The county cricket season used to have its high point with the principal one-day final. This year, Warwickshire thrashed Surrey to take the cup in a game nobody other than Ian Bell, Man of the Match Jonathan Trott and the Bears fans will remember. On the other hand, we have just witnessed the most exciting climax to the unfairly maligned County Championship I can recall.
Right up to the final half-hour of the season, the pennant could still have been heading to any of three counties. It was already a rollercoaster ride just following Somerset’s match against Nottinghamshire at Taunton. The home side needed to win and collect a bonus point more than Yorkshire while hoping Middlesex didn’t beat the champions at Lord’s.
It started perfectly. Chris Rogers and James Hildreth put on 269 for the third wicket then, at 322-4, Imran Tahir and Jake Ball took five Somerset wickets for no runs! Despite a gallant effort by Dominic Bess, we failed to reach 400 to secure the fifth batting bonus point. Young Bess then shone with the ball to leave Notts 227 adrift. Rogers then rubbed the relegated side’s noses further in the mire, adding a second personal century en route for a declaration 540 ahead. Before day three was over, Leach and van der Merwe had finshed things off. Somerset had done the business but would that lost bonus point prove critical?
Meanwhile, the top two were engaged in a much tighter, slower contest. Would it be too much to hope that it would end in a draw to hand the title to Somerset, ending those 120-odd years of hurt? Reliable Middlesex opener Nick Gubbins struck 125 but Jack Brooks’ 6-65 put Yorkshire in front. However, at 53-4, the leaders were very much back in it. Enter Tim Bresnan. The ex-England bowler is very much a genuine all-rounder these days and, supported by Hodd and Azeem Rafiq, he helped overhaul their opponents’ total. If they reached 350 a Yorkshire win would bring the title back to Leeds by one point. At 349-9 rain stopped play. Now all we Somerset fans wanted was an immediate Middlesex wicket. Alas, it wasn’t to be, and they played on to 390.
Day 3 ended with the score on 82-2. Delicately poised. Clearly, with Somerset on top, a draw suited neither side; a competitive declaration was inevitable. Dawid Malan struck 116 and Stevie Eskinazi a swift 78 not out, and the whole season came down to an afternoon single-innings shoot-out: 240 runs and ten wickets. The Middlesex seamers kept the wickets falling but at 5.30pm, a draw looked the likeliest result. Come on!!! Bu along comes Toby Roland-Jones. He only goes and grabs a hat-trick! The four points deducted for slow over rates didn’t matter; Middlesex were the champions for the first time since 1993.
Somerset’s agony goes on. Rogers announced his retirement from first-class cricket after his side’s victory but before the final day’s incredible conclusion. To bow out with two hundreds in the same match is impressive but the county’s first-ever Championship would have been so much better!
The final relegation issue was also decided on the last day. After a couple of great escapes, Hampshire couldn’t convert a first-innings lead over Durham into the win they needed. In the end, Mark Stoneman and Steve Borthwick signed off their Durham careers with a 162-run partnership, setting up a six-wicket victory. The batsmen have taken the Surrey shilling (and a bit more!) but are leaving a side which finished a creditable fourth, one ahead of their new masters. Ha ha!
Hampshire’s defeat meant that the Warwickshire v Lancashire fixture was of less importance. In the end, the Midlanders triumphed with ease. In a low-scoring encounter, Tim Ambrose’s 59 not out was the highest individual score!
Coincidentally, the top pair in Division Two also met in the last week. The first day was lost to the weather. Then, with both Essex and Kent pretty much assured of promotion, Sam Northeast blasted his way to 178 not out, helped by bowling of mixed quality by almost all of the Essex eleven.
Worcestershire sealed third position by easing to a nine-wicket win over demoralised Derbyshire. Harvey Hosein and captain Wayne Madsen each reached three figures in a losing cause but Worcester’s reliable young Joes, Clarke and Leach, were the stars. Poor Brett d’Oliveira. He enjoyed a fabulous start to the season but ended with a ‘pair’. Hopefully he can kick on next year, but the county need more reliable bowling performances to retun to the top tier.
At Grace Road, Leicestershire snatched victory from the proverbial jaws thanks to Clint McKay and Charlie Shreck destroying the Glamorgan batting on the third afternoon. A familiar tale in this disappointing Championship campaign for the Welsh. In the other game, wicket-keepers Ben Brown and Phil Mustard were amongst the runs but neither side could secure a winning end to their season.
I’ll soon be reviewing the season’s top performances and identifying the most consistent players throughout the long summer. But now for my final County Team of the Week:-
Gubbins (Mid), Stoneman (Dur), Rogers (Som), Clarke (Wor), Northeast (Ken), Hosein (Der +), Bresnan (Yor), Leach (Wor), Roland-Jones (Mid), Brooks (Yor), van der Gugten (Gla)
