A strange week for Yorkshire. Firstly, they fell victim to Gloucestershire’s Michael Klinger to lose their Royal London Cup semi-final. A few days later at Lord’s, Ryan Sidebottom took three Middlesex wickets in the first over en route to bowling out their nearest rivals for 106. They thus secured their second successive County Championship, a wonderful achievement.
They continued to rub their opponents’ noses in the brown stuff with the bat before suddenly it all went wrong. Nick Compton (147) and tail-ender Toby Roland-Jones (103 not out) helped the home side to almost 600, then Roland-Jones grabbed 5-27 in 21 overs to secure an unlikely victory. It also spoiled the champions’ unbeaten record in the competition. Still, Andrew Gale and Jason Gillespie can celebrate their overall success with two matches yet to play. Root, Lyth, Ballance, Bairstow, Rashid and Plunkett have all been on England duty yet strength in depth, especially the bowlers have seen them home.
A special mention should go to young Stevie Eskinazi. He struck 122 for Middlesex Seconds in their 2nd XI Final against Notts and was 13 not out in the second innings when he was summoned to make his first-class debut at Lord’s. The fairytale didn’t continue but not any players are whisked away mid-match like that!
It was a topsy-turvy contest at Trent Bridge, too. Durham let a 168-run first-innings lead slip as Samit Patel’s century and a second five-for by Ben Hutton gave Nottinghamshire victory by 52 runs inside three days. Notts could yet gain second-place above Middlesex with a game in hand.
Somerset enjoyed the best of a home draw with relegation rivals Hampshire. Jamie Overton took 4-37 as they restricted Hants to a single batting bonus point. Somerset not only secured maximum points but also piled on 630-9. Each of the top three batsmen Marcus Trescothick, Tom Abell (for the first time) and Tom Cooper reached three figures. Sadly for my team, Carberry, Vince, Adams et al remembered how to bat and the Taunton strip obliged to dish out a draw. Worcestershire look doomed but just eleven points separate the three sides above them.
In Division Two, Essex surged to third place, crushing Derbyshire by an innings. Thirty-somethings Ten Doeschate, Pettini, Bopara and Foster each contributed but, despite the absence on ODI duty of Reece Topley, youngsters also starred. Teenage opener Dan Lawrence returned with 88, while 20 year-old debutant Jack Winslade took 4-20.
Essex were also helped by Glamorgan’s capitulation to Kent. Rob Key continued excellent end-of-season form with 94 and 158, assisted by a typical all-round performance by 39 year-old Darren Stevens.
So, as last year, most of the big questions have been answered two weeks early, but the Division One relegation places may not be settled until the final week. Sussex v Somerset this week will be a crucial encounter, and Worcestershire simply must beat Yorkshire. The others must hope the champs don’t have a champagne hangover!
Continuing the rollercoaster theme, Team of the Week selection has been difficult. Nomally, the intense competition for places comes from middle-order batsmen and seamers. Unusually, this week, most of the runs came from openers, so Tres, Adams and Eskinazi miss out.
Team of the Week: Abell (Som), Key (Ken), Klinger (Glo), Sangakkara (Sur), Stevens (Ken), Pettini (Ess), Ronchi (Som +), Hutton (Not), Roland-Jones (Mid), Winslade (Ess), Sidebottom (Not)
