On
the South coast, it’s been Riley Rossouw rather than Hashim Amla who has
provided South African runs for Hampshire while Worcestershire’s best performances
have come from the lower order. Somerset got off to a cracking start, thumping
Surrey in double-quick time with Craig Overton’s 4-29 outstanding. An amazing
159 from the in-form James Hildreth helped defeat Glamorgan but his subsequent
87 couldn’t prevent a loss to Sussex for whom Luke Wright reached three
figures. The county’s medium-pacer Ollie Robinson has also been one of the most
consistent wicket-takers so far.
Poor
Glamorgan. Despite the arrival of Colin Ingram for the white-ball season, they’ve
yet to register a victory, falling an agonising two runs short against
Middlesex. However, Kent sit below them in the South table despite two solid
starts by Daniel Bell-Drummond. Gloucestershire are faring somewhat better,
beating the Welsh as well as Essex along the way. Their H men, Hankins, Howell
and Higgins have been especially useful with the bat.
Further
north, another H man, Sam Hain, struck two centuries for Warwickshire while
Paul Horton also struck 103 in Leicestershire’s opener at Northampton. However,
for consistent run-making, you had to look at the Roses counties. Horton’s
replacement at Lancashire, Keaton Jennings, racked up 278, while Tom
Kohler-Cadmore accumulated 292, including 164 in Yorkshire’s 142-run win over
Durham. His colleague Cheteshwar Pujara has also found form at last. Normally
considered a red-ball specialist, the Indian star produced an impressive run of
82, 73 and 101 so it is perhaps surprising that Yorkshire have only one victory
to their name.
It
hasn’t been a great week for bowlers. Robinson’s team-mate Chris Liddle, Harry
Gurney (Notts) and Lancashire’s young leg-spinner Matt Parkinson head the
wicket table with nine apiece but the May sunshine has been kinder to the
willow-wielders.
Nottinghamshire’s
formidable squad looks tailor-made for retaining their title and they amassed
an impressive 409-7 against Leicestershire. Samit Patel celebrated his new
contract with a 63-ball century and a couple of wickets. However, they lost easily
to Northamptonshire whose poor start in the Championship has been set aside to
allow new confidence in 50-over cricket to take over. With Division One
strugglers Worcestershire also riding high, it’s encouraging that there are no
dominant counties across all formats. Long may it continue.
Team of the
Week:
Jennings (Lan),
Davies (Lan, +), Kohler-Cadmore (Yor), Pujara (Yor), Hildreth (Som), Hain
(War), Bopara (Ess), Ingram (Gla), Berg (Ham), Parkinson (Lan), Robinson (Sus)
