Much like the Trent Bridge Test match, the county week was a mixture of mostly solid batting and thrashing, although not in the same competition! Before taking a short break, the Vitality Blast featured a couple more fixtures for each team, which didn’t change the standings very much.
Lancashire narrowly edged the Roses day/nighter at Headingley, where 25 sixes were struck. Tim David and Dane Vilas supplied ten of them in a total of 213-5, but while David Willey and Tom Kohler-Cadmore were at the crease, Yorkshire were on course for victory. However, once Gleeson caught-and-bowled him in the eighteenth over and dismissed Thompson two balls later, the momentum was lost. As a few weeks ago, it could have been a tie but it concluded with a four-run margin. Lancashire’s lead at the top of the North division could have increased to a commanding four points at Chester-le-Street, where sixes were at a premium. Raine, Sowter and Tye restricted the Lightning to 130, and yet Richard Gleeson’s 4-19 kept them in it al the way to the penultimate over when Liam Trevaskis thumped Liam Hurt for successive boundaries and Durham nicked it with three balls to spare.
In the South division, Surrey beat Middlesex and Somerset defeated Gloucestershire in their respective derby fixtures to remain at the head of the table. However, the London side maintained bragging rights by winning their subsequent County Championship duel at Taunton. After taking a first-innings advantage of 202, Somerset did at least show some third-day fight, thanks to Lewis Gregory’s century but, with an attack missing Craig Overton, his brother Jamie plus Will Jacks saw the Division One trailblazers home by three wickets.
Hampshire claimed their fifth success of the season but also faced a thrilling finale. Hosting Yorkshire, it all boiled down to a tense final afternoon. Eventually, on top of the ECB anti-racism charges, Yorkshire succumbed to an onslaught by Liam Dawson before Fuller’s cheeky ramp shot took them over the line at 6pm.
At Edgbaston, Warwickshire and Lancashire were even-Stevens on first-innings totals, then Alex Davies’ 121 helped the home team to declare near the end of day three, setting a target of 329. Opener Luke Wells responded with a brilliant unbeaten 175 to take the spoils and remain in the title hunt.
At the bottom, neither Gloucestershire nor Kent had won before this week, and it was the former who remain winless after Kent stormed to an eight-wicket victory. Cox and Leaning had hit tons early on but, with New Zealand-qualified Glenn Phillips in the runs, the visitors had hopes of forcing a draw. However, Jacob Duffy’s five-for on debut ended resistance, and the Kent top-order were left with little work to do.
In
Division Two, Hill and Ackermann did their best to take Leicestershire to a
summer’s best 440, just 108 behind leaders Nottinghamshire’s Duckett-assisted
548. Could they spring a surprise? Er, no. Liam Patterson-White’s 4-15 was
instrumental in a dismal collapse and an innings defeat. Derbyshire were
perhaps surprising winners against Middlesex at the Chesterfield festival. After
a recent lean spell, Shan Masood was back on form, as indeed he was in the T20 matches
a few days earlier.
Glamorgan’s batters aren’t normally the strongest in the county game, so the Cardiff faithful could be forgiven a few double-takes as Ed Byrom and Colin Ingram shared a triple-century stand against Sussex. However, both failed second time around in what had seemed a simple run chase. Fortunately for them, Carlsen and Northeast steadied the ship and Chris Cooke struck the winning boundary off Lenham. Share a thought for Sussex's young Oli Carter, who aggregated 268 runs and finished on the losing team.
There were plenty of runs at Chester-le-Street but a dearth of competitive excitement. 1294 for 17 wickets signified an unequal contest between bat and ball and if this is what the ECB are demanding as preparation for flat Test pitches, then heaven help us, and the game of cricket. With Covid claiming victims in the NZ Test squad, 22 year-old Rachin Ravindra made a claim for an emergency call-up, compiling 217 in Durham’s mighty 672-7 declared. Worcestershire replied in kind, their all-rounders D’Oliveira and Barnard matching their Durham oppos Raine and Coughlin with their own hundreds. Their bowling figures were less impressive….
This
coming week is all Blast action, although I’ll be heading somewhere less renowned
for its cricket. Never mind, after a three-year holiday hiatus, I’m looking forward
to a spell of sun and scenery in Kefalonia. Twenty20 will just mean it’s approaching
dusk and time for a post-dinner stroll. Bliss!
Team of the Week: Ravindra (Dur), L Wells (Lan), Carter (Sus), Cox (Ken), Jacks (Sur), Phillips (Glo), Raine (Dur), Moores (Not +), Critchley (Ess), Patterson-White (Not), Wheal (Ham)
