The County Championship’s mid-April launch inevitably led to tougher contests against the weather than between the teams. It was also the first week without the traditional toss of a coin to see who gets to choose who bats or bowls, but the rains which affected most parts of England determined most of the results.
In Division One, Nottinghamshire overcame the permanent loss of star player James Taylor to a heart condition by beating newly-promoted Surrey by three wickets. Steven Mullaney scored 113 on day one but when the visitors followed on, a 142-run stand between Arun Harinath and Kumar Sangakkara kept them in the hunt. However, Hutton and Ball held on to secure maximum points for Notts.
At Chester-le-Street, the second half of the match was lost to rain, but somehow there was still time for Keaton Jennings to score centuries in each innings for Durham against a weak Somerset attack. Only three days’ play were possible at The Rose Bowl, but Warwickshire had the better of proceedings in the draw with Hampshire. Skipper Ian Bell compiled a patient 174 and Keith Barker’s 5-53 was the pick of the week’s bowling stats.
In the second tier, opening batsmen were again in the ascendancy. Essex demolished Gloucestershire by ten wickets thanks to centuries by Alastair Cook and Tom Westley, and seven wickets from Jamie Porter. At Northampton, the home side couldn’t even finish their first innings because of the wet conditions, leaving Ben Duckett high and dry on 282! There was nothing dry about the New Road outfield, so the Worcestershire-Kent fixture was a total washout!
At least the ground has an extra week to recover as neither side are scheduled to play next week. The Sussex-Essex contest looks a juicy one in Division Two. Notts head to Lancashire while double champions Yorkshire host Hampshire to kick off their latest title defence. However, the north winds are forecast to bring frosts and showers. Expect three-sweater fielders and a dearth of positive results!
Team of the Week:
Jennings (Dur), Duckett (Nor), Westley (Ess), Sangakkara (Sur), Bell (War *), Roderick (Glo +), Napier (Ess), Barker (War), Gregory (Som), Porter (Ess), Rampaul (Sur)
