County Cricket: Topsy-Turvy stuff in Division One

It was a strange week for County Championship results. As if the record Spring temperatures, sunshine levels and dried-up riverbeds and canals weren’t enough, both the top two counties in Division One came a cropper and the bottom team actually won by a country mile. The batsmen striking the highest individual scores by far did so in a losing cause and a host of wicketkeepers also reaped a harvest of runs. 

Nottinghamshire had been looking good at the top but, at Chester-le-Street, after Haseeb Hameed caried his bat for 206, their attack struggled to make headway against Durham. Gay, Clark and Ollie Robinson each reached three figures as the side lodged a new record high of 664 all out. Were it not for Joe Clarke’s sparkling 119, Notts would have lost by an innings and Durham still needed Colin Ackermann to deliver a quick fifty to achieve victory. 

There were no centuries at Edgbaston, but Warwickshire succumbed to Hampshire by 89 runs. Five-fors from Kyle Abbott and James Fuller were the decisive performances.  Warwickshire’s loss was Surrey’s gain, as the reigning champs whacked Yorkshire by an innings to close the gap behind Notts to just three points. Jonny Bairstow crashed 89 and 77 for the White Roses but his opposite number Ben Foakes also chipped in with 86 and some fine catches. Jordan Clark was the pick of Surrey’s bowlers, taking a combined 7-76. 

By the River Severn, Worcestershire earned not only their first batting bonus points of the season, but also their maiden triumph, defeating Essex with remarkable ease inside three days. Apart from day one, bowlers on both sides were dominant, but it was the victors’ Matthew Waite who stole the headlines with a first-innings 73 and a career-best 6-19 to complete Essex’s misery. Garth Roderick also deserves an honourable mention. The opener failed with the bat but contributed nine catches behind the stumps. 

Somerset made it back-to-back wins, but Sussex didn’t make it easy for them at Taunton. Following recent top-order batting woes, the home county gambled by promoting captain Luke Gregory and fast bowler Josh Davey to open. It seemed to work. Dropped to seven, Archie Vaughan duly scored 80 and, when three wickets tumbled in the hunt for a 150-run target, Gregory led from the front with an unbeaten 89, including the winning single.

 

The next round of fixtures includes a tricky outing to a Bairstow-less Yorkshire for Nottinghamshire, Surrey hosting a wounded Essex and the West Midlands derby in Worcester.

 

Leicestershire cemented the position at the head of Division Two by seeing off Middlesex by seven wickets. It was a low-scoring affair, Peter Handscomb’s 87 the sole half-century, and all Leicester’s bowlers chipped in with wickets. Ian Holland’s 5-35 got them off to a great start and they kept their noses on front thereafter.

 

Derbyshire remain in second place, but they had to fight hard to cling on for a draw against Lancashire at Old Trafford. Luke Wells put the home team firmly in the driving seat with scores of 141 and 50 then, with 42-year-old Jimmy Anderson his old mean self, Lancs had Derby on the rack at 216-8 with around ten overs remaining. However, new ball in hand, not even the former England star could break the ninth-wicket partnership of Anuj Dal and Jack Morley. The latter padded away the off-spin of Tom Hartley, surviving 36 balls for no runs, while Dal was similarly resilient under pressure. 

It was a tense finish at Bristol too, where Gloucestershire kept their heads to beat Kent by three wickets. Batting at eight, Kent’s Grant Stewart blasted a barely credible 182 to lift his side’s total to a decent 424 before Cameron Green (128) and James Bracey (127) shared a fifth-wicket stand of 222 out of 516. A draw was the most likely outcome but three quick wickets by Ben Charlesworth left Gloucester with a gettable target of 162. It was Green again who skilfully held the fort with an unbeaten 67b to seal the success. 

Meanwhile, Glamorgan’s second consecutive win has elevated them from bottom to third. Marnus Labuschagne’s arrival was not the greatest (marked by a seven-ball duck) but Ben Kellaway’ fine form with the bat continued, top-scoring in the first innings with 93. The Glammie seamers provided solid support and Northamptonshire were despatched by eight wickets, consigning them to the dreaded basement slot. 

However, it is all very tight from second to eighth, and positions can change in a week. For the Bank Holiday weekend, Glamorgan welcome Middlesex, Kent travel to Derby and Leicestershire hope to continue their winning ways at home to Lancashire. 

Team of the Week:- L Wells (Lan), Hameed (Not), Clarke (Not), Robinson (Dur +), Green (Glo), Bairstow (Yor), Holland (Lei), Stewart (Ken), J Clark (Sur), Waite (Wor), Abbott (Ham)

Morkel and Trott ride to the front

Surrey ensured they remained at the top of the pile by beating Yorkshire at Scarborough, but they had to come from behind to do so. The home side enjoyed a 75-run first innings lead but after Morne Morkel (5-39) and Jade Dernbach (3-34) ripped through them on the third day, skipper Rory Burns led the charge to the target.

Neither Nottinghamshire nor Somerset could keep up with the leaders. At Trent Bridge, the Notts openers were in fine form. Chris Nash and Jake Libby each made centuries then, with Stuart Broad leading the attack, declared with the expectation of bowling Worcestershire out in just over a day. They failed. The England seamer had an ankle niggle and Joe Clarke had a point to prove. He was still there on 177 at the very end as the bottom side avoided defeat.

When Essex roared to 517-5, Somerset’s chance of winning shrank to almost zero. Ravi Bopara and the returning Ryan Ten Doeschate shared a 284-run partnership but in reply Somerset managed to accumulate more than 400. On the final afternoon, Essex set an ambitious target of 319 and credit to the visitors for seeming intent on accepting the challenge. However, when the top four fell cheaply, the shutters came down and Abell and Gregory dug in for the draw.

There were neither winners nor losers at Old Trafford either. Batsmen were in charge, and no fewer than five reached three figures. Lancashire’s current ‘keeper Dane Vilas top-scored with 134 but Hampshire opener Joe Weatherley showed admirable patience to survive the whole of day four to attain his maiden hundred.

Both Warwickshire and Kent each achieved their fifth victories of the season in Division Two. Ian Bell’s run of form was halted but his ex-England colleague Jonathan Trott racked up more than 200 in the leaders’ visit to Durham. Jeetan Patel’s nine wickets and Tim Ambrose’s ten catches did the rest. Meanwhile at Canterbury Kent flattened Middlesex by 342 runs. Grant Stewart’s 6-22 helped bowl out Malan’s men for 56 first time out, with Eskinazi the only one reaching double figures. Batting at ten, Stewart proceeded to crash a 74-ball century before Middlesex struggled again. When Tim Murtagh top-scores you know you have big problems!

Leicestershire advanced to third, defeating Derbyshire with thanks to Mohammad Abbas’ decisive 6-54, and Northamptonshire leapt from the bottom by putting Glamorgan to the sword. The Welsh, despite the best efforts of Usman Khawaja, are having a nightmare summer so far, so must hope Colin Ingram can resurrect some pride in the T20 Blast which starts next week. If not, 2018 will be a long, agonising road.   

Team of the Week: 

Nash (Not), Libby (Not), Clarke (Wor), Trott (War), Bopara (Ess), Ten Doeschate (Ess), Ambrose (War +), Patel (War), Podmore (Ken), Stewart (Ken), Mohammad Abbas (Lei)