County Cricket: Essex make the early running

The fielders’ sweaters may have been extra-thick this week but at least most of the Championship fixtures ended in a positive result. Essex made it two wins in three by making short work of Lancashire at Chelmsford. The Red Roses were dismissed twice for under 150, seamers Shane Snater, Sam Cook and Jamie Porter doing most of the damage. 

Surrey also triumphed by an innings, although Kent and the bad weather extended the match into the fourth day. Centuries by Dom S|bley and Dan Lawrence fuelled the champions’ charge to a total of 543-7 declared. He may be used as the fifth bowler but Cameron Steel continues to harvest the wickets, taking his tally for the season to twenty. 

Durham registered their first victory in the top division since 2016, despatching Worcestershire by 185 runs at Kidderminster with a day to spare. The real damage was inflicted on Saturday when David Bedingham crashed 138 in 99 balls. Robinson and Clark increased Worcestershire’s target to an improbable 458, but, despite fifties from Libby, Waite and Smith, the Durham seamers Paul Coughlin, Ben Raine and Matthew Potts were too strong. 

At Taunton, a ninth-wicket stand of 139 between Craig Overton and Migael Pretorius looked to have established a winning foundation for Somerset against Nottinghamshire. However, that was as good as it got. Once Joe Clarke joined Will Young early on Sunday morning, the home attack was forced to toil wicketless for more than 100 overs. Clarke reached his double-century as the pair shattered the county’s third-wicket record which had stood for 121 years. If it hadn’t been for Monday’s heavy rain, they may well have pushed on to 400, 500, 600, …. 

At Southampton, Warwickshire openers Rob Yates and Alex Davies maintained their prolific start to the county season, but at least Middleton and Gubbins kept Hampshire in the hunt on day three, by when time was running out to force a result in worsening conditions. Second time around, Rob Yates notched another unbeaten half-century and even weighed in as a spinner with 4-37. 

Only four Division One fixtures this week, the tastiest being Hampshire’s trip to The Oval and Essex schlepping all the way north to Durham. 

Meanwhile, Middlesex and Sussex earned the first 2024 victories in Division Two. Following recent run-fests, it was the batters who struggled at Lord’s. Yorkshire’s Root and Brook contributed a grand total of 40 between them and, for all the gallant efforts of seamer Ben Coad, it was Middlesex’s Ryan Higgins whose seven wickets and steady batting at the end proved decisive. 

Zafar Gohar’s Pakistan Test career may have stalled after a solitary appearance, but his pair of 50s and second-innings 5-59 probably deserved to bring Gloucestershire success at Hove. However, young Trinidadian Jayden Seales made his mark with the ball and, when it comes to anchoring a tricky run chase, nobody does it better than Cheteshwar Pujara. 2023 demonstrated that Sussex need to make hay while the Indian is available to play for them. 

On home ground, Northamptonshire racked up an impregnable 605-6. Ricardo Vasconcelos made 182, but Karun Nair went even better. The experienced Indian player doesn’t score many centuries but when he does, they tend to be big ones. They declared once he reached 202, and Saif Zaib had ben dismissed for exactly 100. Glamorgan were spared a likely humiliation by a final-day washout. 

Leicestershire were similarly robbed by the rain whilst in a commanding position against Derbyshire. Marcus Harris (214) outscored the whole of the home side’s first innings. Scott Currie’s six wickets was his best tally so far in a nascent career, but the match was called off with only four wickets to fall. 

Sussex rest next week, so Middlesex will go clear at the top by defeating Gloucestershire at Bristol. However, should they fail, Northants meet Leicestershire for a chance to take their place. 

Team of the Week:-  Vasconcelos (Nor), Harris (Lei), Yates (War), Nair (Nor), Clarke (Not), Young (Not), Robinson (Dur +), Higgins (Mid), Zafar Gohar (Glo),  Steel (Sur), Snater (Ess)

Essex and Leicestershire achieve landmark victories

Amidst all the Easter eggs and bunnies, the County Championship launched its 2023 season with some fascinating contests up and down the land. Anticipating a serious outbreak of Bazball, batting sides now have to score more heavily to secure bonus points and there is less incentive to settle for a draw. Is it working? 

Well, in Division One, not a single side secured the maximum batting points! Essex achieved a rare victory at Lord’s but it was a rollercoaster affair. Dan Lawrence’s hundred eased Essex to 199-3 before Toby Roland-Jones ripped through the lower order with 7-61. In reply, each of Middlesex’s top four were dismissed for ducks and 127 out of a total of 170 came solely from the Higgins/Simpson partnership. Jamie Porter and Sam Cook ensured the home team fell well short of their second-innings target. 

It was another low-scoring affair at Canterbury, where Northamptonshire needed a Rob Keogh century to take the game into a fourth day and an outside chance of victory. It was not to be; Ben Compton’s 114 not out eased Kent to a seven-wicket triumph. Hampshire’s margin over Nottinghamshire was even greater (8 wickets) at Southampton, Mohammad Abbas claiming nine wickets. 

The other two fixtures were drawn. After a day one washout, Somerset struggled at home against Warwickshire, whose tons by Alex Davies and Sam Hain ensured a healthy lead. However, their attack failed to capture more than six wickets on the final day. Surrey also had the upper hand in Lancashire, led by batters Cameron Steel and Ben Foakes. Set a 444 target, Josh Bohannon’s 108 and a gritty 56 from Steven Croft frustrated the Surrey bowlers and even Ollie Pope was given an (expensive) over. 

After their last-gasp relegation in 2022, Yorkshire began their new campaign with defeat to Leicestershire. At least there were plenty of runs. Finlay Bean and Dawid Malan reached three figures to take their first innings total beyond 500 and the home county felt confident enough to set Leicester 389 to win in less than a day. They regretted it. Rishi Patel’s maiden ton (125), another strong performance by Peter Handscomb and a late flurry of Chris Wright boundaries saw Leicestershire to an historic win with just seven balls to spare. It was their first Championship success at Headigley since 1910! 

It was an even tighter affair at Hove, where Sussex eked out a two-wicket victory over Durham. Skipper Pujara’s first-innings 115 and Fynn Hudson-Prentice’s 4-27 ultimately proved the difference. Worcestershire were more decisive at Derby, winning by eight wickets, all-rounder Matthew Waite the star. At Cardiff, Timm van der Gugten’s 5-26 and centuries from Carlsen and Root put Glamorgan in a commanding position only for Marcus Harris (148) and Graeme van Buuren (110 not out) to turn the tables leaving a draw the only outcome, even if it only came with a five-point reward! 

Team of the Week:-  Harris (Glo), Libby (Wor), Pujara (Sus), Steel (Sur), B Root (Gla), Handscomb (Lei +), Waite (Wor), Roland-Jones (Mid), Z Chappell (Lei), Mohammad Abbas (Ham), Porter (Ess)

Surrey County Champions!

If last week was a haven for spinners, this one was definitely one for the pacemen. The outcome was the same: wickets tumbled and you were lucky indeed for games to stretch into a fourth day. Only seven centuries were scored from the nine Championship fixtures but it was significant that the highest aggregate by an individual player was the 188 attained by Rory Burns, whose Surrey side win yet again to clinch the Championship pennant for the first time since 2002.

They had to survive a spirited challenge from Worcestershire, notably by opener Tom Fell, but it was fitting that Morne Morkel and Rikki Clarke were at the crease to wrap up the three-wicket triumph which propelled them to an unassailable 62-point lead at the top. In a dismal week for county wicketkeeper-batsmen, Ollie Pope picked up a couple of near-50s but Burns’ first-outing 122 and Morkel’s second innings 5-24 were the crucial contributions. Surrey may have enormous resources but they had by far the best blend of youth and experience, sufficient to withstand various international call-ups for the Curran brothers and Pope and, like Essex in 2017, had a trouble-free cruise to the title. Strange that they were so useless in the one-dayers!

Surrey’s only obvious rivals in Division One were – amazingly – Somerset. However, having escaped censure for last week’s spinners’ wicket at Taunton, we were hammered inside two days at the Rose Bowl, where South African seamers Kyle Abbott (5-31 and 6-40) and Dale Steyn ran riot through the Somerset batting, for whom only Marcus Trescothick reached double-figures twice. With his county destined to be runners-up yet again, I wonder if Tres will now relinquish any smidgeon of hope of winning the elusive crown and call it a day.

Essex leap-frogged Nottinghamshire into third place, defeating their rivals by eight wickets at Trent Bridge. An opening stand of 204 by Tom Westley and India’s reject Murali Vijay finished things off. It seems odd that the Headingley Roses clash should be such a 32-pointer, as it were. Had Lancashire won, they would have left Yorkshire in deep do-do. However, it was the White Rose blooming proudly as Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s runs then Ben Coad’s wickets helped secure a 95-run victory. Jack Brooks’ Leeds farewell resulted in nine more wickets. The ‘Headband Warrior’ may be 34 but hopefully he can do a great job for Somerset, too, next season.

If Yorkshire beat Hampshire next week, Lancashire and possibly Worcestershire will be doomed. If Somerset can end Surrey’s spectacular sequence of successes, they’ll be confirmed as runners-up: an unwanted consolation prize.

The Division Two promotion race saw Sussex stumble on as they approached the finishing straight. They were well-beaten at Chester-le-Street by Durham, for whom Cameron Steel struck the county week’s highest score (160) and Chris Rushworth claimed the best wicket haul (12-100). Skipper Paul Collingwood subsequently announced his retirement at the end of the month. He has bowled infrequently this year although still capable of some decent innings.

Elsewhere, Warwickshire beat Leicestershire by an innings, Keith Barker starring with the ball, and Kent recorded their ninth victory of the summer, ending Middlesex’s hopes of a sift return to the top flight. Darren Stevens showed he’s not yet ready to slip over the horizon, taking seven cheap wickets and striking a 64. They now sit 21 ahead of Sussex with two games to go.

Derbyshire had a gutsy Harvey Hosein half-century to thank for their exciting one-wicket triumph at Northampton, while at Cardiff Glamorgan sank to another innings defeat, Gloucestershire this week’s beneficiaries. The Welsh side’s batting woes show no sign of ending, as it was their tail-enders doing most of the scoring. Robert Croft has a real job on his hands to get Sophia Gardens singing again in four-day cricket. They will struggle next week to beat Kent, for whom victory will ensure a long-awaited return to Division One.

Team of the Week: 

Steel (Dur), Burns (Sur), Fell (Wor), Kohler-Cadmore (Yor), Taylor (Glo), Stevens (Ken), Hosein (Der +), Barker (War), Abbott (Ham), Brooks (Yor), Rushworth (Dur)

Notts On Top - Twice!

It was a mixed week for the counties, with a round of Championship fixtures squeezed in between NatWest T20 Blast games. Nottinghamshire opened up a 35-point lead in Division Two after thrashing neighbours Derbyshire. Just days after I wrote off Alex Hales’ potential as a Test batsman again, he scored a run-a-ball 218. Pity the Derby bowler Ben who nabbed ten wickets yet still finished on the losing side. Second-placed Worcestershire suffered a rare reverse at home to Sussex, for whom Chris Nash made 118 and the seamers Jordan and Archer were in the wickets.

Northamptonshire remain third after drawing at home to Gloucestershire and Leicestershire still haven’t won all season. They drew against Durham, for whom young opener Cameron Steel whipped up a top score of 224 and Tom Latham contributed 124. Had the match lasted a full four days, I doubt whether the home team would have avoided defeat. After notching a few wins in 2016, the look back to their old feeble selves.

In the top flight, the weather helped the seamers no end, with a couple of low-scoring results. Essex are now hot favourites to win the title in their first season back in Division One, thumping Yorkshire by eight wickets at Scarborough. Mohammad Amir claimed two five-fors and career-best match figures of 10-72, while Jamie Porter took 7-85. The Pakistan left-armer has been just the fillip Essex needed to push on for the Championship pennant. At the other end of the table, Warwickshire are finally off the mark having seen off Middlesex by 180 runs. Their all-rounders Keith Barker and the returning Chris Woakes were heavily involved. England, too, were particularly thankful to see Woakes back from injury and looking good.

Poor weather prevented any positive outcomes at Southampton and Taunton. I was at Somerset’s County Ground for the first time in ages on Monday and, before the heavens opened during the tea interval, was rewarded by some excellent strokeplay from Tom Abell (96) and, against his former county, Steven Davies (142). In the afternoon, they made the Curran brothers look very ordinary indeed. The following day, Surrey's Mark Stoneman’s 50 ensured his call-up to England did not look misplaced.

In the shorter stuff, Notts are also top of the North group, thanks to their defeat of closest rivals Warwickshire. Samit Patel’s unbeaten 78 was the decisive factor. In his favoured format, Hales was out first ball!  Yesterday, Glamorgan guaranteed progress to the quarter-finals. They went to Taunton and beat Somerset by just one run. With just eight runs required, Peter Trego couldn’t quite find the boundaries he wanted and so the Cidermen slip out of the top three. Essex have leapt from bottom to third inside a week but are three points behind second-placed Hampshire who enjoyed an easy win over Glamorgan.

T20 stars of the week must be Yorkshire skipper Tim Bresnan, who took a stunning 6-19, and Surrey’s Aaron Finch, whose century against Sussex included 30 off one Wiese over.

The next week will decide who finishes in the top four of each group, and the race to Finals Day gathers momentum. Nottinghamshire’s form in red and white-ball cricket must surely give them an edge. But of course in T20, anything can happen…

Team of the Week: Steel (Dur), Latham (Dur), Nash (Sus), Hales (Not), Davies (Som +), Woakes (War), Barnard (Wor), Hutton (Der), Bresnan (Yor), Jarvis (Lan), Mohammad Amir (Ess)