Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes andFrank Worrell became known as the "three W's", cricketers who duringthe late 40s and 1950s endeared themselves to their West Indian fans.
Fastforward on to 2014 and Yorkshire county cricket club seem to have found thethree "L"s, Adam Lyth, Alex Lees and Jack Leaning, besides the three"B"s, Gary Ballance, Jonny Bairstow and Tim Bresnan. Back those talentsup with Joe Root, Adil Rashid plus the bowling ‘engine room’ of Ryan Sidebottom,Jack Brooks and Steve Patterson, and it is not hard to see why that group ofplayers are seemingly moving inexorably towards the LV = Division 1 CountyChampionship title.
After another highly promising openingday on Tuesday with the bat at Nottingham against their closest rivals,Nottinghamshire, they again came out on top at 319 for 4 overnight. Much of theplatform for the innings came from opener Lyth who notched up another centuryafter being dropped off the second ball. Notts had time to rue the miss, asalong with Lees the openers put on a stand of 176 for the first wicket beforeLees fell on 86 to Gary Keedy.
Lyth eventually also fell to Keedy,the pick of the Notts’ bowlers, to a soft caught and bowled, but not before hehad reached 122. Wickets had begun to fall at regular intervals by mid-afternoon, with Notts using the second new ball far more productively than thefirst with both Root and Bairstow out cheaply.
Ballance like Root had returnedfrom England duty though and it was he who steadied the ship, looking assured toend the day not out on 82.
With Rashid and Bresnan looking toadd to the score on day two, it looks likely to be a sizeable first innings forYorks. Notts really need the win but now look to be on the back foot unlessthey can claim early wickets on the second day before lunch.
Elsewhere in the championship, Warwickshire still entertain hopes ofcatching the two leaders and could potentially still win the title. They bowledNorthants out for 273 at Birmingham on day one of their match and were handilyplaced on 79-1 at stumps in reply. The damage was mainly done by Keith Barker with4-61 and Ollie Hannon-Dalby with 4-57. They will hope that former Englandstalwart Jonathan Trott can continue his steady return to form in their innings.