County Cricket: Notts hit the heights, Lancashire rock bottom

The record dry and sunny Spring continued to lend cricket grounds a real summery atmosphere. Trent Bridge was also the scene for Nottinghamshire dealing Hampshire a hefty 366-run blow and consolidating their position at the top of Division One. Young Freddie McCann returned to their middle-order with a century, then the second innings was dominated by a 238-run partnership between Jack Haynes and Liam Patterson-White. Mohammad Abbas took 5-31 against his old mates but in the end it was Lyndon James (5-21) and Brett Hutton who instigated Hampshire’s second-innings crumble. 

On the South Coast, Worcestershire lost again, making little headway against the bowling of Sussex’s Finn Hudson-Prentice and Ollie Robinson. John Simpson took eight catches behind the stumps and off-spinner Jack Carson struck his maiden hundred but the bowling of Tom Taylor kept Worcestershire in the game. While Jake Libby was at the crease, they were even threatening to win it but when he was eighth out for 167, the remaining target pf 75 was just too stiff for the tail. 

Sussex advanced to third, but Warwickshire remain above them after a tame draw against Surrey. Only fifteen wickets fell on a placid Edgbaston featherbed, enabling Tom Latham (184 in his first game of the season), Ed Barnard (177 not out) and Surrey ‘keeper Ben Foakes (a career-best 174 not out) to fill their boots. 

Contrast that with the tense finish at Chelmsford where Yorkshire had Essex on the rack throughout. The bowling of George Hill and Ben Coad, followed by Adam Lyth’s 185 and a typical Bairstow blast, left Essex facing four sessions and a massive victory target of 510. At 45-4, the home team looked dead and buried but a slow but solid partnership between Critchley and Pepper, plus dogged defence by the tail (the last wicket survived for 14 overs) saved the draw. 

In the second tier, only two fixtures were played but the results were significant. At Canterbury, Kent’s hopes of bouncing back into the promotion places were dashed ruthlessly by bottom-side Glamorgan. Last week, spinner Ben Kellaway hit his record score of 74. This week, he extended that to a whopping 181 as the Welsh side racked up a total of 549-9 declared. They endeavoured to back this up by bowling out Kent twice inside two days. The wickets were shred out generously but Timm van der Gugten was the pick of the attack. 

The result elevated Glamorgan to sixth, but Lancashire’s 70-run defeat by Northamptonshire consigned them to the basement. Keaton Jennings promptly quit the captaincy but the primary problem seems to be the batting, with the notable exception of his successor, Marcus Harris. The Aussie’s prolific start was maintained with another 164 runs, but the Northants seamers and leggie Calvin Harrison (4-32) were too strong overall, earning then their opening victory account for 2025. 

Next up, they play Glamorgan and leaders Leicestershire travel to Middlesex. In the next rung up, all counties are in action, including Notts at Durham and Warwickshire at home to Hampshire. Worcestershire’s ambitions of taking at least one batting bonus point lie in the hands of Essex’s useful attack. 

Team of the Week:- Lyth (Yor), Libby (Wor), Latham (War), Harris (Lan), Foakes (Sur +), Barnard (War), Kellaway (Gla), Hill (Yor), James (Not), Van der Gugten (Gla), Hudson-Prentice (Sus)

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)