Essex
extended their lead at the top after thrashing Warwickshire at Chelmsford. The
long-serving duo of Ravi Bopara and wicketkeeper James Foster each struck
centuries in an innings of 542-9 declared before South African spinner Simon
Harmer produced career-best match figures of 14-128 to consign their visitors
to bottom place for another week.
Lancashire
leapt to second with a comfortable win over former leaders Hampshire at Old
Trafford. It wasn’t all plain sailing. George Bailey (127) and Kyle Abbott (97
not out) took Hants to the verge of 400 but the Red Roses response included no
fewer than three centurions: Alex Davies, Ryan McLaren and Dane Vilas. The
latter ended up on 244 from only 275 balls and bossed a 231-run stand with
fellow countryman McLaren, who then, wth Anderson and Jarvis, ran through the
Hampshire line-up inside 57 overs to clinch maximum points.
At Lord’s
Middlesex claimed their first victory of the summer, handing Yorkshire a rare
hiding. Sam Robson made 159 and Paul Stirling took his chance in the first XI
with 111. With Ireland handed Test status for the first time, he must be a
shoo-in for his country’s first-ever five-day squad, whenever that might be! Anyway,
all the Middlesex bowlers chipped in, Ollie Rayner’s second-innings 4-35 being
the pick of the performances.
Division Two
still has a four-horse race look about it. Nottinghamshire notched up win
number five, cleaning up against Leicestershire at Trent Bridge. In terms of
runs, Samit Patel almost outscored the opposition on his own, striking a second
double-hundred in succession. After his 247, he left muh of the bowling to the
seamers, the pick of whom was neither Ball nor Broad but James Pattinson.
At New Road,
Worcestershire stole a march on rivals Kent in a much closer encounter of
swinging fortunes. Kent struggled early on but only Joe Clarke, with his first
three-figure score of the season, made much impact for Worcestershire in reply.
It was in the second half of the match when the runs began to flow. Joe Denly’s
227 helped Kent to a lead of 398 but on the final day, Daryl Mitchell and
Clarke again struck tons, ably assisted by Moeen Ali’s swift 63, and Kent
subsided in the sun by four wickets.
Further
north, where the weather was less fierce, Durham finally entered the black with
their first Championship success of 2017. They prevented Glamorgan from
achieving a third consecutive victory thanks largely to Chris Rushworth’s eight
wickets and a 185-run partnership on the second day between Graham Clark and
the ageless Paul Collingwood.
Now for the
groundbreaking set of day-night matches! Let’s hope they pull in some
badly-needed crowds to enjoy proper first-class cricket. Pick of the fixtures
must be Kent’s trip to Nottinghamshire and Essex’s hosting of Middlesex. I will
be hoping that Somerset enjoy a rare celebration in Hampshire but I don’t hold
out much hope, especially with half their team on England Lions duty!
Team of the
Week: Davies (Lan +), Mitchell (Wor), Denly (Ken), Clarke (Wor), Patel (Not),
Vilas (Lan), McLaren (Lan), Leach (Wor), Harmer (Ess), Pattinson (Not),
Rushworth (Dur)
