Kent Spitfires shoot them all down

First of all I have to proffer my grudging congratulations to Kent for winning the T20 Blast, consigning Somerset to their customary runners-up spot. Their Finals Day victories while batting first (also against Sussex) demonstrated their all-round abilities, from the batting of Bell-Drummond and Cox to the bowling of Milnes and Klaasen. However, it was that man Darren Stevens whose unbeaten 47 from 28 balls was instrumental in reaching the final. Kent don’t win many trophies these days so it was nice to see the 45 year-old get to hold aloft some silverware before retirement, whenever that might be, if ever. 

He was rested for the preceding Championship fixture against Derbyshire which they also won. Daneil Bell-Drummond supplied another two half-centuries while the majority of wickets went the way of Grant Stewart and Nathan Gilchrist. The home county’s batters never looked likely to surmount the declaration target of 341 and were duly dismissed for 210. That’s three out of three so far for Kent, a feat matched by Middlesex who beat Worcestershire at Lord’s by 101 runs. Charlie Morris’ 6-52 looked set to spoil the party only for Ethan Bamber (4-28) and Martin Andersson (3-22) to wrap things up on the fourth day. 

In the other Group 3 match, Sussex capitulated in their second innings to hand Leicestershire a comprehensive victory at Grace Road. Hassan Azad (152) and Lewis Hill (145) notched career-best scores then four-wicket hauls by Ben Mike and spinner Callum Parkinson applied the final blows. 

In Group 1, Hampshire moved into pole position by removing nine Nottinghamshire batsmen in the final session at Southampton. The losers were inevitably critical of the pitch as spinners Liam Dawson and Felix Organ wreaked havoc. The weather looked likely to ruin everything before play resumed at 1pm but the meagre crowd were rewarded for their patience. Warwickshire advanced to second, returning from Headingley with the spoils. Here, too, the bowlers were in charge, notably the visiting seamers Woakes, Norwell and Miles but special mention should go to Tim Bresnan. Playing against his old county of Yorkshire, he snaffled no fewer than six slip catches in the second innings, one short of the Championship record, besides taking 4-36 in the first innings. 

Meanwhile Somerset limbered up for their T20 day in the sun by suffering another trouncing, this time at the hands of Lancashire. That they avoided a third successive innings defeat owed much to a battling 100 by Tom Lammonby but there was little to cheer the Taunton faithful in the competition that really counts. Luke Wells and Tom Bailey shone for the Red Roses but there were six wickets for the previously unheralded Jack Blatherwick. His name suggests a background of club cricket in the Irwell valley but the 23 year-old was born in Nottingham. 

In Group 2, Essex remain top despite being held to a draw by Surrey. Reports of a problematic drinking culture affecting performances this summer may or may not be true but the veteran knight Alastair Cook delivered the highest score of the week, with 165. Gloucestershire are on their heels after taking 22 points from Cardiff. Glamorgan surrendered meekly to the orthodox spin of Zafar Gohar His sole Test outing for Pakistan left him with stats of 0-159 but the figures which mattered this week were 6-43. 

Things were more exciting at Northampton where there were some topsy-turvy scorecards. Durham achieved maximum batting points and a handsome first innings lead thanks to a ninth-wicket stand of 159 between Liam Trevaskis and Matty Potts. Having lost the third day to rain they had plenty of work to do with the ball as Northants battled to survive until stumps. In the event, they managed to do by the skin of their teeth. James Sales struck a maiden fifty and Simon Kerrigan stuck around for nearly three hours for his 28 not out and Durham couldn’t prise out him or last man White. 

And so to the Championship climax. The way Somerset have been playing, Warwickshire should take maximum points at Edgbaston but Nottinghamshire can still produce an extraordinary turnaround in fortunes by beating Yorkshire. However, the pennant will fly over the Ageas Bowl for the first time in 48 years should Hampshire overcome Lancashire at Liverpool and I wouldn’t bet against them, provided the fickle North West weather plays ball. 

Team of the Week: Bell-Drummond (Ken), A. Cook (Ess), Hassan Azad (Lei), Hill (Lei), Brown (Sus), Swindells (Lei +), Bresnan (War), Barker (Ham), Bamber (Mid), Potts (Dur), Norwell (War)

Harmer hammers hopeless Hampshire

At last an excuse to indulge in an orgy of alliteration! While Somerset sat out the ninth round of Championship fixtures, nearest challengers Hampshire took a brutal beating on their travels to Chelmsford. Essex advanced to within seven points of Hampshire with an innings victory, for which they can thank spinner Simon Harmer. His match stats of 12 wickets for 60 tell the story and he now has more wickets than anyone else in the division.

Tunbridge Wells was the scene of Nottinghamshire’s fourth defeat of the season, going down by 285 runs to Kent. Zak Crawley and Joe Denly struck centuries while most of the bowlers contributed with wickets. Warwickshire also eased their relegation worries with a three-wicket triumph at York. Tom Kohler-Cadmore awaits punishment from the ECB for his part in the odious sex competition and he fell for a second-ball duck as his Yorkshire team-mates struggled against the seam of Oliver Hannon-Dalby and Craig Miles. Dominic Sibley added two further fifties to his season’s tally but the finish was tighter than Yorkshire could have imagined on the final morning.

In the next fortnight, Somerset face both their nearest rivals, which could go a long way in deciding the fate of the 2019 title.

In the Division Two promotion chase, Lancashire opened up a twenty-point margin with an impressive victory at Derby. England pacemen Jimmy Anderson and Graeme Onions dominated proceedings with seventeen cheap wickets between them against a side for whom Luis Reece opened both batting and bowling. Keaton Jennings needed only one ball to achieve a ten-wicket win.

Glamorgan and Sussex share second place after their respective draws. After an impressive sequence of scores for Ireland and the Seconds, Paul Stirling returned to the Middlesex First XI and duly racked up a ton, as did colleague Sam Robson. Glamorgan had little opportunity to shine but Marnus Labuschagne did his Ashes hopes no harm with another half-century and five wickets. At Kidderminster, Sussex and Worcestershire were evenly matched and no result was possible. For the visitors Chris Jordan enjoyed a reasonable all-round performance, Ben Brown added 144 more runs to his summer’s terrific total, Laurie Evans delivered a measured 113 and debutant bowler Aaron Thomason too no wickets but whacked a useful 90.

In the remaining fixture, just twenty wickets fell across four days at Leicester. The home side’s opener Hassan Azad compiled two hundreds, and shared a first innings stand of 320 with Neil Dexter on the way to 487 all out. Gloucestershire trumped that with 571, the bulk of it from the blades of Chris Dent and the in-form Ryan Higgins. Horton and Azad again accumulated 211 for the first wicket, fashioning a remarkably symmetrical partnership in which each reached three figures before declaring and agreeing the draw.

Both Sussex and Glamorgan have the opportunity this week to displace the Red Roses at the top, but only by defeating Durham and Gloucestershire, respectively.

Team of the Week: Hassan Azad (Lei), Crawley (Ken), Denly (Ken), Dexter (Lei), Labuschagne (Gla), Higgins (Glo), Cullen (Gla), Harmer (Ess), Onions (Lan), Hannon-Dalby (War), Anderson (Lan)