As the
Champions Trophy launched at The Oval, Edgbaston and Sophia Gardens, there were
only 6 County Championship fixtures played this week. Only one was sufficient to
see newly-promoted Hampshire hand bottom club Warwickshire a drubbing by an
innings and 94 runs at the Rose Bowl. Southampton stalwarts Jimmy Adams and
Sean Ervine found rare form and made big centuries in a huge partnership of
367. Ervine proceeded to 203 before young Sukhjt Singh bowled him, one of six
victims in only his third first-class match. Despite a century stand by Trott
and Barker, Warwickshire had to follow on with over a day remaining. Leading
wicket-taker Kyle Abbott duly claimed 4-32 and Ervine polished off the tail.
Headingley
hosted the second Roses game in a few weeks but this time Yorkshire came out
with the victor’s 16 points, beating Lancashire by ten wickets inside three
days. In only his second first-class outing of 2017, Ryan Sidebottom was his
usual miserly self and young gun Ben Coad made another major mark by taking
6-25 on the first day. Adam Lyth was the only man to pass 50 in the whole
match, advancing to three figures for the first time this season. Meanwhile,
his opposite number Haseeb Hameed continued to struggle, making his return to
the Test Eleven look somewhat doubtful.
If Dean
Elgar was British, or at least had not already represented the Proteas, he’d be
a shoo-in to replace the Lancastrian. He scored another century for Somerset,
as did all-rounder Luke Gregory, but the weather at Lord’s ensured there was to
be no win for either side. At least another 2017 struggler, Tom Abell, enjoyed
some fourth day batting practice, albeit against the likes of Compton, Gubbins
and wicket-keeper Simpson! His side now face Yorkshire in a bid to register a
first Division One victory of the summer, while Essex and Surrey meet for a
chance to displace Hampshire at the top.
In the second
rung, Nottinghamshire opened up a thirteen-point lead over Kent despite failing
to beat Derbyshire at Trent Bridge. Missing Pattinson, Broad and Ball, their
makeshift seam attack failed to bowl out their visitors twice. Billy Godleman
top-scored with 121 for Derbyshire. Meanwhile, Worcestershire’s 100% record was
destroyed by Sussex at Hove. Whilst the home team were earlier rocked by Luke
Wright’s sudden resignation as captain, it didn’t prevent them marching to an
innings defeat of a Worcester team unhealthily reliant on the runs of Daryl Mitchell.
So much so that he has now been in my last three Teams of the Week! Luke Wells
scored 158 while Wiese and Philander collected ten wickets between them.
In the remaining
fixture, Durham suffered another loss and still can’t boast a positive figure
in the points column. It didn’t help that their bowling line-up had a very unfamiliar
look. Extra kudos then to the inexperienced Paul Coughlin, whose ten wickets in
the match made him the most successful bowler of the week, even in defeat. It
was a very close-run thing, though, because Northants were running out of steam
and the rain was falling steadily at Chester-le-Street before they crossed the
line with a ball to spare.
Durham now
face an arduous challenge in Kent, and it falls to Gloucestershire to halt
Notts’ seemingly straightforward path to an instant return to the top flight.
Team of the
Week: Mitchell (Wor), Elgar (Som), Steel (Dur), Wells (Sus), Ervine (Ham),
Rossington (Nor +), Gregory (Som), Philander (Sus), Buck (Nor), Coad (Yor),
Coughlin (Dur).
