Tattersall and Fisher Shine Against Leicestershire

Yorkshire remains firmly on track for a crucial victory that could propel them toward promotion, despite weather interruptions cutting short much of the second day of their County Championship match against Leicestershire at Leicester.

Leicestershire ended day two at 35-2 in their second innings, trailing Yorkshire by 246 runs. The visitors had earlier posted a commanding 379, led by captain Jonny Tattersall’s superb 126 and a career-best 88 from Matthew Fisher, who also claimed two wickets for Yorkshire before rain halted play shortly before 14:00 BST.

Ahead of the game, Yorkshire head coach Ottis Gibson predicted that one more win from their final three fixtures would be enough to secure a top-two finish, with his side just a point behind second-placed Middlesex entering this round.

Leicestershire’s hopes of restricting Yorkshire’s lead after their first-innings collapse for 98 on day one were dashed as Tattersall and Fisher added 138 runs for the ninth wicket. The pair batted for over an hour and a half before Leicestershire captain Lewis Hill reintroduced England wrist-spinner Rehan Ahmed into the attack. Ahmed made an immediate impact, dismissing Tattersall with his fourth delivery, finishing with 3-60.

Tattersall had earlier reached his second century of the season from 170 balls during the morning session. In stark contrast to day one, the pitch offered little assistance to the bowlers, allowing Yorkshire to add 51 runs without loss in the first 12 overs, a period that saw Leicestershire lose seven wickets for just 15 runs the previous day.

Fisher also reached his maiden first-class half-century during this period. He and Ben Coad added a quick-fire 31 runs from 26 balls before Ahmed removed Fisher, thanks to a sharp catch by wicketkeeper Ben Cox. Tom Scriven, still seeking his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, finished with 4-103.

Leicestershire’s second innings quickly stumbled as they fell to 34-2 before rain intervened. Fisher, continuing his outstanding day, dismissed opener Rishi Patel, who was trapped lbw attempting an ill-advised shot across the line. Ian Holland showed more caution but soon followed, caught at first slip, as Yorkshire tightened their grip on the match.