Welcome back, proper cricket after the school holiday preoccupation with The Hundred. Well, only in the minds of the ECB because most people were too busy enjoying a post-Covid holiday or obsessing over the football season’s early restart.
In
the County Championship, Surrey sat out the first week’s fixtures, and
Hampshire took full advantage. Setting aside the disappointment of a surprise
semi-final exit from the Royal London One-Day Cup, in which a vintage innings
from the veteran Darren Stevens ensured a Kent victory, James Vince’s side trounced
Northamptonshire by an innings. Crucially, they defied the rain threat to
secure maximum bonus points, too. Wicketkeeper Aneurin Donald top-scored with
94 and Mohammad Abbas claimed a second-innings 4-32 to steal an eight-point
march on Surrey. However, the latter play their game in hand next week, subject
to royal funeral protocols.
At
Canterbury, there were to be no batting heroics this week. Thoroughly outplayed
by Essex for three days, their only hope of avoiding defeat was to keep the
visitors’ attack at bay until the forecast rains returned. However, the brace
21-over resistance of Jordan Cox and the stricken tail-ender Matt Milnes was broken
by Sam Cook, who finished the match with figures of 10-60. He’d also made a
handy 38 out of Essex’s impressive 573 although it was Feroze Khushi’s 164, his
maiden first-class century, which did the most damage.
In
the Old Trafford Roses clash, the Lancashire openers Luke Wells and Keaton Jennings
shared two partnerships of 180+ but it was George Hill’s medium pace which kept
Yorkshire in the contest into the final day. Kohler-Cadmore and Fraine played uncharacteristic
straight bats for almost thirty overs to deny the home county a deserved
victory.
In
the West Country relegation battle, winless Gloucestershire easily had the
better of Somerset at Taunton. On the first afternoon, they were steaming at
251-1 but, despite Marcus Harris’ 159, bowlers Lewis Gregory and Josh Davey saved
some blushes the following morning. To be honest, Somerset dodged a bullet thanks
to a near fourth-day washout and are still in there fighting to maintain their
fifteen-year spell in the top tier. Next week’s trip to Edgbaston is another
must-win encounter but whoever comes out on top will plunge Kent into the mire.
Nottinghamshire
are almost guaranteed promotion thanks to a decisive triumph over bottom-club
Leicestershire. Joe Clarke’s 67 was the highest score in the match and Brett Hutton
was the pick of the bowlers but credit to the Leicester opener Sam Evans. His
first innings contribution was only 50 runs but he carried the bat amidst
carnage at the other end. Nobody else reached double figures.
At
a soggy Cardiff, Garth Roderick struck the week’s top score, 172, for
Worcestershire. Glamorgan were forced to follow on but the weather restricted
their second innings to only nine uneventful deliveries and so they remain in
second spot. At Derby, the locals had the upper hand over Durham, for whom Ben Raine
claimed 5-43. In the next round of fixtures, Glamorgan will bound clear of the
chasing pack by beating Middlesex at Lord’s but defeat will catapult the London
team back into the promotion places.
Team
of the Week: L Wells (Lan), Jennings (Lan), Harris (Glo), Hill (Yor), Roderick
(Wor), Khushi (Ess), Donald (Ham +), Anuj Dal (Der), Raine (Dur), Hutton (Not),
S Cook (Ess)
