship game between the Roses rivals 64 matches ago in 1959 when Peter Whiteley and Kevan Tebay put on 124 at Old Trafford. Whiteley played numerous matches for Lancashire in the Minor Counties and Second XI Championships from 1951 to 1960, but he made only five First Class appearances. Tebay played in 15 First Class matches for Lancashire in 1961, 1962 and 1963 as well as numerous games in the Minor Counties and Second XI Championships from 1959 to 1963.

Clark fell three short of a maiden century, and Parry a dozen short of his. Once the great stand ended the last six wickets went down for 27 runs - four of them to Gurman Randhawa, who conceded two runs in the process, and was to snare four victims in the second innings as well.

Yorkshire had extended their lead of 28 to 168 by the close of Day 2 for the loss of three wickets - Root reaching 64 and McGrath 54 – with expectations that they would crack on with a declaration target in mind. Not in Newby’s! In 90 minutes he took four more wickets to add to his pair the previous evening to finish with 6-67 and a match haul of 11-138, the best by a Lancastrian in the 66 Roses clashes.

The demolition of Yorkshire’s second innings – seven wickets crashed for 71 runs – gave the visitors 67 overs to chase 244 for victory. They cracked on! The three overs before lunch saw 26 runs knocked off, and the Red Rose continued in much the same vein afterwards. Louis Reece went at 60 and the end of the 12th over..two wickets were captured at 125, one at 147, two more at 179 and the seventh at 182. The Lancastrians were struggling...

That was it for the Yorkshire attack. Wicket-keeper Alex Davies and Arron Lilley survived, their confidence growing ball by ball as they ran up the 62 Lancashire needed. Lancashire have won eight of the last 10 Second Eleven Championship Roses. When will Yorkshire ever regain the upper hand? They will have to wait until next season for the answer.

Yorkshire now have a week off in which to lick their wounds and regroup for the next round of matches - a Trophy encounter at Pudsey followed by the Championship fixture at Headingley Carnegie against Northamptonshire. A chance to improve their standing in both competitions.

Words and Statistics: MICHAEL SNOOK

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