Forty-eight years ago, your correspondent was at the non-striker’s end when Surrey’s Arnold Long edged a ball from the seamer Tony Nicholson to Long’s opposite number, Jimmy Binks, standing up to the stumps, to complete a hat-trick of County Championship titles for Yorkshire. Since then, seven other counties have tried to emulate the feat and fallen short (Middlesex, who won in 1976 and tied in 1977; Essex, champions in 1983 and 1984 and again in 1991 and 92; Worcestershire, 1988 and 89; Warwickshire, 1994 and 95; Surrey, 2002 and 03; Sussex, 2006 and 07; and Durham 2008 and 09).
Now, though, in the final round of County Championship matches of a long season, the chance is there for Yorkshire to follow their illustrious predecessors, although the task is not a straightforward one. This is the tightest title race for years and may yet be decided on bonus points and with it the realisation that a point squandered early in the season is no less valuable than one scrapped for in the later stages.
Related: Yorkshire’s Adil Rashid cites ‘personal reasons’ for absence at Middlesex
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