County Team of the Week of the Decade!

2023 marked the tenth year of my weekly county cricket blogs. During the domestic season, I select a balanced team of the week, from opening batters to fast bowlers, incorporating the best performers in red or white-ball formats as appropriate. A decade on, I thought it might be interesting to see which players have appeared most often in this period. 

The central contract system, designed to protect the national squad’s interests above all else, inevitably means that many of the top England stars exclude themselves from the majority of fixtures. Therefore, the list is dominated by players who have either worked their way up to international recognition or those whose cricketing ambitions are relatively modest or whose Test or ODI careers are largely behind them.  It goes without saying that The Hundred franchise competition does not count. 

68 have appeared in a Team of the Week on at least ten occasions and six have done so twenty times or more. Keeping with the tradition of selecting a genuine XI, I was surprised how the Decade Team almost picks itself. Here goes…. 

Keaton Jennings’ inability to impress the England selectors has benefitted first Durham, then Lancashire. 2016 was his breakthrough season but, at the age of 31, he will surely get Lancashire (or whoever) off to many more solid starts in the Championship or One-Day Cup. Daryl Mitchell was another unflashy opener. His team, Worcestershire, have been a yo-yo county in the Championship for years, and the local man’s form has been equally erratic. However, before he retired in 2021, he produced numerous big innings that frequently won games. 

Prior to his reinvention as a Test match Bazball exponent, Ben Duckett was a compact hard-hitter for Northants, later shifting to the richer Nottinghamshire. He was one of the highest scorers in the Covid-affected summer of 2020 and no specialist batsman has bettered his twenty Team of the Week appearances. Hampshire’s redoubtable James Vince is another evergreen master of all formats, but especially in the Twenty20 Blast where he has been top-scorer for the past two years. Sam Northeast, Joe Denly and Gary Ballance have featured frequently but my third middle-order man is Wayne Madsen. Derbyshire may be short on success but the Durban-born batsman has been an absolute rock for so long, also briefly but economically contributing to the T20 cause as an opening spinner.

 

There were several contenders for the wicketkeeper berth, including Foakes and Steven Davies, but Chris Cooke’s often match-defining heroics for Glamorgan have earned him an impressive seventeen Team of the Week slots. Batting down the order, he is always hard to remove, and takes plenty of vital catches behind the stumps to the likes of Hogan and Neser.

 

All-rounders have figured very strongly in my selections. The ability to strike a few fifties and take a five-for is a surefire way to merit a place in my weekly Eleven. Samit Patel, Liam Dawson, Rikki Clarke, Ben Raine and Ryan Higgins have been regulars, kept out of the England set-up by virtue of not being Ben Stokes. However, Somerset’s Lewis Gregory has been a below-the-radar star for a decade, but much-loved by the Tanton faithful, and me. Also deserving of twenty Teams of The Week appearances is Darren Stevens. His pace and eye may have slowed but even in his twilight years, past the age of forty, he was still capable of opening the bowling for Kent in the four-dayers, taking more than fifty wickets a season at under twenty runs apiece. Stevens was more than a mere journeyman. 

Michael Hogan and Chris Rushworth have also thrived well into their thirties but my next two bowlers have been instrumental in Essex’s success in recent years, notably in the County Championship. It is crazy that James Porter cannot find a way into the senior England set-up and, now 30, probably never will. He has been picked for 18 Teams of the Week, primarily for his red-ball exploits but his SA-born colleague Simon Harmer has gone three better. The off-spinner has dominated the Championship for a decade or so, and has more than nine hundred first-class wickets to his name, a sizeable chunk in the whites of Essex. Aged 34, he will surely reach a thousand, a rarity in this T20 era. 

Last but not least, the leading Team of the Week-er of the past decade is Craig Overton. Like Porter, his supreme county performances have not been enough to forge an enduring career for England, whose strategy no longer requires a McGrath-esque talent for nagging seam line and length. 2023 apart, the Somerset twin has been brilliant, particularly in those early months of the Championship. Like Harmer, his tendency to strike a brisk late-order half-century also does no harm. 

So there we have it. Who will be there in another ten years? The speed at which cricket is evolving, including its short-form entry into the Olympic arena, makes predictions impossible, and then there’s the uncertain future of the county game itself. Whatever happens, Simon Harmer will probably still be at the forefront! 

Team of the Week of the Decade: 

Jennings, Mitchell, Duckett, Vince, Madsen, Cooke (w), Gregory, Stevens, Harmer, C Overton, Porter. 12^th man: Denly

Princely Albert steers Hampshire to 100% record

This week, I’ll start with news that we may have seen the last of two great stalwarts of the county game. James Hildreth is one of the most prolific batsmen in Somerset’s history, and hugely popular in and around Taunton. In both 2005 and 2019 he struck the winning runs in the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup, respectively but in the past few seasons has struggled. Last week, he announced his retirement at the end of the summer but another injury, after a score of 12 versus Durham, has forced him to bring it forward. He never played for England, and neither did Darren Stevens who, at 45, will be released by Kent. He has enjoyed some of his best seasons in the Championship since passing 40 but has been used sparingly in 2022. Unlike Hildy, he wants to keep going, but who would take a punt on someone of his age? I think it’s best to retire gracefully and stay in the game as a coach, and be remembered as a brutal batsman and consistently nagging medium-pacer par excellence.

In this week’s RL 50-over fixtures, Somerset slumped to another three defeats, as did Glamorgan in Group B. At least the former pushed Middlesex almost all the way at Taunton, the last pair getting the Group A leaders across the line with four balls remaining. Middlesex skipper Steve Eskinazi made it three consecutive centuries, including 182 in 136 deliveries in the London derby. Surrey also took a pasting at Hove, where Sussex crushed them by 216 runs. Captain Cheteshwar Pujara plundered twenty fours and five sixes in his 174, one of two tons this week. Who’d have thought the dour Test batsman could be such a wonderful one-day strokeplayer?

Another captain, Essex’s Tom Westley, also made it two sets of three figures during the last seven days, including 109 against Kent, and seventeen year-old leg-spinner Luc Benkenstein, son of the former Durham all-rounder Dale, claimed 6-42 in the win over Glamorgan.

However, it’s Hampshire who lead Group B with an unblemished record so far. It wasn’t a smooth run. They squeezed past Derbyshire and close rivals Lancashire by just two wickets, and have 21 year-old bowler John Turner  and the even younger batsman Toby Albert to thank. The latter steered them home each time with well-judged unbeaten half-centuries. Definitely two to watch in a week when two veterans seemed at the end of their careers.

Team of the Week: Eskinazi (Mid), Patel (Sur), Westley (Ess), Pujara (Sus), Kimber (Lei), Bracey (Glo +), Albert (Ham), Trevaskis (Dur), Karvelas (Sus), Benkenstein (Ess), Turner (Ham)

County Cricket Stars of 2021

First of all, I have to say it was great to see a full cricket season again, even if the ongoing pandemic entailed crowd restrictions early on. It was probably too full, thanks to the ECB’s insistence in launching their pointless, ego-boosting city franchise format The Hundred to create a chaotic summer of four domestic competitions, plus England’s various international commitments. 

The Hundred was considered a huge success – by those financially or politically involved in it, probably because the BBC was allowed to broadcast some matches live, automatically boosting TV ratings which would have languished in the mere tens of thousands on the usual Sky channels surrounded by Extreme Tiddlywinks and World Husky Racing. Who won The Hundred? I don’t care. I believe the Pom Bears won the Men’s version and KP Nuts the women. My only regret about ignoring the new summer holiday tourney is that I neglected the women’s cricket at a time when it enjoyed the rare privilege of taking equal billing, and money, which is huge progress. 

So what else happened? There was Devon Conway’s 200 on debut for New Zealand, Joe Root’s prolific scoring against India, for whom they sported a rare world-class seam attack, and then that dreadfully disappointing cancellation/postponement of the Test series decider in case it interfered with IPL commitments – sorry, I meant to write ‘because of a few positive Covid cases in the visitors’ squad’. 

On the domestic scene, Somerset were utterly dominant in the first phase of the County Championship, then completely useless for the September climax. Warwickshire nicked it on the very last day. Kent won the T20 Blast, leaving Somerset with a customary runner-up badge, while Glamorgan somehow fielded a balanced side capable of capturing the One-Day Cup. It was missing many established stars raking in the Hundred cash but did introduce me to a raft of new names, including Tim David (Surrey), Feroze Khushi (Essex), Joe Cooke (Glamorgan’s top wicket-taker) and Lancashire’s Jack Morley, who could well break into the big time next season. 

So who makes my end-of-season County Team of the Year? As ever it spans all three county formats so probably wouldn’t be a world-beater in any one of them. Apart from one or two shoo-ins, I found it harder than usual. However, based on the stats and appearances in my weekly XIs, here are my selections. 

Openers:

Sussex’s Tom Haines was the top scorer with the red ball, while Warwickshire’s Rob Yates finished the season strongly. Mark Stoneman struggled with Surrey but, after crossing the Thames to Middlesex and making a ‘pair’ on his debut, he rediscovered some first-class form. Alex Lees and Graham Clark were prolific together in the Royal London Cup and Haseeb Hameed showed enough in a couple of Nottinghamshire games to earn an unexpected England recall. However, I’ve plumped for Worcestershire’s Jake Libby, also my choice in 2020, who aggregated more runs (1,629) than anybody, and Northamptonshire’s Ricardo Vasconselos who showed commendable consistency with red and white balls and can also keep wicket if required. 

Middle-order:

Like Stoneman, Hashim Amla suffered a few ducks but when he reached three figures he tended to go big. Another Surrey player, Ollie Pope also seemed to relish batting at The Oval, striking two double-hundreds. His 274 against Glamorgan in the season finale was the highest Championship innings of 2021 but even I might have hung around (for 0) on that batsman’s paradise! Ben Brown of Sussex batted well without the responsibility of keeping wicket, while Lancashire’s Josh Bohannon averaged over 50 and both Essex skipper Tom Westley and the ever-dependable Sam Hain also came into the equation. David Bedingham was a new name to me but the 27 year-old South African made a huge impact for Durham. As well as passing 1000 Championship runs at more than 60, his 50-over strike rate was a massive 140. Lewis Hill had what must have been his best season yet for Leicestershire and young Cardiffian Kiran Carlson showed his more senior colleagues how to make runs on sometimes difficult wickets. 

All-Rounders:

Aged 25, Worcestershire’s Ed Barnard has already taken more than 200 first-class wickets but in 2021 he seemed to transform into a batting, not bowling all-rounder, averaging 50 and 42, respectively. It wouldn’t be an annual review without mentioning Darren Stevens. Even at 45, he snared 39 Championship wickets at only 18.58 while two explosive innings for Kent made the headlines. His semi-final blitz was instrumental in the Spitfires going on to win the T20 Blast and in May he smashed 15 sixes and 15 fours out of 190 in a rain-hit game against Glamorgan. This was very nearly more than anyone else managed in the same match – combined! Nevertheless I have plumped for Derbyshire’s Matt Critchley. As a leg-spinner he ought to be a valuable T20 performer but 2021 was his breakthrough season with a bat. He passed fifty nine times and was one of only five players to reach the 1,000-run milestone in the Championship. 

Wicket-keeper:

Lots of candidates for this one, and it was too close to call. Ollie Robinson, Harry Swindells, James Bracey (now an improbable England international), John Simpson, the very inconsistent Glamorgan batsman and skipper Chris Cooke and Notts gloveman Tom Moores all pushed hard but Michael Burgess  of champions Warwickshire edged it for his ability in all three formats. 

Bowlers:- 

Before England came a-calling, Craig Overton and Ollie Robinson were in fine fettle. Redoubtable fellow seamers Chris Rushworth and 40 year-olds Tim Murtagh and Michael Hogan continued to serve their counties with distinction. Even in the RL Cup, the latter conceded fewer than three an over, strangling the opposition on Glamorgan’s march towards success. Tom Bailey carried much of the Lancashire attack while South African Dane Paterson also claimed more than 50 first-class wickets at under 20 apiece. Sam Cook finished very strongly for Essex, his 10-41 aggregate against Northants leaving his season average below 15. Jimmy Anderson took 7-19 in a rare outing for Lancashire and Liam Norwell took his opportunities well as Warwickshire closed in on the title but it was Nottinghamshire’s giant Luke Fletcher who easily topped the Championship wicket table with 66. He was on fire in May.

The Parkinson spin twins enjoyed solid summers, Leicestershire’s Callum beating Matt in the wicket department, but yet again it was Essex’s Simon Harmer who was the domestic game’s outstanding versatile bowler. He was amongst the most prolific in all three competitions, totalling 90. His career tally is now pushing 900 and who would bet against him passing the 1000 mark by the close of 2022? 

To summarise, my County Eleven of 2021 is as follows:- 

Libby (Wor), Vasconselos (Nor), Bedingham (Dur), Hill (Lei), Carlson (Gla), Critchley (Der), Burgess (War), Harmer (Ess), Fletcher (Not), S Cook (Ess), Rushworth. 12^th man: Stevens (Ken)

Warwickshire County Champions in last-day drama

So, after a Hundred-hampered, two-phase season, the destination of the County Championship fluctuated several times during the final four days before settling on Warwickshire in dramatic style. It was like a typical thriller. Red herrings, plot twists and in the climactic episode it was a peripheral character who dunit.

At the start of the week, Hampshire were in pole position to win the title for the first time since, incredibly, 1973. Beat Lancashire at Liverpool and they’d succeed. However, when they were bowled out for 143 and still ended up with a first-innings lead, it looked like being a lottery. Second time around Tom Bailey (7-37) was in devastating form and only an 80-run stand from James Vince and Liam Dawson prevented an embarrassment. Nonetheless, Lancashire’s target was, in the context of the game, a challenging one. They made a solid start and, with captain Dane Vilas at the crease, were cruising to victory. Suddenly Mason Crane grabbed wickets only for the cool-headed skipper, with one partner left, to strike the winning boundary. Hampshire’s chance had gone. 

Long-time leaders Nottinghamshire were hosting Yorkshire and had been in with a shout themselves. Joe Clarke’s 109 and Joey Evison’s 4-13 gave them hope on day two and, despite Adam Lyth’s robust 153, Ben Slater’s unbeaten 79 ensured Notts won by five wickets. However, Lancashire’s win left them an agonising half a point behind. 

Over to Edgbaston where bowlers were finding life more difficult. Warwickshire were piling on the runs until the returning Craig Overton, unplayable earlier in the summer, put on the brakes with five wickets. Given Somerset’s abysmal record this September, it was therefore amazing that they somehow notched a marginal first-innings lead and on the final morning a draw looked the most likely outcome. The home side promptly went for broke, led by Rob Yates and Will Rhodes, declaring 272 ahead. Could Somerset avoid yet another defeat? Nah. Chris Woakes claimed another three victims, as did Craig Miles so, on the very final afternoon, the Championship belonged to Warwickshire! 

In Division Two, wickets tumbled like the Government’s Brexit restrictions on foreign HGV drivers. Twenty-four fell on day one at Chelmsford and Essex had beaten Northamptonshire by an innings early the next morning. At barely 96 overs in total, it was the shortest ‘four-day’ match in Championship history! Sam Cook’s 10-41 were the most significant stats but I wonder if a points deduction will be imposed, just as it was against Somerset in their decider versus Essex last year. 

Gloucestershire also defeated Durham inside two days. Spinner Zafar Gohar took eleven wickets while all-rounder Graeme van Buuren rounded off a fine season. Nobody won more first-class matches in 2021 than Gloucester but  Essex still finished above them. What a contrast with proceedings at The Oval. Only ten wickets fell in the entire match! Chris Cooke’s 205 not out helped Glamorgan to a mighty 672-6 declared but Surrey’s top order also enjoyed two days of batting practice. Jamie Smith and Hashim Amla helped themselves to hundreds but Ollie Pope went even further. He improved his Oval record by reaching 274 before part-time spinner Hamish Rutherford ripped out his middle stump. At one stage, ‘keeper Cooke swapped places with seamer Michael Hogan to amuse themselves but it couldn’t have been much fun for spectators. In his very last innings, Rikki Clarke was given a guard of honour by the opposition and ended unbeaten on twelve. What a servant to county cricket he has been. 

Talking of brilliant veterans, Darren Stevens took 4-21 and 1-18 in Kent’s two-wicket victory over Middlesex. Very much a game of two halves, the batsmen took charge on the last two days. Mark Stoneman struck 109 for the visitors, then Ollie Robinson (109) and young Zimbabwean refugee Tuwanda Muyeye (89) seemed to be steering the match in Kent’s favour until Murtagh and Roland-Jones intervened. On the fourth morning, with just three men left, Matt Milnes and Grant Stewart saw them home for a fourth successive win. 

Worcestershire advanced to third place with a ten-wicket demolition of Leicestershire. Jake Libby top-scored with 77 and Joe Leach claimed six wickets to triumph with a day to spare. After the remaining fixture at Hove involving the bottom clubs, the wooden spoon was the unwanted property of Sussex who handed Derbyshire their first win of the season. Wayne Madsen struck 111 in the first innings but Ben Brown achieved a valiant 157. On its own this isn’t especially momentous, but no fewer than six team-mates were dismissed for ducks! Matt Critchley mopped up the tail, forcing Sussex to follow on. This time it was Brown who failed to score, but only Rawlins passed 30. An innings defeat was averted but a ten-wicket margin was still pretty decisive. 

The Championship is over for another year but top two counties Lancashire and Warwickshire will meet to decide the Bob Willis Trophy next week. Forecast showers could affect the result but if the pitch is as bowler-friendly as Liverpool or Chelmsford, it could be done and dusted by Wednesday….. 

Team of the Week: Lyth (Yor), Stoneman (Mid), Yates (War), Pope (Sur), Cooke (Gla), Robinson (Ken +), Van Buuren (Glo), Stevens (Ken), Bailey (Lan), Zafar Gohar (Glo), S Cook (Ess)

Notts take charge of Championship

After all August’s white ball shenanigans and Joe Root’s heroics for England, it was good to see the County Championship back up and running. For the first time we have a second phase league system so only the six members of Division One have a chance of winning the 2021 title. 

Somerset’s initial advantage was immediately wiped out by Nottinghamshire, who left Taunton with maximum points and Somerset with a whole chicken coop-ful of egg on their faces. The home team badly missed Craig Overton, on international duty at Headingley, as Steven Mullaney’s side racked up 448. All-rounder Liam Patterson-White top-scored with 101 before the seam trio of Luke Fletcher, Brett Hutton and Dane Paterson ensured a massive first-innings lead. It was slightly harder on day three but Somerset were again bowled out for under 200 and the humiliation was complete. 

At Southampton, Yorkshire were all over Hampshire for most of the match. Gary Ballance’s ton and Jordan Thompson’s seven wickets were instrumental in the Rose Bowl county needing to bat out the entire fourth day merely to avoid defeat. That they succeeded ultimately depended on an incredible rearguard action by the final pair. Kyle Abbott and Brad Wheal defended the last 46 balls without scoring but, more importantly, without losing a wicket. 

It was also quite slow scoring at Old Trafford but at least runs were put on the board. Warwickshire’s Chris Benjamin and Sam Hain shared a stand of 237, then Lancashire batsman Josh Bohannon (170) kept a rampant Liam Norwell (6-57) at bay. Day four was a rather dull round of batting practice en route for a draw. 

In Division Two, Essex were off to a flier, beating Glamorgan by a innings. Welsh bowler Lukas Carey was the only Glammie batsman to reach double figures twice, making Nick Browne’s century look even more remarkable. Shane Snater and Sam Cook starred for Essex with the ball. A positive Covid test in the Surrey camp caused their clash with Durham to be postponed but Gloucestershire enjoyed a six-wicket home triumph over Northants. At halfway, they were in deep trouble but a Ryan Higgins five-fer and half-centuries by Hammnd, Lace and van Buuren turned things around. 

Meanwhile, ex-England opener Mark Stoneman made his debut for his third county of the summer. Maybe he was confused but, lining up for Middlesex, his two efforts lasted a combined four balls for zero runs. Oh dear. Luckily for him, his colleagues made up for his deficiencies. Robert White reached three figures while Bamber, Murtagh and Toby Roland-Jones, back after a lengthy injury lay-off, snared seventeen Derbyshire wickets between them to claim a 112-run victory. The redoubtable Darren Stevens slogged a 70-ball unbeaten 107 to keep Kent in the game against Leicestershire but it was Matt Milnes (6-53) which ensured a healthy winning margin. Worcestershire also enjoyed a triumphant start, with Jake Libby’s second-innings hundred leading the way. 

Team of the Week: Browne (Ess), Libby (Wor), Bohannon (Lan), Benjamin (War), Ballance (Yor), Moores (Not +), D Stevens (Ken), Snater (Ess), Thompson (Yor), Fletcher (Not), Milnes (Ken)

Darren Stevens Gives the Fans a Treat

If anything this week’s weather was even worse than last week’s. There were plenty of excellent seam bowling performances and hopeful batting thrashes but only one produced a victory. The nationwide sweeps of rain make Nottinghamshire’s long-forgotten ability to win even more remarkable. 

They returned to the pinnacle of Group 1 with a resounding innings victory at Trent Bridge. First, Ben Duckett (177 not out) and skipper Steve Mullaney (88) flayed the Worcestershire attack to achieve maximum batting bonus points, then the bowlers twice dismissed the opposition with ease. For the second successive match, Luke Fletcher achieved his career best figures, taking 7-37 and 3-20. In Essex’s draw with Warwickshire, Peter Siddle starred with 6-38 while in the Durham-Derbyshire clash, veteran Chris Rushworth and 21 year-old Ben Aitchison swapped six-fors. 

In Group 2, only 115 overs were possible in the one-two challenge in Bristol. A brilliant 132 not out by Tom Abell, ably supported by Lewis Gregory, took them to 300, then in what time was available on Sunday Craig Overton grabbed four cheap Gloucestershire wickets to back his England recall. The draw was inevitable but Somerset edged the bonus point battle to cut Gloucestershire’s margin at the top by three. Generous innings forfeits by Hampshire and Leicestershire proved ultimately in vain at Southampton, but Kyle Abbott did shine with 6-47. 

At The Oval, Surrey and Middlesex came creditably close to producing an exciting conclusion. In-form Surrey opener Rory Burns scored a further 168 runs and team-mate Kemar Roach claimed nine wickets as the visitors’ run chase ran out of time despite an 173-run stand between Nick Gubbins and Peter Handscomb. 

In Group 3, barely 34 overs were possible at Northampton, although Lancashire’s Alex Davies made a patient half-century. However, the star performance of the week was created by that modern marvel of county cricket, Darren Stevens. With his Kent side bottom of the table, struggling on 128-8 and well aware that rain would prevent any chance of beating Glamorgan, the 45 year-old thought he had nothing to lose. He’s been in terrible form with the bat but suddenly the stars were aligned, the fans were back in Canterbury and the boundaries flowed: his total of fifteen sixes is the second highest number ever struck in a Championship innings. In a perfectly executed study of how to use the wind and farm the strike, in his ninth wicket stand of 166, partner Miguel Cummins contributed precisely just a single! Stevens had made 190 from 147 balls when Marnus Labuschagne, having already dropped him, induced a catch to long-on. ‘Bilbo’ gained revenge on the Aussie in Glamorgan’s brief reply, trapping him lbw for 11. 

He’ll relish the rest next week as Kent don’t have a fixture, but the Bank Holiday weekend will witness the Roses match at Old Trafford to decide the leadership of Group 3. In Group 2, Gloucestershire travel to Surrey with a chance to establish a substantial advantage, and Nottinghamshire can do the same in Group 1 by defeating Warwickshire at Edgbaston. However, should they lose, Essex and Derbyshire are waiting to pounce should they beat Durham and Worcestershire, respectively. 

Team of the Week: Burns (Som), Stoneman (Som), Duckett (Not), Abell (Som), Simpson (Mid +), Mullaney (Not), Stevens (Ken), Abbott (Ham), Fletcher (Not), Roach (Sur), Aitchison (Der)

It's down to Essex and Somerset again!

 The final round of Bob Willis Trophy fixtures offered a myriad of possible outcomes regarding qualification for the Final. What we did not anticipate was the abandonment of the Gloucestershire-Northants clash at lunch on day one, thanks to a positive Covid test result. Obviously a concern but neither side were in contention. 

The main focus in the Central group was New Road, where Worcestershire and Somerset squared up, with the winners likely to harvest sufficient points to be in the top two overall. A draw would suit neither, and it went to the final afternoon.  Yet again Somerset enjoyed a first innings lead, although they conceded the first batting point of the entire season when Worcester limped to 200. Ed Barnard proceeded to rock Somerset but Tom Lammonby carried his bat for 107 to set the home team a gettable 245. However, the opposing seam attack has been dominant all summer. Jamie Overton may have jumped ship to Surrey but Josh Davey took 3-16 to thwart a useful batting line-up and carry Somerset into a second successive Lord’s final. 

They will meet Essex on the 23rd to decide the destination of the red-ball title, just as they did a year ago. The county champions wrapped up victory over Middlesex at Chelmsford inside three days. Simon Harmer was again a key contributor but it was seamers Sam Cook and Aaron Beard who shone brightest, snaffling seven cheap wickets between them in the second innings. 

Kent also proved triumphant, but ultimately in vain. England’s new Test star Zak Crawley notched a second innings ton but much of the damage inflicted upon Hampshire was really done by seamers Harry Podmore and that man Darren Stevens, who could celebrate match stats of 9-72. Even at 44, he could still fulfil Kent’s workhorse role. Roll on 2021! 

Surrey finally clinched a consolation success at home to Sussex. Tom Haines launched the visitors to a 400+ score and not even a first red-ball century this year from Rory Burns and Will Jacks’ unbeaten 84 could help Surrey match that. New signing Jamie Overton (dammit!) weighed in with 55 but went wicketless as the spinners Moriarty and Virdi  blitzed Sussex second time around, leaving Burns et al to win by six wickets. 

Up North, Derbyshire’s hopes of a place at Lord’s were extinguished by Lancashire’s second-innings runfest at Aysgarth. I’d never heard of George Balderson and Danny Lamb but the duo shared a century stand and ten wickets in the 178-run victory. Jack Morley is even younger and, making his debut at 19, he took 5-71. Yorkshire also made short work of their opponents, Leicestershire. Jordan Thompson enjoyed his maiden five-for although old man Ben Coad (he’s 26) more than equalled that return. Amazingly his career first-class average has now dipped below 20. 

Nobody has scooped more batting bonus points than Nottinghamshire but their bowlers have been unable to capitalise. Ben Duckett and Joe Clarke each reached three figures once more, despite the efforts of Chris Rushworth whose seven victims included his 500^th for Durham who batted long enough on day four to thwart Notts yet again. The four-day winless run now extends into a third season. 

Finally, a special mention for Ian Bell. In his ultimate first-class game, the Warwickshire veteran signed off with 50 and 90, and still his critics moaned about a century-making opportunity spurned. That encapsulates for me the lame attitude towards one of the finest English batsmen of the century. That his runs this week did not earn a win owes much to Glamorgan’s rearguard action on the last afternoon, led by Nick Selman’s resolute 73 and the tenth wicket pair getting through to stumps unbroken. 

It’s been great to have some genuine county cricket in this Corona-summer and, although fans have been kept away from most of the action – and won’t be allowed in for the Final either – it hasn’t been a wasted year, offering opportunities to many young cricketers and introducing a host of new names to me. Let’s hope many can kick on to greater things. 

Team of the Week: Burns (Sur), Lammonby (Som), Duckett (Not), Clarke (Not), Bell (War), Wheater (Ess +), D Lamb (Mid), D Stevens (Ken), Davey (Som), S Cook (Ess), Coad (Yor)

Somerset reign by beating the rain

Last week it was Storm Ellen, this one, Storm Francis. Both wreaked havoc across the UK, but each affected the cricket schedule in different ways. 

Essex, beneficiaries of some fourth-day sunshine a week ago, failed to even complete a single innings against Hampshire at Arundel, although Sir Alastair Cook passed 24,000 first-class career runs with a 66^th century. Kent advanced to second in the South table by dealing Surrey their fourth successive defeat, but it was a close-run thing. Ben Foakes’ first ton of the summer restricted Surrey's deficit to 64 before Rikki Clarke (5-20) and Sam Curran  (4-39) gave their batsmen a fairly easy target of 192. Enter the venerable Darren Stevens. He ripped out three top-order batsmen in his first spell and Matt Milnes wrapped things up with the home side an agonising 17 runs short. 

At Radlett, another evergreen seamer, Tim Murtagh, maintained his 2020 form taking a second-innings 5-34 to set up Middlesex’s five-wicket triumph over Sussex. 

In the Central group, Somerset seemed once more destined to fall victim to the weather with their opponents on the ropes eight wickets down and 300+ behind. Fortunately the rain abated and the outfield dried sufficiently to hand Craig Overton and Jack Brooks the opportunity to finish the job. ‘Coverton’ and Josh Davey claimed sixteen wickets between them as Gloucestershire were skittled twice for sub-100 scores. So much for their first four-dayer against their local rivals for donkeys’ years! The Cidermen have yet to concede a single batting bonus point, a remarkable achievement, and yet online viewers were also treated to Bartlett, Abell and Tom Lammonby each reaching three figures. It was the latter’s maiden century in only his fourth match. 

Worcestershire remain only six points adrift after their draw at home to neighbours Warwickshire. Daryl Mitchell has been around for ages but his 110 was remarkably his first ever red-ball ton against Warwicks, for whom Will Rhodes struck an impressive 207. A draw was inevitable and now Worcester host leaders Somerset, the winners destined for a place in the Bob Willis final. 

Debutant Callum Taylor showed his fellow Glamorgan batsman how to score runs, making 106 against Northamptonshire. However, he blended in well second time around with a duck, before tail-ender Marchant De Lange went wild, blazing a 78-ball 113, in the process surpassing the county record for the fastest hundred. However, it was too little, too late, and Charlie Thurston saw Northants home with a rapid 64 not out. 

The weather was unkind to northern England, with no positive outcomes possible. The Roses encounter at Headingley proved a sterile encounter with batsmen broadly in charge. Adam Lyth top-scored with 103 then two ex-Tyke umpires had no option but to halt proceedings on the final morning. Leaders Derbyshire were also hamstrung at Chester-le-Street, but Luis Reece had time to add 122 runs to his two wickets. 

Leicestershire entertained Nottinghamshire but it was the visitors’ ex-Somerset legend Peter Trego who rolled back the years with the ball. Ackermann and Swindells ensured Leicester didn’t suffer a final day humiliation but neither have a chance of reaching the final. After the week’s break for T20 action, Leicester can instead extinguish any hopes harboured by Yorkshire but Derbyshire have an excellent chance of qualifying at Lancashire. Essex are in pole position in the South group but, as ever, it’ll be the performance of cold fronts and shower clouds which are likely to decide the leading two points scorers. 

Team of the Week: Rhodes (War), Reece (Der), Abell (Som), Thurston (Nor), Foakes (Sur +), Taylor (Gla), Stevens (Ken), De Lange (Gla), C Overton (Som), White (Nor), Davey (Som)

Stevens breaks records, Abbott breaks Somerset

Because of an impending holiday in Portugal, I am taking the unusual step of writing this week’s county blog before the full set of fixtures are over. However, with most of the results already confirmed, it’s not completely crazy.

Somerset’s hopes of that elusive Championship title rest entirely on beating Essex at Taunton next week after being flattened by Hampshire at the Rose Bowl inside three days. They have become accustomed to bowling sides out twice, thanks to the Overtons, Gregory, Leach or Davey but this week they came up against Kyle Abbott, who claimed the best bowling figures ever for the county and the best by anybody since Jim Laker since the Fifties.

First up he took 9-40 then, once Somerset’s openers had established a solid 86, he produced another devastating spell of 8-46. And yet Somerset may have triumphed had Hampshire not had to rely on centuries by Liam Dawson in the first innings and James Vince in the second.

Meanwhile, Essex did all that could be asked of them by routing Surrey at Chelmsford. Porter and Cook each claimed five-fors in the first innings then the spin of Simon Harmer polished off the calamitous ex-champions on Thursday afternoon. Dan Lawrence and the reliable Ryan Ten Doeschate each struck tons. As a result, a draw will be enough in the final fixture at Taunton. I think all us Somerset fans know exactly how it will play out….

Kent look set to beat Yorkshire and that man Darren Stevens has done it again. After a mediocre summer, Kent decided not to renew his contract but they may be reconsidering because he thumped a career-best 237 as part of a Kent record sixth-wicket partnership of 347. At 43, he is also the oldest double-centurion for the county for seventy years. And he’s not finished in this match because at stumps on day three he has 4-12 with the ball. What a legend! It’s rare for a man making three figures twice to be outshone, but that’s what has happened to his skipper Sam Billings.

Nottinghamshire have a chance of a first victory of the season, thanks largely to Steve Mullaney and Joe Clarke, who is seeking to emulate Billings by heading towards a second hundred of the match. Dom Sibley’s unbeaten 215 for Warwickshire may have done enough to ensure a draw.

In Division Two, Gloucestershire defeated Worcestershire despite Ed Barnard’s 6-42, and must surely be home and dry for a promotion they can’t honestly have predicted. Northamptonshire are set to join them and Lancashire in the top tier next season, barring a late-order miracle comeback by Durham. ‘Keeper Adam Rossington’s batting counter-attack and Ben Sanderson’s wickets look to have done the trick.

Sussex’s slender hopes were skittled by Derbyshire, for whom Luis Reece crafted a second innings 184 and took 5-63. White ball specialist Reece Topley enjoyed a reasonable but long-delayed first-class debut for Sussex, albeit in a losing cause. Leicestershire will definitely finish bottom of Division Two as Glamorgan are on the verge of victory against them in Cardiff. Kraigg Brathwaite earned his crust by grinding out 103.

Unless we decide to stay on the Algarve for another six years to retain EU residency, I’ll be back to report on the conclusion of proceedings next week.

Team of the Week: Mullaney (Not), Sibley (War), Clarke (Not), Billings (Ken), Dawson (Ham), Rossington (Nor +), Stevens (Ken), Simpson (Mid), Abbott (Ham), Harmer (Ess), Sanderson (Nor)

Davey Fires Somerset back to the top

With the County Championship entering its final straight, three of the four Division One games ended in victories by more than 200 runs. Crucially, the exception was at Edgbaston where Essex were made to follow on. Warwickshire had racked up 517, helped by Matthew Lamb’s maiden century, making Essex’s chance of victory almost impossible. Tom Westley’s second substantial score of the game did at least prevent a defeat but events in Taunton must have left them frustrated.

It was another low-scoring fixture in Somerset, but the home side’s second innings left Yorkshire in dire straits. Craig Overton may have been absent with the England squad but his replacement Josh Davey was inspired. His 3-30 and 5-21 were integral to third-placed Yorkshire twice being skittled for little more than 100. Their 19 points was enough to move ahead of Essex by eight points. Unless Somerset beat Hampshire next week and Essex lose at home to Surrey – an unlikely combination of events – the title will be decided in a winner-takes-all at Taunton in a fortnight. My heart won’t stand it, and I’ll be in Portugal on holiday when it happens!

Hampshire met Surrey at Southampton this week and it was the champions came off the worse. It was even-stevens after the first innings. Rikki Clarke took 5-21 and Keith Barker 4-38 but when Hampshire batted second, no fewer than five players struck half-centuries, led by a rapid 91 by James Vince. However, it was their 20 year-old opener Felix Organ who clinched the match – with the ball. His part-time leg-breaks clamed 5-25 as Surrey slumped to 151 all out.

At the other end of the table, Nottinghamshire were relegated after Kent demolished them at Trent Bridge. Ravi Ashwin may have taken nine wickets spread over 50 overs but Kent’s star of the show was that wily all-rounder, Darren Stevens. He scored 88 and took 10-92 in the match to send Notts back to the second tier with two fixtures yet to play. They are the only county not to have won in the  Championship. Even Leicestershire have one triumph to their name.

It didn’t happen this week, though. Northamptonshire advanced to a clear second place by winning at Grace Road by seven wickets. Richard Keogh top-scored with 132. Lancashire are assured of promotion, defeating Derbyshire by an innings at Old Trafford inside three days. Josh Bohannon’s 174, his first Championship century, set it up, and the bowlers did the rest to ensure an immediate return to the top tier.

Sussex dealt Gloucestershire’s surprising top three hopes a blow, inflicting an eight-wicket thumping at Bristol. Just about every member of the eleven contributed with runs and/or wickets. Durham schlepped down to Lord’s and came away with a 44-run success. Suddenly they, too, are in the hunt, for which they have Ben Raine (5-26) and South African paceman Brydon Carse (6-26) to thank. Should they beat Northants next week, they will have undertaken a remarkable turnaround and could find themselves a win over Glamorgan away from the rarified atmosphere of Division One.

Worcestershire’s mediocre first-class season improved slightly at New Road where Glamorgan succumbed inside three days. Daryl Mitchell hasn’t been in the runs for a while but struck a welcome second-innings 139. Moeen Ali enjoyed another red-ball outing but it will be at the T20 Finals Day where his time may yet come in 2019.

Team of the Week: Godleman (Der), Mitchell (Wor), Bohannon (Lan), Westley (Ess), Lamb (War), Stevens (Ken), McManus (Ham +), Wiese (Sus), Raine (Dur), Organ (Ham), Davey (Som)

Worcestershire Up…. Then Down

It all started so well for Worcestershire. Last weekend, a combination of Ben Cox’s new-found finishing skills, Pat Brown’s mega-mean spin and Moeen Ali’s allroundership propelled the Royals to their first T20 Blast title. However, they knew that their stay in the Championship’s top flight was tenuous at best. Needing to beat Essex at Chelmsford, it all went pear-shaped straightaway as Jamie Porter ripped through them before lunch. Ravi Bopara then starred as Essex established a 380-run first-innings lead. There was no coming back from that. When asked a direct question, Daryl Mitchell had professed a preference for the Finals Day success even if his side were relegated so at least he and his mates will have to live off the Edgbaston euphoria.

Champions-elect Surrey were thwarted in their effort to make it ten consecutive wins by the impact of Storm Bronagh. Gales and torrential rain combined to render the Taunton pitch unplayable on day four, with Somerset struggling to avoid an innings defeat. Surrey’s top four had piled on well over 300 runs before the home team were bowled out for a mediocre 146. His hopes of a Championship already dashed poor Marcus Trescothick bagged a pathetic ‘pair’. I hope his Taunton career doesn’t end in such a manner.

The weather messed things up at Headingley where Adam Lyth had reached three figures in the Championship for the first time in over a year. Tim Bresnan also rolled back the years, taking 5-28 but a final day washout gave Hampshire the draw they needed to preserve Division One status. The White Roses are almost certainly safe and need just five points from their final fixture against Worcestershire to be 100% sure. Lancashire must win at Southampton to stand a chance of relegating Nottinghamshire who host Somerset.

The Division Two promotion places were confirmed when Kent annihilated Glamorgan with five sessions to spare. They notched their tenth victory and the Welsh side their tenth defeat, which says it all. Matt Henry and Darren Stevens took nine second-innings wickets while 20 year-old Zak Crawley completed a maiden century. With Warwickshire and Sussex playing out a high-scoring draw – a rarity this month – Sussex saw their fading hopes evaporate completely.

If Glamorgan thought they had it bad, Durham suffered the ignominy of being bowled out twice by Leicestershire for under 70 inside 52 second day overs. Mohammad Abbas achieved a couple of five-fors, including five clean-bowleds en route for a fifth win of the summer.

Middlesex beat Derbyshire despite a Matt Critchley century and, in a last day rearguard action, Billy Godleman carrying his bat for 105. The Gloucestershire-Northants action was severely curtailed by the weather. There’s not a lot to play for next week so expect a few first-class debuts around the country and maybe the launch of future stellar careers.

Team of the Week:

Robson (Mid), Crawley (Ken), Godleman (Der), Trott (War), Hain (War), Cox (Wor +), Critchley (Der), Stevens (Ken), Henry (Ken), Mohammad Abbas (Lei), Porter (Ess)

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)

County Cricket Team of 2017

The County Championship structure was adjusted this year to reduce the fixtures played by the top tier, and presumably the strain placed upon those men likely to be playing for England. However, with the international summer dragging on until the end of September, it was even harder for counties to play their stars for more than a few games all season anyway.

From my team of 2016, Keaton Jennings and Ben Duckett were tried and discarded, while Tom Westley just about did enough against the West Indies to justify selection for the Ashes tour. As for the 2017 county competitions, newly-promoted Essex became champions by a country mile while their predecessors Middlesex were relegated alongside a woeful Warwickshire outfit. Worcestershire replaced them, as did Nottinghamshire, who also grabbed both limited-overs trophies in Chris Read’s final season. With only eight teams in Division One, by mid-September most of them were still at risk of relegation. Not sure if that’s a healthy thing but it certainly concentrated the mind, especially at Somerset’s final match at home to Middlesex.

Anyway, who were the men who contributed most to domestic cricket across all three formats?

Openers:

In terms of first-class cricket, there were few consistent run-scorers.at the very top of the order. Alastair Cook helped Essex to a fine start to the summer, averaging 67 in all and, perhaps improbably, was the most prolific player in the Royal London Cup. However, my top two pretty much pick themselves. Alongside Rory Burns, Mark Stoneman made 1,156 Championship runs at 60.84 and 456 in the 50-over tournament for Surrey, and Daryl Mitchell’s seven centuries for Division Two champions Worcestershire were critical.

Middle-order:

Let’s deal first with the no-brainer. Kumar Sangakkara was utterly magnificent. In only 16 innings he reached three figures eight times, five of them consecutive. He stroked runs in either innings and, with the openers, ensured Surrey attained more batting bonus points than anybody else by a mile. If only their bowlers had been any good, they may have given Essex a run for their money. In all competitions the retiring Sri Lankan legend scored 2,156 for his county. Fabulous! Kent’s Joe Denly was the second highest scorer overall. With Sam Northeast, he often held their batting together in Division Two and tonked almost 600 runs in the T20 Blast.

When considering Nottinghamshire batsmen, many don’t get further than Alex Hales. However, the duo of Samit Patel and Riki Wessels were far more influential with the bat, Wessels particularly effective in the T20, often doubling as wicketkeeper. Patel crunched two double-centuries and his spin was typically miserly in the short stuff, too. I should also mention Mark Cosgrove’s consistency amidst the misery that was Leicestershire’s batting line-up. Nevertheless, my number five slot goes to South African Colin Ingram. He scored over a thousand limited overs runs in all, helping Glamorgan to a rare Finals Day appearance with bat and ball.

All-Rounder:

As ever, top-class batsmen-bowlers were thin on the ground. While Ben Stokes was doing his thing for England and outside Bristol clubs, Peter Trego unusually quiet in Taunton, Samit Patel focussing on his batting and Chris Woakes out of county action, the stage was set for a couple of doughty county old-stagers. Steven Mullaney is often written off as a dibbly-dobbler medium-pacer who can bat a bit. However, I bet most counties would love to have a Mullaney in their squad: he has the sound technique to open in the four-dayers, provide valuable late-order swishes in the 50-overs and keep the runs down in Twenty20. Yet he is eclipsed by my old favourite, Darren Stevens. It speak volumes for Kent’s thin attack that a 41 year-old opens their bowling but he finished the season on a record 60 Championship wickets at barely 18 apiece, while notching 707 runs at over 41, and that ignores almost 400 in the one-dayers. His age suggests retirement can’t be far away but at the moment he s simply irreplaceable for Kent.

Wicket-keeper:

Much attention was paid to the progress of Lancashire’s Alex Davies, promoted to open in the Championship. He made a good start, too, while their other young opener Habeeb struggled. At 31, his namesake Steven Davies took time to find his feet at Somerset but then so did the rest of the side. It was his runs and stumpings which did so much to rescue the county from relegation and he seemed to perform best against his old Surrey team mates. Ha-ha, Mr Batty! Surrey’s Ben Foakes also improved his batting but Ollie Pope tended to man the stumps in the Blast. I ought to mention James Foster’s fine second half of the season for Essex but my selection goes, narrowly to Middlesex’s John Simpson. Too often his runs at six or seven held them together and nobody claimed more dismissals on the county circuit.

Bowlers:-

While the likes of Anderson, Broad, Ball and Finn were restricted in their conty appearances, it was left to 24 year-old Essex seamer Jamie Porter to reprise last year’s Division Two success at the higher level. His return of 75 wickets at only 16.82 was phenomenal and makes him the obvious choice, besides Sangakkara, for my Eleven. Worcestershire skipper Joe Leach was also rock steady with the new ball, Ben Coad was a real find for Yorkshire, Liam Norwell did great work for Gloucestershire and, unlike Surrey’s Curran brothers, Craig Overton seemed to progress for Somerset on unhelpful pitches. But my other two seam spots are reserved for Kyle Abbott and Jofra Archer. The 30 year-old South African nicked 60 cheap first-class wickets for Hampshire as well as adding useful runs at eight or nine. At 22, Archer blew out of nowhere for Sussex with his fast bowling. The Bajan’s batting was also strong enough for him to end the Championship summer averaging a very healthy 45.56. Definitely one to watch at home and overseas.

In terms of spin, Jack Leach enjoyed a fruitful September for Somerset, but the normally reliable Jeetan Patel’s season went like much of Warwickshire’s cricket, downhill fast. It is therefore a simple decision to pick Simon Harmer in my XI. I admit my ignorance of the Pretorian before 2017 but his aggressive offbreaks despatched 90 batsmen in all competitions and did so much to carry Essex to the title. What a shrewd Kolpak signing he turned out to be.

In summary, based on stats and my Teams of the Week, my County Team of 2017 is:-

Stoneman (Sur), Mitchell (Wor), Denly (Ken), Sangakkara (Sur), Ingram (Gla), Stevens (Ken), Simpson (Mid), Abbott (Ham), Archer (Sus), Harmer (Ess), Porter (Ess)

12^th Man: S Patel (Not)

Essex are Champions!

What an amazing couple of seasons Essex have enjoyed since Chris Silverwood took over as coach. Promoted last year, their eighth Championship win of 2017 has now guaranteed them their first Pennant since 1992. As so often, Jamie Porter and Steve Harmer claimed most of the wickets as the Warwickshire batting capitulated yet again.

Somerset’s seven-wicket defeat of Lancashire at Taunton not only gifted Essex the title but also consigned Warwickshire to relegation. Jack Leach (5-47 and 4-94) led the way for the Westcountrymen while Steven Davies’ 111 was a rare ton for them. They even briefly sat in fifth place before the rain-ruined Middlesex-Hampshire fixture ended as a draw and the brace of three points were dished out.

In contrast, batsmen were in charge at The Oval. As they did in the reverse fixture in June, Surrey clouted the Yorkshire attack for more than 500, and produced three centurions in their hefty first innings of 592. New England opener Mark Stoneman made 131 while old Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara continued where he left off earlier in the summer, striking 164 and sharing a good partnership with ‘keeper Ben Foakes (110). Yorkshire were made to follow on but Aussie Shaun Marsh and Alex Lees each made three figures to salvage a draw.

Division One is very tight in the middle, and any one of five counties could accompany Warwickshire through the trapdoor. Last year’s top two Somerset and Middlesex are favourites, locked on 123 points, just one behind Yorkshire. Both Surrey and Hampshire also sit within a win bonus of the danger zone. This week, it’s Yorkshire who on paper have the easiest task, at home to the Edgbaston wooden-spooners. Somerset travel to Surrey, Middlesex host stuttering Lancashire and Hampshire meet champions Essex at Southampton. Anything can happen.

In Division Two, Worcestershire took advantage of Nottinghamshire’s week off to go top, getting the better of Leicestershire. Basil D’Oliveira got them off to a good start with 138 but Neil Dexter’s 114 helped the away team reach 400. A special mention for Leicester’s 20 year-old spinner Callum Parkinson. He claimed ten wickets in the match, just superior to his twin brother’s seven for Lancashire. If Jamie Overton could overcome persistent injury, will we see two sets of twins playing for England in a few years’ time?!

Northamptonshire had to work hard to beat Glamorgan at Cardiff. Seamer Richard Gleeson continued his excellent season while Richard Levi scored a typical rapid century at more than a run a ball. Promotion is a mathematical possibility but they’ll have to win both remaining fixtures and restrict Nottinghamshire’s bonus points this week.

At Hove, Sussex must settle for mid-table after losing to Derbyshire, for whom Hardus Viljoen captured no fewer than fifteen wickets, completing the victory with 8-90. Kent’s chances of promotion have also been snuffed out after being held to a draw at Bristol. Gloucestershire’s Australian opener Cameron Bancroft delivered the week’s only double-hundred while who else but Kent’s Darren Stevens combined a 50 with a five-for for the umpteen millionth time, give or take!

Team of the Week: Bancroft (Glo), D’Oliveira (Wor), Sangakkara (Sur), Levi (Nor), Davies (Sur +), Wright (Sus), Stevens (Ken), Harmer (Ess), Viljoen (Der), C Parkinson (Lei), Porter (Ess)

Porter carries Essex to the brink of the title

The County Championship entered its final phase with the respective division leaders strengthening their grip on the top spots. With rain interruptions, most matches extended into the fourth day, providing some lively conclusions, but sadly one which was more disturbing.

In Division One, leading pair Essex and Lancashire were in action against the bottom two, and results went to form, much to my chagrin. Runs were in typical short supply at Chelmsford but Somerset were at least in the hunt up to the final morning, thanks largely to the wickets of Craig Overton but no thanks to the batsmen who are collectively having a nightmare season. But Essex romped home, Jamie Porter wrapping up a seventh win of the summer with 7-55 to follow his first-innings 5-40. He and team-mate Steve Harmer now each boast over 50 Championship wickets, more than anyone else.

At Old Trafford, Lancashire clung onto Essex’s coat-tails by defeating Warwickshire by eight wickets. The dye was cast on day one, when Ryan McLaren and Kyle Jarvis captured all ten between them. Liam Livingstone proceeded to outscore the opposition on his own, creaming the attack for 224, including four sixes. The venerable Shiv Chanderpaul just missed out on another century. Warwickshire ‘keeper Tim Ambrose did reach three figures as they succeeded in making Lancashire bat again, but only for 44 balls.

The other fixture ended in more ugly fashion. Middlesex and Surrey were heading towards a certain draw at The Oval when play was suspended. A lethal-looking crossbow arrow had landed on the outfield not far from Surrey players and, with no guarantee the assailant wouldn’t fire again, the match was abandoned. While John Simpson may be a little peeved at missing out on a hundred, the authorities made the correct decision I just hope the scum who shot the arrow is caught before he kills someone.

Back to the cricket…. Nottinghamshire now lead the second tier by thirty-two points after beating Northamptonshire by 163 runs. Riki Wessels top-scored in both innings, culminating in a typically entertaining 116 off 88 balls as they looked to make a declaration. Only Rob Newton passed 50 in the second Northants effort, before Samit Patel polished off the final pair.

I am no fan of the guidelines that no Division Two batsmen can be considered for England selection, although I note that this was not enforced until Alastair Cook’s Essex were promoted last season! It’s not as if the counties battling for promotion all have rubbish bowlers. Think Broad, Onions, Jordan, Patel, Hogan et al. Add to that list Worcestershire’s new signing who happens to be the world’s best spinner, Ravi Ashwin. He played a major part in his county’s victory over Gloucestershire, along with the opening batsmen Mitchell and D’Oliveira and all-runder Ed Barnard. With Ashwin in the attack, Worcester must now be favourites to join Notts in Division One next year.

Sussex are also making a late bid for promotion. They travelled to Colwyn Bay to face a weakened Glamorgan side who were resting their stars in advance of the T20 Finals Day. Credit to the Welsh side that they gave Sussex a real alarm and it was only due to Ollie Robinson’s brave 41 not out that they avoided a humiliating defeat. With last man Briggs at the other end, Robinson knew he had to rescue the team on his own and he duly delivered with a second six off Rhuadri Smith.

Durham recorded their third victory of the season, overcoming dismal Derbyshire at Chester-le-Street. Their star performers were veterans Paul Collingwood (177) and Graeme Onions (4-44 and 3-88) but they really need the younger players, including England reject Keaton Jennings, to step up and get Durham back into the top flight and into the black.

In the other game, another 40-something, Kent’s Darren Stevens, took 8-75 in the first Leicestershire innings but was frustrated by the final pair of Callum Parkinson and Lewis Hill who shared a tenth wicket partnership of 122. The match petered out into a soggy draw leaving Leicester still winless and Kent rueing another which got away.

Next week, all eyes will be on the Essex-Lancashire clash. Win that one and Essex will be almost home and dry. Lose, and Lancashire could yet pull off a totally unexpected Championship success. Over to you, guys…

Team of the Week: Mitchell (Wor), D’Oliveira (Wor), Livingstone (Lan), Collingwood (Dur), Wessels (Not), Stevens (Ken), Simpson (Mid +), Jordan (Sus), C Overton (Som), Robinson (Sus), Porter (Ess)

Bell and Cook Reel Back the Years

Four counties ensured their progress to the Royal London Cup quarter-finals with a game to spare. Worcestershire lead the North division despite suffering a heavy defeat to Lancashire at Old Trafford. Yorkshire slipped to second after a surprise 5-wicket loss to Warwickshire, for whom Ian Bell was in superb form all week. He passed 90 in each of his three matches, including his first century for a year. Coventry-born Grant Thornton weighed in with seven wickets but the county’s normally formidable attack has looked rather threadbare, and they could well finish bottom of their group.

Yorkshire skipper Gary Ballance thumped 152 in 118 balls against struggling Northamptonshire while Alex Hales reached three figures in Nottinghamshire’s lost game against Durham. Victory over Northants will see them safely through to the knockout stages. Despite being docked a point pre-season, Durham may yet join them, and they will have local academy product Graham Clark to thank. Opening with Jennings, he notched up scores of 93 and 114 this week.

In the South group, Somerset ceded the lead to Essex when Ten Doeschate’s men enjoyed a fruitful trip to Taunton on Sunday. Tom Westley (100) and Ravi Bopara (92 not out) dominated in that match but across the week, it was the steady influence of Alastair Cook which caught the eye. He followed a century against Sussex with 60+ scores in the next two fixtures.

He wasn’t exactly hammering sixes. That was left to Darren Stevens, who struck fourteen of them in his brutal innings of 147 for Kent against Glamorgan. And yet he finished on the losing side! Chasing a testing target of 357, he was out with seventeen overs remaining, and the tail couldn’t quite finish what he started. Credit to the Welsh side, for whom Chris Cooke took five catches and the in-form South African Colin Ingram contributed eight sixes and his second successive century. Glamorgan have an outside chance of reaching the last eight, with David Lloyd and paceman Marchant de Lange also shining.

Gloucestershire’s Chris Liddle claimed a couple of five-fors, including 5-52 against his old mates at Sussex, and left-arm seamer Paul Walter took 4-37 for Essex against Middlesex. In only his second List A appearance, the 22 year-old who went to school in my old town of Billericay removed Compton Voges, Simpson and Franklin in a decisive victory.

Elsewhere, the pick of the batting performances must be the 138-ball 178 produced by Hampshire captain James Vince at the Rose Bowl versus Glamorgan. This eclipsed the previous Hampshire limited-overs best by Gordon Greenidge but, like Stevens’ incredible blitz for Kent, was in a losing cause as that man Ingram cleared the boundary a further seven times en route to 115. It was probably the most exciting encounter of the week, as Cooke steered the Glammies to a 3-wicket win off the penultimate ball.

Surrey will progress if they beat Gloucestershire at Bristol while other contenders Sussex and Hampshire meet at Southampton on Wednesday.


Team of the Week: Clark (Dur), Cook (Ess), Bell (War), Vince (Ham), Ingram (Gla), Thakor (Der), Cooke (Gla +), J Overton (Som), Walter (Ess), Liddle (Glo), de Lange (Gla)

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)

Stoneman gives Surrey a solid start

For once, the April sun shone on the County Championship’s opening day of the season, and five of the six fixtures offered positive results inside three days. The venerable competition has been emasculated this year, with Division One slimmed to eight counties and only 14 matches, so we need to make the most of what first-class cricket is played this season. There were certainly some impressive performances in the first week.

Mark Stoneman made a perfect start to his Surrey career, contributing 162 to his side’s total en route to an innings defeat of Warwickshire. The Midlanders were skittled by Mark Footitt in their first innings but at least Jonathan Trott’s second innings 151 kept the game interesting into day three.

One of the title favourites, Yorkshire were up against it thanks to a bowling injury crisis. Despite skipper Gary Ballance’s best efforts with the bat, Hampshire duly took advantage. South African Kyle Abbott nabbed 7-41 before runs through the order sealed a four wicket victory.

Lancashire looked set to beat promoted Essex at Chelmsford after young wicketkeeper Alex Davies struck an unbeaten 140 then took five catches. Kolpaker Dane Vilas made 166 in his first two innings for the Red Roses, too. However, Dan Lawrence, still a teenager, battled on for 141 match-saving runs on the final day.

Two of the leading contenders for promotion were off and running with substantial wins. Nottinghamshire weren’t supposed to go down in 2016 but they should have enough firepower to bounce back into the top tier. Stuart Broad and Luke Fletcher were amongst the Leicestershire wickets but it was James Pattinson’s 89 not out and 8-84 match stats which really caught the eye. That said, the home side’s Ben Raine also enjoyed a fine all-round week. Unfortunately, Leicestershire are still in the red thanks to Charlie Shreck’s multiple pre-season discretions warranting a points deduction.

Kent were justified in crying foul after being robbed of promotion last autumn. Their 334-run mauling of Gloucestershire at Canterbry signified their intention to challenge again. Darren Stevens is beyond evergreen; he’s practically immortal. Kent must hope he is because his second-innings 6-12 was the pick of the bowling figures this week. He was ably supported by former Middlesex paceman James Harris who, if he stays free of injury, could well be the crucial addition to the squad.

Northamptonshire led the table after two days having trounced Glamorgan by an innings. Rory Kleinveldt thumped a typically rumbustious 86 and claimed six wickets, Ben Sanderson adding seven more and the Welsh were down and out. They will do well to avoid the wooden spoon come September.

Team of the Week:
Davies (Lan +), Stoneman (Sur), Trott (War), Ballance (Yor), Lawrence (Ess), Vilas (Lan), Stevens (Ken), Kleinveldt (Nor), J Pattinson (Not), Raine (Lei), Abbott (Ham).