Yorkshire recorded the largest victory in the 135-year history of the County Championship when they downed Worcestershire by an extraordinary 504 runs.
Jonny Bairstow’s team recorded their first win of the new season, which as well as breaking the Championship record was also England’s most decorated county’s largest in all first-class cricket, a format they have been playing since 1863.
A record-breaking match.
Yorkshire’s 504 run victory over Worcestershire is the largest margin of victory in County Championship history. pic.twitter.com/rgaJYi794D
— Rothesay County Championship (@CountyChamp) April 13, 2025
Yorkshire, who are now coached by Anthony McGrath, took a full allocation of 24 points. The promoted team are dealing in three-day matches in the early days of their return to the top flight, having been beaten by five wickets at Hampshire a week ago.
“I said at the end of the Hampshire game, there were a lot of positives, even though we’d lost. I set the challenge this week in training, ‘Don’t let the outcome of that result affect us’, and it hasn’t,” said McGrath.
“I think we dominated the game from ball one, and it was a very, very comprehensive victory in the end. Pretty much everyone put their hand up at some point. It was a great, great team performance.”
Despite securing a first-innings lead of 294 on the second day, Yorkshire chose not to enforce the follow-on, and even batted on after lunch on day three to set a mammoth target of 610.
Dom Bess, who played 14 Tests for England between 2018 and 2021 as a spin-bowling all-rounder, came in as nightwatchman on the second evening and proceeded to peel off a maiden first-class hundred. Once he was out, England veterans Dawid Malan and Bairstow shared a rapid partnership of 72 from 51 balls before the captain declared.
Worcestershire were 72 for two, with the game drifting towards a fourth day (which had a mixed forecast) before a sudden collapse of eight for 33. While the wickets were shared around, the young all-rounder George Hill, who had made an impressive 63 in the first innings, took four for 23, including the final wicket, New Zealander Jacob Duffy caught behind by Bairstow.
Captain Bairstow, whose late father David also led the county, will have found the victory especially satisfying after finding himself embroiled in a run-in with Worcestershire players and the officials on the opening day, when given out caught behind off a gentle Adam Finch bouncer.
The margin of victory is the second major record felled in the first fortnight of the new Championship season, after Tom Banton posted the highest score in Somerset’s history, and the fifth-highest score in Championship history, when he made 371, also against Worcestershire. The Pears hung on gamely for a memorable draw at Taunton, but were on the end of a history-making hiding at Headingley. Somerset, meanwhile, face a battle to avoid defeat on Monday at Hove against Sussex, who were promoted with Yorkshire last year.
McGrath revealed that he is only expecting to have his star England batsmen Joe Root and Harry Brook available for a single Championship game – against Warwickshire on May 2 at Headingley – before the Test summer begins on May 22, against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge.
“Joe’s still away on holiday, Harry was in last week,” he said. “I believe that’s all they’re going to play. I don’t think that’s going to change, but as we know it could do.”
Elsewhere, Kent continued their superb start to the Division Two season by chasing down 316 in 64.4 overs to beat Middlesex by eight wickets. Zak Crawley got Kent going with 58 from 66 balls, before unbeaten hundreds from Ben Compton and Tawanda Muyeye saw Kent home.
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