Lewis
Gregory’s storming season stepped up another gear at Canterbury, taking 6-32
and 5-21. Spanning the full four days, Kent’s fate was sealed when the seamers
bowled them out a second time for just 59, leaving Abell and Azhar Ali to knock
off the required 30 runs in only 40 balls. As things turned out, Tom Banton’s
63 was not only the top score in the match but also the whole of Division One
last week.
Welbeck
CC’s debut as a Championship venue proved less than lucrative as the last three
days were washed out. Last Sunday, the pitch offered Kyle Abbott enough to reduce
woeful Nottinghamshire to 162 all out, but second-placed Hampshire were left
high and not-so-dry on 93-2.
Surrey’s
second successive fixture at Guildford saw the home side settle into the
driving seat enforcing Yorkshire’s follow-on, thanks largely to the bowling of Morkel
and Clarke. However, there was neither time nor the weather to finish them off.
Yorkshire and Hampshire now have the chance to narrow the gap behind Somerset by
beating Warwickshire and Essex, respectively.
In
Division Two, all ten counties were in action but again the elements conspired against
their efforts to reap the sixteen points for a victory. At least the Swansea
fans were able to witness a harvest of runs. Glamorgan’s new-found ability to build
a sizeable innings was again in evidence, although it was the ninth-wicket
partnership of 167 between Wagg and Carey which took them close to maximum
batting bonus points. Derbyshire’s response was to pile on almost 600, featuring
Billy Godleman’s career-best 227 and Tom Lace’s maiden century.
The
Welsh side remain second, nine points behind Lancashire, for whom Jimmy Anderson
took 4-24 at Worcester. Sussex stand third after their draw with
Gloucestershire at leafy Arundel. Promoted to open, Will Beer duly struck his
best ever score of 97 out of 351-8, then Gloucestershire’s Gareth Roderick and
Ryan Higgins each reached three figures to play out an inevitable draw on the
final day.
At
Chester-le-Street, Ricardo Vasconcelos just achieved a ton of his own for
Northamptonshire before the last two days were rained off. The result left
Durham seven adrift of their opponents and Middlesex at the bottom of the league.
At least all of the above managed more play than Leicestershire and Middlesex.
Eleven overs on Wednesday was the sum total of their week’s cricket.
Let’s
hope the June weather improves sufficiently to get the Championship motoring
once more.
Team of the
Week: Godleman (Der), Vasconcelos (Nor, Lace (Der), Roderick (Glo +), Higgins
(Glo), Wiese (Sus), Wagg (Gla), Gregory (Som), C Overton (Som), Abbott (Ham),
Anderson (Lan)
