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

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)

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)

Worcestershire achieve record-breaking one-day chase

It was a week of ‘No Results’ and big hundreds amidst heatwaves and thunderstorms. In the South division, Hampshire suffered a couple of defeats but still lead the rest by a point. It could have been three had Joe Weatherly added a couple more runs to his century at Southampton against Kent, who now sit in second place. It was a great week for their all-rounder Joe Denly. Against Glamorgan he combined an unbeaten 150 with a useful 4-56, and finished the week more than 200 runs richer.

However, when it comes to hefty scoring, nobody could hold a candle to Essex opener Varun Chopra. He aggregated 319 from three innings, more than half of them taken from the Somerset attack, including six sixes and nine fours. Paul Stirling also reached three figures for Middlesex, but Glamorgan remain pointless.

Up north, Worcestershire are in pole position after two memorable run chases at New Road. Last weekend, a steady Daryl Mitchell hundred steered them to victory over Lancashire from the penultimate ball but the best of all was saved for two days later. Leicestershire set off at a gallop, four players reaching 70 en route to a county List A record against first-class opposition, 376-4. When Moeen Ali fell in he second over, Worcestershire could have buckled, but they didn’t. Callum Ferguson, drafted in at  the last minute for the departing Aussie Travis Head, saw the opportunity to make an immediate impact. He put on 140 with Joe Clarke, then 88 in ten overs alongside Mitchell and 137 in alliance with Brett D’Oliveira.  The job was almost done when he was finally caught behind for 192, a county List A record. When D’Oliveira and Whitely struck ten more in four balls, they had achieved Worcester’s best ever score, and here were still sixteen balls remaining.

Yorkshire’s top order continued to rack up the runs, too. Tom Kohler-Cadmore made another two half-centuries but Adam Lyth’s 132 not out was the match-winner against Leicestershire. It was a tougher task against Derbyshire in a match restricted by rain to 24 overs a side. Ravi Rampaul had claimed five wickets and the White Roses needed 24 off ten balls. Thanks to a late blitz from young bowler Matt Fisher, they succeeded.

Leicestershire prop up the table despite having four matches in which to grab points. I feel sorry for Mark Cosgrove who made scores of 70, 84, 13 and 52 to no avail. Next week could see a few counties making decisive breaks while Lord’s and Old Trafford will hope for clear weather and bumper crowds expected for the London and Roses derbies.

Team of the Week:

Chopra (Ess), Stirling (Mid), Lyth (Yor), Ferguson (Wor), Cosgrove (Lei), Denly (Ken), Simpson (Mid +), Rampaul (Der), Carter (Not), Porter (Ess), Parkinson (Lan)

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)

Trescothick gives Somerset hope and it’s a Blast for Notts

Lancashire were unable to close the gap on leaders Essex after rain wrecked their encounter at Old Trafford. At least there was time for Jamie Porter to claim another five-for. 36 points ahead with three to play; it’s looking good!

It’s not looking good for Warwickshire, though. The bottom two also played each other but this time there was a decisive result, in favour of Somerset.

The home team capped a miserable week, losing both the T20 Blast Final and then this crucial relegation battle in the Championship. For all Somerset’s enduring batting problems, it was encouraging to see struggling Tom Abell register two half-centuries in the same match, although it was Marcus Trescothick, almost twice his age, who scored the decisive 119 not out en route for a declaration. Jack Leach and Tim Groenewald each took five wickets in an innings, and Craig Overton’s 4-33 continued his excellent season. Warwickshire now look in serious danger of relegation while Somerset have risen to within a win of Middlesex a place above them. I can’t imagine what the authorities would make of the champions and Lord’s custodians slipping into Division Two.

Middlesex and Yorkshire played out a rain-affected draw and there wasn’t a great deal more to watch at Southampton. However, wicketkeeper Ben Foakes did his England credentials no harm with another 130 runs and his teenage deputy Ollie Pope was allowed to achieve his maiden hundred before the captains shook hands on the final afternoon.

The second tier featured two major promotion clashes. Nottinghamshire might have expected to carry their Finals Day confidence into the Championship but came a cropper at home to Worcestershire. Another fine all-round performance by Ed Barnard and Daryl Mitchell’s sixth century of the campaign were instrumental in Worcester’s eight-wicket triumph against the leaders.

Behind them, Northamptonshire advanced to level with Sussex after beating them by six wickets. Ben Duckett’s 193 was by far the highest individual score of the week, and Richard Kleinveldt notched his best match figures of the season, 8-98. For once, Jofra Archer wasn’t in form with the ball, but did share a century partnership with Wiese to delay their defeat by a few hours.

At Grace Road, Gloucestershire seamer Liam Norwell practically beat winless Leicestershire on his own. His second innings figures of 8-43 were the best of the summer in the division to date, and he now has 56 victims to his name. I feel sorry for Leicester captain Mark Cosgrove. He has been a consistent run-maker throughout the year yet never in a winning cause. His 92 and 68 this week put him close to 1,000 for 2017, beaten only by Mitchell and Paul Collingwood.

The latter’s Durham rued not declaring earlier in their game against Kent. Graeme Onions became the county’s highest ever first-class wicket-taker, adding eight to his tally but, with nine wickets down, Sam Billings and ex-Durham number eleven Mitch Claydon held out for a draw. At Derby, only 72 overs were possible. Glamorgan must be used to sitting in the pavilion watching the rain this summer but they can at least look back to a rare appearance at last weekend’s Finals Day.

They welcome Northants to Sophia Gardens next week but if Worcestershire beat Leicestershire – as they certainly should – Duckett et al must surely be staying in Division Two in 2018.  In Division One, it’s top plays bottom at Edgbaston. If Essex win, they will surely have one hand on the title and Warwickshire could be doomed. Somerset face Lancashire while Middlesex will hope to treat the Uxbridge crowd against Hampshire. Surrey sit fourth despite winning just one match. Could Yorkshire frustrate them again at The Oval?

Team of the Week: Mitchell (Wor), Duckett (Nor), Northeast (Ken), Cosgrove (Lei), Abell (Som), Foakes (Sur +), Barnard (Wor), Kleinveldt (Nor), Gurney (Not), Onions (Dur), Norwell (Glo)

Hampshire Hustle to the Top

As the Champions Trophy launched at The Oval, Edgbaston and Sophia Gardens, there were only 6 County Championship fixtures played this week. Only one was sufficient to see newly-promoted Hampshire hand bottom club Warwickshire a drubbing by an innings and 94 runs at the Rose Bowl. Southampton stalwarts Jimmy Adams and Sean Ervine found rare form and made big centuries in a huge partnership of 367. Ervine proceeded to 203 before young Sukhjt Singh bowled him, one of six victims in only his third first-class match. Despite a century stand by Trott and Barker, Warwickshire had to follow on with over a day remaining. Leading wicket-taker Kyle Abbott duly claimed 4-32 and Ervine polished off the tail.

Headingley hosted the second Roses game in a few weeks but this time Yorkshire came out with the victor’s 16 points, beating Lancashire by ten wickets inside three days. In only his second first-class outing of 2017, Ryan Sidebottom was his usual miserly self and young gun Ben Coad made another major mark by taking 6-25 on the first day. Adam Lyth was the only man to pass 50 in the whole match, advancing to three figures for the first time this season. Meanwhile, his opposite number Haseeb Hameed continued to struggle, making his return to the Test Eleven look somewhat doubtful.

If Dean Elgar was British, or at least had not already represented the Proteas, he’d be a shoo-in to replace the Lancastrian. He scored another century for Somerset, as did all-rounder Luke Gregory, but the weather at Lord’s ensured there was to be no win for either side. At least another 2017 struggler, Tom Abell, enjoyed some fourth day batting practice, albeit against the likes of Compton, Gubbins and wicket-keeper Simpson! His side now face Yorkshire in a bid to register a first Division One victory of the summer, while Essex and Surrey meet for a chance to displace Hampshire at the top.

In the second rung, Nottinghamshire opened up a thirteen-point lead over Kent despite failing to beat Derbyshire at Trent Bridge. Missing Pattinson, Broad and Ball, their makeshift seam attack failed to bowl out their visitors twice. Billy Godleman top-scored with 121 for Derbyshire. Meanwhile, Worcestershire’s 100% record was destroyed by Sussex at Hove. Whilst the home team were earlier rocked by Luke Wright’s sudden resignation as captain, it didn’t prevent them marching to an innings defeat of a Worcester team unhealthily reliant on the runs of Daryl Mitchell. So much so that he has now been in my last three Teams of the Week! Luke Wells scored 158 while Wiese and Philander collected ten wickets between them.  

In the remaining fixture, Durham suffered another loss and still can’t boast a positive figure in the points column. It didn’t help that their bowling line-up had a very unfamiliar look. Extra kudos then to the inexperienced Paul Coughlin, whose ten wickets in the match made him the most successful bowler of the week, even in defeat. It was a very close-run thing, though, because Northants were running out of steam and the rain was falling steadily at Chester-le-Street before they crossed the line with a ball to spare.

Durham now face an arduous challenge in Kent, and it falls to Gloucestershire to halt Notts’ seemingly straightforward path to an instant return to the top flight.

Team of the Week: Mitchell (Wor), Elgar (Som), Steel (Dur), Wells (Sus), Ervine (Ham), Rossington (Nor +), Gregory (Som), Philander (Sus), Buck (Nor), Coad (Yor), Coughlin (Dur).

Super Sangakkara so close to a new record

In the clash involving to the top two, the weather wasn’t conducive to a clear result. However, following Kumar Sangakkara’s splendid first-innings 200 (after Surrey’s early collapse to 31-5), the final day was all about whether the Sri Lankan star would become the first player to score six consecutive County Championship centuries. He was cruising into the 60s when play was suspended. Surely Sanga wouldn’t be robbed of the record so cruelly? Fortunately, he was soon back in the middle but Jamie Porter was dismissing his partners at a rate of knots. Then on 84, he fell to a caught-and-bowled by Westley, and that was that. So near yet so far. With both sides claiming eleven points, the draw left Essex a point clear in the race for the Championship pennant.

The only other Division One fixture saw Somerset lose again inside three days. Spinners Jack Leach and Dom Bess nabbed seventeen wickets for the Taunton hosts but, David Elgar apart, the Westcountrymen struggled with the bat against the slow bowling of Liam Dawson and Matt Crane, who took 5-40 to clinch a 90-run victory for Hampshire which keeps them in third place.

Hampshire will now meet Warwickshire while Somerset travel to Lord’s in what will be a tough challenge against the champions. We also have another Roses encounter, this time in Yorkshire, and both counties need a victory to kickstart their red-ball seasons.

There was a full round of fixtures in Division Two, yielding three substantial margins of victory. At Trent Bridge, Nottinghamshire flattened Gloucestershire by an innings and 50 runs and now sit atop the table. Cheteshwar Pujara and Michael Lumb each reached three figures while it was all-rounder Steven Mullaney’s 5-32 which wrapped things up on the third day.

Kent remain hard on their heels after taking the honours in the South East derby at Tunbridge Wells. Having dropped him from my Fantasy team, Joe Denly duly struck 119 and 71 not out. Typical! The doughty Darren Stevens then took 5-40 to restrict Sussex to 164 all out and, after a rapid declaration second innings, the visitors were offered the challenge of scoring 504 in the best part of two days. The first three batsmen fell for just eight runs but the rest did at least make a fist of reaching the formidable target before Coles and Harris ended the run chase 147 runs short.

At Northampton, Worcestershire maintained their 100% record in the Championship. Opener Daryl Mitchell continued his recent fine form, contributing 237 to the cause, including a first-innings 161 and a run-a-ball 78 to save the game going to a fourth day.

It was a closer encounter at Swansea where Glamorgan achieved their first win of the campaign. Michael Hogan may not be deemed quick enough to open the bowling, nor Paul Collingwood fit for international duty, but both were in fine fettle for their respective counties. Nevertheless, it was young Nick Selman’s fine 116 not out which proved decisive on an exciting final day down by the seaside.

Leicestershire and Derbyshire are still winless after their clash at Derby, but the runs flowed freely like the River Derwent. It’s not often that Leicester reach 600+ but centuries from Colin Ackermann, Mark Cosgrove and Ned Eckersley (a career-best 158) did propel the side to such heights. Godleman and Thakor also made pleasing hundreds as part of a 532-run response. Spare a thought for Sri Lankan spinner Jeevan Mendis who had to wheel away for 74 overs for a six-wicket return across the match. I think it’s fair to say that neither will make the promotion placings, and to rub it in Derbyshire now meet leaders Notts.

Team of the Week: Mitchell (Wor), Mullaney (Not), Denly (Ken), Sangakkara (Sur), Cosgrove (Lei), Collingwood (Dur), Cooke (Gla +), Porter (Ess), Crane (Ham), Bess (Som), Hogan (Gla)

Sidebottom Keeps Yorkshire Top

Last week it was Jonny Bairstow, Tim Bresnan and Jack Brooks. This time, it was largely Ryan Sidebottom who steered Yorkshire closer to a second successive County Championship.

Bairstow did score another excellent century in the win against Warwickshire but it was the 37 year-old left-am seamer who did the most damage, capturing 11 wickets. Even without Root, Balance, Lyth and Adil Rashid on England duty, Yorkshire look already look like champions-elect. Jason Gillespie deserves a knighthood! Warwickshire’s only compensation was the return to first-team duty of young batsman Sam Hain, who marked the occasion with a duck and 106.

Middlesex overtook Durham in second place after their draw with Nottinghamshire. Once Dawid Malan had struck a career-best 182 not out, the weather and Chris Read’s response ruled out any chance of a positive result.

At the other end of the table, it’s not looking promising for Hampshire. They succumbed to relegation rivals Worcestershire by an innings and now stand 26 points adrift with six games to go. Daryl Mitchell carried his bat for 205, beating the entire Hampshire side on his own, as Saeed Ajmal took 5-28. Jack Shantry’s five-for finished things off second time around.

Meanwhile at Taunton, it took two fine innings from Peter Trego to avoid defeat against Sussex. The visiting batsmen have struggled for runs this summer but, after four of them made hundreds last week, it was the turn of Matt Machan (192) and Chris Nash (142 not out) to pile on the misery for Somerset’s bowlers, sharing a 290 partnership. At 84-5 on the final morning, the home side were heading for defeat, but Trego and Luke Gregory saved the day.

Next week, Somerset visit Merchant Taylor’s in a bid to thwart Middlesex’s title ambitions while Durham can regain second place by beating Warwickshire.

In Division Two, leaders Lancashire were thwarted by a combination of Manchester rain (138 overs were lost) and Essex opener Nick Browne, whose 105 and 50 gave solidity to an otherwise brittle batting display. At Chesterfield, Glamorgan lost a day’s worth of play which could have cost them a likely triumph over Derbyshire and the chance to really close the gap on Surrey. They forced the follow-on but a Hamish Rutherford hundred kept Hogan and co at bay.

At the bottom, Gloucestershire achieved a vital victory over Northants at Cheltenham. Liam Norwell (6-41) and 20 year-old Craig Miles (5-28) were the pick of the seam attack, while Jack Taylor thumped an improbable 156 from 125 balls to establish a healthy first innings lead.

Finally, Kent consigned Leicestershire to the foot of the table by winning at Grace Road by eight wickets inside three days. Matt Coles maintained his recent fine form by claiming ten wickets.

Kent now face a tricky trip to Surrey, while Glamorgan travel to Chelmsford. Get Browne out and they should stand a chance! Cheltenham plays hosts to Leicestershire, so Gloucester must fancy their chances of a mid-table position this time next week!

It wasn’t a vintage weekend of T20 action but Warwickshire made amends for the heavy Championship defeat by topping the North group. A certain Brendon McCullum announced his arrival by clumping 158 off 64 balls in the Bears’ success against Derbyshire. They could do with him in the four-day format, too!

Team of the Week: Mitchell (Wor, *), McCullum (War), Machan (Sus), Nash (Sus), Malan (Mid), Bairstow (Yor, +), Trego (Som), Coles (Ken), Norwell (Glo), Sidebottom (Yor), Saeed Ajmal (Wor).

Team of the Week: Big Hitters and Bouncers

Daryl Mitchell is having a great season to match that of his county, Worcestershire. This week he carried his bat for 167 in the defeat of Gloucestershire, his fifth century of the Championship summer, and struck a brisk 36 against Derbyshir ein the Twenty20. Dwayne Smith didn't hang around, either, in thumping 110 not out for Barbados against St Lucia in the CPL. He also recorded a duck but I'll politely forget that ever happened....

My number three did nothing spectacular but credit to Jonathan Trott for reaching three figures for the first time since his traumatic withdrawal from the Ashes tour and early season relapse. His successor in the England middle-order Gary Ballance also weighed in with 110 in the otherwise embarrassing loss at Lord's to India. He enters my team of the week thanks to his graft which put most team-mates to shame.

There were lots of rapid 80s and 90s in the Caribbean and the final Blast group fixtures. Ramdin, Samuels, Hastings, Westley, Whiteley and Finch peppered boundaries but they were totally outdone by Luke Wright. With Sussex facing a target of 220+ by table-toppers Essex, the ex-England T20 all-rounder refused to give in and went onto smash 12 fours and 11 sixes in an unbeaten 153. It was not only the fourth highest T20 score ever but it won the match - even if Sussex failed to qualify for the quarter-finals.

Darren Stevens is no stranger to my team of the week, and in he comes again. A 38-ball 67 for Kent in the Blast victory over Sussex and nine wickets in the surprising Championship win over Surrey made him one of the top all-rounders. John Simpson rarely makes the headlines in his own county let alone the cricketing world. However the Middlesex wicketkeeper top-scored in each Championship innings, aggregating 171 runs in a losing cause against Yorkshire's very useful attack.

Dale Steyn looked back to his best for South Africa against Sri Lanka last week, with match figures of 9-99, while that man Bhuvneshwar Kumar again frustrated England with both bat and ball. His seam and swing netted 6-82 in the first innings, giving Anderson, Plunkett and Broad a lesson in how to bowl in helpful seam conditions. Kumar notched another half-century, too. In the second innings it was Ishant Sharma who proved to be the star performer. His 7-74 wasn't statistically as impressive as Ryan Sidebottom's 7-74 for Yorkshire but in the context of Test cricket, it was superb.

Finally I've gone for another quick, Stuart Meaker. He had a great start for Surrey this Spring before injury and competition for places kept him out of the team. This week he was back with a vengeance, claiming eleven wickets against Essex in the Championship and 4-30 in the T20 win over Middlesex. Sunil Narine and James Tredwell came close (the latter playing for both Kent and Sussex!) but no spinner this week.

Roland-Jones on a Roll for Middlesex

There were only two Division One fixtures this week, but Middlesex and Somerset took their opportunities to leapfrog the leaders. At Northampton, the former made short work of the struggling home side to open up a 19-point lead at the top, although they have played one more game than all the others. Captain Chris Rogers and Neil Dexter each reached three figures but Toby Roland-Jones produced a genuine match-winning all-round performance. He struck a personal best 60 in only 30 balls to hasten the Middlesex declaration and captured six wickets in each innings with his brisk medium-pacers. Extraordinarily his first-class career stats include 175 wickets at under 22 apiece, yet how often is that name mentioned in terms of England selection?

At Taunton, Somerset not only maintained their unbeaten record but held their nerve amongst the Thursday showers to beat Durham by seven wickets. Both Overton twins were bowling but Alfonso Thomas took 5-41 on the first day, only for Mark Wood to keep the visitors' lead down to double figures. At 180-1, Durham seemed to be on top on the third day but Craig Overton reeled them in leaving Somerset a target of 248. Having gone for a golden duck first time out, Marcus Trescothick rediscovered his mojo to crack 133 at more than a run a ball. With neither Onions nor Stokes, Durham's seam attack looked fairly innocuous and they remain winless in the Championship.

That's a situation which may not change after their next game at Trent Bridge. Somerset will do well to snatch a result at Edgbaston while Yorkshire look favourites in the Roses contest. Finally, Middlesex switch to Northwood for their home tie against Sussex and should avoid defeat with batsmen and bowlers taking turns to strike form.

In the second flight, it was a great week for Hampshire and Worcestershire. Already they are threatening to run away with the division. At Grace Road, Leicestershire matched Hampshire for three days before capitulating to Matt Coles' seam and Danny Briggs' spin and slumping to a 278-run defeat. Worcestershire are handily placed behind the South Coast side with a game in hand after Saaed Ajmal almost single-handedly beat Essex. The floodwaters may have long since receded at New Road but on a spin-friendly surface it was a battle of the slowies: Monty Panesar versus Ajmal. Monty took 7-80 in the match but the wily Pakistani trumped that, following 6-75 with a brilliant 7-19. In a fine career, that is his best return in a single innings, and took him to 500 first-class wickets. Meanwhile Daryl Mitchell again top scored for Worcestershire twice, showing that you can score runs at the County Ground after all.

Further down the Severn, Gloucestershire leapt to sixth by trouncing Kent by 290 runs. James Fuller and Will Gidman dominated Key, Nash et al before Hamish Marshall's 118 and 85 apiece from Alex Gidman and Gareth Roderick set up an unlikely target of 582. At least Ben Harmison showed some fight with a career-best 125 but it merely delayed the inevitable. Kent will probably lose again next week at the hands of Worcestershire while Surrey travel to Essex without their skipper Graeme Smith. His recent injury woes now extend to a broken knee but at least there is some compensation for the Oval faithful in the guise of Hashim Amla who will play during June. Based on previous Championship performances, Amla will probably turn out to be a veritable run machine and haul Surrey out of the mire. What happens next is another matter.

Team of the Week 9th May: AB, PJ and DM get A*

A good spread of top performances this week, with wicketkeepers and slow bowlers to the fore. First name on my team sheet is Worcestershire captain and opener, Daryl Mitchell. This is his tenth summer with his home county, and it must be one of his best starts to a first-class season. I once saw him fall two runs short of a triple-century at Taunton but when set he is one of the best county openers around. Against Glamorgan, he was last man out for 109, then unbeaten on 151 in the second innings, taking his career average close to 40 and season average well into three figures. Durham's Mark Stoneman has been around almost as long, but with less success. However, his 131 did much to keep Durham in the match against Yorkshire and certainly eclipsed debutant Kumar Sangakkara, whose first outing for his new county lasted only two balls. Good practice for the Sri Lanka tour then!

Mike Yardy showed the way for Sussex with a first innings century against Lancashire but I've gone for Kent's Brendan Nash at number three. He shared a 197-run partnership with Rob Key, scoring the same number of runs (126) but at a much brisker rate. The Aussie-born West Indian international is proving to be one of Kent's best signings of recent years.

It doesn't matter where AB De Villiers plays; he'll produce the goods on any pitch, in any country, in any format. As the IPL shifted from the UAE back to India, the Bangalore number five took advantage and smashed an 89 and 53. He's still way behind the current leading scorer in he tournament, Glen Maxwell, though. Shane Watson has flattered to deceive in recent years but it was with his bowling that he made the headlines his week, including a hat-trick against Kolkata and taking another three wickets against the Sunrisers.

Back in Blighty, another Aussie, Phil Jaques, outscored his fellow Notts batsmen in the draw against Somerset. However, team-mate Samit Patel made 132 arguably when it mattered most, on the opening day. He took a couple of wickets, too. The same wicketkeepers always seem to appear in contention. Chris Read hammered 17 boundaries in 96, alongside the aforementioned Jaques and Patel, James Foster propped up the Essex batting, and Tim Ambrose delivered a fine 167 for Warwickshire. He pipped Ned Eckersley to a place in my team of the week; the Leicestershire batsman donned the gloves in O'Brien's absence and also struck 110 runs.

On the bowling front, spinners took the plaudits, and not only in the IPL where Pravin Tambe was once more Mr Economical for the Royals. He doesn't quite make it this week, displaced by a couple of slowies in the Championship. Kent's young Alex Riley (4-77 and 5-78) and Glamorgan's nothing-like-as-young Dean Cosker (5-39 and 4-94) deserve the selections at a time of year when seamers usually hoover up the wickets. The final bowling spot goes to Bhuvneshwar Kumar of Sunrisers Hyderabad. His 4-14 against the Royals was his best in a T20 contest, and in the 2014 tournament so far has conceded fewer than 6 an over across eight games, and nobody has taken more wickets. Not bad for a fast-medium pacer!

To re-cap: Daryl Mitchell (Worcs), Mark Stoneman (Dur), Brendan Nash (Kent), Phil Jaques (Notts), AB De Villers (Banga), Samit Patel (Notts), Shane Watson (Rajas), Tim Ambrose (Warks, +), Adam Riley (Kent), Bhuvi Kumar (Hyder), Dean Cosker (Glam)

Ambrose and Patel take Warwickshire top

Most Championship games this week were drawn but Warwickshire stirred things up by mashing Middlesex in under three days at Edgbaston. Chris Rogers must have regretted his decision to bat first as Chris Wright and co left the visitors ailing at 66-8. Things could have got even more embarrassing but for a last-wicket stand of 61 between Roland-Jones and Finn! Tim Ambrose proceeded to match Middlesex's total of 167 all by himself and, with Jeetan Patel reaching three figures for only the second time, Warwickshire racked up a lead big enough to ensure an innings victory. Patel again took 4-78 to crown a great all-round performance, and the Midlanders are now in pole position.

Sussex lurk just one point behind after a tame draw against Lancashire. Mike Yardy ended a miserable run with the bat by compiling 139, Steve Magoffin claimed 4-36 and Chris Nash made a welcome return after injury. Somerset are third after a tough four days for bowlers at Taunton. Samit Patel and Phil Jacques each scored more than 200 runs in the match, although Peter Trego's pre-declaration blast of 86 in 71 balls brought the contest to life briefly on day three.

It was another run-fest at Chester-le-Street. Yorkshire made the game safe by accumulating almost 600 in their first innings. Gale and Lyth each scored hundreds, while Bairstow and Williamson were dismissed in the 90s. Stoneman and Richards also made centuries for Durham and Jennings' 54 not out prevented any chance of an unlikely last day win for Yorkshire. Northants and Durham are the only Division One counties yet to win and look unlikely to change that next week as they travel to Notts and Sussex, respectively.

In the second flight, Kent leapt to fifth by beating Surrey by eight wickets. In two innings, only Jason Roy passed 50 for Graeme Smith's outfit, while Rob Key and Brendan Nash each fell for 126 in the Kent cause. 22 year-old spinner Adam Riley captured nine wickets and Doug Bollinger strangled the Surrey run rate.

Worcestershire remain top, running out of hours in which to snaffle the final three Glamorgan wickets at Cardiff. Wagg and Cosker bowled well for the Welsh side but two centuries from Daryl Mitchell - taking his season average into three figures - and excellent bowling by Gareth Andrew and Saeed Ajmal kept Worcs in the driving seat for most of the match. The Essex-Leicestershire fixture petered out into a draw. Ned Eckersley kept wicket and contributed 110 for Leicester against an Essex attack lacking both Masters and Napier. Monty Panesar's 6-111 in 50 overs stemmed the flow of runs but there was never a chance of a home success.

Next week, Hampshire have an excellent chance of leading the division, hosting Glamorgan. Surrey will sink to the bottom if they lose to Gloucestershire and Derbyshire overcome Kent. How I will laugh....