Tom Banton Triple Start in Vain

It’s April 2025, the sun is shining and even in Worcester the Severn isn’t in flood. Surely the domestic cricket season can’t be starting? Yep. Sure is. We may as well hand the Championship to Surrey right now, and the Division Two title to Lancashire but for the rest there should be plenty to play for. 

In the four-day event, Somerset’s one-day specialist Tom Banton showed he knows how to play the long game, too. After Kasey Aldridge and Craig Overton despatched Worcestershire for only 154, the 26-year-old spent almost nine hours stroking his way to 374, almost three times his previous best. He surpassed the previous highest score buy a Somerset player and with James Rew (152) broke the county’s 5^th wicket partnership record for good measure. However, despite a first-innings lead of more than 500, they narrowly failed to seal the first victory of the season, thanks largely to Brett d’Oliveira’s 121 and a dogged unbeaten 87 by Matt Waite, spanning almost the entire final day. 

Surrey may be the hot favourites to keep the Championship pennant flying for yet another season but they, too, had to battle to avoid an unexpected defeat at Chelmsford. Three Essex batsmen, Cox, Critchley and Pepper, achieved centuries and Surrey were made to follow on. Fortunately for them, the likes of Dom Sibley and Ben Foakes are dab hands at dropping anchor and they duly blocked their way to 219-6 and safety. 

At Trent Bridge, Nottinghamshire did claim a win, eight wickets. Durham ‘s Colin Ackermann can feel hard done by as he scored a ton in each innings. Josh Tongue and Aussie, Fergus O’Neill, did most f the damage with the ball. Runs were harder to come by at Southampton. Adam Lyth’s 106 was easily the highest individual score but Hampshire’s attack, even without Abbas and Barker, did for Yorkshire. Sonny Baker, the latest young speed merchant touted for an England debut, took a modest three wickets but two of them were Jonny Bairstow’s. 

At Edgbaston, skipper John Simpson continued his great 2024 form with promoted Sussex with an unbeaten 181 as part of an opening innings of 528. Warwickshire opener Rob Yates responded with 115 and there was no time for Sussex to set a realistic last-day target, hence the draw. 

In Division Two, Middlesex and Lancashire fought an exciting four-dayer at Lord’s that went right to the wire with the result always uncertain. The visitors’ Marcus Harris notched 138 to hand his side a lead of 99, but a splendid 184 by Max Holden swung the match back in Middlesex’s favour. The Red Roses kept their heads and went for the win but as wickets fell steadily, Balderson and Williams had to shore up the innings with just two in hand. 

Leicestershire made a convincing start to the season, topping Glamorgan by ten wickets at Cardiff. Ian Holland opened both batting and bowling but it was the latter which proved crucial, earning match figures of 7-86. At Derby, Wayne Madsen marked his return to the Derbyshire captaincy with a century and nine-wicket success. All-rounder Luis Reece claimed ten wickets. Finally, at Northampton, Kent clinched a low-scoring encounter inside three days. South African Keith Dudgeon, on his county debut, polished off the Northants tail to end on 7-36, the best bowling stats of the week. 

Next up for Kent are Middlesex and Lancashire host Northamptonshire. In the top tier, Surrey host Hampshire in another tricky fixture, Nottinghamshire aim for two in two against Essex and Tom Banton brings his top form down to Sussex. More, please, Tom! 

Team of the Week:-  T Clark (Sus), Yates )War), Ackermann (Dur), Holden (Mid), Banton (Som), Simpson (Sus +), Critchley (Ess), Reece (Der), Dudgeon (Ken), O’Neill (Not), Aldridge (Som)

Hampshire’s remarkable turnaround to win Blast

A week ago, I felt that momentum was with Somerset but, after struggling to contain Lancashire in the Championship then being strangled by Hampshire in the T20 semi-final at Edgbaston, all that evaporated. Instead, it was Hampshire who proved to be on the roll which really mattered.

Incredibly, they lost their opening four group fixtures but fought back to qualify for the knockouts. In the Final against Lancashire, despite a below-par total of 152-8, Matt Parkinson's four wickets, a brief opening blitz by Phil Salt and a few tumbling ramp shots from Keaton Jennings, James Vince’s men showed admirable patience and belief in their ability. Dane Vilas’ strategy of a solid Powerplay and thereafter minimising risk to reach the modest target seemed sensible but, as against Somerset a few hours earlier, Liam Dawson’s consistently mean spin and Nathan Ellis’ brilliant execution of the slower ball turned things around in remarkable fashion – then it could all have gone ridiculously awry. Lightning had to score a boundary from the final ball but Richard Gleeson was bowled. Cue pitch invasion, fireworks, the usual Sky razzmatazz. Until umpire Graham Lloyd was spotted signalling a no-ball: Ellis had overstepped! Once the pyrotechnic smoke had dispersed, Ellis and Gleeson had to take breath again only this time the target had been reduced by two, and it was a free hit. Could the Hawks have blown all that good work? No, Gleeson swung and missed and Hampshire had won – again.

Phew! I could get to like Twenty20 after all.

Earlier in the week, there had been some remarkable performances in the four-day format. Amidst an orgy of runs around the country, Keaton Jennings struck the first Championship triple-century for five seasons against Somerset, for whom only Lewis Goldsworthy possessed the determination to prevent a sixth defeat of the summer.

At Scarborough, Yorkshire and Surrey fought a real ding-dong of a game. Both counties passed 500 in their first innings. Opener Adam Lyth and ‘keeper Jonny Tattersall, in his first Championship appearance of 2022, put on 305 for the sixth wicket, and the latter took three stumpings and two catches off spinner Dom Bess as Surrey went for their shots. With a draw looking the most likely outcome, Jamie Overton’s 6-61 gave the leaders a chance of a last-afternoon victory. The batters timed the chase perfectly, Foakes and debutant Hardie finished the job with just three balls to spare.

Therefore, Surrey remain in the driving seat but those Hampshire boys don’t know when they’re beaten. They made relatively short work of Warwickshire with a side very different from the one which succeeded in the Blast. In particular, veteran seamers Barker and Abbott were back in form.

Essex thrashed Gloucestershire by nine wickets, thanks to a century from Alastair Cook and one of those vintage Simon Harmer one-man bowling shows; he ended with match analyses of 13-156. Northamptonshire spinners Keogh and Kerrigan took all ten Kent wickets on the final day to claim a 203-run triumph at Canterbury. South African Ryan Rickelton supplied a fair chunk of those runs.

Two other Saffers were accumulating plenty for Leicestershire at Hove. There were batting records galore, as only fifteen wickets fell for 1,564 runs. Tom Alsop top-scored with 150 as Sussex piled on 588, but this total was eclipsed easily by the visitors. The reply had an inauspicious start, as Hazad fell first-ball. However, most of the rest filled their boots. In particular, Colin Ackermann and Wiaan Mulder each made double-hundreds, sharing an unbeaten county record partnership of 477 as the county declared on 756-4, easily their best-ever in the competition.

Also in Division Two, another South African, Leus du Plooy, scored a century in each innings for Derbyshire at Chester-le-Street. However, Chris Rushworth celebrated his 36h birthday with the fifth ten-for of his long career to keep Durham n the match. Meanwhile, Worcestershire were surprise winners over Middlesex and Glamorgan matched leaders Nottinghamshire all the way at Cardiff. Michael Hogan’s 4-47 and centuries from Byrom and Northeast provided an opportunity to win, only for Clarke and James to ensure a draw. No records, no fireworks, no men in giraffe costumes. Just another day in the office.

Team of the Week: Lyth (Yor), Jennings (Lan), Alsop (Sus), Ackermann (Lei), Du Plooy (Der), Mulder (Lei), Tattersall (Yor +), J Overton (Sur), Harmer (Ess), M Parkinson (Lan), Rushworth (Dur)

2020 County Cricket off to a late but flying start

At last we have some meaningful domestic cricket in this most dismal and distressing of summers. The appearance of four-day scorecards on websites almost took me by surprise. Like many sports – and indeed the UK Government – county cricket seems to be making it up as they go along. However, unlike the self-inflicted chaos of the Boris regime, it doesn’t really matter. Given the current circumstances, it is right that spectators are not allowed in to watch but for all those who play of just follow the game, the launch this week of the truncated season is extremely welcome. 

It’s not the County Championship as we know it – and I seriously wonder whether the Bob Willis Trophy will become the default format even when Covid-19 has been despatched over cow corner – but the first set of regional fixtures provided excitement a-plenty.

Results made a mockery of the 2019 league tables, including Leicestershire’s seven-wicket victory over Lancashire, achieved thanks to a late fourth day run chase led by Colin Ackermann. Lancashire’s bowling attack featured three debutants and they were powerless to stop Ackermann and, in the first innings, Ben Slater, whose 172 was the second highest score of the week. 

At Trent Bridge, Derbyshire nicked a three-wicket win against local rivals Nottinghamshire. Having been set an unlikely 365 to win, an unbeaten 91 by Fynn Hudson-Prentice saw Derby home in the final over, continuing Notts’ miserable run from last year. Durham’s ex-Yorkshire opener Alex Lees struck 106 but his old county came out on top with fine bowling by Coad and Fisher in particular. 

Worcestershire sit atop the Central group after triumphing at Bristol. Solid first innings batting down the order, followed by a four-wicket Joe Leach spell set eared the 22 points. Last season’s nearly-boys Somerset were in trouble on day one at home to second-tier Glamorgan before Jack Brooks blasted 72 batting at eleven. Cue the Overton brothers. It was announced this week that Surrey have bought Jamie’s services but his allegiance to the West Country was in no doubt as he and Craig each ended up with seven wickets. Tom Abell’s 119 rubbed in the fact that the Welsh batting was hopelessly outclassed, missing a top-class overseas player or two. Warwickshire’s new signing Tim Bresnan was in good all-round form, taking four wickets and striking a first-day century but they were held to a draw by Northants. 

In the South, Middlesex won bragging rights in the London derby. Nick Gubbins produced the best batting performance of the week, contributing 252 runs in the match and that man Tim Murtagh, while his Irish compatriots were beating England in their ODI, snaffled another five-fer in a 190-run victory. It was a tighter affair at Chelmsford where Essex overturned a substantial first-innings deficit to beat Kent by two wickets. Sussex had briefly led the group after beating Hampshire inside three days. Opener Phil Salt struck two half-centuries while Ollie Robinson again proved his worth as one of the country’s finest young pace bowlers, should Anderson and Broad ever decide to quit. 

I don’t know who will win the whole affair or even how it will be eventually decided. It’s just great to get things up and running. 

Team of the Week: Dent (Glo), Slater (Lei), Gubbins (Mid), Kuhn (Ken), Ackermann (Lei), Smith (Sur +), Bresnan (War), C Overton (Som), J Overton (Som), Robinson (Sus), Murtagh (Mid)

Soggy Week keeps the Lightning on Strike

Where’s my brolly? Writing this on a very wet Friday evening in Cardiff, it’s hard to muster enthusiasm for cricket given the shortage of action in Britain this past week. Indeed, in the Vitality Blast there have been more total wash-outs than matches played and tonight all eight fixtures were called off without a ball bowled. Potentially lucrative local derbies at Canterbury, Taunton, Leeds, Northampton, Nottingham and Southampton were wiped out, to the certain chagrin of county treasurers across the land.

Essex and Nottinghamshire were unable to get onto the pitch at all but there was some play earlier in the week. On Thursday at The Oval, Surrey handed Sussex their first T20 defeat of the campaign when Tom Curran, Dernbach and Imran Tahir prevented the South table toppers from getting anywhere near the 164 target.

High scores were rare, and Derbyshire’s 207-5 at Headingley and Somerset’s winning 206-8 last Saturday against their perennial T20 bête-noires Kent were easily the best of the bunch. Another half-century by Tom Abell and a brilliant 100 from opener Tom Banton turned the tables on acting skipper Sam Billings’ side after eleven successive defeats and, fleetingly, propelled Somerset into the top four. It’s all too close to call, but one certainty is that Glamorgan won’t reach the knockouts. They remain winless after ten matches.

In the North division, Lancashire are well clear of the rest after beating the Birmingham Bears by 15 runs at Edgbaston and Derbyshire more emphatically by eight wickets. It was a weird week for the Falcons. After two thumping victories, helped by the top four batsmen and the bowling of Van Beek, they collapsed to a paltry 94 all out at home to Leicestershire for whom Colin Ackermann took 3-9 in his four overs.

The tightest contest was witnessed at Chester-le-Street. Worcestershire failed to match their Rapids name, struggling to 117-7, but Durham found the pitch even less forgiving. Championship opening batsman and T20 opening bowler Daryl Mitchell starred with 2-17 while fellow spinner Paul Brown conceded only five off the final over to claim victory by three runs. Worcestershire now sit in second place with four games remaining. Overcome Lancashire and Notts, and a quarter-final slot is surely theirs.

But first there is a bizarre return to first-class cricket for one week only, with all eighteen counties participating. On T20 form, Glamorgan v Lancashire would be a colossal mismatch but in the Championship, this could be a promotion-defining tussle at Colwyn Bay. The Welsh will be without star batsman Labuschagne, though. Division One’s leading pair Essex and Somerset visit Kent and Warwickshire, respectively.

Team of the Week: Banton (Som), Malan (Mid), Bracey (Glo +), Maxwell (Lan), Madsen (Der), Ackermann (Lei), T Curran (Sur), Mitchell (Wor), Green (War), Van Beek (Der), Finn (Mid)

Seven Up for Ackermann

Leicestershire aren’t exactly setting the world alight with their cricket but the county will have its name in the record books thanks to captain, Colin Ackermann. It’s usually his runs which come to the rescue but against the Birmingham Bears at Grace Road, it was his off-spin which reaped rewards. Pitching a bit short the opposition obliged by heaving him to waiting deep fielders, six times in the last two overs, and Ackermann replaces the equally unlikely Arul Suppiah as holder of the best ever T20 bowling haul. With 7-18 he became the first man to take seven wickets in the format.

Indeed it was a week for bowlers around the country, and both Rolof van der Merwe and Steve Finn captured five-fors. The Middlesex seamer took 5-16 against Surrey but in his other fixtures his seven overs went wicketless for a hefty ninety-two runs. Team-mate Nathan Sowter was more consistent, spreading his eight victims across the three games. However it was AB De Villiers who hogged the headlines for his two half-centuries, particularly a 35-ball unbeaten 88 against Somerset at Richmond.

After soaring for much of the Blast, the Kent Spitfires were shot down decisively by Gloucestershire at Bristol where seamers fired most of the bullets. This enabled Sussex to leapfrog their neighbours thanks to another trio of triumphs. Ollie Robinson boosted his T20 wicket tally by eight, ably supported by Rashid Khan, Mills, Briggs and Topley. Still six games remain, so they need a few more wins to ensure a place in the knockouts. Kent at Canterbury next Friday is the most mouth-watering meeting.

Somerset have clawed themselves into contention thanks to Babar Azam’s 102 not out against Hampshire, the only century of the past week. Credit, too, to Tom Abell, who passed 40 in each of his three games at very respectable strike rates.

In the North division, umbrellas were in great demand much of the time. Sadly, the Roses clash at Old Trafford was completely washed out but a three-run margin at Manchester was sufficient for Lancashire to end the week four points ahead of second-place Nottinghamshire. Yorkshire and the Bears produced the season’s third tie. Chasing 177-4, Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s unbeaten 76 was not quite enough to get over the line and the Vikings ended on an identical score.

Worcestershire sit in third but with a game in hand. Playing Northants, Derbyshire and Durham, they may well close the gap next week but the Lancashire Lightning face the lumbering Bears home and away.

Team of the Week: Babar Azam (Som), Short (Dur), De Villiers (Mid), Cockbain (Glo), Ackermann (Lei), Abell (Som), Hill (Lei +), Van der Merwe (Som), Robinson (Sus), Sowter (Mid), Sanderson (Nor)

Patel propels Surrey to take their turn at the top

The County Championship leadership seems to be a revolving door this summer. Somerset took over from Nottinghamshire last week but it didn’t last long; they were demolished by an innings at Guildford and Surrey now sit at the summit 13 points clear.

Somerset elected to bowl first and the home side duly made hay. With Ben Foakes away with the Lions, Ollie Pope took the gloves and scored another century. His career is still in its youth but a first-class average above 60 is nevertheless a stat to admire. The total of 459 was large but in theory not unattainable. The practice was different. At 169-4, Somerset were nibbling away despite Rikki Clarke dismissing the top order. Enter Ryan Patel. Half an hour later, Somerset were back in the pavilion and the local lad boasted extraordinary figures of 3.5-2-5-6. He took no wickets in the second innings but the fast men Morkel and Dernbach each claimed four as all but James Hildreth surrendered meekly.

Nottinghamshire rose to second after thumping Essex by 301 runs at Chelmsford. Ross Taylor’s 146 dominated the first day then bowlers Luke Fletcher and Matt Carter put their county even more firmly in control. Notts didn’t enforce the follow-on and set a target which proved way beyond the champions’ capabilities.

At the other end of the table, Worcestershire broke their 2018 duck by outscoring Lancashire. At New Road, after fifteen wickets fell on the first day, it was a story of two openers. Keaton Jennings scored 55 and 177 but he was eclipsed by Daryl Mitchell who delivered a century in each innings. With the ball, Ed Barnard followed his first innings 5-34 with four more wickets as Lancashire chased an improbable 602 to win.

The day-night at the Rose Bowl was not the spectacle it was supposed to be. The batting track gave neither attack any assistance and a draw was the inevitable outcome. Only Dale Steyn raised the flag for the Hampshire bowlers with a first innings five-for but Yorkshire’s Gary Ballance and the home team’s Jimmy Adams each made three figures.

The big promotion clash in Division Two at Tunbridge Wells was very much a game of two halves. Twenty wickets tumbled on day one. Then Kent, led by Joe Denly and Sean Dickson, racked up more than 400, setting Warwickshire a target of 519 which would have been a championship record. With Sibley and Bell apparently cruising at 304-1 on the final morning, that record looked vulnerable. However, once they and Jonathan Trott were dismissed, Warwickshire’s chances ebbed away.  Denly himself mopped up the tail and Kent advanced to within eight points of their table-topping opponents.

Sussex used their annual visit to bucolic Arundel to gain ground, too, defeating Durham with consummate ease. Philip Salt and Tom Haines each achieved their maiden centuries while David Wiese and Danny Briggs starred with the ball.

At Northampton, the home side emulated Worcestershire by snapping up their first Div 2 success of the summer. Ben Sanderson’s first innings 5-16 and Brett Hutton’s 8-57 tell the tale of Gloucestershire’s batting woes. Ben Duckett raced to 32 off 15 balls to clinch a ten-wicket victory on the final morning. Their next opponents Glamorgan are also struggling but came within two wickets of beating Derbyshire. Tailenders Palladino and Olivier had to dig in for the last fifteen overs to survive. Glamorgan’s chances were enhanced by a 289-run partnership involving Usman Khawaja and young Kiran Carlsen but unfortunately for them, the excellent Michael Hogan and debutant Prem Sisodiya were frustrated at the end.

It was an even more exciting finish at Leicester. Colin Ackermann’s mighty 196 not out and a solid team bowling performance put Leicestershire in the driving seat. However, Tim Murtagh and James Harris shared six wickets to restrict the home side to 186 all out. Chasing 381 to win, Middlesex looked set to lose on 197-6. However, Hilton Cartwright’s 80 anchored the tail, and right at the death Harris (58 not out) struck the winning boundary with just one wicket remaining.

Should Middlesex defeat Kent at Beckenham this week, they’ll be right back in the race to return to the top tier, but Warwickshire will be optimistic about beating Durham to hold on to the top spot. In Division One, Somerset visit Essex minus their high-scoring Aussie Matt Renshaw whose broken finger has ended his stint down at Taunton. We’re not having much luck with our overseas signings. Surrey travel to sunny Scarborough and Nottinghamshire host Worcestershire who must hope to channel their confidence to secure a second consecutive win. Can’t see it happening, though. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s Notts who emerge from the revolving door and slip into T20 mode in front.

Team of the Week:

Mitchell (Wor), Jennings (Lan), Denly (Ken), Bell (War), Ackermann (Lei), Pope (Sur +), Clarke (Sur), Barker (War), Patel (Sur), Hutton (Nor), Murtagh (Mid)

Essex back on the title trail

All the counties were in action this week and mercifully all were able to play, catching the end of an unseasonal hot spell across much of Britain. After their week one washout, both Essex and Yorkshire took their second opportunities in style. At Headingley, seamer Ben Coad was the home side’s star man, tang ten wickets as Nottinghamshire succumbed by 164 runs.

Down in Chelmsford, it was 2017 all over again when Jamie Porter and Steve Harmer dismissed Lancashire for only 144 first innings runs to keep them in the hunt. It was Porter again who snuffed out the visitors’ chase on day three, consigning Liam Livingstone’s side to a second defeat.

I am delighted to report a Somerset victory in their opening fixture, a rarity these days. It was a tough few days for batsmen in Taunton, and Worcestershire all-rounder Ed Barnard took eleven wickets. However, first Matt Renshaw, then James Hildreth reached three figures while colleagues struggled, and Luke Gregory was the pick of the bowlers who ensured the Worcester tail didn’t rescue their top-order failings.

Surrey also wrapped up a home win, defeating Hampshire by 139 runs. The main damage was done by their two wicketkeeper-batsmen, Ben Foakes and Ollie Pope in the second innings. They shared a century partnership, with 20 year-old Pope making 145 and taking his first-class average to almost 50. In reply, Sam Northeast compiled a hundred for Hampshire but nobody else could reach even 40 as teen spinner Amar Virdi took four wickets.

Warwickshire sit atop Division Two after thumping Northamptonshire by an innings. Tim Ambrose top-scored as they passed 400 but the Wantage Road side had no answer to Ryan Sidebottom: not the recently-retired ex-England man, but the injury-hit Aussie right-armer. His 6-35 and 4-61 proved decisive, while England under-19 medium-pacer Henry Brookes picked off the final pair.

The Derby faithful probably fainted when, after a 23-match barren spell, Derbyshire finally secured a home victory. It was particularly surprising given that their opponents were Middlesex. Duanne Olivier boasts a world-class bowling average of under 22 and the South African claimed eight wickets. In the second innings, openers Ben Slater and Luis Reece shared a 210-run partnership, taking took Derbyshire towards the rarified heights of 333-3, whereupon skipper Godleman declared to set a challenging target of 442. Once the Middlesex top-half had been despatched for below 100, that was always out of sight despite late hitting by James Harris and Tom Helm.

Stripped of their top players, Durham look like being the new Derbyshire in 2018. They were knocked over twice within two days by Kent, for whom Matt Henry harvested twelve more wickets. James Weighell weighed in with a defiant 84 before he became Henry’s sixth victim of the second innings. Kent’s Bell-Drummond and Kuhn finished the job a few hours later.

Glamorgan enjoyed their short trip over the Severn Bridge to Bristol, where they plundered a six-wicket victory over Gloucestershire. Marchant de Lange followed his five-wicket haul with an unbeaten 50 but it was the centuries from Shaun Marsh and David Lloyd which did most to take the Welsh beyond 500 and a lead of 290. 20 year-old James Bracey led the charge with 120 not out and, assisted by spirited tailenders, forced Glamorgan to bat again. However, Donald and Lloyd smashed seventeen from Worrell’s seventh over and the job was done.

There were plenty of runs at Leicester, too and, unlike every other match this week, not enough wickets to produce a result. Colin Ackermann compiled an excellent 186 but the Sussex opener Luke Wells played out for a draw with 102 not out. 

Leicestershire host a buoyant Derbyshire in an East Midlands derby next weekend, while Middlesex will want to get their season back on track at home to Glamorgan. In Division One, the Hampshire v Essex encounter looks the pick of the fixture list but could Somerset make it two from two at Taunton? I can but dream.

Team of the Week: 

Wells (Sus), Reece (Der), Ackermann (Lei), Bracey (Glo), Hildreth (Som),  Foakes (Sur, +), Pope (Sur), Barnard (Wor), Henry (Ken), Sidebottom (War), Porter (Ess)