After looking to be a protracted war of the Roses, the Championship battle has suddenly become a five-army contest. By losing by an innings to Middlesex, Yorkshire slipped to fifth in the table. However, their victors leapfrogged Lancashire and currently stand at the summit by a single point!
Toby Roland-Jones thumped a sizzling 79 and captured six wickets, advancing his reputation sufficiently to earn a place In England's Test squad to face Pakistan on his home ground. Credit for the Middlesex win should be shared with Stevie Eskinazi, whose 157 was a second consecutive hundred in only his third first-class match. Clearly the selectors (Angus Fraser?!) were at this match because only that can explain why Gary Ballance, who made 132, also received the call-up.
Warwickshire are only a point behind after a ten-wicket demolition of Surrey. Ex-England star Jonathan Trott hit 123 while Surrey's latest big-money recruit Aaron Finch scored 110 in 98 balls in a rare four-day start. Jeetan Patel grabbed a pair of five-fors to wrap up the win. The Midlanders are looking a good bet for the title, with only Chris Woakes in contention for England duty.
Lancashire could only draw with Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge but at least a second innings hundred from 19 year-old opener Haseeb Hameed prevented a potential embarassment. Further north, Keaton Jennings racked up his fifth county hundred of the summer in Durham's draw with Hampshire, who were their hosts' equals in the game.
In the Division Two top-of-the-table clash, Essex thrashed Kent by ten wickets at Chelmsford. Their first innings of 569 all out contained no three-figure scores but four of 80+, led by 94 from Ravi Bopara, who also took five wickets. It would have been an even more emphatic result had captain Sam Northeast and James Tredwell not put on a mightily impressive 212 for the eighth wicket!
Worcestershire progressed to third position after an entertaining three-wicket triumph at home to Leicestershire. In a match full of runs but a great contest, they had to score over 300 at a gallop in barely two sessions on the final day. Fortunately for them, another half-century from number eight Joe Leach and Joe Clarke's 123 saw them home. It was also encouraging to see Tom Fell back in action after cancer treatment. Dexter, Cosgrove and Horton each struck centuries in Leicester's losing cause.
At Hove, Sussex had ensured Glamorgan remain winless. Despite hundreds from Wells, Joyce and Brown, they couldn't close out the match. This was largely due to the in-form David Lloyd's unbeaten 102. The Cardiff faithful must be wondering how their side can be so consistently strong in the T20 Blast yet consistently soggy in the Championship.
Talking of soggy, the Chesterfield pitch was so wet that not a ball was bowled in Derbyshire's fixture with Northants. Sadly not a good advert for 'festival' pitches.
This week, Essex travel to Cheltenham in the hope of reopening an ample lead at the top. I doubt the Gloucestershire ground will suffer the same fate as Chesterfield. Middlesex could also put daylight between themselves and Lancashire by winning at Taunton, although if Roland-Jones makes his England debut, Somerset will have more chance of stopping them.
Team of the week:
Hameed (Lan), Jennings (Dur), Eskinazi (Mid), Northeast (Ken), Bopara (Ess), Lloyd (Gla), Brown (Sus +), Patel (War), Roland-Jones (Mid), van der Gugten (Gla), McKay (Lei)
