Middlesex lose the four-way relegation battle

In a dramatic final week of County Championship action, the battle to avoid the drop went to the wire. In 2016, Yorkshire, Somerset and Middlesex went into the final day of the season with a chance of the title. This year, all were at the other end of the table playing for their Division One lives.

At Chelmsford, the White Roses scraped a mere three bowling bonus points and couldn’t even muster 200 runs in total as champions Essex were merciless with the ball. Simon Harmer and Jamie Porter each claimed five victims and ended as the division’s top wicket takers, while their county ended the season unbeaten and with twice as many wins as their nearest rivals. You can’t say Essex didn’t deserve to be champions!

So, with a day remaining, Yorkshire were stuck on 148 points. Somerset were in the driving seat against Middlesex but unable to top 147, while Hampshire were facing defeat at relegated Warwickshire. As a Somerset fan I was mightily relieved when a combination of a rare James Hildreth century and brilliant bowling by Jack Leach dealt Middlesex a fatal blow. We were safe, finishing a single point ahead of the Lords brigade. All Middlesex could do was anxiously track Hampshire’s second innings travails at Edgbaston. In the end, they managed to block and nudge throughout the day to secure the draw they needed, reach 148 points and consign the champions to Division Two status next summer. Phew!

In the other game, Lancashire inflicted only the second defeat of the summer on Surrey. Incredibly the latter finished third despite winning only twice. The reason was the mountain of runs provided by Kumar Sangakkara, Mark Stoneman and Rory Burns but for some reason they frequently failed to bowl sides out twice.

In Division Two, Worcestershire beat Durham by 137 runs to top the table. Daryl Mitchell produced his seventh century of the summer then Ravi Ashwin rounded off his brief spell at New Road with a five-for to take the title. Predictably, Northamptonshire came back from Leicester with a ninth victory. Sanderson and Gleeson nabbed fifteen wickets between them, and opener Luke Procter accumulated 176 runs – more than anyone else this week – but still it wasn’t enough to overhaul second-placed Nottinghamshire.

Hove was the only venue this week where batsmen were mainly on top. Sussex plundered 565 first innings runs and Notts replied with 477. Michael Burgess’ inaugural three-figure score and Chris Jordan’s 147 led the way for the home team, but Billy Root and Chris Read – in his last ever match – responded with centuries of their own. Neither county could win from that situation and so the ever-popular Read could retire with a promotion and a five-point cushion. It was a bitter-sweet outcome for Northants whose five-point deduction for a slow over-rate in the recent contest with (ironically) Notts ultimately cost them dear. Northamptonshire’s poor batting also let them down.

Elsewhere, Michael Hogan finished the season impressively with ten wickets, taking him above 500  in a long first-class career, in Glamorgan’s triumph over Kent at Canterbury. Derbyshire also made hay on their travels, beating an unfamiliar Gloucestershire outfit by five wickets. They needed centuries by Madsen and Hughes and some declaration bowling, but a win’s a win.

And, to summarise, final congratulations to skipper Ryan Ten Doeschate and coach Chris Silverwood for steering Essex to such an impressive Championship campaign. Nottinghamshire enjoyed a fruitful summer, too. As for my predictions back in April, they were mostly wildly adrift as usual. Only my tip for Worcestershire to go up proved correct and, fortunately, my pessimism for Somerset’s prospects proved unfounded, but it was touch and go. Watch out for my forthcoming County Team of The Year review!

Final Team of the Week: Wells (Sus), Procter (Nor), Denly (Ken), Hildreth (Som), W Root (Not), Burgess (Sus +), Jordan (Sus), R Patel (Mid), Harmer (Ess), Leach (Som), Hogan (Gla)

Essex Shine in the Lights, Hales Hits the Heights

First I must raise a glass to Nottinghamshire for grasping the first county crown of 2017. The Royal London Cup Final at Lord’s was a game of two centuries. Mark Stoneman may have been disappointed at not making the England Test squad but he ripped an unbeaten 144 out of Surrey’s useful total of 297-9. However, this was eclipsed by Alex Hales’ superb 187 in 167 balls. Helped by his skipper’s valuable 58, he not only ensured his side chased down the target but also easily surpassed the previous one-day final record set more than fifty years ago by Geoff Boycott, of all people.

With Notts sitting pretty at the top of Division Two, it looks like a successful finale for veteran wicketkeeper Chris Read. The county were thwarted in their bid to extend their lead by the rain but Steven Mullaney’s 168 and five cheap wickets against rivals Kent showed they have promotion in the bag even with two months to go.

Meanwhile, in the top tier, the loss of almost two days’ play couldn’t halt Essex’s impressive march to the Championship title. At Chelmsford, after dismissing Middlesex for under 250, openers Nick Browne and Alastair Cook put on 373 for the first wicket. Cook’s departure merely brought in Varun Chopra whose own century, with Browne’s ‘double’, took Essex past 500 without further loss. He was only batting because Tom Westley left mid-match to join the Lions. Incidentally Westley also reached three figures, so everyone’s a winner!Nevertheless, it was Simon Harmer's 9-90 which wrapped things up in stirring style.

In the week when all Championship fixtures were day/night events, it was such a shame that awful weather ruined so much of them. Little more than a day’s play was possible at Headingley, but at least those who witnessed some action were able to see yet another batting masterclass from Kumar Sangakkara. His 180 not out at almost a run a ball was his sixth hundred in ten innings. He’ll be sorely missed in the second half of the summer, and not only by Surrey.

At the Rose Bowl, almost the whole game was concertina’d into the fourth day. True to form, Somerset had the worst of it but, amidst the clatter of wickets (many by Hampshire’s Gareth Berg), managed to hold on for a draw. Last week I despaired at the plight of Somerset’s young skipper Tom Abell, hoping he managed some runs this time. So what did he achieve? A pair of ducks! Everyone is allowed temporary dips in form but poor Tom is desperately in need of confidence, which surely now can come only from a drop to the Seconds or club cricket, I’m afraid.

The Edgbaston weather wiped out the final day of Warwickshire’s contest with Lancashire, but not until Shiv Chanderpaul had compiled another 141 to his 26,000+ first-class run tally. Andrew Umeed’s 113 for the home side was only his second century but there’ll be plenty more, I’m sure. Jos Buttler made a rare Championship appearance for Lancs but fluffed his lines by scoring three runs in two innings and 26 balls. Haseeb Hameed fared little better.

Down in Division Two, there were two nail-biting finishes. At Northampton there was a cracking conclusion to proceedings. Duckett, Wakely and Keogh each struck centuries en route for setting Leicestershire a hefty target of 394 in just over a day. Colin Ackermann seemed to be steering them to victory, ably assisted by Mathew Pillans, With time running out on Thursday evening, and just three runs needed, Pillans holed out to Cobb and blew their chances of a first win of the season.

Derbyshire did finally break their duck, beating Glamorgan by 39 runs at Cardiff. Star performer was Derby debutant Hamidullah Qadri. At the age of 16 (yes, 16), the Afghanistan-born spinner claimed 5-60 to end the Welsh rearguard. Elsewhere, there wasn’t much to shout about amidst the raindrops at Hove and Chester-le-Street, apart from Luke Wright’s 118 and a Mark Wood five-for.

Next week, if the sun shines, the key matches could be Kent v Northants and Somerset’s trip to Scarborough. With Gary Ballance likely to be lining up for England, this may be the visitors’ best chance for nicking that elusive victory.

Team of the Week: Browne (Ess), Hales (Not), Mullaney (Not), Sangakkara (Sur), Ackermann (Lei), Wright (Sus), Read (Not +), Berg (Ham), Harmer (Ess), Hamidullah Qadri (Der), Wood (Dur)

AP x 2 = 501 for Lancashire

This really was a week for batsmen. Four scored double-centuries, two of them sharing a 500 partnership, yet one (Steve Smith) couldn’t even squeeze into my Team of the Week!

The White and Red Roses were again in full bloom, as Yorkshire and Lancashire cemented their positions atop Divisions One and Two. The chasing packs must be getting cricked necks gazing up at the distant summits.

Andrew Gale led his side from the front at Scarborough, piling up 164 but it was Jonny Bairstow’s scintillating form making all the headlines. A brisk 139 pushed him into the England squad at Gary Ballance’s expense, then he struck the winning runs in the second innings, too. Worcestershire did at least take the game into a fourth day.

Durham did their best to hold on to second place but Hampshire’s defiance and some final afternoon rain scuppered their hopes. Gordon Muchall’s 145 and nine more wickets for Chris Rushworth were all in vain after 20 year-old ‘keeper Lewis McManus defied the Durham attack for almost three hours. Meanwhile Warwickshire found themselves in the runners-up spot after despatching Somerset by seven wickets. Sam Hain composed another unbeaten century and Jeetan Patel claimed nine victims, although the losers’ Craig Overton took 6-74 and kept his name in the England frame in case the selectors need fresh blood.

Following a disappointing first half of the season, James Taylor rediscovered his appetite for runs, falling just nine short of a triple-century in Nottinghamshire’s innings defeat of Sussex. Chris Read’s 121 and seven catches were also noteworthy, while Harry Gurney’s left arm seam and swing also did a lot of damage to the South Coast side for whom Matt Machan top-scored with 108.

The Colwyn Bay sea air worked wonders for the South African duo of Ashwell Prince and Alviro Petersen. Both passed 250 as they smashed the Lancashire partnership record and accumulated the 13th highest stand for any wicket in first-class cricket history! Facing an overall target of almost 700, Glamorgan unsurprisingly fell short, although a robust first innings tail did its best to frustrate the visitors. Number eleven Michael Hogan even had time to score a career best 57! Nevertheless, Sean Kerrigan and Arron Lilley polished off Welsh resistance in the end.

Kent took the Thames estuary bragging rights, thumping Essex by an innings and 207. Ben Harmison and Sam Billings each reached three figures while Callum Haggett and the evergreen Darren Stevens picked up twelve wickets between them.

Derbyshire beat Northamptonshire in the other Division Two fixture. Mark Footitt collected another five-for, and young all-rounder Alex Hughes achieved his debut hundred. For the visitors, opener Ben Duckett had mixed fortunes. A duck was followed by 154 but the Chesterfield fans enjoyed a seven-wicket triumph.

While the runs piled up in the Championship and Lord’s Test, there weren’t many big scores in last weekend’s T20 Blast. Nevertheless, Jason Roy’s blistering 122 consigned Somerset to another heavy defeat. The County Championship now takes a two-week break as the T20 Group stage ends and the Royal London Cup begins.

Some excellent performances couldn’t get into my Team of the Week: Rogers (Aus), Duckett (Nor), Petersen (Lan), Prince (Lan), Taylor (Not), A Hughes (Der), Read (Not, * +), Patel (Not), C Overton (Som), Gurney (Not), Rushworth (Dur)

Battle of the wicketkeepers

As with goalkeepers in football, England has often been synonymous with world-class wicketkeepers. For every Gordon Banks, Peter Shilton and David Seaman, cricket has been blessed with Godfrey Evans, Alan Knott, Matt Prior and maybe even Alec Stewart when his batting was added to the mix.

When Stewart started to focus on opening the batting and subsequently retured, there were several suitable candidates clamouring to take the gloves. Warren Hegg had a couple of opportunities on the 1998-9 Ashes tour Down Under. The following summer, 20 year-old Chris Read claimed six catches and a stumping in a Test victory over New Zealand, but he has managed only fourteen other appearances since then despite clearly being one of the best 'keeper-batsmen in county cricket, even skippering Nottinghamshire to domestic success. Like the others, Essex's finest, James Foster was discarded after an Ashes game, the last of seven caps between 2001 and 2002.

Geraint Jones may sound Welsh, was born in Papua New Guinea but was also the latest in a long line of distinguished Kent 'keepers. He was lucky (or good) enough to be the incumbent during England's purple patch between 2004 and 2006, including the famous Ashes triumph of 2005. He played 34 times in only 2 1/2 years but it was the Aussie backlash in 2006-7 which finished his Test career, even if the heavy defeat was hardly his fault. Tim Ambrose earned eleven Test appearances in 2008-9 after heavy scoring in the Championship and, unlike the aforementioned rivals, began and ended his spell with half-centuries. However, this wasn't enough to keep him as the number one gloveman. Sadly his domestic form with Warwickshire suffered and he eventually took time out of the sport before recovering last summer to help win the title.

Ambrose has been dogged by Matt Prior. The latter displaced him at Sussex and now he has done the same for England. However, this has proved to be a justified decision by selectors as the balding one has gone on to become the fourth highest in England history, in terms of both Test caps and dismissals. His Test average, batting mostly at seven, is an impressive 43, superior even to Alec Stewart's, and his skills behind the stumps has meant his place has not really come under fire - until now.

This week's news of Craig Kieswetter's dropping in favour of his Somerset team-mate and friend, Jos Buttler, in the ODI squad, demonstrates the wealth of 'keeper/batsmen in the county game again. Paul Nixon enjoyed international recognition in his twilight years, and both Phil Mustard and Stephen Davies were given a go for a year or two, along with Prior, of course. With the rise of T20, the ability to thrash bowling to all corners has become an essential part of the 'keeper's armoury. Kieswetter's famous leg-side hoiks eventually had him promoted to opening the batting but it's a while since he delivered a really good innings.

Buttler has earned a reputation for brutal 'finishing', developing his 'scoop' shot and 'inside out' thumps over extra cover. His extraordinary List A average of almost 60 owes much to the fact that a third of his innings have ended not out. However, I feel he needs to have some decent innings for England behid him, rather than just a number of lively cameos. Of course, if he bats at seven in T20, it's not often you get the chance to smash a half-century, especially when your team-mates at the top of the order are doing their jobs.

It's been a few years since the Wedmore lad scored a first-class century and I can't believe he's already 22. Therefore, he is well below Kieswetter and Prior in the Test pecking order. The main danger to the latter surely has to be Jonny Bairstow. While playing 5 Tests, 7 ODIs and 15 T20Is, the Yorkshireman has yet to stand behind the stumps. However, he has a first-class batting average of 46 and has not disgraced himself as a specialist batsman in Test cricket. He can be a highly destructive number three or four in limited overs but has yet to prove it at the highest level. Nevertheless, Jonny is a mere 23 and could become the England regular in a few years' time. However, Matt Prior will have something to say about that!

Team of the Summer

While the Olympian Team GB will win most awards come the end of 2012, there have also been some great cricketing performances across the domestic season in England. Here is my Team of 2012, encompassing all forms of cricket, from Tests to T20.

Joe Root is the name on everyone’s lips, with his Young Cricketer of the Year award and England call-up for the India tour. However, he won’t be opening for my team of the summer. Instead, I’ve plumped for Varun Chopra and Chris Nash. The Warwickshire batsman notched up another 1000+ first-class runs, including some big hundreds, and also averaged more than 50 in the CB40. He also represented the England Lions. The Sussex opener has also acquired more responsibility in recent years, providing runs in all competitions, long with his useful spinners in the one-day and T20 competitions. Only three men outscored him in the Friends Life tournament and he was the only batsman in the PCA’s Most Valuable Player top 10 for the County Championship.

Nick Compton made the headlines early on when rain prevented him from reaching the rare milestone of 1000 runs by the end of May. The Somerset number three then missed most of the summer with injury, returning to strike another unbeaten century in the final victory over Worcestershire. Nobody outscored him in first-class cricket, including some runs for the England Lions but he’s not in my XI for his dashing strike rate! Most of my team is selected for their county performances as there have been few consistent players on the international scene, especially England. Bell and Pietersen came close but I could hardly leave out Hashim Amla. He seems to be South Africa’s top scorer in every innings he plays, regardless of format, and that record-breaking 311 not out was the innings of the summer. Overseas stars Chris Rogers and Ramnesh Sarwan caught the eye for Middlesex and struggling Leicestershire, respectively, but my middle-order is completed by Jonny Bairstow. He may not have accumulated as many runs as he did in 2011 but fame didn’t seem to have affected his form for Yorkshire, and he held his own in an inconsistent England squad in Tests, ODIs and T20.

Veteran all-rounder Darren Stevens is such a reliable man for Kent, striking quick runs and taking medium-pace wickets. 2012 was no exception and nobody took more wickets than he did in CB40. However, the outstanding county performer was Somerset’s Peter Trego. Ahead of other sportsmen in the over-tattooed stakes, the Taunton favourite had to shoulder extra bowling duties due to a chronic injury list as well as bolster batting often deprived of Trescothick and Compton. Lesser men may have wilted but Trego simply had easily his best season ever, taking particular pleasure in reaching the 50-wicket milestone in the Championship. A true hero, but despite his globe-trotting T20 exploits, is unlikely to appear on England’s radar. Good, because he’s invaluable to Somerset!

Chris Read is another superb all-rounder. He may not bat until six or seven but he scored more than 1000 first-class runs for Nottinghamshire, many more than Hales, Taylor, Lumb and co. He remains an excellent wicketkeeper and an astute county captain to boot. Matt Prior and Hampshire’s Michael Bates came close, but it’s Prior’s England predecessor who gets the nod as gloveman.

With so much rain around, it was the groundstaff who deserve a special award! However, the pitches and conditions favoured the seamers in 2012. Reliable county pros like Murtagh, Richardson, Adams and Masters again took more than 50 Championship wickets each, as did Sussex’s much-travelled Aussie Stuart Magoffin. However, I could have selected almost any Warwickshire bowler. For me, Chris Wright narrowly shades Keith Barker for his all-format record but the two were often brilliant together, disguising the absence of Woakes and Rankin and playing a major role in the county’s success. Toby Roland-Jones was not on my horizon until mid-summer but the Middlesex seamer finished very strongly, taking 64 first-class wickets all season at under 20 apiece. Nevertheless, Graeme Onions takes the final place. The tall Durham paceman snared more first-class victims than anyone all summer, including a 9-64 against Notts, and impressed in the Third Test against the West Indies, too. He took 68 wickets for his county at a ridiculously good 14.30!

So no spinners! Well, as some small compensation, young Azeem Rafiq will have to settle for 12th man duty. He was particularly effective in T20 and his all-round performance against Essex in the last Championship match did more than anything to secure Yorkshire’s promotion. Warwickshire’s Jeetan Patel and Monty Panesar just miss out.

The XI in summary: Chopra (Warks), Nash (Sussex), Compton (Somerset), Amla (S. Africa), Bairstow (Yorks/England), Read (Notts, capt and w/k), Trego (Somerset), Onions (Durham/England), Roland-Jones (Middlesex), Wright (Warks), Azeem Rafiq (Yorks, 12th man)