My County Cricket Team of 2019

For many, the summer of 2019 will long be remembered for England’s World Cup success and a tight Ashes series. The prolific Steve Smith and Ben Stokes getting the runs when they mattered were the notable personalities of the international season. But what about the domestic county scene?

Somerset and Essex shared the limited-overs trophies before their rain-hit head-to-head finale in the Championship left Essex ahead on points. Their dominance was built on bowling. Batting bonus points were very thin on the ground, and Somerset’s highest first-innings total was a meagre 408. Only Yorkshire and winless Nottnghamshire – for all their new signings (Duckett and Clarke) garnered fewer batting points, and Essex were barely better. In Division Two, won easily by the undefeated Lancashire, there was a more even balance. Apart from top and bottom, it was a remarkably fluid competition, in which eight counties occupied the promotion places at some point during the season. But who were the individuals who shone on the county circuit, and who makes my 2019 County Team of the Year?

Openers:

In recent years, Surrey have dominated this position but their nightmare season allowed others to challenge. Leicestershire’s red-ball specialist Hassan Azad was the top scorer in the second tier, Adam Lyth and Daniel Bell-Drummond added useful T20 bowling contributions to their respective batting CVs and Zak Crawley caught the eye for Kent. However, two unsung openers were straightforward choices. At 30, Billy Godleman has found himself swimming in the Division Two backwaters for Derbyshire but 2019 saw him maturing into a Big Fish. Four-day cricket is his major strength and yet he anchored many a 50-over and T20 innings while others blazed away. His overall run aggregate of 1,982 was the highest in all county cricket. 

In the top flight, Dominic Sibley was a revelation. Released by Surrey two years ago, he enjoyed a sizzling summer of first-class cricket for Warwickshire. The leading Championship run-scorer, he struck five centuries – two of them ‘doubles’ - averaged just shy of 70, and at Trent Bridge a fortnight ago scored 215 not out and 109. England are watching him closely.

Middle-order:

Last season’s county star Joe Denly was largely absent from Kent on international duty, with James Vince also missing early games for Hampshire. Ian Bell was injured, James Hildreth improved his One-Day Cup totals at the expense of his four-day form, which proved costly for Somerset. However, his team-mate, 20 year-old Tom Banton, appeared out of nowhere to power his side to the RLOC crown. He was less useful in the Championship but in the short stuff he showed no fear. Glamorgan had a superb first-half of the Division Two season, buoyed by runs from Billy Root and Marnus Labuschagne. The latter contributed 1114 runs in only 10 matches before carrying forward his form into the Australian side. 

Sams Northeast and Hain were consistent across all competitions for Hampshire and Warwickshire/Birmingham, Tom Kohler-Cadmore struck some beefy innings in the Yorkshire cause, and Tom Westley, with Alastair Cook, made sure the Essex attack had something to bowl at. However, my number five must be Dawid Malan. Middlesex had a bumpy ride in 2019 but he made over 1,000 Championshp runs and almost 500 in the Blast.

All-Rounders:

My old favourite Darren Stevens seemed to be coasting into retirement for Kent when, in the penultimate fixture at Headingley, he crashed 237 at more than a run a ball then took 5-20. Too little, too late for my Team of the Year, but Kent are surely rethinking their decision to release the man who claimed 51 first-class scalps at under 18 apiece, aged 43 or not.. By contrast, Somerset’s Lewis Gregory was cruising to a place in my 2019 XI until injury intervened just as the Blast was beginning. He missed the whole of August, dammit. Liam Dawson, Wayne Parnell (in one-dayers) and Toby Roland-Jones were reliable but I’ve picked two Division Two all-rounders.

David Wiese was a fine late-order hitter for Sussex, who was explosive with bat in hand against the white ball and very useful bowling with the red one. However this was Ryan Higgins’ year. Primarily a Championship performer, he made no fewer than seven Teams of the Week, claiming almost 1,000 runs and 50 wickets to help Gloucestershire gain an unexpected promotion from Division Two. The Zimbabwe-born product of Berkshire and Middlesex is still only 24, and it will be interesting to see how he fares against superior opposition in 2020.

Wicket-keeper:

20 year-old Ollie Robinson took the Kent gloves with great aplomb in the Championship, Ben Brown had a good start with the bat for Sussex and John Simpson and Ben Cox were consistent across the summer. However, for the second successive year, my wicketkeeper of the year has to be Lancashire’s Dane Vilas. Not only did he claim more victims behind the stumps than anyone else but he also scored more runs in all competitions than anyone bar Godleman. The Red Roses must be grateful for his efforts in getting them promoted at the first time of asking.

Bowlers:-

Until injury struck, Jimmy Anderson also featured prominently in Lancashire’s early fixtures, taking him to within touching distance of 1000 career first-class wickets. Robinson (Sussex), Rushworth (Durham) and Craig Overton (Somerset) enjoyed another solid summer but late developer Ben Sanderson pips them all for the wickets which took Northamptonshire back into the top flight. Yet even he is eclipsed by Hampshire’s South African import Kyle Abbott. He was amongst the leading wicket-takers in all three formats, capping off an already great season with phenomenal match figures of 17-86 last month which destroyed Somerset’s title bid.

Prolific spinners were few and far between. Jeetan Patel picked up another 64 wickets for Warwickshire under the radar, Nathan Sowter took plenty for Middlesex in the 50-over tournament and Moeen Ali put his England woes behind him with some tasty cameos in the Blast but Kolpak-er Simon Harmer takes the biscuit. He was at his best in the crucial clashes at the end of the season, with superb spells on the T20 Finals Day and five-fors in each of his last three Championship matches, including a 7-58 against Surrey. His wickets ultimately proved decisive in Essex’s double trophy success.

To conclude, based on stats and my Teams of the Week, my County Eleven of 2019 is:-

Sibley (War), Godleman (Der), Banton (Som), Labuschagne (Gla), Malan (Mid), Vilas (Lan +), Wiese (Sus), Higgins (Glo), Abbott (Ham), Harmer (Ess), Sanderson (Nor);
12^th Man: Hain (War)

Somerset beat both Kent and the rain

In a week when heavy rains wept across the whole of Britain, it is probably remarkable that any first-class cricket fixtures produced a result. I’m biased, of course, but I’m delighted that Somerset were the only county to wring out a win from the soggy conditions, thus extending their lead at the top of the Championship to 26 points.

Lewis Gregory’s storming season stepped up another gear at Canterbury, taking 6-32 and 5-21. Spanning the full four days, Kent’s fate was sealed when the seamers bowled them out a second time for just 59, leaving Abell and Azhar Ali to knock off the required 30 runs in only 40 balls. As things turned out, Tom Banton’s 63 was not only the top score in the match but also the whole of Division One last week. 

Welbeck CC’s debut as a Championship venue proved less than lucrative as the last three days were washed out. Last Sunday, the pitch offered Kyle Abbott enough to reduce woeful Nottinghamshire to 162 all out, but second-placed Hampshire were left high and not-so-dry on 93-2.

Surrey’s second successive fixture at Guildford saw the home side settle into the driving seat enforcing Yorkshire’s follow-on, thanks largely to the bowling of Morkel and Clarke. However, there was neither time nor the weather to finish them off. Yorkshire and Hampshire now have the chance to narrow the gap behind Somerset by beating Warwickshire and Essex, respectively.

In Division Two, all ten counties were in action but again the elements conspired against their efforts to reap the sixteen points for a victory. At least the Swansea fans were able to witness a harvest of runs. Glamorgan’s new-found ability to build a sizeable innings was again in evidence, although it was the ninth-wicket partnership of 167 between Wagg and Carey which took them close to maximum batting bonus points. Derbyshire’s response was to pile on almost 600, featuring Billy Godleman’s career-best 227 and Tom Lace’s maiden century.

The Welsh side remain second, nine points behind Lancashire, for whom Jimmy Anderson took 4-24 at Worcester. Sussex stand third after their draw with Gloucestershire at leafy Arundel. Promoted to open, Will Beer duly struck his best ever score of 97 out of 351-8, then Gloucestershire’s Gareth Roderick and Ryan Higgins each reached three figures to play out an inevitable draw on the final day.

At Chester-le-Street, Ricardo Vasconcelos just achieved a ton of his own for Northamptonshire before the last two days were rained off. The result left Durham seven adrift of their opponents and Middlesex at the bottom of the league. At least all of the above managed more play than Leicestershire and Middlesex. Eleven overs on Wednesday was the sum total of their week’s cricket.

Let’s hope the June weather improves sufficiently to get the Championship motoring once more.

Team of the Week: Godleman (Der), Vasconcelos (Nor, Lace (Der), Roderick (Glo +), Higgins (Glo), Wiese (Sus), Wagg (Gla), Gregory (Som), C Overton (Som), Abbott (Ham), Anderson (Lan)

Notts Cruising, Somerset ship water

After week two of the Royal London Cup, Nottinghamshire are the only county with a 100% record. They don’t seem to be missing Alex Hales, suspended  and sitting at home wiping the white powder from his nostrils. In racking up 433-7 against Leicestershire, each of the top six passed fifty, and they polished off Yorkshire with more than 15 overs remaining. Leicestershire slumped to bottom of the North division after Lancashire also thrashed them by nine wickets in double-quick time.

Durham’s challenge faltered against Worcestershire in one of many rain-affected matches this week. Messrs Duckworth and Lewis featured prominently on the results pages, including Friday’s fxture between Yorkshre and Derbyshire. Thanks to Billy Godleman’s third century of the competition, Derbyshire were up with the required ten an over but missed out by one. The resulting tie was Yorkshire’s second in seven days.

Alex Lees of Durham was probably the most consistent batsman in the group, but Sam Hain’s unbeaten 161 in Warwickshire’s triumph at neighbours Worcestershire was the highest score. His skipper Jeetan Patel was in the wickets but nobody could hold a candle to Lancashire’s Saqib Mahmood. He followed an impressive 6-37 against Northamptonshire with a match-winning 5-14 in that brief encounter with Leicestershire at Old Trafford.

In the South, Somerset’s perfect start to the season in red and white-ball cricket came to a surprising end at Bristol on Sunday. Gloucestershire nicked it by four wickets in the final over. Two days earlier, Peter Trego and Azhar Ali had each reached three figures in a double-century stand against Essex, who also inflicted Hampshire’s only defeat of the campaign. Captain James Vince powered his way back into the England one-day set-up with 190 against Gloucestershire, ably assisted by Liam Dawson who enjoyed a strong week with both bat and ball.

In the absence of the apparently over-worked Buttler and Bairstow and injured Billings and Pope, Surrey ‘keeper Ben Foakes made himself indispensible to the national selectors. Despite his 187 runs and Morne Morkel’s nine wickets, Surrey still boast just a single victory so far, against the inconsistent Essex outfit. However, they sit above Kent who have yet to register any success at all. Glamorgan had Billy Root’s 111 not out largely to thank for their maiden success of the summer, the hapless Surrey their victims.

Sussex may not be at the top but I can’t ignore Luke Wright. Thrashing 166 in 142 balls, he took Middlesex apart in what proved to be not only his own best-ever one-day innings but also topped Chris Adams’ twenty-year List A record for the county.

Next week’s highlights include current table-toppers in battle. At the weekend, Nottinghamshire meet Durham at Grantham and Somerset welcome Hampshire to Taunton.  On Sunday, Glamorgan will travel to Middlesex, leaving Sophia Gardens free for England and Pakistan to contest a T20 international – and I’ll be there!

Team of the Week: Rutherford (Wor), Godleman (Der), Wright (Sus), Vince (Ham), Hain (War), Foakes (Sur +), Dawson (Ham), Patel (War), Sowter (Mid), Morkel (Sur), Saqib Mahmood (Lan)

Moeen Ali steers Worcestershire into Royal London Semis

The Royal London Cup knockout qualification places went all the way to the wire this week and there were mixed fortunes for the so-called white-ball specialists.

In the North division, holders Nottinghamshire needed to beat Derbyshire in the ‘A52 derby’ at Trent Bridge to progress and they did so courtesy of a dreadful batting performance by the visitors. The Derby skipper Billy Godleman had amassed more than five hundred runs during the tournament but he could add only four more as Jake Ball (4-29) and spinner Matthew Carter (3-19) helped bowl them out for a paltry 110. With run rates coming into the equation, Riki Wessels clumped four sixes in one Qadri over and the rout was completed inside twelve overs. The aggressive chase was successful, too, in that Notts did finish second to secure a home play-off tie. It didn't matter that Alex Hales could muster only 38 runs from three innings.

Yorkshire also progress thanks to victories over Roses rivals Lancashire and Northamptonshire. Adam Lyth struck a second century in a week and, while Kohler-Cadmore and Pujara suffered rare failures, England limited-overs international David Willey stepped up to the plate with a rumbustious 131 and, across his two games, seven wickets. However, it was Jonny Tattersall’s maiden 50 which saw them sneak home on the final day.

Warwickshire beat Durham by five wickets in a match featuring no fewer than four centurions. Richardson and Smith reached three figures for Durham but their visitors, needing 300 to win, duly made them thanks to vintage batting from former international partners Jonathan Trott (100) and Iain Bell (143 not out). In the concluding day-nighter at Edgbaston, the final place was decided by a straight shootout between Warwickshire and Worcestershire. The winner would top the group and get a bye into the semi-finals while the loser would depart the competition. After a duck in the preceding game, Moeen Ali rediscovered his form at the right time, especially given Joe Clarke’s first-ball dismissal and Callum Ferguson bowled by Stone for seven. Ali followed his admirable 3-40 with an excellent 114, including five sixes. Supported by Ben Cox (80), he put Worcester into a winning position. However, a flurry of wickets left them on 288-9, with plenty of overs but still five runs short. Fortunately Ed Barnard was at the crease and able to hit the winning boundary.

In the South, Hampshire went into the final fixture already assured of progressing but it was all very tight behind them. Surrey beat Middlesex in the all-London tie but, two days earlier, had suffered a second massacre in the tournament when Kent demolished them at Beckenham by 220 runs. Heino Kuhn struck 117, then Darren Stevens’ 6-25 meant there was no way back. Glamorgan managed a consolation victory over Sussex at Cardiff, with captain Colin Ingram’s runs the only bright light in a woeful campaign.

Paul Stirling’s third cup century lifted Middlesex spirits against Gloucestershire, whose Royal London Cup hopes were ruined by three ‘no-results’. On the final evening, Somerset went after Hampshire’s formidable score of 356-9 knowing that it would be in vain should Essex beat Kent at Chelmsford. Oh, for another Kuhn century and Stevens five-for. Instead it was David Lawrence – not known for his white ball batting – and Ravi Bopara who made hundreds, while Jamie Porter’s return netted 4-37. Therefore, by the time Craig Overton sneaked a winning boundary from the very last ball, after Peter Trego’s 100 had done the hard work, Somerset knew they had narrowly missed out. It hadn’t been a great day for England’s new hero of sorts, Dom Bess, whose three overs went for 34. However, Hampshire’s more illustrious last-minute signing, Dale Steyn, got clouted for eighty. At least he wasn’t injured again.

So next week’s ‘quarter-finals’ will see Notts hosting Kent and Yorkshire making the trip to Essex, with Worcestershire and Hampshire awaiting the winners the following weekend. I wouldn’t mind betting Notts will be in another final but I can’t predict their opponents.

Team of the Week:

Moeen Ali (Wor), Kuhn (Ken), Godleman (Der), Trott (War), Willey (Yor), Foakes (Sur +), Richardson (Dur), Stevens (Ken), Carter (Not), Crane (Ham), Ball (Not)

Warwickshire Woes, Derbyshire in Despair

Yorkshire advanced to third, having fought back after their first-week defeat to cruise to victory over Warwickshire. Their success in recent seasons has been in spite of various stars being absent on international duty. This week, their strength in depth was demonstrated still further when the inexperienced seamer Ben Coad garnered another ten wickets. That’s eighteen already for the Harrogate man, at under 14 apiece.

Edgbaston director of sport Ashley Giles is already talking nervously of “no quick fixes” and “transition period” after Warwickshire suffered their second successive innings reverse. The batsmen were woeful again, especially under floodlights when the cloud cover was particularly heavy. In the second innings, Coad and Willey had them at 7-5, and only Patel’s 49 not out prevented an even greater humiliation. Their bowling has been the county’s strength for quite a while but with Chris Woakes now an established England player, even the attack looks a bit creaky. Most of the side are aged thirty or more and, while experience counts for a lot, some new blood looks essential to achieve a better balance.

At The Oval, 42 year-old Shivnarine Chanderpaul compiled his 74th first-class century, 182, for Lancashire. However, on the fourth day the Surrey pair of Borthwick and Sangakkara put on 256 for the second wicket to save the game. It was also interesting to see Lancashire’s limited-overs spin specialists Parry and Kerrigan working well in harness in the Championship. Surrey now stand top, three points ahead of Hampshire, who had the edge in a draw against champions Middlesex. There were no hundreds, but Roussouw (99) and Carberry (98) came close!

Somerset’s traditional weak start to the season was maintained, beaten by newly-promoted Essex by eight wickets. Wickets fell regularly on the first two days, with Somerset on top after the first innings. However, Neil Wagner’s bowling and Alastair Cook’s decisive 110 combined to wrap up an eight-wicket triumph.

Essex now meet neighbours Middlesex at Lord’s, Somerset travel to Old Trafford, Hampshire host Yorkshire and Warwickshire must turn things around against high-flying Surrey.

In Division Two, it’s very tight at the top. Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Kent each made it two wins out of two, making hay while the sun shone across the land. At Derby, there was a genuine nailbiting finish. After Lancs reject Luis Reece and Billy Godleman struck a Deryshire record 333 for the first wicket, Northants set about the target of 326 in 65 overs. When Richard Levi was thumping boundaries at will, success seemed assured but when he was caught behind on 99 still 50 short, the result was in doubt. In the end, it took a Rory Kleinveldt six to clinch victory off the penultimate ball. After last year’s terrible season, this narrow loss must have been particularly galling. Hopefully they can concentrate on the positives, as they say.

Nottinghamshire rubbed Durham’s noses in the doo-doo at Chester-le-Street. Keaton Jennings (102 not out) ran out of partners in the second outing, leaving Greg Smith and Jake Libby to steer the visitors towards the inevitable win.

Kent were also good travellers, outscoring Sussex at Hove. Sam Northeast returned from injury to thump 173 not out while that man Darren Stevens scored another two 50s and a five-for. Like Chanderpaul, he proves that 40 is not the age barrier it is often made out to be.

Supporting players Worcestershire and Gloucestershire also recorded 16-point win bonuses. John Hastings and Tom Kohler-Cadmore shone in the former county’s eight-wicket defeat of Glamorgan, who looked completely out of their depth for a second consecutive week. At Bristol, Liam Norwell took ten wickets for 99 runs in the innings drubbing of Leicestershire.

Leicester’s fixture against Glamorgan next weekend is already looking like a battle of the wooden spoon contenders. Meanwhile, the Worcestershire-Northants encounter is the pick of the matches.


Team of the Week:
Reece, Godleman (both Der), Sangakkara (Sur), Northeast (Ken), Chanderpaul (Lan), Eckersley (Lei +), Stevens (Ken), Fletcher (Not) Wagner (Ess), Norwell (Glo), Coad (Yor)

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)

Notts Advance at the Double

The British weather did its best to disrupt the county cricket schedule, but there was still plenty of excitement around the Championship and Royal London Cup.

Yorkshire can still be caught after only two full innings were possible at Hove. England discard Gary Balance struck 165 before Sussex responded with no fewer than three individual centuries. Ed Joyce, Mike Yardy and the relatively youthful Ben Brown reached three figures but a draw was already inevitable.

Middlesex closed the gap to thirty points by beating Durham at Chester-le-Street. Bowlers were generally in charge, notably Graeme Onions, who grabbed 7-68 on day one. In the second innings, the consistent Chris Rushworth claimed another five-for, yet both finished on the losing side. That had much to do with Neil Dexter’s runs and James Harris’s eight wickets.
Nottinghamshire also consolidated their third place, helped by Steven Mullaney’s 112 and one of those Alex Hales specials, an unbeaten 189 not out. Samit Patel’s 4-23 in 22 overs completed an innings defeat of Warwickshire.

At Taunton, Somerset compiled a huge score and had Worcestershire on the rack at 44-4 before the rain set in. The visitors kept going without losing another wicket but the unbeaten double-century stand between James Hildreth (220 not out) and Peter Trego (130 not out) was all in vain. At least we had the better of the two in terms of bonus points, which could be crucial in the relegation battle. Next week, Worcestershire face another battle at the bottom, this time versus Sussex, while Somerset face an awkward trip to Yorkshire.

All Division Two matches ended in damp squibs. Lancashire’s draw with Glamorgan meant that the Old Trafford side are almost certain to be promoted next month. Glen Chapple could add only two to his first-class tally of 980 wickets. Will he make the thousand by the end of the campaign?! A Ben Foakes century and Tom Curran’s 6-61 were the only performances to note in the truncated Surrey v Gloucestershire fixture.

Rain robbed Leicestershire of a probable triumph at Northampton. Skipper Mark Cosgrove struck a composed 110 and Niall O’Brien a more impatient 95 to establish a first innings lead, before Clint McKay and Will White left their batsmen a target of just 116. Sadly for the basement county, they could face fewer than seven overs before play was abandoned as a draw. The Derbyshire-Kent encounter was memorable only for Billy Godleman’s twin hundreds, making it three in row for the 26 year-old opener.

The Royal London One-Day Cup may not be given much of a future by the PCA, but it has provided four counties with a chance of silverware, none of them participating in this weekend’s T20 Blast Finals Day. Nottinghamshire capped a good week, knocking out holders Durham. Hales and Patel reprised their star turns in their fifty over quarter-final. Essex were booted out at the same stage for the fourth consecutive competition, this time by Yorkshire. Paul Grayson and James Foster must be scratching their heads over this but their young talent may yet flourish in the next season or two, unless England steal Reece Topley, that is!

That man Michael Klinger delivered another match-winning innings for Gloucestershire, handing Hampshire a rare one-day defeat. In the other tie, Surrey’s Curran twins were showing that the pace attack without the retired Chris Tremlett still has a promising future as they kept Kent’s top batsmen quiet. Jason Roy thumped a run-a-ball century but a blistering 100 from Matt Coles, including nine sixes, almost produced an incredible turnaround before he became the tenth man out seventeen runs short.

Next weekend, Gloucestershire hope that talisman Klinger will return from Oz to hit them into the Lord’s final and end Yorkshire hopes of a second trophy. Surrey host Notts in the other semi, which could be a cracker!

Team of the Week: Godleman (Der), Hales (Not), Ballance (Yor), Hildreth (Som), Dexter (Mid), Patel (Not), N O’Brien (Lei +), Harris (Mid), T Curran (Sur), McKay (Lei), Onions (Dur)