Rookie George Hill shows promise, but Yorkshire struggles in county championship comeback Yorkshire News

It’s the kind of name that portends great things.

Born in Keighley and raised in Sedbergh, Hill is blessed with a stately nickname.

If he reaches the heights of some of the famous three-initials from Yorkshire, such as CWJ Athey or NWD Yardley, he is of course unknown at this stage.

But GCH Hill has a certain tone, the suggestion of grandeur, the touch of magnificence.

At 20, Hill is just a young man, and also a stocky one, playing his fourth first-class game. But presence and poise are unmistakably present, and he has the air of a man who looks like the role, one who has had success with England Under-19s and is well regarded by Yorkshire coaches.

If Hill hadn’t provided unequivocal proof of his capabilities beyond those circles, he had everyone sit down and take note here.

So far, his 12 appearances for the club in first class and T20 combined had brought in 110 runs and three wickets, not enough to stir the juices of expectations.

At the same time, the opportunity had not always been satisfactory during those games, with Hill reducing the order or nothing, and his average pace had been used briefly.

However, promoted to open batting at Wantage Road, with Tom Kohler-Cadmore injured and several players absent for England, Hill was the one to shine in an otherwise dismal first-inning hitting display with 71 points, his first. maid. -class fifty – of 158 total after Yorkshire won the toss and chose to hit before Northants finished 61-2.

On a day when Yorkshire missed a solo hitting point for the fourth time in nine championship games this season, Hill outshined his more seasoned colleagues. The orderly right-hander batted into the fourth over after tea, after which it seemed unfortunate that he was hit by lbw pushing forward to Rob Keogh’s deflection, and the ball appeared to hit him off the deflection line.

Hill faced 170 deliveries and hit eight fours and six, showing strength on the drive and thrust on the pull, with the maximum product of a confident movement down the court to the turn with Simon Kerrigan’s left arm followed by a delightful swing from him. bat.

Above all, however, Hill made it a point to hit batting time and wait for the bad ball to come, the traditional template for first-class cricket, and he used his feet well against spin on both defense and offense.

“It’s a bit of a relief, to be honest,” Hill said of his tickets. “I’ve played a couple of games in the past and I really didn’t feel like I did much.

“I haven’t really opened before, so I thought I’d go out there and give it my all and bet. It’s not the easiest pitch to hit, and I think 260 or 270 would have been a really good score.”

In a field recently used for three T20s, although he did not possess any obvious demons, Yorkshire did not distinguish himself.

As the sun’s rays came and went, they lost Adam Lyth in the fifth when Ben Sanderson ran through him with one that took him to the lead, while Sam Northeast hopes for a successful start to his career in Yorkshire, after signing a three-game loan, soon. He went west when he nibbled on the doorman.

Heavy rain stole 35 minutes of the morning session, resulting in the loss of two overs, as Yorkshire lunched 38-2 to 17.5. Hill grew taller after the break, driving and pulling hard. He had a bit of luck at 31, dropped by Gareth Berg on Wayne Parnell’s second slip after chasing an open one, but it wasn’t an aberration he threatened to repeat.

However, Gary Ballance overcame Kerrigan’s square-leg sweep back, and Harry Brook paid for an equally wasteful shot from the same bowler, dancing down the lane and finding the middle of the wicket. Yorkshire was 91-3 before Brook came out and the innings lost their way.

Dom Bess got caught behind trying to defend himself. Harry Duke was caught in the front crease. Steve Patterson cut his second ball to the spot. Ben Coad was thrown at all ends, and Jordan Thompson fell lbw trying to attack with a remaining wicket. Six batters fell in singles, with Hill scoring just one run fewer than the other 10 batters combined.

When Northants responded, Yorkshire initially struggled to locate their lengths.

But Bess broke the top position at 54, pinning Emilio Guy down by pushing forward, and Patterson had the night watchman Kerrigan fend off the short leg.