County Bowlers in Charge for a Change

It was back to the four-day grind, rather than the four-over blitz for the county bowlers but, for the first time this summer, they seemed to seize the upper hand in the County Championship. There were no flat track pitches, scorched by flaming June. Instead the damp air contributed to several five- or six-wicket hauls for seamers and spinners alike.

Surrey and Leicestershire were the only two sides to register victories as the rain began to bite early in the week. The former moved clear of Hampshire at the bottom of Division One with a straightforward defeat of Nottinghamshire. Lumb and Wessels were kept quiet, Hales was on England duty and Notts were twice bowled out for under 200. Zafar Ansari’s 6-36 finished things off.

It was a good week for Lancashire. Captain Steven Croft, Hasim Hameed and Liam Livingstone each reached three figures but couldn’t get the better of Warwickshire at Old Trafford. Debutant Matt Parkinson celebrated with 5-46, while Steven Parry also chipped in with a five-for in the T20 Blast when rolling Worcester over for just 53. They remain top with the same points total as Yorkshire, who had a rollercoaster ride at Chester-le-Street.

Steve Patterson’s 6-56 helped the White Roses to a healthy first innings lead, only for Keaton Jennings to carry his bat second time around. His double-century anchored a total of 507-8, but a century partnership by Lyth and Leez settled the final day nerves and Yorkshire batted out the draw.

In Division Two, Essex’s charge was halted again, this time by Leicestershire. Revitalised in 2016, the away team earned their second Championship win of the campaign at Chelmsford, despite a Monday washout. It wasn’t the batsmen but the seam attack of Clint McKay and Charlie Shreck who did most of the damage, before hurrying to a four-wicket triumph.

Kent narrowed their lead to six points at a rather damp Cardiff, but Glamorgan perhaps edged the play. Mitch Claydon took eight Welsh wickets but Graham Wagg aggregated 149 runs in the match. They just need to take more wickets if they are to avoid the wooden spoon.

The other double-hundred of the week was scored by Billy Godleman of Derbyshire. Having lost the whole of day one to the weather, from 13-2, he and Wayne Madsen progressed their innings to 264, ultimately declaring at 467-5. Things looked even more rosy when Ben Cotton and Tony Palladino left Worcestershire reeling at 18-5. There was a slight recovery but Worcester applied themselves better when following on, and ground out a draw on the final day.

Northamptonshire remain winless but with better weather down at Arundel they would surely have closed out the match against Sussex. Azharullah’s 6-68 and Adam Rossington’s career-best 138 not out from 121 balls gave Northants a 300-run leading margin before Joyce, Nash and rain denied Wakely’s side the win they deserved.

Next week, it’s Middlesex to face Lancashire and Hampshire entertaining Somerset while in the lower tier, Kent must surely topple Essex at the top as they host struggling Derbyshire.

Team of the Week: Jennings (Dur), Godleman (Der), Madsen (Der), Rossington (Nor), Croft (Lan +), Livingstone (Lan), Wagg (Gla), Ansari (Sur), Parry (Lan), Azharullah (Nor), McKay (Lei)

Steelbacks show their mettle

If Somerset couldn't win it this year, then lowly Northants got my vote, so it was heartwarming to see Alex Wakely's team brush Essex aside then smash Surrey to win the Friends Life T20 Cup. It was not only their only domestic T20 title but also their first trophy of any kind for more than two decades!

Often it's the big names who win matches but with Northants in this and the other two competitions it's been a real squad effort. Overseas stars Richard Levi and Cameron White have made important contributions but throughout the season, it has been the ex-Bradford League Pakistani Azharullah who has shone with the ball. Club captain Andrew Hall handed the responsibility to 24 year-old Wakely for the short stuff and he has responded in fine style, gelling the team and striking a brilliant unbeaten 59 in the final at Edgbaston.

Stephen Crook has been a revelation in 2013, coming from nowhere to being one of the most effective all-rounders in county cricket. His semi-final blitz then brave flurry of slow balls at the death tonight destroyed first Essex then any faint hopes Surrey may have harboured of an unlikely victory. Kyle Coetzer has been consistent with the bat while Lee Daggett and James Middlebrook are proven experts at mixing things up and disrupting batsmen's rhythm in mid-innings.

Nevertheless, the decisive figure in tonight's final was David Willey. A promising left-arm seamer for a few years now, he has come into his own with not only the new ball but also as occasional opening batsman. In T20 promoting a bowler to bash some Powerplay boundaries doesn't always come off but Willey's 27-ball 60 created a magnificent foundation for the Steelbacks' final innings. He credited Levi and White for 'talking him through' but must surely deserve plaudits for the way he attacked the usually mean Azhar Mahmood and the wayward Jade Dernbach.
Yet he had a lot more to give. Northants' success was sealed by his bowling at the death. Ansari and Lewis chipped good balls to fielders, then 'keeper David Murphy's smart catch to dismiss Tremlett gave Willey a fairytale hat-trick and the Wantage Road outfit a memorable win.

No Smith, no Ponting, no Pietersen, but Surrey had the personnel to hurt their considerably financially poorer opponents but, as Willey said after the game, Northamptonshire are a tight unit who "enjoy each other's company on and off the pitch". They are going great guns in the YB40 and in the promotion places of Division Two in the Championship. They are the team of the county season so far, and hopefully will not collapse as they did last year. They look a stronger squad than Derbyshire so, if they advance to the top tier, they could be a match for any of the more prosperous counties.

Unlike most years, spinners have not dominated the bowling lists. Instead, the wicket totals and averages have been led by seamers, including both experienced pros and youngsters eager to prove their worth. So what about my FL T20 team of 2013? Well, quite a few Northants players featured in my thinking, and here's my final selection. Well done to them all, and the Northamptonshire faithful who were at Edgbaston to witness the night of their lives.

Carberry (Hants), Kieswetter(Somerset, +), C White (Northants), Allenby (Glamorgan *), Willey (Northants), Stokes (Durham), Crook (Northants), Yasir Arafat (Somerset), Azharullah (Northants), G White (Northants/Notts), Topley (Essex).

Surrey's disgraced Gareth Batty is my nomination for licking their boots and clearing up the litter in the car park....