Somerset drama can spill over into Royal London Cup, believes Gale

ANDREW GALE believes Yorkshire's dramatic County Championship win against Somerset can help them book their place in the semi-finals of the Royal London Cup.
Yorkshire celebrate victory at Taunton.Yorkshire celebrate victory at Taunton.
Yorkshire celebrate victory at Taunton.

Gale said his side would take the momentum from their three-run triumph at Taunton into their Royal London Cup play-off against Surrey at Headingley today (2pm start).

“I think that we can take the momentum and confidence into the Surrey match now,” said first-team coach Gale, whose side would meet Worcestershire in the semi-finals at New Road on Saturday.

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“Form is form no matter what format you’re playing in, and the win at Somerset stands us in good stead.

“It’s another massive game for us because we’re desperate to progress and get to a Lord’s final.

“One of my aims coming in as coach was to try to win a white-ball competition, and we want to get ourselves over the line.”

Yorkshire go into the game on the back of a gruelling trip from the south-west last night, which hardly serves as perfect preparation.

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However, Surrey faced their own long journey north following their Championship defeat against Essex at Guildford.

“The schedule is not ideal, because you would like a few days preparing for a quarter-final, but it is what it is and we’re certainly not going to use it as an excuse,” said Gale.

“Surrey are more or less in the same situation, and we’ve just got to make sure that we are fully switched on.

“It would have been nice to have celebrated the Somerset win on the coach journey home, so the lads have had to put their celebrations back a little bit.

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“But hopefully they can sink a few beers on the right end of a good result now against Surrey.”

Yorkshire welcome back Tim Bresnan after he missed the match at Taunton. The all-rounder’s wife is expecting their third child, which Gale said last night had still to arrive. Will Rhodes has been added to the squad as cover, while pace bowler Ben Coad has recovered from sore shins.

Yorkshire will be looking to exact revenge on Surrey, who beat them in last year’s semi-final.

“Surrey played well last year but we messed up ourselves really,” said Gale. “They’re a good side and quite experienced, and we’ve just got to make sure that we’re right on it.”

Yorkshire (from): Ballance (captain), Bresnan, Brooks, Carver, Coad, Fisher, Handscomb, Leaning, Lees, Lyth, Patterson, Rafiq, Rhodes, Waite.