County Cricket: Somerset are Abell but Surrey seem the more willing

Just over ten years ago my blog celebrated the 501-run partnership involving Alviro Petersen and Ashwell Prince in Lancashire’s Championship fixture at Colwyn Bay. There was nothing quite as massive this week, but one of Ian Botham’s records was eclipsed when James Rew and Tom Abell put on a new Somerset fourth-wicket record of 313 at Trent Bridge. All the more remarkable was the fact it followed a devastating opening spell by Muhammad Abbas, and the second-best stand was just 41. It counted for little, because Haseeb Hameed’s 208 anchored a superior Nottinghamshire reply which pretty much guaranteed the draw. 

The stalemate also played into Surrey’s hands. The leaders extended the gap over their nearest rivals to nine points courtesy of a five-wicket defeat of Durham at Chester-le-Street, where runs proved harder to come by. There were no centuries although Emilio Gay was dismissed one short. Ben Raine and Sai Kishore went home with five-fors, but the champs took the sixteen points for the win. 

Yorkshire stole the seaside show at Scarborough, thumping Sussex by an innings and leaping out of the relegation spots. Tons from Lyth and, for the second game in succession, Matt Revis, elevated the home side’s total to an unassailable 545-9 declared. Sussex were always struggling to save the game and, despite dogged late resistance by Hudson-Prentice and Carson, the experienced seamer Matt Milnes sealed the triumph with figures of 5-31. 

Warwickshire are only a point behind Somerset despite a run-heavy draw against Essex at Chelmsford. The hosts dominated the first few days, as Tom Westley, Charlie Allison and Michael Pepper all reached three figures. The Midlanders made a decent fist of their response, led by Ed Barnard and Ethan Bamber’s maiden hundred in his 72^nd first-class match. 

Not for the first time this season, Worcestershire were frustrated on the final afternoon when in sight of a much-needed success. Hampshire set them a challenging target of 358 on the final afternoon and, to skipper D’Oliveira’s credit, they accepted the gauntlet with no little enterprise. Jake Libby carried his bat for a round 100 in the first innings and reached 106 in the second before being bowled by Fuller. The run rate continued at more than six an over, but wickets fell regularly and, at 303-8, time was called with neither side quite doing enough. 

In Division Two, the combination of inclement weather and dominant batsmen prevented a result in three of the four fixtures. The exception occurred at Old Trafford, where Glamorgan cemented their second place by beating Lancashire by 154 runs. Chris Green (6-83) had limited the Welsh county to 261 on day one, but Mason Crane’s six-wicket blitz left Lancashire 124 adrift. Centuries by Kiran Carlson and Sam Northeast consolidated the lead and, despite Luke Wells’ 102, the Red Roses fell way short of the 473 target. 

Leicestershire are still comfortably clear of the rest following a tame draw at Canterbury. Rehan Ahmed scored another century and Tom Scriven’s unlikely 99 advanced the total to 471. However, day three was almost totally washed out, so Kent’s Ben Compton batted virtually to the end, amassing 221. Ahmed was the most successful of the ten bowlers used by ‘keeper-captain Handscomb, who kept his gloves on throughout! 

Northamptonshire had Derbyshire on the back foot for the final few days, courtesy of a 208-run seventh-wicket stand shared by Justin Broad and Rob Keogh. On the fourth day, only rain and Luis Reece’s defiance saved Derby’s bacon. The Cheltenham crowd had little to relish either, especially thse who turned up on Thursday with hope and well-used umbrellas. At least there were excellent innings from the bats of Middlesex’s Kane Williamson (153) and Gloucestershire’s 21-year-old Joe Phillips (136). 

Now comes the interminable hiatus for The Hundred and the neutered Metro One-Day Cup. As ever, I’ll be focussing on the latter, which opens the door for the less-lauded white-ballers to show what they’re made of in fifty-over competition. Glamorgan handed Somerset their traditional runners-up medals last season and must be in with a decent shout this summer, too. 

Team of the Week:- Hameed (Not), Libby (Wor), B Compton (Ken), Westley (Ess), Abell (Som), Carlson (Gla), Rew (Som +), Revis (Yor), Crane (Gla), Milnes (Yor), T Taylor (Wor)

County Cricket: Notts and Leicester extend their leads

Unlike last week, runs were harder to come by, and wicketkeepers struggled with the bat. Somerset and Glamorgan each notched their third wins in succession, while Division One is looking very tight. 

Following their reverse against Durham, Nottinghamshire bounced back with a 163-run triumph against Yorkshire, their first at Headingley for fourteen years. They didn’t have it all their own way. New Lions recruit George Hill took 5-40 for the home side, before Mohammad Abbas swung things back with a commanding 6-45. Joe Clarke’s second half-century of the match helped Notts set a difficult target of 464 which they rarely looked like approaching. Five wickets from Dillon Pennington and six catches by ‘keeper Kyle Verryenne ended the resistance to deliver nineteen points to the leaders. 

Surrey remain in second place despite failing to beat Essex at The Oval. In fact, rain on the final day may well have saved them from defeat. Centuries by Paul Walter and Charlie Allison had left Surrey chasing over 400 to win on the last day. Michael Pepper stumped both openers off Harmer’s spin, then Jamie Porter claimed five more wickets, including that of Sam Curran, whose return from the IPL yielded two 70+ scores. Another England white-ball specialist, Jason Roy, bagged a sorry pair but the match ended with three Surrey wickets intact. 

Sussex are third, defeating Hampshire by nine wickets inside three days. The only batting partnership of note was the 173 shared by Sussex skipper John Simpson (106 not out) and Fynn Hudson-Prentice, while the off-spinner Jack Carson inflicted much of the damage to Hampshire’s second innings, ending on 5-26. Bowlers were also on top at Durham, where Somerset’s third win on the bounce came against the odds. Mitchell Killeen’s 5-38 on debut placed Durham on the driving seat then, although the visiting seamers restored some balance, Somerset still faced a tricky chase of 265. Thanks to Tom Lammonby and Tom Abell, they succeeded, making runs look almost easy. 

Despite this winning streak, Somerset are only fifth, one point adrift of Warwickshire, whose bid to go second was wrecked by the Worcester rain. Sam Hain found some form at last, twice passing eighty, but it was a welcome return, too, for Chris Woakes and Chris Rushworth. The latter claimed 4-37 and 3-30 as Warwickshire pushed to bowl out their neighbours. However, Waite, Brooks and Taylor proved stubborn, and the weather ended proceedings with Worcestershire on 181-8. 

Leicestershire maintained their unexpected grip on Division Two, thumping Lancashire by an innings and reaching the halfway stage fifty-one points clear at the summit. Test spinner Rehan Ahmed is still only twenty and is now making his mark in the county game as an all-rounder. Batting at three, he compiled an assured 136, putting on 256 with Lewis Hill, then dismissed the Lancs tail-enders to polish off the second innings. Keaton Jennings’ 112 was his side’s only score above 40 and not even Marcus Harris could lift them. 

They are not the basement county, though. Kent’s appalling run has dropped them to an ignominious eighth after a crushing loss to Derbyshire. At least Ben Compton could hold his head high, adding 205 runs to his season’s tally, but Derbyshire’s total of 587-5 declared proved insurmountable. 41-year-old Wayne Madsen notched another ton, but star of the show was opener, Caleb Jewell. The Tasmanian left-hander struck a career-best 232 spanning almost nine hours. 

Like Somerset, Glamorgan made it three in a row, advancing to third in the table by taking Middlesex to the Cardiff cleaners. Sam Northeast and Kiran Carlson each achieved three figures before their attack took twenty wickets, something they rarely managed last year. No Kellaway this week, but left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann popped up from Australia to win the match with 6-53. 

At Northampton, another classy Aussie, Cameron Green, struck his third hundred in five matches for Gloucestershire in a more old-fashioned contest between bat and ball at Wantage Road. Northamptonshire, for whom Saif Zaib accumulated 215 runs, tended to dominate and were putting severe pressure on their visitors until rain took control on the fourth afternoon. With Bracey, Green and Hammond back in the pavilion, Gloucestershire would have been the most relieved. 

So that is it for the County Championship for four weeks. It hands over the spotlight to the Vitality Blast, in which anything can happen. No doubt some big overseas names will dip in and out with mixed results, while homegrown stars will shake things up. Champions Gloucestershire begin their defence at home to Kent while runners-up (grrr) Somerset face former nemesis county Surrey. 

Team of the Week:- Compton (Ken), Jewell (Der), Rehan Ahmed (Lei), Lammonby (Som), Hain (War), Saif Zaib (Nor), Verreynne (Not +), Carson (Sus), Mohammad Abbas (Not), Kuhnemann (Gla), Rushworth (War)  

County Cricket: Hampshire Hammer Somerset again

Six weeks after humiliating Somerset by an innings at Southampton, Hampshire came close to repeating the feat, but this time they had to bat again – for four balls – to win by ten wickets. Keith Barker took 6-27 as all the home team’s batters failed miserably second time around.

Hampshire returned to second place behind Surrey but Essex made surprisingly short work of previous high-flyers Lancashire at Old Trafford. Dan Lawrence’s lack of a Test century may have cost him a place for England but he scored 120 against James Anderson et al. Sam Cook (4-18) was the pick of Essex bowlers in Lancashire’s first innings then Simon Harmer produced another of his marathon sessions to collect 5-87 in an innings triumph.

At Northampton, both attacks toiled with little success as the contest fizzled out into a draw. The Kent top-order, in particular, shone brightly. Zak Crawley made some timely runs before the New Zealand series but it was opening partner Ben Compton who added another 208 runs to his season’s tally, with an average of 108. 

Harry Brook’s figure of 140 is even better, and he delivered Yorkshire another quickfire half-century as his side notched a first-innings lead of 205. However, opener Adam Lyth outscored him with 145, while Joe Root was caught behind for just eight. On the fourth day, Jordan Thompson induced three early catches before Sam Hain and Will Rhodes dug in for tons to ensure Warwickshire avoided defeat. 

Middlesex and Nottinghamshire each claimed a fourth success of the summer to open up a decent margin at the top of Division Two. Against Durham, wicketkeeper John Simpson took nine catches at Lord’s and Toby Roland-Jones ten wickets, including Ben Stokes for a second-ball duck. The new England captain did, at least , take his first wickets of the Championship season despite a six-wicket loss. Nottinghamshire gave little away against neighbours Derbyshire. Dane Paterson was remarkably consistent with the ball, finishing with figures of 3-36 and 3-35 before the Notts openers Slater and Hameed cruised past the 165 target. 

Worcestershire had an even easier time at home to last-placed Leicestershire. 37-year-old Azhar Ali finally found his form, thumping 225 and forming a useful relationship with his 21 year-old ‘apprentice’ Jack Haynes, whose 127 was his third hundred in successive fixtures. Incidentally, their respective career first-class batting averages are almost identical. Seamer Matthew Waite was the best of a solid bunch of Worcester bowlers, taking 6-50 in the match. 

Proper county cricket now takes a month’s break to allow players to reset their batting and bowling skills and strategems for the Vitality Blast. Who will win this year? Impossible to tell, as ever, but I confidently predict that Somerset will NOT lift the trophy!

Team of the Week: Compton (Ken), Lyth (Yor), Azhar Ali (Wor), Haynes (Wor), Lawrence (Ess), Rhodes (War), Simpson (Mid +), Roland-Jones (Mid), Barker (Ham), S Cook (Ess), Waite (Wor)

County Cricket: Overtons in Overdrive but Essex win nailbiter

In a week when Anya Shrubsole called time on her England career and Robert Key quit his Sky job to manage the national side, Surrey finally showed they have a capable attack to support their superb batting. With the County Championship pressing the reset button and reverting to the pre-Covid two-division format, Gareth Batty’s new charges romped to the top after twice dismissing Hampshire for under 230. Jamie Overton led the third-day onslaught with six wickets following Ollie Pope’s century. 

Somerset’s extraordinary fall from grace, which began last August, continued at Taunton where Alastair Cook’s 59 was the highest score of the match. Craig Overton carried an inexperienced bowling line-up with distinction, capturing 13-87 and yet he still finished on the losing side. But only just. Shane Snater’s 6-36 gave his side a straightforward target of 84 but at 4-4, even that modest total looked unlikely. In the end, Adam Rossington saw them home with nine down. 

At Canterbury, the home team’s Ben Compton spent 220 overs at the crease for two more centuries, very nearly becoming the first Kent opener ever to carry his bat twice in a match. However, his splendid rearguard action proved unable to prevent Lancashire, for whom Croft and Vilas had struck first-innings tons, taking the victor’s point tally. Across the country at Bristol, Gloucestershire are still winless since their long-awaited promotion despite a career-best 177 from James Bracey. Harry Brook was Yorkshire’s star man with the bat, and captain Steven Patterson mopped things up with 4-43. 

In Division Two, the runs flowed even more freely, and several batsmen helped themselves to double-centuries. Not at Trtent Bridge, though. Title favourites Nottinghamshire came unstuck against Glamorgan, for whom Tim van der Gugten’s all-round performance was the pick of a good crop. Ben Duckett aggregated 217 runs in the losing cause. 

Derbyshire looked set for an innings victory when Shan Masood’s 239 and solid bowling set Sussex 331 just to force a draw. In the event, day four produced a yawn-inducing runfest, with both Tom Haines and Cheteshwar Pujara striking ‘doubles’. Skipper Haines’ 243 was the second-highest score in a follow-on innings in Championship history! Durham were always in control of their home clash with Leicestershire. Bedingham and Dickson shared a fourth-wicket stand of 234 in a total of 428, while the latter also contributed 84 in the second innings before a nominal declaration. On the fourth day, Evans and Ackermann made sure there were no hiccups and hands were duly shaken with plenty of time remaining. 

Next week, the Overton twins face each other at The Oval where Somerset have a battle to avoid yet another defeat. The Hampshire-Kent contest could be a tasty one while Glamorgan’s useful multinational outfit host Middlesex. 

Team of the Week: Compton (Ken), Shan Masood (Der), Bracey (Glo, +), Haines (Sus), Bedingham (Dur), Croft (Lan), van der Gugten (Gla), Snater (Ess), C Overton (Som), J Overton (Sur), Patterson (Yor)