For the second week in succession, runs were very much in short supply and the only teams to break 400 were the big guns of the First Division. Leaders Nottinghamshire led the way with 451-8, bolstered by centuries by Jack Haynes and Liam Patterson-White. However, having lost much of Wednesday to rain, they needed Leicestershire to capitulate. For once, they didn’t. Josh Hull dug in for 97, then the tenth-wicket pair of Scriven and Davey added a vital 106 to avoid the follow-on. With no time to force a result, Haseeb Hameed helped himself to 109 not out before they called it a day.
By then, both Somerset and Warwickshire had already clinched victories and the all-important points that entailed. Somerset were first to celebrate, steamrollering Glamorgan by an innings. Tom Lammonby (95) top-scored, and Craig Overton and Jack Leach were the pick of the bowlers. Warwickshire’s margin of victory over Hampshire was even more emphatic, also within three days. Rob Yates made 109 and Indian spinner Manav Suthar claimed seven wickets to leave their opponents rooted to the bottom. A season’s total of three batting bonus points tells the story of their miserable campaign.
So Somerset sit top, five points ahead of Warwickshire and twelve above Notts, but there is plenty to play for, and I know Somerset will blow it yet again. Below the top three, Sussex edged Essex by 47 runs. In their first innings, Essex lost their last seven wickets for just six runs, including James Crocombe’s second hat-trick in as many matches. That’s a rare achievement. James Coles had another fine all-round performance and opposite number Matt Critchley did his best to maintain the Essex run chase before being last out on 96.
The Oval witnessed an even more exciting climax. In a very low-scoring affair, with nobody making a half-century, it all came down to a Friday afternoon showdown. Matthew Fisher’s 6-25 in Yorkshire’s second innings left Surrey a target of 185. While still more wickets tumbled, Josh Blake compiled the most important unbeaten 43 of his first-class career but it was number eleven batsman Dan Worrall who clipped the winning boundary at the death for a one-wicket triumph. It was only Surrey’s second of the summer, but their chances of reclaiming the Championship are nil.
Somerset next travel to Leicester, Warwickshire to Cardiff, while Notts host Hampshire. All might be expected to win but rain and determination to avoid the drop could easily upset the odds.
Durham continued to run away with Division Two, collecting victory number nine, meaning a win at Middlesex next week will guarantee promotion with two games remaining. They didn’t have it all their own way at Northants. David Bedingham passed 1,000 runs for the season but the clincher was Callum Parkinson’s 6-20 as the home side were wiped out for a frightful fifty runs. Nobody reached double figures!
Kent consolidated their second place by defeating Worcestershire by 84 runs. Sam Northeast’s second-innings 132 inflicted much of the damage and, although Brett d’Oliveira stuck around for a 5 ½-hour 103 not out, his colleagues fell by the wayside too readily. Gloucestershire enjoyed a rare moment of glory. After losing nine of their previous ten in the league, they thumped Derbyshire by 213 runs. James Bracey found some belated form, scoring a century in each innings, then handing the baton to slow left-armer Sai Kishore who bamboozled the Derby line-up for eighteen frugal overs and a final analysis of 5-20.
Lancashire’s woes persisted when they lost heavily to Middlesex. Luke Hollman’s 54 was the game’s top score as bowlers took charge. George Balderson bowled well for Jimmy Anderson’s side but Helm, Higgins and Sharma eclipsed him. Middlesex now have the unenviable task of overcoming rampant Durham if they are to have the slightest chance of promotion. Kent head north to Derbyshire, and Old Trafford hosts a battle between the bottom two, Lancashire and Gloucestershire.
Team of the Week: Yates (War), Lammonby (Som), Northeast (Ken),
Bracey (Glo +), Haynes (Not), Coles (Sus), Pattefrson-White (Not), Fisher (Sur),
Sai Kishore (Glo), C Parkinson (Dur), Crocombe (Sus)
