County Cricket: Four-Ton Libby

With just one round of group fixtures remaining in the One-Day Cup, qualification from Group A is very much up for grabs, but in Group B, three counties have opened up a slight gap on the chasing pack. As was the case last week, Middlesex, Yorkshire and Durham are clinging on to the crucial spots. 

Middlesex are the only team definitely through. They easily defeated Derbyshire but Durham proved a tougher proposition. At Chester-le-Street, the home side passed 300, anchored by Alex Lees’s 103 before Geddes (77) and Cracknell (84) kept up the pace of the chase. However, it needed some late, lusty blows from Roland-Jones and Brookes to take the leaders over the line with three balls to spare. Yorkshire remain second on superior run rate but their five-wicket win over Derbyshire also went to the final over. Two century stands, each involving Aussie Sam Whiteman, the Tykes’ reply, while George Hill’s acceleration to 63 not out off 49 balls ultimately proved decisive. 

Hampshire and Worcestershire can still crash the party with convincing victories this week and a little luck. Worcestershire’s home fixture against Durham is the tastiest and could be a winner-takes-all affair. Skipper Jake Libby has taken a liking to this competition. He followed two centuries last week with another pair against Sussex and Glamorgan: four in a row! 

The Welsh were involved in two cliffhangers. Andy Gorvin’s edge to the third-man boundary from the last ball secured the triumph over Worcestershire, Libby’s 105 notwithstanding, but in the preceding match against Essex, with Timm van der Gugten blazing away to a maiden List A hundred, they fell agonisingly short. Needing only six from McKenzie-Jones’s concluding over, the centurion and Gorvin could scramble just two singles. The Essex innings was lunched in style by Noah Thain – who has exceeded 70 in his past five innings – and Luc Benkenstein, whose 140 was the highest of the week. 

The best team total belonged to Hampshire. Their 383-9 against Sussex was predicated on a 225-run opening partnership between Ali Orr and teenager Ben Mayes. At number three, Toby Albert also enjoyed himself. His 86 included six sixes in successive deliveries, although spread over two overs. In the very tight Group A, Leicestershire lost their last game, against Kent, but sit top of the table. Their four-point margin should see them reach the knockouts but it is not certain. Nottinghamshire beat Northants but surprisingly lost to Gloucestershire. 

A magnificent 114 from Tom Lammonby inspired Somerset to a 188-run demolition of the hated Surrey but hopes of progress were then thwarted by a heavy defeat at the hands of Northamptonshire, with all-rounder Luke Procter in the starring role. Beating Lancashire this week could yet secure a place in the last six but it is unlikely. 

Team of the Week: Benkenstein (Ess), Lammonby (Som), Bell-Drummond (Ken), Libby (Wor), Geddes (Mid), Procter (Nor), Verreynne (Not +), Van der Gugten (Gla), Douthwaite (Gla), B Green (Lei), Lawes (Sur)

Northants Bounce back to win the Blast

So Northamptonshire won the men’s Vitality Blast but it was a rollercoaster ride in the concluding week. The Steelbacks had dominated the Central/West group so ultimately it did not matter that they lost their last two games. The other two group leaders also stumbled across the qualification finish line. Hampshire were trounced by Essex, for whom Matt Critchley took 4-16, and it was Yorkshire’s seamers who inflicted most of the damage in beating Nottinghamshire. 

In the South division, Essex also defeated runners-up Surrey to nick one of the best third-place slots in the knockouts. Lancashire also took two out of two, including a 22-run Roses victory in which Mitchell Stanley claimed 4-30. He also caught Joe Root off Anderson’s bowling for just four. However, it obviously did the England man’s confidence no harm given his fabulous form in the ensuing India ODIs. As for the Red Roses, their efforts came too late to progress in the competition. 

In contrast, Somerset had to fight al the way to advance. They completed an improbable demolition double over Northants at Taunton before thumping Worcestershire by 78 runs at the same venue. Each were achieved on the foundations of barnstorming opening partnerships involving Will Smeed and Thomas Rew. 

It was more difficult for Somerset in their quarter-final with Yorkshire at Headingley. Pacemen Daniel Sams – who enjoyed an excellent week – Riley Meredith and Jake Ball limited Jonny Bairstow’s side to 161-9, but tables were turned when George Hill (2-12) and Hasan Ali (2-30) reduced the visitors to a quivering wreck on 82-8. Enter Craig Overton. With nothing to lose, he single-handedly engineered one of the most sensational winning comebacks in T20 history, clubbing 79 from 30 deliveries – including three sixes from Revis’s final over – to haul Somerset to their sixth successive Finals Day. 

Meanwhile, Hampshire sailed serenely on. Joe Weatherly was consistently strung all week but it was a masterful 125 from James Vince and a five-for from Sonny Baker who gained revenge on Essex in the last eight. The remaining matches were all quite low-scoring. At Trent Bridge, chasing 164, Surrey were in charge while Roy and Evans were racking up a century opening stand. However, they crumbled meekly in the last eight overs to fall seven short. Northants rediscovered winning ways at Wantage Road. Ben Sanderson’s 4-20 was the key bowling performance, and the batsmen picked off the required 153 with consummate ease. 

So to Edgbaston for Finals Day. Vengeance was sweet for Northants, avoiding a third loss to Somerset in a fortnight. The latter’s Ball and Meredith took seven cheap wickets to give themselves a clear chance of making another final only for Willey and Sanderson, supported by Sales and Harrison, to stifle the Rews. Tom Banton was released by England only to be caught behind first ball! Vince and Weatherley’s 126 for the second wicket underpinned a straightforward victory against Nottinghamshire and we had probably the most deserving counties playing out the evening climax. 

All twenty wickets fell, five of them to Hampshire’s Baker (again) and only Northants’ Ricardo Vasconcelos (88) and tournament top scorer Weatherley (75) passed 40. With seventeen needed from ten deliveries, four wickets in hand and Weatherley still at the crease, Hampshire looked favourites. However, all four fell at the death, and success was sealed when Sanderson bowled Baker. Cue the fireworks…. 

Team of the Week: Hughes (Sus), Vasconcelos (Nor), Vince (Ham), Weatherley (Ham), T Rew (Som +), Critchley (Ess), C Overton (Som), Jordan (Sur), Sams (Som), Sanderson (Nor), Baker (Ham). 

Over the fifteen fixtures, Northants were worthy winners. In addition to those mentioned here, Chris Lynn’s runs, including two tons, the economical leg-breaks and googlies from Calvin Harrison and the under-rated seam of James Sales all contributed strongly. 

My team of the tournament: Lynn (Nor), Vince (Ham), Weatherley (Ham), Donald (Der +), Webster (War), Livingstone (Lan), Willey (Nor), Hasan Ali (Yor), Currie (Ham), Harrison (Nor), Mohammad Ali (Not)

County Cricket: No Stopping Northants!

With the Men’s Vitality Blast entering its final phase, Northamptonshire prolonged their 100%r record to an impressive eight games. They widened their lead in the Central and West to twelve points with two crushing victories over Essex and second-placed Gloucestershire. Calvin Harrison spun his way to a 5-9 return as Essex crumbled to a 130-run defeat and David Willey helped himself to eleven sixes across the week, seven of them in a blistering 32-ball 73 as he and Nathan Mc Sweeney blazed a 99-run stand to surpass Gloucester’s 184, in which Dawid Malan crunched an unbeaten 91. 

Gloucestershire also fell to Somerset in the West Country derby. After becoming derailed in the last sequence of T20s, Somerset seemed to have recovered with an 18-run victory, with James Rew utterly dominant, scoring 116 not out. However, on Sunday they came a cropper at Worcester. Rew senior again top-scored but their response to the home county’s decent 180 never really got going. 

In the same group, Warwickshire won both their fixtures at a canter, all-rounder Beau Webster making two half-centuries and picking up a couple of wickets. Opener Zen Malik came within one from a maiden white-ball hundred in their 59-run triumph over neighbours Worcestershire. Apart from Rew, the week’s only other centurion was Durham opener Alex Lees, whose 108 anchored an unassailable total of 218 against Middlesex. 

Nottinghamshire displaced Yorkshire as kings of the north, taking Kent and Leicestershire to the cleaners. Scottish one-day specialist George Munsey performed much of the heavy-duty scrubbing with innings of 82 and 75 without getting out. Lancashire had England regulars Salt, Buttler and Livingstone in harness for their defeat of Leicestershire but managed without the first two in overcoming Derbyshire by just four runs. 

Yorkshire were involved in even tighter finishes. At Southampton, Hampshire overhauled them with a Chris Wood six off the penultimate delivery then two days later shared the points with Derbyshire. Matthew Revis plundered 69 off 32 balls, including two final-over sixes, to achieve an improbable tie with a single from Akif Javed’s finale. 

The greatest run-fest of the week occurred at Chelmsford, where Essex and Surrey treated the crowd to 473 runs. Roy, Evans, Pope and Aussie signing Josh Philippe whacked most of Surrey’s 240 before Paul Walter gave the home side a cracking start. Wickets tumbled but a late-innings rally by Snater and Akhtar took Essex tantalisingly close. For such a high-scoring match, figures of 3-28 for both Reece Topley and Dan Lawrence were exceptional as the visitors won by seven runs. 

Hampshire top the South division despite being well beaten by Kent, for whom Grant Stewart took 4-32 and skipper Sam Billings carved an undefeated fifty from only 21 balls. Hampshire seek revenge at Southampton on Sunday, followed by Middlesex three days later. Can Northants maintain their rampant run of success? Only Somerset and Glamorgan stand in their way, while Gloucestershire are ready to close the gap should they emerge victorious against Surrey and Warwickshire. Still plenty to play for in he remaining fortnight’s group fixtures. 

Team of the Week; Munsey (Not), Lees (Dur), Willey (Nor), J Rew (Som), Webster (War), Billings (Ken +), Phillippe (Sur), Lawrence (Sur), Tye (Yor), Harrison (Not), Topley (Sur)

County Cricket: Upside Down Championship!

With England and Wales sinking beneath an evil heat dome sucking the blood, sweat and brain cells of their citizens, the latest round of Championship fixtures produced some humdinger results. In just four days, Last week’s Division One leaders Essex dropped to sixth, title favourites sank to seventh and the bottom two each registered rare victories. 

I can’t recall the top tier table being so tightly bunched. Only sixteen points connect first with seventh. After last week’s thumping at the hands of Somerset, Nottinghamshire bounced back to the top in style, snatching the pole position back with an innings defeat of Essex at Chelmsford. Liam Patterson-White got the party started with 6-43, Jack Haynes struck an unbeaten 137 and Fergus O’Neill polished things off with 5-39. Twenty-two points in the bank, thanks very much. 

Sussex slipped down the pecking order, losing at home to Hampshire by 118 runs. It was all about the bowlers; the highest individual score was just 55. Hampshire’s veteran Kyle Abbott starred, scooping 6-49 and (from nearly thirteen overs) 3-6. Despite tearing Yorkshire apart at Grace Road to register their first success of the first-class season, Leicestershire remain rooted to the bottom, albeit on the same points tally as Hampshire. Rehan Ahmed and Nick Kelly each reached three figures and shared a stand of 160, leaving Jonny Bairstow’s side 263 just to make their hosts bat again. The skipper suffered a three-ball duck, and the trio of Josh Davey, Alex Green and Ajaz Patel snuffed out a late-order rally. 

Amazingly, Surrey also has only one win to their name, and Glamorgan dealt them a first loss of the campaign in Cardiff. Mason Crane hit a maiden ton, putting on 165 with Chris Cooke for the seventh wicket before picking up a few tailenders. Teenage seamer Tom Norto fared even better, taking 5-50, forcing Surrey to follow on. With runs from Rory Burns (115), Ollie Pope and the lower order, they did push Glamorgan into a fourth day only for Ingram and Carlson to make sixty-plus and steer their side to a seven-wicket victory margin. 

Meanwhile, Somerset and Warwickshire occupy second and third spots having played out a draw in Taunton. The first few days belonged largely to the Warwickshire all-rounder Beau Webster (64, 4-23) but a familiar pair came together to deliver a courageous rescue act. Thomas Rew matched his brother with another century while, more remarkably, bowler Craig Overton notched his third of the year. With no time to challenge the 314-run target, and Yates and Hain at their most resolute, a draw was agreed. 

In Division Two, Durham completed their fifth win of 2026 in the top-two clash at Chester-le-Street. Wicket-keeper Ricardo Vasconcelos gave Northamptonshire a promising start but naughty boy Ben (Stokes) helped ensure Durham stayed in touch. Potts, Raine and Parkinson limited Northants’ second innings to 250. Stokes had been recalled by England but his substitute Colin Ackermann and his South African compatriot David Bedingham kept her heads and the scoreboard ticking over en route to a sixth-wicket success. 

Kent leapfrogged Northants into second after overcoming Middlesex in an even contest at Canterbury. Both sides’ first innings topped 400, the London visitors relying heavily on Max Holden’s 182. Four wickets apiece for Sharma and Helm restricted Kent to 257 but even a modest chase of 231 was too much for Middlesex. Zafar Gohar was left high and dry on 66 as Matt Milnes and Keith Dudgeon claimed eight cheap wickets between them. 

Lancashire’s struggles continued at Chesterfield, succumbing to Derbyshire by nine wickets. Captain James Anderson didn’t hide in the field but was unable to prevent a considerable first-innings deficit, Ben Aitchison whacked 75 before picking up a decisive 5-49 to leave the Red Roses in tatters. Worcestershire were the latest county to beat Gloucestershire, despite a defiant 139 not out by Miles Hammond. Worcestershire established a lead, albeit at a snail’s pace. Graeme van Buuren toiled for forty-nine overs to take 4-96 then opened the bowling second time around to give Worcester a few heart flutters before stumbling over the line. 

Now comes a lengthy hiatus in favour of the white-ball stuff. Oh, well Just as things were getting so interesting….. 

Team of the Week; Vasconcelos (Nor +), Burns (Sur), Holden (Mid), Hammond (Glo), T Rew (Som), Haynes (Not), Van Buuren (Glo), C Overton (Som), Abbott (Ham), Aitchinson (Der), Patterson-White (Not)

County Cricket: Dan's the Man!

Whether it was the Blast or the re-emergence of the County Championship, it was certainly a great week for Dan Lawrence. With the red ball, he dominated both Surrey’s innings, with a career-best 218, followed by a destructive 101 from only 64 balls. He took his liking for the Hampshire attack into the T20 by smearing it for an unbeaten 94 at two a ball. The strange thing is, Surrey won neither match. They failed to hammer home their advantage in the fourth day, delaying the declaration until after Lawrence’s century then running out of time to take ten wickets. They did at least advance to second in the table, but having played an extra game. Hampshire sit top of the Blast’s South division after beating their neighbours by just five runs. 

Lawrence’s old club Essex also had a profitable week, defeating Middlesex by sixty runs and Kent by three in a very tight encounter at Northwood. Charlie Allison aggregated 135 across the two fixtures. 

In the North league, Yorkshire remain four points ahead of Nottinghamshire, assisted by a 106-run demolition of Lancashire at Headingley. Jonny Bairstow top-scored with 73 and Moeen Ali fell to a second-ball duck. However, his 3-16 and T20 specialist, leg-spinner Jafer Chohan’s 4-17 destroyed any chance of a Red Rose run chase. Wickets tumbled, too, at Leicester, where Hasan Ali’s 4-18 could not prevent Yorkshire going down by twelve runs. 

Lancashire beat Durham in a ten-over thrash, but also slid to a final-ball defeat to Glamorgan. Another white-ball all-rounder, Liam Livingstone, was in fine fettle in all three ties, taking wickets and scoring more than two hundred runs. His 85 not out off 31 deliveries in the Durham game was the highlight. This form has prompted an SOS to make his first Championship appearance for the county in several years. A good performance against Worcestershire, and who knows? He may end up replacing banned boozer Ben Stokes as a Test all-rounder! 

My Team of the Week would give Messrs Farage, Tice and Lowe a collective fit, because another two bowlers in the Eleven are Sikander Raza and Mohammad Ali. The former excelled with bat and ball for Worcestershire, taking 4-17against Glamorgan and combining a miserly 4-17 with a gallant 47 in pursuit of Gloucestershire’s low target. Had he not been bowled by Jack Taylor, Worcestershire would almost certainly not have lost. Meanwhile, Nottinghamshire seamer Ali was instrumental in the triumphs over Warwickshire and Derbyshire, taking 3-27 and 3-25. 

Top score of the week was Beau Webster’s 112 for Warwickshire against Somerset, whose season continued to unravel. Sadly, their chances of reaching Finals Day yet again are already looking rather remote, desperately needing a post-hiatus recovery . 

Team of the Week:-  Bairstow (Yor +), Jacks (Sur), Webster (War), Lawrence (Sur), Livingstone (Lan), Allison (Ess), Sikander Raza (Wor), Hasan Ali (Yor), Mohammad Ali (Not), Jafer Chohan (Yor), Hunt (Sus).

County Cricket: Triple Hants, 100% Northants

At the end of the Blast’s second week, Northamptonshire are the only county with a 100% record. James Sales’s 5-21 helped sweep aside close rivals Gloucestershire, then last year’s prolific Chris Lynn steered the Steelbacks to a final-over triumph against Warwickshire with an unbeaten 115. Beau Webster had earlier slammed 97 but the Bears have now lost all four fixtures to date. 

In the same Central & West group, Glamorgan did the double over reigning champions Somerset. In Cardiff, Tom Banton got the latter off to a cracking start, but Nathan McAndrew trimmed the strike rate and capture four wickets. Glammy captain Kiran Carlson wasted no time in tearing the bowling apart, racing to 109 as his side romped home with more than six overs remaining. In the return fixture, it was a much closer affair. Chasing 202 to win at Taunton, it was Somerset old boy Sean Dickson who top-scored with 63, but it was Jimmy Neesham who struck the last ball for a boundary to clinch the win. I am not a happy bunny! Somerset need to rediscover winning ways in the derby against Gloucestershire. 

In the South division, Hampshire reeled off a hat-trick of successes. Liam Dawson had a profitable week. His 76 not out was timed to perfection as Surrey were defeated in the last over, and five cheap wickets helped despatch Middlesex and Sussex, although Scottish seamer Sean Currie’s economy also played its part. Surrey’s stellar batting line-up was also flattened by Kent, but on Wednesday they turned things around at home to Middlesex, Ollie Pope making 51 not out. 

Up North, Derbyshire amassed the highest team total of the week. In the East Mids derby, Aneurin Donald (84) and Martin Andersson (69 not out) blitzed the first eight overs on the way to 234-4. With Tom Moores striking seven sixes, Nottinghamshire made a decent fist of a chase, but finished twenty-three runs short. 

Yorkshire top the table, swatting aside Durham by 58 runs (Moeen Ali taking 2-12 in three overs) before losing their unbeaten record in a cross-table fixture at home to Gloucestershire, for whom D’Arcy Short slammed 82 and claimed 4-31. Leicestershire are bottom, despite a thrilling two-wicket success at Old Trafford. Needing only 146 to win, Saqib Mahmood and George Balderson kept Lancashire in the match until a scrambled single sealed the deal. Last man Sol Budinger could not bat after being stretchered off after a fielding collision so it was closer than the scoreboard suggests. 

Team of the Week:-  Carlson (Gla), Lynn (Nor), Lyth (Yor), Short (Glo), Pepper (Ess +), Webster (War), Dawson (Ham), Sales (Nor), Mulder (Ess), Usman Tariq (War), Currie (Ham)

County Cricket: Procter’s Lotta Runs, Sussex Success

Big totals and career bests peppered the domestic cricket scoreboards this week, while Sussex made it two out of two. They were second-best at home to Warwickshire, although Fynn Hudson-Prentice took six wickets to keep their final-day target within reach. An unbeaten sixth-wicket stand of 144 between Jack Leaning and Tom Price saw them home. 

However, thanks to their pre-season points deduction, they sit third behind Somerset and Nottinghamshire. The former came away from Chelmsford a day early with a ten-wicket victory against the county which has pipped them to the title in recent years. Controversially, they invoked new injury substitution rules not once but twice. Fresh from plundering runs for the Second XI, white ball specialist Will Smeed made his first-class debut but it was stand-in skipper Craig Overton who stole the show. In addition to four wickets, he crashed his highest score of 141 to establish a lead that Essex failed to dent. 

Champions Nottinghamshire got off the mark with a 192-run victory over promoted Glamorgan at Trent Bridge. Fergus O’Neill and Brett Hutton each took four first-innings wickets, then Joe Clarke (136) pressed home their advantage to set the Welsh side an improbable target of 478. Tribe and Crane offered some resistance until left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White mopped up the tail. Having suffered badly in the opening fixture, Hampshire recovered to hammer Yorkshire at Headingley. Jake Lehmann, son of Aussie star Darren, scored 76 and 92, but it was their South African stalwart, Kyle Abbott, who produced his latest Team of the Week performance, with match figures of 10-70. 

At The Oval, Surrey looked good for success against Leicestershire, as Jamie Smith and Ollie Pope each notched welcome tons. However, their achievements were placed into perspective by the opposition’s reply. Opener Rishi Patel (164), ‘keeper Ben Cox and new recruit Stevie Eskinazi all made centuries of their own to boost the team total to 691. However, the bat-friendly pitch ensured there would be no fourth-day collapse by Surrey, and the current England pair added 80+ to their names to secure a draw. 

Sussex and Notts now have a blank week, so Somerset could open up a significant lead should they beat Hampshire at the Rose Bowl. 

In Division Two, Gloucestershire’s miserable start continued, again failing to register a single bonus point with bat or ball. They lost another game by an innings, this time by Durham. Ex-England under-19 captain Ben McKinney scored 244 and shared a triple-century partnership with Alex Lees, which was almost as many as Gloucester could manage in both innings. 

Northamptonshire’s batting was even more extraordinary. Their top four batsmen racked up a humungous aggregate of 684-2 and may well have reached a thousand without a declaration. Captain Luke Procter called time when unbeaten on 264, and was rewarded when Harry Conway claimed 5-36 as Kent’s batting fell apart. Following on, Ben Compton scratched together 114 but Kent really avoided defeat courtesy of the wet weather which descended on Canterbury on Monday. 

Jimmy Anderson was at it again, adding six wickets to his season’s tally, including a decisive 4-18 to complete an exciting 29-run success against Derbyshire. Marcus Harris also contributed 191 runs to the Red Rose cause. In the other match, there were no centuries and only three fifties as Worcestershire narrowly beat Middlesex. It seems strange seeing Oliver Hannon-Dalby out of the Warwickshire side but the 36-year-old seamer was the pick of Worcester’s attack, while the ever-reliable Jake Libby top-scored with 79. Later this week, Middlesex face the Northants run machine, while Gloucestershire must hope to leap out of the traps for a change against Lancashire to prevent another capitulation. 

Team of the Week:-  Procter (Nor), McKinney (Dur), J Smith (Sur), Pope (Sur), Lehmann (Ham), Cox (Lei +), C Overton (Som), Abbott (Ham), Hudson-Prentice (Sus), Conway (Nor), Anderson (Lan)

County Cricket: Record-Breaking Somerset Bag the Blast

It can be difficult supporting Somerset. Not that we are bad. We’re not. We have been in the top tier of the County Championship longer than most, won the One-Day Cup at Lord’s in 2019 and are regular qualifiers for the Blast Finals Day. It’s just that, like England Men’s football team, the expectation is that we will probably bow out in the semis or final. Coming second is what we do best, and it can be sickening. 

Cricket has changed since the late Seventies and early Eighties, Somerset’s golden era. Year after year, we could enjoy performances by the likes of Richards, Garner, Botham, Rose, Marks, Moseley, Denning et al. These days, you never know who might appear on the team sheet, such is the schedule minefield of global international and franchise cricket. However, it only takes one blistering innings to win a T20, whoever they may be. 

In the first semi at Edgbaston, it was Tom Kohler-Cadmore whose 81 laid the foundation for Somerset’s defeat of Lancashire. Ben Green, Lewis Gregory and Migael Pretorius completed the job with the ball. In the other semi, reduced to eighteen overs, Northamptonshire never really got off the blocks. Earlier in the tournament, they had racked up three of the four highest totals but when it really mattered, they amassed only 158-7. When Hampshire replied, Saif Zaib caused all sorts of problems, but not to veteran Aussie Chris Lynn. Despite his long career, I know little about him but his amazing 108 not out included no fewer than eleven sixes and the game was won with plenty to spare. 

And so it was Hampshire vs Somerset under the lights. I have been to only two live one-day finals supporting my county and both featured the same opposition. At Cardiff in 2012, Somerset capitulated miserably to Dmitri Mascarenhas’ Royals at the semi-final stage but in 2019 I witnessed Tom Abell lifting the 50-over cup after a surprisingly smooth chase. What would 2025 deliver? 

Hampshire’s successful 2012 Blast side featured James Vince and, now 34 years of age, he was again in good nick. Lynn was caught on the boundary early on but Vince and Toby Albert blazed away with abandon, adding 97 in just under ten overs. Vince also fell in the deep, for 52 but young Albert, the competition’s top scorer, continued to 85, when Gregory clipped his off stump. The momentum was lost but a total of 194-6 challenged Somerset to achieve a record run chase in a final if they were to take the crown. It looked unlikely. 

Would Kohler-Cadmore repeat those heroics? No, but it was to be the day for his opening partner Will Smeed to excel. Still only 23, the Taunton-educated right-hander has never played top-level red-ball cricket but is one of the most destructive T20 batsmen in England. On 94, he crunched Scott Currie hard and flat on it way to the six which would have given him the first-ever Final century, but that man Vince was in the way. Sean Dickson and Gregory still had plenty to do. The former was fortunate to watch Currie drop a sitter, which could have altered the course of the match but it was the ever-dependable captain Gregory who eased the tension with two sixes off Currie’s final over, the winning flick sailing over square leg. 

I don’t know how many of this team will be there to defend the title next summer but as long as you have Lewis Gregory and a squad filled with economical spinners, strong seamers and match-winning openers slotting in as required, anything is possible.

County Cricket: Worcestershire and Hampshire Fly into the Final

Despite most of the group stages being dominated by Gloucestershire and Yorkshire, the One Day Cup Final at the end of September will be contested instead by Hampshire and Worcestershire. 

When it really mattered, Gloucester’s wheels well and truly came off in Group A. Having lost their 100% record against Essex, their eight-pointer on Tuesday versus Hampshire also ended in defeat, by five wickets. James Bracey blazed his way to another century, but a rapid opening stand of 112 between Orr and Gubbins set the scene for a successful run chase. At the same time, Worcestershire cruised to a six-wicket win, grateful for Kashif Alli’s 58-ball 80. That meant Gloucestershire dropped from first to third while Jake Libby’s side sailed direct to the semis. 

Group B leaders Yorkshire held their nerve to defeat Kent at Canterbury. James Wharton top-scored with 118 then, once Jayden Denly had been caught for 79 off Dom Bess, the home side struggled to make headway against spin. Bess ended on 4-43 but the coup-de-grace was applied by debutant seamer Matthew Firbank. Sussex’s Archie Lenham claimed 5-48 to end Warwickshire’s participation in the competition, but Somerset made no mistake against Northamptonshire, aided by Archie Vaughan’s maiden List A century. The other county in the hunt for progressing, Middlesex, had to work much harder to reach the top three. Chasing Lancashire’s 291 at Old Trafford, Harry Singh reduced them to 127-6 but the partnership of 126 between Morgan and Fernandes turned things around. The latter was caught in the final over with eight runs still required and the last pair at the crease. However, from the penultimate delivery, Noah Cornwell scored the winning runs and carried Middlesex into the quarter-finals. 

That effort earned Middlesex a home tie against Hampshire and things looked positive when, in spite of Ali Orr’s 108, they restricted them to just 229-9. It didn’t last. The veteran Hants bowlers Kyle Abbott (2-38) and Liam Dawson (4-33) were instrumental in stemming the runs and taking wickets, eventually ending the innings 42 runs short. At Taunton, Gloucestershire were battered in their derby encounter with Somerset. Jake Ball bowled Bracey second ball and left their rivals all out for 159 with the wicket of Miles. The Rew brothers took charge of Somerset’s chase, which succeeded with eighteen overs to spare. 

Even lacking several one-day experts, Somerset’s white-ball reputation made them favourites against Worcestershire but it all went horribly wrong. Ben Green and Jack Leach bowled well and the target of 266 wasn’t notably daunting. Enter Khurram Shahzad with the ball. He had four of the top order caught, and the rest of the batsmen fell regularly, sliding to a pathetic 141.

Yorkshire’s group stage supremacy also counted for nothing against Hampshire at Scarborough. Liam Dawson struck the week’s highest individual score (142), surpassing Harry Came’s 139 for Derbyshire, helping his county post a decent 304-6. When rain forced a reduction of nine overs, The White Roses must have fancied their chances, especially as Imam -ul-Haq in such imperious form. Indeed, he made 105 off 97 balls, his fourth ton of the tournament, but nobody else passed thirty, and they finished eighteen runs behind. 

Next up for the men’s county outfits are the Blast quarter-finals and the return of the County Championship whose summer break has made me forget what the hell was happening. I look forward to having my memory jolted. 

Team of the Week:- Orr (Ham), Came (Der), Imam-ul-Haq (Yor), Tribe (Gla), Lammonby (Som), J Rew (Som +), Dawson (Ham), B Green (Som), Khurram Shahzad (Wor), Lenham (Sus), Leach (Som)

County Cricket: Bracey Drives Gloucestershire Safely into Semis

The penultimate week of the One-Day Cup left six counties still in the hunt for qualification for the knockout stage. Only Gloucestershire and Worcestershire can breathe more easily, having ensured more 50-over action this season. James Bracey’s blistering 186 did for Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, making it six in a row, although Essex spoiled the unbeaten run at Chelmsford, in which Tom Westley, Matt Critchley and Simon Harmer excelled as all-rounders. In this competition, the latter has added the role as late-order six-hitter to his traditional off-spin skills, having a few days earlier blasted a 22-ball 42 and taken 5-47 to demolish Glamorgan by 190 runs. In the same game, Westley and Charlie Allison shared a third-wicket stand of 231, easily beating the entire Glamorgan line-up, who were bowled out with almost 18 overs remaining. 

Essex lost their opening three Group A fixtures but have dragged themselves into fourth place and with an excellent net run rate. Hampshire are four points ahead, after routing Surrey and edging an epic encounter against Derbyshire. Hampshire opener Nick Gubbins has certainly been leading from the front, hoisting his aggregate tally of runs in the competition towards 600, jncluding an unbeaten 144 in the loss to Nottinghamshire. Victory at Bristol would take Hampshire into the two-stage semi-finals. Any slip-up could let Essex leapfrog them. 

After being at the wrong end of a fair few Cup thrashings, Surrey appeared to have turned the corner at Derby, and they have some up-and-coming talent to thank. With Foakes injured, 20-year-old Ollie Sykes stepped up as captain and, alongside the even younger Adam Thomas, made their maiden centuries (115 and 162, respectively) and broke Surrey’s List A third-wicket partnership record. Oliver Hunt and Ralphie Albert each launched their senior careers in the same match then, against Notts, Albert scored 96 and took 2-56. The county’s short-term pain may result in long-term gain. 

Yorkshire still lead Group A with 24 points but in their wake, three teams have twenty, and one must ultimately miss out. The White Roses defeated Susses and swatted Durham aside at Scarborough by 212 runs thanks largely to Finaly Bean’s 102 runners – sorry, runs – in 57 balls and tight bowling by Coad and White. I feel sympathy for Durham, for whom Alex Lees this week delivered another big hundred and Ben Raine captured nine wickets. 

Somerset maintained their challenge with wins against Sussex and Kent. Tom Lammonby contributed another ton and a decisive 5-20, including three Sussex top-order batsmen in a single over. Sussex also fell prey to another outstanding bowling performance on Sunday, when Yorkshire’s Matt Milnes took 7-38, the best of this year’s competition so far. Warwickshire clung on to third position, triumphing over Lancashire and Durham. In the latter match, Ed Barnard managed the chase beautifully, still there at the end on 141, although it took some mighty hitting by Michael Booth to get them over the line with two overs to spare. 

Middlesex are hot on their heels, boosting their weak net run rate with a cruise against Northamptonshire. Ben Geddes led the side effectively and, on Tuesday at Radlett, achieved his maiden century in the defeat of Kent. 

In the final round of fixtures, none of the top four play each other. Therefore, it is conceivable that, should Yorkshire succumb to Kent and Somerset, Warwickshire and Middlesex see off their respective opposition, all will be on equal points tallies and net run rate will decide who progresses. Yorkshire will have to endure an unlikely pounding to miss out and, with rain in the forecast, there could be some tricky decisions to be made regarding on-pitch strategy. I just hope Somerset don’t blow it against bottom-side Northants! 

Team of the Week:- Lees (Dur), Bracey (Glo; +), Gubbins (Ham), Westley (Ess), Lammonby (Som), Sykes (Sur), Geddes (Mid), Harmer (Ess), Fuller (Ham), Raine (Dur), Milnes (Yor)

County Cricket: Northants Blast Off!

 The Vitality Blast was launched last week with seemingly muted fanfare. 2025 sees relatively few overseas superstars joining the counties for an occasional batting cameo or a couple of wickets. The New Zealand trio of Williamson, Neesham and Santner didn’t exactly set the game alight this week, and the one outstanding performance came from an English regular of the county circuit. 

Twenty20 in this county tends to be a completely unpredictable affair, with unlikely stars and even more unlikely winners. In the North division, it is Northamptonshire enjoying the success of a 4-game 100|% record and a red-ball specialist, Keaton Jennings, the highest scorer to date. His 95 for Lancashire against Nottinghamshire is the highest individual mark so far, coming from only 49 balls. In that match, he shared an opening stand of 177 with Luke Wells, for whom the Blast was surely made.

 Other all-rounders fared quite well. Dvid Willey has returned to Northamptonshire, contributing eight wickets and 133 runs. Sam Curran had his moments for Surrey, young James Coles (Sussex) biffed some useful boundaries while Hampshire’s Liam Dawson may well have added to his four wickets had he not been swiped by England. Veterans Samit Patel and Ravi Bopara each crunched an unbeaten eighty-something and Jimmy Anderson proved that a class bowler can succeed in any format, even in his forties. 

The Bears’ Sam Hain maintained his Championship batting form at a super rate of knots, and his fellow Bear – neither Warwickshire nor Birmingham – Alex Davies was the ‘keeper-batsman of the week. Jason Roy seemed happier in his T20 domain. Having bagged a pair for Surrey last week, he opened his 2025 Vitality account with a 92. 

However, the ace performer must be 36-year-old seamer Ben Sanderson. Before Friday, he already had a 4-15 to his name, against Leicestershire, but he managed to snatch four wickets in ONE OVER! Worcestershire were by this stage already beaten but he polished things off with a hat-trick from the very last ball of the innings.

Behind them, Lancashire and Leicestershire each have three victories, but the latter defeated the former by five wickets when they met at Old Trafford. At the other end of the table, Derbyshire and Yorkshire have yet to get off the mark. The most prolific runfest was witnessed at Trent Bridge where Jack Haynes’ magnificent 89 not out helped chase down the Bears’ target of 227 with five balls to spare. 

In the South, Somerset and Hampshire have the only 100% records to date. Matt Henry and Riley Meredith have been the pick of a useful attack, and the top order, even without Banton, has done enough to win all three games batting second. Hampshire’s most decisive performance was their 106-run battering of Essex, featuring excellent bowling by Scott Currie and Dawson. 

Next week, Northants face Lancashire, Durham and the Bears, and one of the highlights must be Somerset’s trip up the A38 to Bristol for the West Country derby.

Team of the Week:- Jennings (Lan), Roy (Sur), Davies (War +), Hain (War), Haynes (Not), S Curran (Sur), Coles (Sus), Willey (Nor), Bess (Yor), Currie (Ham), Sanderson (Nor)  

Tom Banton Triple Start in Vain

It’s April 2025, the sun is shining and even in Worcester the Severn isn’t in flood. Surely the domestic cricket season can’t be starting? Yep. Sure is. We may as well hand the Championship to Surrey right now, and the Division Two title to Lancashire but for the rest there should be plenty to play for. 

In the four-day event, Somerset’s one-day specialist Tom Banton showed he knows how to play the long game, too. After Kasey Aldridge and Craig Overton despatched Worcestershire for only 154, the 26-year-old spent almost nine hours stroking his way to 374, almost three times his previous best. He surpassed the previous highest score buy a Somerset player and with James Rew (152) broke the county’s 5^th wicket partnership record for good measure. However, despite a first-innings lead of more than 500, they narrowly failed to seal the first victory of the season, thanks largely to Brett d’Oliveira’s 121 and a dogged unbeaten 87 by Matt Waite, spanning almost the entire final day. 

Surrey may be the hot favourites to keep the Championship pennant flying for yet another season but they, too, had to battle to avoid an unexpected defeat at Chelmsford. Three Essex batsmen, Cox, Critchley and Pepper, achieved centuries and Surrey were made to follow on. Fortunately for them, the likes of Dom Sibley and Ben Foakes are dab hands at dropping anchor and they duly blocked their way to 219-6 and safety. 

At Trent Bridge, Nottinghamshire did claim a win, eight wickets. Durham ‘s Colin Ackermann can feel hard done by as he scored a ton in each innings. Josh Tongue and Aussie, Fergus O’Neill, did most f the damage with the ball. Runs were harder to come by at Southampton. Adam Lyth’s 106 was easily the highest individual score but Hampshire’s attack, even without Abbas and Barker, did for Yorkshire. Sonny Baker, the latest young speed merchant touted for an England debut, took a modest three wickets but two of them were Jonny Bairstow’s. 

At Edgbaston, skipper John Simpson continued his great 2024 form with promoted Sussex with an unbeaten 181 as part of an opening innings of 528. Warwickshire opener Rob Yates responded with 115 and there was no time for Sussex to set a realistic last-day target, hence the draw. 

In Division Two, Middlesex and Lancashire fought an exciting four-dayer at Lord’s that went right to the wire with the result always uncertain. The visitors’ Marcus Harris notched 138 to hand his side a lead of 99, but a splendid 184 by Max Holden swung the match back in Middlesex’s favour. The Red Roses kept their heads and went for the win but as wickets fell steadily, Balderson and Williams had to shore up the innings with just two in hand. 

Leicestershire made a convincing start to the season, topping Glamorgan by ten wickets at Cardiff. Ian Holland opened both batting and bowling but it was the latter which proved crucial, earning match figures of 7-86. At Derby, Wayne Madsen marked his return to the Derbyshire captaincy with a century and nine-wicket success. All-rounder Luis Reece claimed ten wickets. Finally, at Northampton, Kent clinched a low-scoring encounter inside three days. South African Keith Dudgeon, on his county debut, polished off the Northants tail to end on 7-36, the best bowling stats of the week. 

Next up for Kent are Middlesex and Lancashire host Northamptonshire. In the top tier, Surrey host Hampshire in another tricky fixture, Nottinghamshire aim for two in two against Essex and Tom Banton brings his top form down to Sussex. More, please, Tom! 

Team of the Week:-  T Clark (Sus), Yates )War), Ackermann (Dur), Holden (Mid), Banton (Som), Simpson (Sus +), Critchley (Ess), Reece (Der), Dudgeon (Ken), O’Neill (Not), Aldridge (Som)

County Climax: Yorkshire and Lancashire Swap Divisions

Not surprisingly for late September, the weather put a downer on proceedings right across the UK, affecting both the England-Australia ODI decider and the conclusion of the County Championship. For some, the damp squib meant extra tea and computer games in the pavilion followed by batting practice wearing thermals. On the other hand, there were relegation and promotion issues to be decided. 

With so many days lost to rain, only two results ere possible. At Taunton, wickets tumbled like dominoes, with Hampshire coming out on top by five wickets. For Somerset, Jack Leach enjoyed a good finish to the summer but Kyle Abbott’s reliable pace yielded figures of 9-74, enabling Hampshire to displace Somerset in the runners-up position. I suppose it’s better than ending the year with our traditional trio of second-places, having already lost both domestic finals. 

Essex and serial champions Surrey played out a tame draw at Chelmsford. Four batsmen helped themselves to centuries, the biggest (182) from the blade of Dean Elgar, who in the process swept past the 1000-run mark. Further north, the Durham-Kent contest was limited to two days, sufficient only for both counties to rack up three batting bonus points, a rare achievement for Kent in 2024. Alex Lees top-scored with 144. 

The week began with Nottinghamshire requiring batting bonus points and Lancashire to fail in order to stay up and consign the latter to Division Two. The Red Roses duly crumbled to 177 against Worcestershire while centuries from Freddie McCann and South African ‘keeper Kyle Verreynne took Notts past 350 and safety. Verryenne played only four innings but signed off with an average of 248! Opponents Warwickshire had not been out of the woods but Sam Hain’s unbeaten 153 completed the rescue mission. Lancashire’s woeful first-innings batting this season cost them dear. As for Worcestershire, Joe Leach retired having contributed to his side’s highest finish since 2011. 

Sussex bowed out as Division Two champions but it was heartbreak for their visitors Middlesex. Losing the first two days’ play,  Sam Robson led the way with a lightning 113 but James Coles and Jack Carson ripped through the rest of the card. Sussex closed the door on their promotion ambitions on the final day, Coles and captain John Simpson sharing an unbeaten stand of 226 to deliver a draw. Meanwhile, Yorkshire celebrated the knowledge of their rivals’ misery by racking up a total of 726-7 declared, almost 600 ahead of Northants’ paltry effort. Huddersfield-born James Wharton’s second first-class ton was a biggie: 285 in 319 balls, including ten sixes. As a result, the two Roses counties swapped places for 2025! 

Derbyshire finished bottom, despite Wayne Madsen crunching another 105 runs, his sixth career century against the Foxes. The Severn derby hsd little riding on the result so credit to the skippers of Glamorgan and Gloucestershire to embrace the opportunity to make a game of it in the likely two days possible. Innings forfeits made it a single-innings shoot-out. The Welsh batted first, declaring at 381-4 upon Chris Cooke reaching three figures but Gloucester capitulated tamely, Andy Gorvin and Ben Kellaway each taking three wickets. Both teams will be hoping for an improved four-day campaign next year but at least Glamorgan have the Blast trophy to build on. 

Look out for my county review and Team of the Year shortly…. 

Team of the Week:- Lees (Dur), Elgar (Ess), Wharton (Yor), Westley (Ess), Hain (War), Cooke (Gla +), Coles (Sus), Gregory (Som), Gregory (Som), Abbott (Ham), Leach (Som), Phillip (Lan)

County Cricket: Surrey Make it Three in a Row

With Alec Stewart’s outfit increasingly resembling a cricketing Manchester City in terms of squad depth and quality, it is no surprise that Surrey retained the County Championship with a game to spare. The success could so easily have been rubber-stamped the week before had it not been for Somerset’s unexpected triumph at Taunton. This time, normal service was resumed. Surrey easily defeated Durham at The Oval before being crowned champions as soon as Somerset were bowled out a second time by Lancashire at Old Trafford on the final morning. 

Ryan Patel’s 134 and eight wickets from Dan Worrall did for Durham, but Rory Burns made another decent contribution as both opening bat and skipper. Meanwhile, Somerset blew their opportunity to maintain the pressure. No fewer than 21 wickets fell on the first day, with Craig Overton, Lewis Gregory and Toms Bailey and Balderson each claiming four. On the second outing, Lancashire recovered admirably. Luke Wells struck a century, then his 4-34 proved crucial as the visitors crumbled from 107-1 to 224 all out. 

Hampshire advanced to second place, thumping Worcestershire at home by 235 runs. A stand of 220 by Nick Gubbins (201 not out) and Liam Dawson (109) laid down the gauntlet, but only Garth Roderick (94) and Ethan Brookes (132) made any headway against the strong attack. Hampshire chose to bat again, and Kyle Abbott sealed maximum points with 5-36. 

At Canterbury, Kent succumbed to their eighth Championship defeat, this time at the hands of Nottinghamshire, who surely now only need avoid losing their final fixture to remain in the top flight. Ben Slater’s 160  and 196-run opening partnership with Haseeb Hameed set the ball rolling, and Kent were helpless to stop it. 

It took Essex under two days to flatten Warwickshire at Edgbaston, but the hosts have surely done enough to be relegated. Shane Snater (5-13) in the first innings and Jamie Porter (6-36) in the second inflicted the most damage. They now welcome Surrey in the season’s last week, while Somerset and Hampshire meet at Taunton to decide the runners-up position. At the other end, Lancashire must beat Worcestershire to have any chance of staying up.

Sussex will definitely replace Kent in Division One next year after crushing Gloucestershire by an innings at Hove. Jaydev Unadkat was the pick of the bowlers but Henry Crocombe polished off the last four batsmen to complete the rout. Middlesex also won by a similar margin a day early, their victims being bottom county Derbyshire. The soon-to-depart opener Mark Stoneman delivered a crisp 115, while Toby Roland-Jones continued his recent form by amassing ten wickets in the match. 

However, for them to achieve promotion, they must beat Sussex and hope Yorkshire fall to Northamptonshire next week. The White Roses were always on top against Glamorgan, with Ben Coad scooping eight more victims. Northants sit in fourth having eclipsed Leicestershire by nine wickets. James Sales struck 135 to take control of the match and Leicestershire looked odds-on to lose by an innings, sliding to 92-7 second time out. However, Scott Currie shared a couple of century partnerships to make Northants bat again. I should also mention wicketkeeper Lewis McManus. He only made thirty runs but managed four stumpings to spinners Keogh and Chahal, a rare feat in the modern game. 

Team of the Week:- Slater (Not), Stoneman (Mid), Gubbins (Ham), Brookes (Not), L Wells (Lan), Dawson (Ham), McManus (Nor +), Snater (Ess), Worrall (Sur), Roland-Jones (Mid), Porter (Ess)

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)

One Day Cup: It's Somerset v Glamorgan!

At the end of a week which featured the last group fixtures, two so-called quarter-finals and two semis, next month’s Metro Bank Cup Final will involve Somerset and Glamorgan. Amidst much to-ing and fro-ing, the top three in each group were unchanged.

In Group A, Somerset took the direct route to the last four by defeating Middlesex and, crucially, Worcestershire. The latter lost again, in a nailbiting finale against Lancashire but, along with the equally inconsistent Hampshire, edged out Derbyshire only on net run rate. 

In Group B, Glamorgan had been in pole position to top the group. In a vital clash at Leicester, they lost by only seven runs in a game which featured a second competition century from Peter Handscomb and a Tim van der Gugten five-for. However, was to be the Welsh side’s only loss so far. Warwickshire faltered in the final furlong but just did enough to resist a late challenge by Nottinghamshire. 

With New Road on Hundred hosting duty, Worcestershire had to pop across to Edgbaston for a local derby quarter-final. Skipper Jake Libby continued his run of form with 112, but teenage Kai Smith’s unbeaten 130 saw Warwickshire progress with an over to spare. It was an even tighter affair at Grace Road. In a repeat of the 2023 final, a Nick Gubbins ton took Hampshire to a promising 290-8 but Leicestershire sneaked through from the penultimate delivery. 

So to Sunday’s semis. Sod’s law, I thought, that the two best counties would slip up but it wasn’t to be. At Taunton, Somerset piled on a mighty 334-4, led by Lewis Goldsworthy’s 115 not out and a third successive rapid half-century by James Rew. The latter hasn’t kicked on from last year’s red-ball successes, but the 50-over stuff has rescued his summer nicely. The target was too much for Leicestershire, even with Handscpmb producing a third hundred of the competition. 

Across the Bristol Channel in Cardiff, Glamorgan welcomed Warwickshire to Sophia Gardens. Their Group B encounter had been rained off so at least he fans had something to enjoy. Runs were relatively hard to come by, and it was only some late hitting by Dan Douthwaite which boosted the home county’s total to 247-9. Ed Barnard (4-34) was the pick of Warwickshire’s attack but he and his top order were soon struggling in reply. They sank to 66-6 as Douthweite, McIlroy, Gorvin and the masterly, miserly Timm van der Gugten (2-22) suced the energy out of the innings. Michael Burgess (85) was the only Bear to show his claws but they just weren’t sharp enough to win single-handedly. 

In theory, Somerset could conceivably achieve a treble this season but that would require Surrey to suffer a Championship meltdown and the Cidermen to enjoy considerable luck in the T20 knockouts. On paper, the One-Day Cup climax with Glamorgan at Trent Bridge should favour Somerset but anything can happen and, of course, we are serial runners-up! 

Team of the Week:- Hammond (Glo), Gubbins (Ham), Libby (Wor), Goldsworthy (Som), Rew (Som +), Handscomb (Lei), K Smith (War), van der Gugten (Gla), Douthwaite (Gla), Hill (Yor), Chahal (Nor)

Glamorgan and Warwickshire Still Unbeaten

 In the week when former Surrey and England batsman Graham Thorpe died, Surrey’s woes in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup continued. The County Championship is already all but won but, with their biggest stars involved in The Hundred, the second string has struggled. I suspect that Thorpe would have excelled in the 50-over tournament, just as his successor Dominic Sibley seems to be doing. He has racked up more than 300 runs in the last three matches, including 105 in their first victory of the season, against Leicestershire at Kibworth. 

Only Sussex are below them In Group B, losing all six so far. They made a commendable attempt to overhaul Leicester’s mammoth 363-7, thanks to a brisk 129 from Tom Haines. At the top end of the table, Glamorgan and Warwickshire were enjoying unbeaten runs, leading up to a showdown at Edgbaston. What a shame, therefore, that rain wrecked any chance of a result. At least they both remain unbeaten going into the final fixtures. 

In Group A, nobody seems able to take control. Derbyshire looked good, and achieved a significant one-wicket triumph over rivals Somerset at Taunton. They had a blistering cameo from Harry Moore to thank for that one, but the county’s challenge seemed to falter, suffering a thumping by Hampshire, for whom teenager Dominic Kelly took 5-19, including a hat-trick. 

Both Jack Leach and Kasey Aldridge claimed six-wicket hauls for Somerset against Durham and Lancashire, respectively, keeping them in pole position on net run rate. However, Hampshire and Worcestershire have a game in hand, meeting each other on Sunday afternoon. Pears opener Garth Roderick and skipper Jake Libby were in the runs. 

Across the week, Ben Slater struck the highest individual score, 164 against Surrey’s depleted attack, while Yorkshire seamer Ben Coad was the model of consistency, harvesting eleven wickets at a miserly average. Sol Budinger of Leicestershire was another heavy scorer and heads the run-making table with just a few group fixtures remaining. 

As for the quarter-finals, Somerset should sail through Group A by beating Worcestershire and Middlesex but you can’t take anything for granted. Group B looks less open. With Hammond and Bancroft forming a fruitful opening partnership and Ajeet Singh Dale leading the attack, watch out for Gloucestershire sneaking up in the outside lane. A gold medal could yet be theirs. 

Team of the Week:- Roderick (Wor +), Sibley (Sur), Budinger (Lei), Barnard (War), Libby (Wor), Ingram (Gla), Saif Zaib (Nor), Kelly (Ham), Snater (Ess), Coad (Yor), Leach (Som)

Massive run chase ends in a tie

It certainly was a crazy week in the County Championship. From an almighty clatter of first-day wickets to a couple of extraordinary climaxes, the dramas continued right to the end. 

Seventeen wickets fell on day one at Cheltenham’s college ground, before Cameron Bancroft (184) and James Bracey (204 not out) lifted Gloucestershire’s second innings to more than 600. The 593-run target they set Glamorgan would, if reached, obliterate the world record. With Labuschagne and Northeast nicely set at stumps, the visitors weren’t panicking and even when the skipper was caught behind for 187, eighth man out, just 49 were needed from the last fifteen overs. Mason Crane bravely maintained the run rate and the last pair required only two from the final over. Scores were level with Ajeet Singh Dale’s concluding delivery to Jamie McIlroy. Edged! James Bracey leapt to take a stunning one-handed catch and promptly hared off around the boundary in celebration. A TIE! The world record run chase was missed but 592 all out was still the highest fourth-innings total ever seen in England. Bracey’s double-century and ten catches also eclipsed all the other century-hitting ‘keepers this week. Pity poor Crane for shepherding Glamorgan so close to what would have been an astonishing win. 

Elsewhere in Division Two, twenty-two wickets tumbled on Sunday at Northampton but there was to be no Cheltenham-style batting recovery. Northants’ Emilio Gay scored the game’s solitary fifty as Sussex rounded off a 63-run success inside seven sessions. Nathan McAndrew (Sussex) and the home skipper Luke Procter were the pick of the bowlers. 

At Chesterfield, Yorkshire batsman James Wharton virtually beat Derbyshire on his own, following the latter’s humbling for 76 all out with a commanding 188. In the second innings, Ross Whitely did at least offer an entertaining whirlwind 52 but Ben Coad (6-30) and Vishwa Fernando (4-58) polished things off with a day to spare. Bowlers also dominated early proceedings at Leicester, with Bens Mike and Green ripping through the Middlesex line-up with ease. A target of 466 was always beyond the Londoners and, at 270-9, captain Toby Roland-Jones resorted to T20-ish antics, whacking eight sixes before Currie had him caught to register Leicestershire’s maiden victory of the campaign. 

At the top of Division One, Surrey made short work of closest rivals Essex at The Oval. Jamie Smith marked his England call-up by striking 100 and 70, and Ryan Patel also chipped in with a century of his own. Jordan Clark was typically useful with the ball, but it was paceman Tom Lawes’ 4-26 which inflicted most damage, the triumph opening up a 29-point lead over Essex. 

Somerset had to overcome adversity and a thrilling fourth-day chase to beat Warwickshire and leapfrog Essex in the table. At Taunton, Michael Burgess’ 147 and Oliver Hannon-Dalby’s 6-56 put Warwickshire in the driving seat by th third day. However, a brilliant unbeaten 152 by Tom Abell, ably supported by Banton and Rew, secured a fantastic win against the odds. 

Kent’s miserable season continued, beaten by Hampshire by six wickets at Southampton. James Vince racked up 211, sharing a 259-run stand with Ben Brown (116), then James Leaning’s 118 was not quite enough to prevent the follow-on. Kent did make Hants bat again but it took a scrambling 28-ball 56 not out from Liam Dawson to get the visitors over the finishing line. 

Worcestershire finally removed the zero from their ‘Win’ column by defeating Durham at Chester-le Street. Ben Stokes picked up three wickets and a half-century but was powerless to stop New Zealander Nathan Smith and his fellow bowlers. Nevertheless, the week’s top performer with the ball was the evergreen James Anderson. His glorious international career may be over but his 7-35 for Lancashire in Nottinghamshire’s first innings was a throwback to his younger days. Keaton Jennings plundered another big ton but a defiant last-day 115 not out by Joe Clarke blunted Anderson et al to record a draw. 

It's now back to the one-day stuff for the heady days of summer, but can any Twenty20 or Hundred contests match the thrills and spills of the County Championship?! 

Team of the Week:- Bancroft (Glo), Jennings (Lan), Wharton (Yor), Vince (Ham), Northeast (Gla), Abell (Som), Bracey (Glo +), N Smith (Wor), Fernando (Yor), Coad (Yor), Anderson (Lan)

County Cricket: Top Two Trounced

The three leading counties were all involved in innings defeats this week, but not necessarily in the way their positions would have suggested. The top two were surprisingly slaughtered inside three days, their first losses of the summer, which evens things up quite a bit as we head into Twenty20 territory. 

Surrey’s suffering at the hands of Hampshire was the greatest shock, especially as this, at an innings and 276, was their heaviest loss in their long Championship history. Indeed, their only larger losing margins were inflicted by sides featuring Don Bradman and WG Grace! Ben Brown, Nick Gubbins and young Toby Albert each plundered centuries as Hampshire topped 600, declaring a whopping 481 runs ahead. Not even the champions’ set of internationals could retrieve that one. Seamer Kyle Abbott’s 5-25 did the damage on day one, while the spinners Liam Dawson and Felix Organ sealed the win two days later. 

Somerset also had a miserable trip, returning from Chester-le-Street two days early with just the points in the bag. Tom Abell’s return to the side as opener was a grim one and, despite his duck with the bat, Durham part-timer Ben Stokes could take enormous satisfaction from his eight wickets with ball in hand. Colleague David Bedingham continued his prolific form, too, claiming a fourth century in consecutive innings. 

Essex moved to within two points of Surrey by thrashing basement county Kent by an innings and 96 at Canterbury. Jordan Cox led the onslaught on his former side’s batsmen, clubbing five sixes in his 207. Kent made a decent response in spite of Matt Critchley’s 5-88 but were made to follow on. This time, Snater and Harmer dominated, wearing the home team down over 57 turgid overs. 

At a soggy Old Trafford, Warwickshire made a sporting overnight declaration to try and make a game of it against Lancashire. Their opener Alex Davies carried his bat for 127, while 20-year-okd Jacob Bethell was the pick of the attack. Cricket returned to the notoriously flood-prone New Road ground at Worcester, only for rain water to leave the outfield unplayable for three days. At least Nottinghamshire skipper could add another hundred to his collection, and the evergreen giant, Luke Fletcher, took his first-class wicket tally past 450.

 

In Division Two, the top two counties met at Lord’s, but the pre-match promise fizzled out into a dreary runfest. Sussex batted the first two days, including another ton from a rejuvenated John Simpson and the doughty Cheteshwar Pujara. Middlesex occupied the crease for the next two, the highest scorers being Sam Robson (135) and Ryan Higgins (106).

 Nobody else could take advantage of this stalemate as all fixtures ended as draws. Leicestershire remain third, after their home tie against Glamorgan was spoiled by the weather.  Luckily, the excitement quotient was notably higher at Northampton. There was little to choose between Northants and Yorkshire in their first innings, as Luke Procter and Adam Lyth traded centuries. Shan Masood’s unbeaten 131 prompted a declaration and a 326-run target. Things were going smoothly at 165-2, then Lyth and Revis ushered a rush of wickets. Only opener Ricardo Vasconselos held firm, and his seventeen boundaries even offered hope of an unlikely victory. Eventually, hands were shaken on a raw with two wickets or 76 runs still needed to produce a result. 

Last week, Gloucestershire racked up more than 700 runs so their first-innings total of 530 against Derbyshire must have seemed a come-down. Matt Lamb struck a career-best 207 and ‘keeper Brooke Guest’s 95 helped Derby’s total to 526 but a rapid 277 stand between James Bracey and Graeme van Buuren anchored a reply which earned Gloucester bragging rights in the inevitable draw. 

Well, now we have a four-week break to accommodate Twenty20 cricket. While England are amongst twenty nations contesting the World Cup across the Atlantic, the domestic counties are about to Blast off. NO doubt I shall get my head around the new intake of internationals and promising young biff-bashers enjoying the limelight in June. 

Team of the Week:- Lyth (Yor), Vasconcelos (Nor), Shan Masood (Yor), Cox (Ess), Lamb (Der), Brown (Ham +), van Buuren (Glo), Stokes (Dur), Dawson (Ham), Abbott (Ham), Bethell (War)

Worrall Wins it for Surrey

Plenty of positive results and a few nail-biters in the Championship this week. The leading three in Division One all won, with Surrey’s fourth on the trot keeping them comfortably at the summit. They overwhelmed Worcestershire at The Oval with a day to spare. The reliable Jordan Clark top-scored, but it was Dan Worrall’s ten-wicket haul which caught the eye. 

It was a real game of two halves at Chelmsford, where a 209-run partnership between Ed Barnard and Michael Burgess and three wickets apiece for Yates and Simmons piled pressure on Essex late on Saturday. However, their spinners Matt Critchley and Simon Harmer turned the tables, leaving the home side an awkward target of 330. At 12-2, things looked grim but Jordan Cox made 112, then Matt Critchley was left high and dry on 99 as he and Harmer sealed the deal. 

It was another topsy-turvy affair at Taunton. Tom Banton and James Rew have struggled so far this season but each reached three figures as Somerset stormed to 554 against Kent. When Overton and Pretorius led a useful attack to dismiss Kent for 178, the visitors looked as if they’d been on the end of a lethal Usyk combination. However, they seemed to have bounced up from the canvas on Sunday when Zak Crawley’s 238 helped the visitors to 388-2. Undeterred, Somerset struck back with three late wickets, and left themselves with a potentially tricky 180 to score by the end of the match. Fortunately, Matt Renshaw and Andy Umeed struck the perfect balance of watchfulness and strokeplay to secure an eight-wicket triumph and maintain Somerset’s second place. 

At Trent Bridge, Hampshire came away with their first success of the summer, defeating Nottinghamshire by five wickets. Apart from Lyndon James (106 not out), the hosts found runs hard to come by against Abbas and Abbott in particular, and it required a sixth-wicket century stand from Middleton and Fuller to drag Hampshire from 44-5 to reach the finishing line.

 Ben Stokes’ first Championship outing for two years lured the media to Blackpool and he achieved a welcome five-for but only twenty runs for Durham. Hopefully the journos present also stayed to observe not one but two players who hit tons in each innings. Keaton Jennings performed the feat for Lancashire then David Bedingham, trying to save and possibly gain an unlikely victory on day four, repeated the achievement. He and the more belligerent Ollie Robonson placed Durham just 161 short with seven standing but, when Bedingham was caught behind off Nathan Lyon, the remaining batsmen capitulated leaving Robinson unbeaten on 171, handing Lancashire their first win of 2024.

 They stay bottom, though, and need to beat winless Warwickshire to extricate themselves from the relegation places before the four-week red-ball break. Essex hop over the Tnames to Kent and Somerset head north to face Durham in bids to keep Surrey in their sights. The champions follow the M3 to meet Hampshire who look woefully short of runs. 

In the second tier, Sussex rediscovered their winning ways at Hove, but Yorkshire pushed them all the way in a low-scoring contest. Ben Coad and George Hill bowled well for the Tykes but Ollie Robinson (the other one!), Sean Hunt and, by capturing Joe Root’s crucial wicket, Tom Haines, bowled the South Coasters to victory by only 21 runs. 

Middlesex are just seven points behind after beating Glamorgan in another nervy finale at Sophia Gardens. Mark Stoneman (129) delivered a heathy first-innings lead before Marcus Labuscagne (111) and Colin Ingram (105) steered Glamorgan back inti the game. With Mason Crane spinning five men out, it looked touch and go but the ninth-wicket partnership between Davies and Helm extended to 52 to nick it by two wickets. 

At Leicester, Gloucestershire declared on a mammoth 706-6. Openers Cameron Bancroft and Ian Charlesworth put on 313 and the pace accelerated with James Bracey and skipper Graeme van Buuren. On day four, Leicestershire made runs throughout the order to dig out a draw. The outcome was the same at Derby, where Northamptonshire generally had the better of things. A rapid 153 not out by Emilio Gay propelled them to a declaration capable of giving the bowlers something to aim at in two-and-a-bit sessions. At 141-7, that looked a great decision but Zak Chappell and Anuj Dal added 108. Two snap wickets put Northants on the verge of victory only for Dal and the last man Dupavillon to survive the final two overs. 

Next week’s Division Two highlight is set to be the top two counties battling it out at Lord’s. Should be interesting… 

Team of the Week:- Crawley (Ken), Jennings (Lan), Gay (Nor), Bedingham (Dur), Banton (Som), Robinson (Ken +), Barnard (War), Critchley (Ess), Hill (Yor), Worrall (Sur), Robinson (Sus)