County Cricket: Jacks Blasts Surrey Closer to Finals Day

Surrey finished the Vitality Blast group stages in style, winning all three of this week’s fixtures, including the top-of-the-table clash with Somerset. The Curran brothers had their moments but it was Will Jacks who starred, making scores of 57, 52 and a round 100 off 59 balls against Sussex. 

There were three other centurions: Alex Lees (101 not out) for Durham v Northamptonshire, Tom Latham’s 104 for the Bears against Derbyshire and a phenomenal unbeaten 139 for Essex’s Jordan Cox. Including eleven sixes, he almost single-handedly beat Hampshire to register only their third victory of a miserable T20 campaign. The South Coasters had already done enough to reach the quarter-finals thanks to a comfortable six-wicket triumph over a lacklustre Sussex, in which James Vince was left high and dry on 98. 

Glamorgan had begun the week in the South group qualifying places but losing to a De Lange-inspired Gloucestershire opened the door for Kent. They duly barged through thanks to successes against Middlesex and Essex. 

The North division was really tight but, with all the main contenders beating each other, the week’s results left the top four positions unchanged. Despite falling victims to Nottinghamshire, Lancashire topped the table thanks to wins against Durham and Roses rivals Yorkshire. Ex-England Test players Jos Buttler and James Anderson both contributed, but Chris Green delivered vital runs and six wickets. 

While the Bears racked up 233-1 against Derbyshire, they were on the wrong end of a mammoth 240-6 compiled at Edgbaston by Northants. Matthew Breetzke top-scored with a 40-ball 85, while skipper David Willey combined a six-heavy 54 with a useful 2-27, having both Davies and Mousley caught behind. 

Other notable performances included Worcester all-rounder Ethan Brookes’ 57 in 20 balls and 3-30 to despatch Notts, Farhan Ahmed’s hat-trick and 5-25 to destroy Lancashire’s tail, nine wickets for Derbyshire’s Ben Aitchison, including 5-25 against Yorkshire. In that same innings, his teenage Afghan colleague, AM Ghazanfar successfully restricted the attacking talents of Bairstow and Wharton to ducks across a combined twelve deliveries, bowling his four-over allocation for a mere five runs. 

Wea six now face a six-week break before the knockouts. Champions Gloucestershire may be out but I wouldn’t bet against a Surrey-Somerset semi, and Somerset losing another final to Hampshire. It’s just the way of the world… 

Team of the Week:- Jacks (Sur), Breetzke (Nor), Latham (BB), Willey (Nor), Cox (Ess), Moores (Not +), Brookes (Wor), C Green (Lan), Ghazanfar (Der), Aitchison (Der), Farhan Ahmed (Not)

County cricket: Abell and Leach Boost Somerset Challenge

The onset of September serves as a reminder that, like summer itself, the County Championship is coming to a close. Surrey have led the table almost from day one in April and when skipper Rory Burns’ 161 set his side on the way to a first-innings 525 at Trent Bridge, a third successive title looked inevitable. However, Nottinghamshire didn’t roll over. Two teenagers, Freddie McCann (aged 19) and Farhan Ahmed (just 16!) shone in only their second matches, striking 154 and taking ten wickets, respectively, to frustrate the reigning champions. 

Behind them, Somerset narrowed the gap to twenty-four points by crushing Durham. Spin was king at Taunton. Building on batting foundations led by Tom Abell and James Rew, Jack Leach opened the bowling in the visitors’ second effort and continued unchanged for more than thirty overs to take 7-50. Michael Vaughan’s son Archie accompanied him, finishing with a commendable 2-40 as Somerset triumphed by 293 runs and earning maximum points. The next round of fixtures puts the top two counties up against each other. Should Somerset gain an improbable victory, it could make the final weeks very interesting indeed. Can’t see that happening, though. 

Worcestershire made it two on the trot, coming from behind to defeat Essex at Chelmsford by only 43 runs. Michael Pepper had contributed to a solid Essex lead but, set a target of just 184 on the final morning, they tumbled to 140, Dutch seamer Logan van Beek starring with 4-23. Hampshire overtook Essex in third place with a thumping innings win over lacklustre Lancashire. Gus Atkinson’s rare Test achievement of a century and five-fer was eclipsed by Hampshire all-rounder Liam Dawson. Not only did he strike an unbeaten 104 and take 5-47 but he also added another five scalps on Saturday to finish the match a day early. 

Kent suffered another drubbing, this time against Warwickshire who did their hopes of avoiding relegation a world of good. Will Rhodes set them on their way with 201 but it was Oliver Hannon-Dalby who added the coup-de-grace with a clinching 6-43. Whoever wins the West Midlands derby next week should be safe for another year but Kent absolutely must beat Hampshire to survive. 

Sussex still look favourites to go up, rediscovering winning ways against bottom side Derbyshire at Hove. Daniel Hughes and John Simpson hit tons but Jack Carson also caught the eye. The off-spinner followed a career-best 97 with figures of 5-90 and 6-67. Without Wayne Madsen’s match aggregate of 215 runs, Derby’s margin of defeat would have been even heftier.

Closest rivals to Sussex, Yorkshire and Middlesex, produced a run-fest stalemate at Headingley. For the White Roses, Jonny Bairstow and George Hill each broke 160, then Sam Robson and Ryan Higgins responded with centuries of their own. The spinner toiled for hours after hour but a draw was agreed on the final afternoon. 

Unusually, the Gloucestershire-Northants fixture was abandoned after day one, the umpires ruling that the Bristol pitch was too dangerous following Justin Broad’s 7-37. Only 241 runs were scored, while over in Cardiff, Colin Ingram beat that all on his own. The veteran South African amassed a personal best of 257 not out for Glamorgan against Leicestershire but any hopes of his side doubling their meagre total of one victory were dashed by a second successful partnership between Ajinkya Rahane and Peter Handscomb, who each made three figures to secure a draw. 

Glamorgan now face Sussex while Middlesex play Gloucestershire. If Leicestershire can tame Yorkshire at home, they could still sneak into the promotion places. 

Team of the Week:- Burns (Sur), Hughes (Sus), Rhodes (War), Abell (Som), Ingram (Gla), Madsen (Der), Handscomb (Lei +), Dawson (Ham), Carson (Sus), Leach (Som), Hannon-Dalby (War)