Hampshire Bounce Back

Welcome back, proper cricket after the school holiday preoccupation with The Hundred. Well, only in the minds of the ECB because most people were too busy enjoying a post-Covid holiday or obsessing over the football season’s early restart.

In the County Championship, Surrey sat out the first week’s fixtures, and Hampshire took full advantage. Setting aside the disappointment of a surprise semi-final exit from the Royal London One-Day Cup, in which a vintage innings from the veteran Darren Stevens ensured a Kent victory, James Vince’s side trounced Northamptonshire by an innings. Crucially, they defied the rain threat to secure maximum bonus points, too. Wicketkeeper Aneurin Donald top-scored with 94 and Mohammad Abbas claimed a second-innings 4-32 to steal an eight-point march on Surrey. However, the latter play their game in hand next week, subject to royal funeral protocols.

At Canterbury, there were to be no batting heroics this week. Thoroughly outplayed by Essex for three days, their only hope of avoiding defeat was to keep the visitors’ attack at bay until the forecast rains returned. However, the brace 21-over resistance of Jordan Cox and the stricken tail-ender Matt Milnes was broken by Sam Cook, who finished the match with figures of 10-60. He’d also made a handy 38 out of Essex’s impressive 573 although it was Feroze Khushi’s 164, his maiden first-class century, which did the most damage.

In the Old Trafford Roses clash, the Lancashire openers Luke Wells and Keaton Jennings shared two partnerships of 180+ but it was George Hill’s medium pace which kept Yorkshire in the contest into the final day. Kohler-Cadmore and Fraine played uncharacteristic straight bats for almost thirty overs to deny the home county a deserved victory.

In the West Country relegation battle, winless Gloucestershire easily had the better of Somerset at Taunton. On the first afternoon, they were steaming at 251-1 but, despite Marcus Harris’ 159, bowlers Lewis Gregory and Josh Davey saved some blushes the following morning. To be honest, Somerset dodged a bullet thanks to a near fourth-day washout and are still in there fighting to maintain their fifteen-year spell in the top tier. Next week’s trip to Edgbaston is another must-win encounter but whoever comes out on top will plunge Kent into the mire.

Nottinghamshire are almost guaranteed promotion thanks to a decisive triumph over bottom-club Leicestershire. Joe Clarke’s 67 was the highest score in the match and Brett Hutton was the pick of the bowlers but credit to the Leicester opener Sam Evans. His first innings contribution was only 50 runs but he carried the bat amidst carnage at the other end. Nobody else reached double figures.

At a soggy Cardiff, Garth Roderick struck the week’s top score, 172, for Worcestershire. Glamorgan were forced to follow on but the weather restricted their second innings to only nine uneventful deliveries and so they remain in second spot. At Derby, the locals had the upper hand over Durham, for whom Ben Raine claimed 5-43. In the next round of fixtures, Glamorgan will bound clear of the chasing pack by beating Middlesex at Lord’s but defeat will catapult the London team back into the promotion places.

Team of the Week: L Wells (Lan), Jennings (Lan), Harris (Glo), Hill (Yor), Roderick (Wor), Khushi (Ess), Donald (Ham +), Anuj Dal (Der), Raine (Dur), Hutton (Not), S Cook (Ess)

Durham’s Openers Streak into the One-Day Cup Semis

Durham ended the group stage of the Royal London One-Day Cup in fine style, winning all three fixtures this week. The first proved decisive, as the two-wicket defeat of closest rivals Essex ensured they topped the group and therefore sail straight into the semi-finals. 

Alex Lees struck a fine unbeaten 126 in that match, while fellow opener Graham Clark’s run-a-ball 141 did the job against Hampshire. He is easily the tournament’s top scorer so far, with Lees right behind him. Dutch all-rounder Paul Meekeren and the evergreen Chris Rushworth starred with the ball. Essex didn’t have a bad week either. Batsmen at very different stages of their career ere in prolific mood. Sir Alastair Cook reached three figures in the tied match against Sussex while the 22 year-old from Whipps Cross, Feroze Khushi enjoyed successive knocks of 109 and 77. Ryan Ten Doeschate also rolled back the years, taking 4-34 against Sussex, eighteen years after his county debut. 

Lancashire completed the week with the third highest points tally but, following their void fixture with Covid-hit Derbyshire, Gloucestershire progress with a fractionally superior points per match figure. Their comprehensive defeat of bottom-side Kent was aided by an unbeaten third-wicket stand between Chris Dent and Graeme van Buuren. However, the highest partnership of the week was the 219 shared by Sussex pair Ben Brown and Tom Haines in the entertaining contest with Middlesex at Hove. Chasing a formidable 333, the visitors gave it everything at the end but they fell just three runs short. 

In Group 1, Somerset totally blew it, slipping from second to seventh thanks to three consecutive losses. I guess I won’t be heading for London to see them defend their title this year. They didn’t even play against any of the counties who did qualify for the knockouts. Glamorgan, Surrey and Yorkshire each ended up on ten points. The Welsh side topped the group, thanks largely to their demolition of Nottinghamshire who they bowled out for 73. Joe Cooke, Michael Hogan and James Weighell all look in good nick with the ball. If Nigel Selman could get more support amongst the top order, Glamorgan could be serious contenders. 

Surrey’s Ryan Patel and Tim David have certainly seized their opportunities in this competition. Both aggregated almost 200 runs this week, including a ton apiece. The most spectacular innings came from Singapore-qualified David, whose 70-ball 140 not out against Warwickshire included nine fours and eleven sixes! South African paceman Conor McKerr’s 3-43 at Derby advanced his wicket total to a tournament-leading sixteen. Yorkshire completed the ‘quarter-final’ line-up after edging Glamorgan by four runs a Cardiff on Thursday. 

They now meet a formidable-looking Essex while Surrey host Gloucestershire. The knockouts chase to a conclusion on Thursday when the first trophy of the domestic season will be decided. I think Essex will take some beating, but Surrey should be second-favourites. 

Team of the Week: Clark (Dur), Lees (Dur), Swindells (Lei +), R Patel (Sur), David (Sur), Khushi (Ess), Ten Doeschate (Ess), Van Meekeren (Dur), Mike (Lei), J Cooke (Gla), Rushworth (Dur)