The British weather certainly didn’t play ball last week. All the Championship matches endured at last one day’s washout and, consequently, all were drawn. Lancashire were thwarted in their bid to open up a healthy lead at the top of Division One as only fifteen wickets fell at Lord’s. Alviro Petersen’s 191helped them to a 500+ score but Stevie Eskenazi’s maiden first-class hundred and Sam Gubbins’ first ‘double’ helped Middlesex to maximum batting points and denied Lancashire’s attack much joy for a day and a half.
In contrast, Somerset were all over bottom-side Hampshire at the Rose Bowl.. After the Overton twins captured eight wickets on day one, Johann Myburgh and James Hildreth each reached three figures. With on eye on the gloomy weather forecast, they stepped up the run rate and even teenage ‘keeper Ryan Davies thumped three sixes in his first fifty before the declaration. Sadly for us, the home side’s batsmen stuck to their task and lost only five wickets before the rain ended proceedings in mid-afternoon on the third day.
Only 190 overs were bowled at Edgbaston, where Warwickshire had the better of what play there was. Clarke, Rankin and Patel each took three Nottinghamshire wickets in the first innings, while Tim Ambrose collected five catches and a stumping. He and Clarke each scored 70+ in reply, but Jake Ball again impressed with the ball.
This week, Middlesex travel north for the Scarborough festival fixture, where Yorkshire need to win to maintain the Championship challenge with Lancashire, who visit Nottinghamshire. Hampshire face an awkward trip to Durham, while Surrey, seemingly hellbent on cherrypicking any decent player from other counties, host Warwickshire.
The race for promotion remains open after Kent could muster a mere ten points at home to Derbyshire. In their first innings, Sam Northeast scored more than half the side’s 379 runs but Derbyshire mustered well over 500, including centuries by in-form Wayne Madsen and Shiv Thakor. With naughty boy Matt Coles again missing, the Kent attack toiled with little success.
In the other Division Two fixture, a paltry twelve wickets were taken at Leicester as the rains dominated. Mind you, despite Neil Dexter’s first day 136, Gloucestershire’s batsmen were in charge. Chris Dent (165) contributed to a couple of big partnerships especially for the second wicket with Graeme van Buuren (121 not out).
The top two next meet at Chelmsford, with Essex just four points adrift and a game in hand. Glamorgan may be impress in the T20 Blast but they prop up the rest in four-day cricket. They play another disappointing side, Sussex, at Hove.
Only a few T20 games finished this week, but amongst them was Yorkshire’s narrow Roses victory over Lancashire. Elsewhere Michael Klinger racked up an unbeaten 101 to defeat a feeble Gayle-less Somerset in the West Country derby at Taunton, while Ravi Bopara struck a 43-ball 81 not out for Essex against Kent. How the Chelmsford outfit would love to beat their neighbours in this week’s red-ball encounter!
Team of the Week: Klinger (Glo), Gubbins (Mid), Petersen (Lan), Northeast (Ken), Madsen (Der), Ambrose (War +), Clarke (War), Thakor (Der), J Overton (Som), Mills (Sus), M Taylor (Glo)
