County Cricket: Triple Hants, 100% Northants

At the end of the Blast’s second week, Northamptonshire are the only county with a 100% record. James Sales’s 5-21 helped sweep aside close rivals Gloucestershire, then last year’s prolific Chris Lynn steered the Steelbacks to a final-over triumph against Warwickshire with an unbeaten 115. Beau Webster had earlier slammed 97 but the Bears have now lost all four fixtures to date. 

In the same Central & West group, Glamorgan did the double over reigning champions Somerset. In Cardiff, Tom Banton got the latter off to a cracking start, but Nathan McAndrew trimmed the strike rate and capture four wickets. Glammy captain Kiran Carlson wasted no time in tearing the bowling apart, racing to 109 as his side romped home with more than six overs remaining. In the return fixture, it was a much closer affair. Chasing 202 to win at Taunton, it was Somerset old boy Sean Dickson who top-scored with 63, but it was Jimmy Neesham who struck the last ball for a boundary to clinch the win. I am not a happy bunny! Somerset need to rediscover winning ways in the derby against Gloucestershire. 

In the South division, Hampshire reeled off a hat-trick of successes. Liam Dawson had a profitable week. His 76 not out was timed to perfection as Surrey were defeated in the last over, and five cheap wickets helped despatch Middlesex and Sussex, although Scottish seamer Sean Currie’s economy also played its part. Surrey’s stellar batting line-up was also flattened by Kent, but on Wednesday they turned things around at home to Middlesex, Ollie Pope making 51 not out. 

Up North, Derbyshire amassed the highest team total of the week. In the East Mids derby, Aneurin Donald (84) and Martin Andersson (69 not out) blitzed the first eight overs on the way to 234-4. With Tom Moores striking seven sixes, Nottinghamshire made a decent fist of a chase, but finished twenty-three runs short. 

Yorkshire top the table, swatting aside Durham by 58 runs (Moeen Ali taking 2-12 in three overs) before losing their unbeaten record in a cross-table fixture at home to Gloucestershire, for whom D’Arcy Short slammed 82 and claimed 4-31. Leicestershire are bottom, despite a thrilling two-wicket success at Old Trafford. Needing only 146 to win, Saqib Mahmood and George Balderson kept Lancashire in the match until a scrambled single sealed the deal. Last man Sol Budinger could not bat after being stretchered off after a fielding collision so it was closer than the scoreboard suggests. 

Team of the Week:-  Carlson (Gla), Lynn (Nor), Lyth (Yor), Short (Glo), Pepper (Ess +), Webster (War), Dawson (Ham), Sales (Nor), Mulder (Ess), Usman Tariq (War), Currie (Ham)

County Cricket: Somerset Sweep into Blast Quarter-Finals

As Twenty20 returned to the county scene, Somerset maintained their domination of the South division. They beat Kent, Hampshire and Essex to establish a fourteen-point lead and ensure a home quarter-final in September. However, they didn’t end the week with a 100% record. Glamorgan edged a tight encounter at Taunton by just two runs. Ingram and Douthwaite knocked half-centuries but the visitors owed then most to former Somerset and Millfield School product, Ned Leonard. The 22-year-old seamer took 5-25 and the Somerset tail found sixteen runs off the final over too much. 

Despite fielding an international XI, Surrey came up short against bottom side Essex in a rain-affected affair at The Oval. Chasing 142 in twelve overs, Pepper and Walter galloped away for four overs before Adam Zampa broke the partnership and checked the run rate. However, Matt Critchley clinched the game with a last-ball boundary. Surrey remain second having seen off Gloucestershire and close rivals Glamorgan. 

Essex, Middlesex and Gloucester may have little or no chance of reaching the knockout stage but they each have players in my Team of the Week. Mohammad Amir’s four fixtures this week yielded eleven wickets for a mere (forgive the phrase!) 107 runs. Stephen Eskinazi’s highlight was a 48-ball 94 for Middlesex against Hampshire, albeit in a losing cause, while D’Arcy Short was Mr. Consistent for Gloucestershire. He struck three half-centuries, the best being 83 against Middlesex. 

Two players cracked incredible centuries. After Glamorgan set Surrey a formidable target of 223, Surrey were cut down to 16-3. In came Dan Lawrence and, supported by Tom Curran, he blasted an unbeaten 120 in 54 balls in the successful chase. Yorkshire were also in the runs, reaching at least 200 in all three matches. 236 came in Friday’s Roses clash at Old Trafford. Young William Luxton heaved seven sixes in his 90 not out, but that was eclipsed by his experienced team-mate Jonny Bairstow. Despite at one stage almost knocking himself out with an attempted over-the-shoulder upper-cut, he raced to 116, 92 of them in boundaries. Even with Salt and Buttler in their line-up, Lancashire were never in the hunt. 

They are, nonetheless, one of four counties leading the North group on 28 points. Durham and Northants are with them, but the Bears (aka Warwickshire) look notably strong. Mousley and Hain are the reliable rhythm section while Hasan Ali provides the electric solos with the ball. He accumulated twelve wickets this week, including a mean 4-22 in the comfortable victory over Leicestershire. Single-match bowling performance of tre past eight days must go to Sussex’s Danny Lamb, who ripped through the Kent batting for an impressive 5-15. 

In the concluding week of group fixtures, there are so many crucial contests. The Somerset-Surrey match-up is there for quarter-final bragging rights but Lancashire will have extra incentive to reverse their loss to Yorkshire. They also ace ‘eight-pointers’ against Durham and Notts, who are also very much in the mix. Durham’s last game against Northants could decide qualification for both teams. 

Team of the Week:- Bairstow (Yor +), Eskinazi (Mid), Short (Glo), Madsen (Der), Luxton (Yor), Lawrence (Sur), Ingram (Gla), Dwarshuis (Wor), Hasan Ali (Bea), Leonard (Gla), Amir (Ess)

Worcestershire’s Triple Whammy

While Stuart Broad and the Barmy Army were giving the Aussies a warm welcome by the throat at Edgbaston, other Antipodeans were in Vitality Blast action around the UK. Riki Wessels and Kiwi Martin Guptill got Worcestershire off to some stunning starts last week, as the county notched three straight wins which propelled them to second in the North division table. Their most emphatic came against Durham where they chased down 180 in barely 12 overs.

The opposition opener D’Arcy Short continued his fine all-round form although Durham lost two of their matches. Their only victory was at home to bottom team Leicestershire. Last week I conjectured that Leicester’s winless streak would surely end soon, and so it proved in an eleven-over romp at Trent Bridge where Arron Lilley cracked 66 in 30 deliveries. Hales, Duckett, Clarke and Christian just couldn’t respond for Nottinghamshire although they crushed the Birmingham Bears by 71 runs. Lancashire still top the group without a single defeat.

Further south, Afghan seamer Mohammad Nabi made some telling contributions for Kent, albeit with the bat. The most devastating was his 12-ball 43 not out in a seven-over thrash against Surrey, out-striking even Aaron Finch. In contrast, Kent’s first loss of the campaign was inflicted by Sussex, for whom Tymal Mills was in particularly good form all week and Jofra Archer was given a few workouts with the ball.

Glamorgan’s search for a T20 success goes on. They missed a golden opportunity to beat Gloucestershire at Cardiff where short-form specialist paceman Andrew Tye struck a rapid unbeaten 38 to earn his side a tie. The Welsh side did suffer the most humiliating reverse of the week, as Hampshire dismissed them for 87 on a tricky Southampton pitch. Mason Crane and Liam Dawson each took three cheap wickets.

Somerset managed a single win, beating Surrey easily in a high-scorer at Taunton. Eddie Byrom struck a 19-ball fifty on his T20 debut. However, a stress injury to Lewis Gregory earlier in the week could prove disastrous for Somerset not only in the Blast but also our efforts to clinch the Championship from Essex’s clutches. Cricket is not just about the Aussies.

Team of the Week: Short (Dur), Wessels (Wor), Westley (Ess), Vince (Ham), Parnell (Wor), Moores (Not +), Mohammad Nabi (Ken), Higgins (Glo), Crane (Ham), Rampaul (Der), Mills (Sus)