Title favourites Yorkshire take seven points having lost a Championship match to Leicestershire at Headingley for the first time since 1910; the visitors racked up their highest successful chase in the competition since 1947
Headingley (fourth day of four): Yorkshire 517 & 286-8 dec v Leicestershire 415 & 392-7 - Leicestershire win by three wickets
Opener Rishi Patel's maiden first-class century led a stunning final day Leicestershire chase of 389 against Yorkshire at Headingley before key contributions from eighth-wicket pair Peter Handscomb and Chris Wright sealed a first LV= Insurance County Championship win in two years – by three wickets with seven balls to spare.
Leicestershire's target – 87 overs were available – was set during the fourth morning, and they were on course to achieve the second-highest successful chase in their history when 24-year-old Patel brought up three figures after tea.
At 243 for 3, they needed 146 in 27 overs to win their first Division Two match since September 2021, all after conceding 517 in the first innings.
Patel then fell for 125 off 205 balls to undermine their chances, but Australian Handscomb added 68 not out to his first-innings 112 and Wright hit the winning runs and finished with 40, sealing a remarkable 22-point haul.
Title favourites Yorkshire take seven points having lost a Championship match to Leicestershire at Headingley for the first time since 1910.
Peter Handscomb scored 180 runs in the match (Getty Images)
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Headingley (third day of four): Yorkshire 517 & 220-4 v Leicestershire 415 - Yorkshire lead by 322 runs with six wickets remaining
Potential Ashes rivals Peter Handscomb and Rehan Ahmed united with the bat to lead Leicestershire's impressive fightback against Division Two title favourites Yorkshire on day three at Headingley, leaving all results still alive.
In the face of Yorkshire's first-innings 517, Australian Handscomb posted a fine 112 and Ahmed worked hard to match him with 85, the pair completing a sixth-wicket partnership of 141 through until late morning as the visitors responded with a sturdy 415.
Leicestershire, winless in Division Two last season, would have feared the worst as Yorkshire dominated the opening two days, restricting the Foxes to 251 for 5 at the fixture's halfway point.
But they have shown impressive fortitude on an albeit flat pitch, thanks largely to two men who could be in opposition later this summer for their respective countries.
Their resistance forced Yorkshire to bat again from just before tea, and there was more good news as the hosts fell to 29 for 3 before half-centuries for James Wharton – his first in first-team cricket, West Indian debutant Shai Hope and George Hill ensured a close of play 220 for 4 and a lead of 322.
Dawid Malan's day two century put Yorkshire in control (Image: John Heald)
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Headingley (second day of four): Yorkshire 517 v Leicestershire 201-5 - Leicestershire trail by 316 runs with five wickets remaining
England white-ball star Dawid Malan completed a sumptuous day-two century, but Yorkshire did not have things all their own way in pursuit of an LV= Insurance County Championship victory over Leicestershire at Headingley.
Malan enhanced his already sparkling first-class record for Yorkshire as they racked up a first-innings 517.
In six matches at Headingley, this 154-ball 132 added to previous scores of 219, 199 and 152 since the start of 2020.
Yorkshire advanced from an overnight 285 for 3, with nightwatchman Matt Milnes also making 75 on debut before taking three wickets in a hard-working bowling display as the visitors closed on 200 for 5 from 60 overs.
But Yorkshire were met with resistance either side of tea in the form of international pair Colin Ackermann and Peter Handscomb, who shared 121 for the fourth wicket.
Netherlands batter Ackermann led the way with a measured 67 and Australian overseas Handscomb supported him with a similar 62 unbeaten against the county he played for in 2017.
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Headingley (first day of four): Yorkshire 285-3 v Leicestershire
Fin Bean's superb 118 ensured Yorkshire controlled a shortened opening day of their LV= Insurance County Championship fixture against Leicestershire at Headingley.
The title favourites got their first Division Two campaign since 2012 off to the ideal start with 285 for 3 in 60 overs.
Rookie opener Bean provided the foundations and fellow left-hander Dawid Malan, who posted 91 not out, the flourish against a Foxes side largely off colour with the ball.
Chris Wright was key for Leicestershire (Getty Images)
Bean, the 20-year-old who scored a record-breaking 441 in the second team last summer, hit a friendly ton last weekend. But this 149-ball innings represented his first competitive first-team hundred. Either side of a three hours and five minutes rain delay from 2.25pm, Malan progressed effortlessly.
Leicestershire were unable to impose themselves after electing to bowl, and before lunch teenaged England leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed conceded 22 in his first of only four overs in the day. His other three cost six more runs.
There has been much hype around Ahmed’s return to county cricket at the start of an Ashes summer following the 18-year-old's seven-wicket Test debut in Karachi in December. But he came back down to earth with a bump as Bean took him to task in the contest’s 20th over.
His first ball was a loopy head high full toss, a no ball despatched over midwicket for four. His second, also a full toss, got the same treatment.
Bean hit four fours in the over before Chris Wright was immediately called to replace Ahmed from the Howard Stand End.
Bean drove well and displayed fast hands in punishing anything short outside off stump, hitting 19 boundaries.
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