Yorkshire Cricket by David Warner

A window of opportunity unexpectedly opened up for Yorkshire at New Road yesterday and they gratefully accepted it by ripping through Worcestershire for 94 to win by an innings and 160 runs.

Darren Gough and Gavin Hamilton were the chief destroyers, each finishing up with his best figures of the season, Gough taking five for 36 in an ideal dress rehearsal for the Headingley Test and Hamilton snatching four for 17.

The victory brought Yorkshire a maximum 24 points and pushed them into joint third place in the table to rekindle their championship ambitions.

Although leaders Surrey are 42 points ahead of Yorkshire they have played a game more - and the sides have still to meet at Headingley at the beginning of September.

"If we can win that game, and we have every chance, then we will still be in with a shout for the title," said jubilant skipper David Byas.

It was raining so hard at Worcester yesterday morning that the game appeared certain to be heading for an abandonment but the weather cleared dramatically for a start to be made at 2.30pm when Worcestershire were 19 for two and still 235 runs away from the innings defeat.

They were soon in complete disarray as Gough ran in with great venom to capture three wickets for 12 runs in 22 balls as Worcestershire slumped to 40 for five.

Graeme Hick cut to James Middlebrook who took such a cool catch at backward point and with such little reaction from the fielders that it hardly seemed as if the England batsman could be out.

Four balls later in the over, Vikram Solanki was caught behind at the second attempt by Richard Blakey and in his following over Gough had Tom Moody slicing a catch to Darren Lehmann at third slip. The Australian took it with some relief, having just seen a similar stroke fly past him before he could react.

Nightwatchman Stuart Lampitt continued to bat with great confidence and with Bradford-born David Leatherdale also settling in, Yorkshire began to feel under some pressure.

But Hamilton changed all that by grabbing three wickets for one run in 12 balls, the sequence starting when Leatherdale offered no stroke and was lbw for 30 out of a 40 stand in 18 overs.

Steve Rhodes was caught behind next ball while Richard Illingworth, batting with a runner because of a hamstring injury, soon edged to wide gully where Middlebrook held a great catch low down, again with a minimum of fuss.

Light rain again threatened to thwart Yorkshire but there was no stopping their momentum now and Lampitt's resistance was stopped by Richard Stemp who turned one sharply enough to find the edge.

Gough returned to administer the final rites and after last man Bobby Chapman had survived a sharp left handed catch to Matthew Wood at short leg, Phil Newport fell lbw with 15.1 overs remaining.

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