Day 1:
At the end of the first day's play at Paisley most of the crowd who enjoyed the cricket on Kelburne's lovely ground seemed to think that Scotland's main preoccupation against a Yorkshire team, graced by the presence of one of the world's most talked of players Len Hutton, would be to avoid an innings defeat to-day.

If that happens we shall soon be wishing, to use the language of the moment, that it was possible to have some sort of Marshall aid plan to give us a couple of opening batsmen.

The Rev. James Aitchison (Kilmarnock ) was there, but could not play owing to having to officiate at a wedding, and, recalling how he took the edge off some of Yorkshire's bowling at Selkirk last year, one would have liked to have seen him doing the same again.

Willatt, the Edinburgh Academy master, who took over his job with Sheppard, was cut before he had scored, to a fast one from Whitehead, Yorkshire's 21-year-old colt, who expends an enormous amount of energy in his bowling. But that was only one of a series of minor Scottish disasters during 100 minutes batting which produced only 27 runs, and the first hour of which yielded only 12.

Though five wickets have still to fall. Scotland's task of getting 235 runs to finish level on the first Innings is unenviable, especially if Robinson, Yorkshire's medium paced bowler, the villain of the piece last summer, resumes where he left off last night, when in 10 overs, seven of which were maidens, he had two wickets for four runs.

While their batting was dull, Scotland's bowling and fielding were eminently respectable. Hodge, back to his old run, looked faster than last year, and had three very good wickets; Laidlaw was full of guile, and made the ball turn a bit; while Lumsden and Willatt were splendid in the field.

Lumsden had a brilliant running catch to dispose of Halliday, who looked set for a week, and up till that point had played faultlessly, always keeping the ball on the carpet. He had five 4s in his total, and Hutton, neatly caught at the wicket when he nibbled at one of Laidlaw's off-spinners, had four in a sober but correct sort of innings.

Day 2:
Though 179 runs short of Yorkshire's total when stumps were drawn at Paisley last night, Scotland had some satisfaction in forcing a draw, for at the start of the day it looked as if they might be lucky to escape an innings defeat.

Yet it would only be common justice to admit that the result would probably have been rather different if A. B. Sellars, the Yorkshire captain, had not waived his right to exercise the follow-on. The same thing happened last year at Selkirk, when Maurice Leyland made a similar gesture, sent his team in a second time, and in the end Scotland got a draw.

Sellars was not hoist by his own sporting petard, but Scotland returned his gesture by serving up some very hostile fast bowling by Colledge and Hodge, and the spectators were really excited for the first time when six of the county men were back in the pavilion with their total only 41.

Then Lester, who was in a most punishing mood, and the less belligerent Watson, made a stand, and when Sellars declared, at tea-time, Scotland were faced with the big task of getting 270 to win.

They got nowhere near that figure in the two and a quarter hours that remained for play, but Willatt, who had given Yorkshire some bother when he was at Cambridge University last summer, struck a fine defiant note and batted cautiously and correctly for all that time to avert defeat. Lumsden, too, produced some very nice strokes to give him substantial aid.

Scotland's other invaluable contribution was by Edward in the first innings, when he remained for two and a half hours, during which he hit five 4s in his half-century to give the overnight modest total of 27 for five wickets a big boost.

McLaren, too, did extremely well in helping the tail to wag, but the final impression of the match was that the Scottish bowling and fielding were very much stronger than the batting, which revealed much of the familiar timidity at awkward times.

During Scotland's second innings Yorkshire had fielding substitutes for Watson, who had strained his back, and Wilson, who had been given permission by his captain to go home.

(Article: Copyright © 2013 Cricket Scotland http://cricketscotland.com)