County cricket: Porter Carries Essex to Their First Win of 2025

Top-order runs were the order of the week, which ended with dismal weather scuppering hopes for sixteen-point win bonuses. Essex and Middlesex were the exceptions, each opening their respective 2025 accounts.

Essex and Worcestershire fought a tight contest at Chelmsford, overcoming a first-innings deficit to eke out a 28-run triumph. Paul Walter’s 104 began the turn-around then Jamie Porter completed the job. While Ethan Brookes was at the crease, clumping seven sixes, Worcester were still in the hunt but Jamie Porter’s caught-and bowled ended his resistance, finishing with 6-52. 

Nottinghamshire and Sussex top the table only two points ahead of Essex. Notts were heading for an innings defeat of Warwickshire when the rain clouds rolled over Birmingham. On day one, Brett Hutton and Fergus O’Neill each claimed five-fors, then Haseeb Hameed carried his bat for 138 to leave the home county in serious trouble. Ed Barnard, Kai Smith and Oliver Hannon-Dalby dug deep to defend the draw, and the weather completed the task. 

Hove witnessed more of a run-fest. Sussex opener Tom Haines scored 174 and 69 not out, while two of Surrey’s England internationals Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence responded with centuries of their own. A draw was inevitable, 

Partnership of the week was the 279 shared by Durham’s Alex Lees and Emilio Gay. The latter must have been particularly pleased with his personal 152, following three ducks in the first few matches. Visiting captain Jonny Bairstow’s unbeaten 86 ensured Yorkshire’s path to safety. At Southampton, Hampshire had the better of the draw with Somerset, despite a solid all-round performance by Migael Pretorius. 

The next round of Championship fixtures includes the meetings of last year’s bitter rivals Surrey and Somerset, and this season’s leading pair. 

The only positive result in Division Two saw Middlesex cruise to a nine-wicket success at home to Glamorgan. Max Holden top-scored, whilst the wickets were largely shared between the seamers. At Derby, Northamptonshire raced to 500-8 declared, assisted by tons from Luke Procter and Saif Zaib but captain Wayne Madsen’s second half-century of the game and Caleb Jewell’s fifth 50 of the campaign steered Derbyshire to stumps. 

Leicestershire were in the box seat against Lancashire, thanks to Tom Scriven’s 5-46 and centuries stroked by Rehan Ahmed and Peter Handscomb, 13 years his colleague’s senior. When Lancashire slumped to 16-3 in their second innings with a day to spare and more than 200 runs adrift, a slaughter looked likely, only for Manchester gloom to descend and save Leicester. 

Three hundreds entertained the Canterbury spectators. Ben Compton’s 178 was the biggest, but James Bracey (151 not out) and Cameron Green (112) advanced Gloucestershire to 472 all out. It could have been much higher but for Nathan Gilchrist’s 7-100. As things turned out, the second-innings declaration came too late to bowl Kent out again a second time. Gloucestershire host leaders Leicestershire in next week’s reduced bunch of games. 

Team of the Week:-  Compton (Ken), Haines (Sus), Procter (Nor), Gay (Dur), Madsen (Der), Handsworth (Lei), Bracey (Glo +), Waite (Wor), O’Neill (Not), Gilchrist (Ken), Porter (Ess)

County Cricket Team of 2024

I find the increasingly random series of Tests, ODIs and T20 internationals in England difficult to follow and be enthused by. Jimmy Anderson’s farewell was a key moment and it was curious to see how McCullum and co went about the business of scouring the counties on search of a potential long-term replacement for the legendary swinger and also the injury-prone Matt Wood. In the old days, it just took a five-for at Lord’s to earn a call-up. These days, it’s a nasty delivery to Buttler in The Hundred or just being a six-foot-seven leftie, even one with an average of sixty-odd! 

But I digress. This is all about the county cricket scene and the most successful performers across the summer, including all three major formats. My statistical trawl ignores a bowler’s height or bat width, but does incorporate the number of Team pf the Week appearances made. There is a bias towards County Championship players, partly the result of biff-baff merchants missing the One Day Cup in favour of The Hundred, a competition omitted from my thoughts because it neither involve counties nor counts as proper cricket…. 

Openers 

Surrey’s inevitable progress to a third successive Championship was anchored by their openers. Discarded by Bazball-era England, Rory Burns and Dom Sibley formed the best opening partnership in the country, and the latter also released his adventurous streak in the Blast. Adam Lyth (Yorkshire) and Alex Lees (Durham) were solid as ever, and it will be welcome to see the former back in the Championship’s top tier next season. Runs from Haseeb Hameed and Ben Slater kept Nottinghamshire in Division One and Dean Elgar ground out 1,144 runs the old-fashioned way (just a solitary six!) for Essex. April wasn’t even halfway through when Warwickshire’s Alex Davies harvested 257 from Carse, Potts and the rest of Durham’s attack Gloucestershire won the Blast but tore up few trees in Division Two. Nonetheless, Cameron Bancroft was a star at the top for them. 

Middle Order 

Bancroft’s colleague Miles Hammond enjoyed arguably his best summer to date, culminating in a match-winning 58 not out in the Blast Final. One-Day Cup victors Glamorgan boasted a prolific middle-order, featuring Kiran Carlson and Sam Northeast, a third of whose first-class total came in just one innings, an unbeaten 335 against Middlesex in the very first game of the season. Another veteran at Cardiff, Colin Ingram, also scored a century in that drawn fixture, and went on to add four more at an average of 90. Across all three domestic competitions, he aggregated 2,001 runs, miles ahead of anybody else. Leicestershire’s Peter Handscomb was the highest scorer in the One-Day Cup, Ryan Higgins thumped five tons for Middlesex, Sam Hain’s 569 runs for the Bears was beaten only by Sussex’s Dan Hughes and Michael Pepper (Essex) produced two of the seven T20 centuries scored. However, nobody in Division One outscored Durham’s David Bedingham, who breezes back into my Team of the Season. 

All Rounders 

Last year, Ed Barnard proved a vital cog in the Warwickshire wheel and, along with Will Rhodes, was a major part of their red-ball engine room. With the ball, he was also the joint highest wicket-taker in the 50-over tournament. Ryan Higgins’ bowling wasn’t at the same level as his early-summer batting and so Liam Dawson is a no-brainer for the 2024 all-rounder slot. Usually, it’s his off-spin which catches the eye but in 2024, he notched almost a thousand runs in Hampshire’s Championship campaign, not too shabby for a number six. 

Wicket-Keeper 

This time last year, I hoped that James Rew wouldn’t be a one-summer wonder for Somerset. Well, he wasn’t quite as prolific in the four-day stuff, but he added se promising vim and vigour to his one-day CV as the county reached both finals. John Simpson led from the front as Sussex achieved a long-delayed promotion from Division Two. Aged 36, he enjoyed his best ever Championship season, breaking the 1000-run barrier at almost 75, with 44 victims behind the stumps. However, Gloucestershire’s James Bracey was supreme with bat and gloves and gets my vote for 2024. 

Bowlers 

2024 was momentous because, after five consecutive appearances in my yearly XI, Simon Harmer acquired only 45 first-class wickets for Essex, dropping him out of contention. Jack Carson’s off-breaks proved invaluable in Sussex’s red-ball season but I have plumped for Jack Leach who finished the season very strongly. Sadly for me, the rest of his side didn’t. 

It was very much a year for seamers. Even the top T20 wicket-taker was not a spinner but the left-arm paceman David Payne of Gloucestershire. Jamie Porter and Kyle Abbott were the leading wicket-takers in Division One, averaging below 20, while Porter’s colleague Sam Cook was similarly mean. Oliver Hannon-Dalby, Zak Chappell and Ben Sanderson were all in the mix, while Ben Coad’s 68 victims in the Championship and One Day Cup placed him top of the heap. Surrey may have lost Gus Atkinson to England, where he looked very much at home, but the county’s attack tended to share out the honours. Dan Worrall was the pick of the bunch, taking 50 at barely 16 apiece.

 

Before revealing my overall selection, I must mention Leicestershire’s Louis Kimber. To be honest, he didn’t have the most productive of seasons but on one amazing afternoon at Hove, he wrote his name in the record books. Needing a miracle to reach the target set by Sussex, batting at eight, he launched an incredible assault and just kept going and going. One over by international Ollie Robinson went for a ludicrous 43 and he was eventually dismissed for 243, including an unprecedented 21 sixes and a hundred-ball double-century. Respect! 

Lyth (Yor), Elgar (Ess), Bedingham (Dur), Hammond (Glo), Ingram (Gla), Bracey (Glo, wkt), Dawson (Ham), Abbott (Ham), Coad (Yor), Leach (Som), Porter (Ess) 

Also in the squad: Barnard (War), Simpson (Sus +), Worrall (Sur)

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)

Somerset Crash the Essex Party

Only five fixtures in the County Championship this week, but most actually produced a result. Oddly, it was the bowlers in charge in Division One while in Division Two, the batsmen stole the show.

With Surrey resting, this was Essex’s chance to re-establish a formidable lead at the top. However, on a seaming wicket at Taunton, they surprisingly cane off second best in a match which was done and dusted within two days. Nobody reached fifty and Somerset’s pace quintet shared the wickets, whilst Essex achieved a slight first-innings advantage when Jamie Porter (5-37) and Sam Cook (5-38) swept through the home side with ease. When Somerset batted again on Saturday afternoon, they must have feared the worst. However, openers Renshaw and Dickson made a solid start, and Craig Overton struck the winning boundary with only three wickets left. That meant Somerset leapt above Surrey, and Essex’s margin over the champions is a mere three points. 

It shouldn’t last long, given that the winner of Warwickshire’s trip to The Oval later this week will go top, and the weather is set fair/ 

At the other end of the table, Kent despatched Lancashire at Old Trafford by seven wickets. The home county’s run of dreadful starts continued, bowled out for a paltry 92. Harare-born Nathan Gilchrist produced a career-best 6-24, supported by Wes Agar’s 4-35. At least Bell and Hurst dug in to set Kent some kind of target on the last two days, but Daniel Bell-Drummond’s unbeaten 79 ensured the win bonus went Kent’s way. They now meet Worcestershire while Lancashire travel to Nottinghamshire who are also winless. 

Runs flowed more freely in the second tier, and eight players reached three figures. Sussex needed only one innings to defeat Derbyshire. Chteshwar Pujara top-scored with 113, before young West Indian Jaydon Seales sealed the victory with 5-29. At Lord’s, both the first and fourth days were washed out, ruining the contest and the chances of Middlesex and Leicestershire of keeping Sussex in check. Peter Handscomb (109), Sam Robson (162) and Leus du Plooy (139) enjoyed some decent batting practice. 

Up at Headingley, Joe Root struck his second ton in succession as Yorkshire racked up a huge first-innings lead over Glamorgan. Both he and Finlay Bean (173) set a cracking pace, too, in the hope of providing ample time to bowl the opposition out a second time. However, the visitors were no pushover. A 210-run stand involving Sam Northeast and Colin Ingram was the centrepiece of an excellent fightback. Ingram struck twenty boundaries in his 113 but it was his skipper Northeast who remained at the crease on 142 not out when a draw was agreed, thwarting Yorkshire’s bid for an opening victory of 2024. They now have a fortnight to put that right, against leaders Sussex who could be running away with the division should they beat Glamorgan in their game in hand. 

Team of the Week:- Robson (Mid), Bean (Yor), Northeast (Gla), Root (Yor), Pujara (Sus), Ingram (Gla), Hurst (Lan +), S Cook (Ess), Porter (Ess), Seales (Sus), Gilchrist (Ken)

County Team of the Week of the Decade!

2023 marked the tenth year of my weekly county cricket blogs. During the domestic season, I select a balanced team of the week, from opening batters to fast bowlers, incorporating the best performers in red or white-ball formats as appropriate. A decade on, I thought it might be interesting to see which players have appeared most often in this period. 

The central contract system, designed to protect the national squad’s interests above all else, inevitably means that many of the top England stars exclude themselves from the majority of fixtures. Therefore, the list is dominated by players who have either worked their way up to international recognition or those whose cricketing ambitions are relatively modest or whose Test or ODI careers are largely behind them.  It goes without saying that The Hundred franchise competition does not count. 

68 have appeared in a Team of the Week on at least ten occasions and six have done so twenty times or more. Keeping with the tradition of selecting a genuine XI, I was surprised how the Decade Team almost picks itself. Here goes…. 

Keaton Jennings’ inability to impress the England selectors has benefitted first Durham, then Lancashire. 2016 was his breakthrough season but, at the age of 31, he will surely get Lancashire (or whoever) off to many more solid starts in the Championship or One-Day Cup. Daryl Mitchell was another unflashy opener. His team, Worcestershire, have been a yo-yo county in the Championship for years, and the local man’s form has been equally erratic. However, before he retired in 2021, he produced numerous big innings that frequently won games. 

Prior to his reinvention as a Test match Bazball exponent, Ben Duckett was a compact hard-hitter for Northants, later shifting to the richer Nottinghamshire. He was one of the highest scorers in the Covid-affected summer of 2020 and no specialist batsman has bettered his twenty Team of the Week appearances. Hampshire’s redoubtable James Vince is another evergreen master of all formats, but especially in the Twenty20 Blast where he has been top-scorer for the past two years. Sam Northeast, Joe Denly and Gary Ballance have featured frequently but my third middle-order man is Wayne Madsen. Derbyshire may be short on success but the Durban-born batsman has been an absolute rock for so long, also briefly but economically contributing to the T20 cause as an opening spinner.

 

There were several contenders for the wicketkeeper berth, including Foakes and Steven Davies, but Chris Cooke’s often match-defining heroics for Glamorgan have earned him an impressive seventeen Team of the Week slots. Batting down the order, he is always hard to remove, and takes plenty of vital catches behind the stumps to the likes of Hogan and Neser.

 

All-rounders have figured very strongly in my selections. The ability to strike a few fifties and take a five-for is a surefire way to merit a place in my weekly Eleven. Samit Patel, Liam Dawson, Rikki Clarke, Ben Raine and Ryan Higgins have been regulars, kept out of the England set-up by virtue of not being Ben Stokes. However, Somerset’s Lewis Gregory has been a below-the-radar star for a decade, but much-loved by the Tanton faithful, and me. Also deserving of twenty Teams of The Week appearances is Darren Stevens. His pace and eye may have slowed but even in his twilight years, past the age of forty, he was still capable of opening the bowling for Kent in the four-dayers, taking more than fifty wickets a season at under twenty runs apiece. Stevens was more than a mere journeyman. 

Michael Hogan and Chris Rushworth have also thrived well into their thirties but my next two bowlers have been instrumental in Essex’s success in recent years, notably in the County Championship. It is crazy that James Porter cannot find a way into the senior England set-up and, now 30, probably never will. He has been picked for 18 Teams of the Week, primarily for his red-ball exploits but his SA-born colleague Simon Harmer has gone three better. The off-spinner has dominated the Championship for a decade or so, and has more than nine hundred first-class wickets to his name, a sizeable chunk in the whites of Essex. Aged 34, he will surely reach a thousand, a rarity in this T20 era. 

Last but not least, the leading Team of the Week-er of the past decade is Craig Overton. Like Porter, his supreme county performances have not been enough to forge an enduring career for England, whose strategy no longer requires a McGrath-esque talent for nagging seam line and length. 2023 apart, the Somerset twin has been brilliant, particularly in those early months of the Championship. Like Harmer, his tendency to strike a brisk late-order half-century also does no harm. 

So there we have it. Who will be there in another ten years? The speed at which cricket is evolving, including its short-form entry into the Olympic arena, makes predictions impossible, and then there’s the uncertain future of the county game itself. Whatever happens, Simon Harmer will probably still be at the forefront! 

Team of the Week of the Decade: 

Jennings, Mitchell, Duckett, Vince, Madsen, Cooke (w), Gregory, Stevens, Harmer, C Overton, Porter. 12^th man: Denly

Surrey’s Revenge

In the final round of fixtures before the Championship breaks for the summer, and the counties split between the One-Day Cup and Hundred, Surrey kept their title defence in firs-class order, wreaking revenge on their T20 conquerors Somerset. 

As has been the order of things on 2023, July ended in a wet weekend, motivating teams to wrap up victories before the covers came on. Three of the Division One matches ended a day early, as bowlers took charge. At Taunton, there were no centurions, but both Tom Latham and Will Jacks were dismissed on 99 as Surrey reached 398 all out. Although Matt Henry took 6-88, it proved a tight contest between the opposing Overton twins. Craig biffed five sixes to prevent an innings defeat but Jamie took the bowling honours in a ten-wicket triumph. 

At Southampton, Essex consolidated their second place behind Surrey by beating close rivals Hampshire by six wickets. Nick Gubbins’ 45 was the highest score of the match as Essex pacer Jamie Porter claimed a couple of five-fors and the home side’s Kyle Abbott ended with match stats of 6-60. Up at Edgbaston, runs were also hard to come by, not only for Middlesex bit a;so Warwickshire, who were bowled out by Ethan Bamber (5-20) et al for a mediocre 60. MIddlesex scrambled a six-wicket win but one statistical quirk stood out for me. In the first Middlesex innings, all four Warwickshire bowlers conceded exactly 49 runs, and three had identical figures of 3-49. I wonder how often that has happened?! 

Trent Bridge enjoyed more action, although Kent probably didn’t have as much fun as Nottinghamshire, who stormed to a 321-run winning margin. Opener Ben Slater scored 100 and 85 in a game which was close for a couple of days, then Brett Hutton (4-44) and Dane Paterson (5-41) swept Kent aside on the fourth afternoon. In the other game, Lancashire looked likely to inflict a seventh defeat on Northamptonshire. Wells, Bohannon and Salt each made tons in a Bazball-esque total of 544-7 declared but the visitors showed some welcome backbone in adversity. Following his 207 partnership with Emilio Gay in the first innings, captain Luke Procter dug in for a 130-minute 27 not out as his side played out a hundred overs, losing only five wickets in the process. 

In Division Two, Yorkshire suffered the double-blow of a 48-point deduction as punishment for their institutional racism and a two-day washout at Scarborough. Adam Lyth had time to score another century but Durham’s in-form Alex Lees was left high and (metaphorically) dry on 66. 

Worcestershire moved within forty points of Durham courtesy of a 110-run success over Gloucestershire on a bat-friendly Cheltenham wicket. Gloucester’s two sets of brothers were heavily involved, notably Oliver Price’s 115 and a determined second-innings stand of 95 shared by Jack (98) and Matt (49 not out) Taylor. However, facing a daunting final day target of 422, they fell between two stools and were all out for 311. 

At Derby, Glamorgan again showed they can amass a decent total. The veteran Colin Ingram led the way with 136 out of 521-8 declared. Derbyshire’s openers made a fine response, Harry Came and Luis Reece putting on 165, before the wheels came off and Glamorgan enforced the follow-on. Second time around, there was to be no middle-order collapse, because the middle-order never got the chance to bat. Came and Reece glided serenely past 100, 200, 300, and captain Du Plooy called time only after Reece had achieved his maiden double-century. Their 360 shattered the previous Derbyshire first-wicket record and also dented Glamorgan’s promotion hopes. They will have to show patience before meeting second-place Worcestershire in their next Championship fixture in September. 

Team of the Week:- Gay (Nor), Reece (Der), Slater (Not), Salt (Sur +), Ingram (Gla), Procter (Nor), Higgins (Mid), Abbott (Ham), Hutton (Not), Bamber (Mid), Porter (Ess)

Surrey March On

While Australia were warming up for the Ashes with a comprehensive defeat of India to clinch the World Test Championship, Surrey were sweeping all before them in both the Blast and County Championship. Hot sun blazed upon most pitches last week and the champions’ batsmen responded with some fiery strokeplay. In T20, they racked up 258-6 against Sussex and 236-2 in Glamorgan, with Laurie Evans scoring a total of 211. He doesn’t play the four-day stuff much these days but Surrey nonetheless boast a formidable line-up. At Canterbury, an upset looked on the cards as Kent set them 501 to win. Such is Surrey’s form, it was never really in doubt. Dom Sibley (140 not out) anchored, Jamie Smith (114 in 77 balls) smashed and Ben Foakes steered their serene course to victory and a 31-point lead in Division One. 

It was a mixed week for Somerset. Hampshire handed them a first defeat in the Blast after throwing away a winning position in the final overs before taking it out on Gloucestershire. Sadly, in red-ball cricket it was the same old story. Essex dominated at Chelmsford, where Alastair Cook and all-rounder Matt Critchley provided the runs, Porter and Harmer most of the wickets. 

At Trent Bridge, Warwickshire enforced the follow-on, emboldened by a 416-run lead, only for Nottinghamshire’s Joe Clarke to remember how to build an innings. His first Championship century was a double. At Southport, Lancashire also established a solid first-innings advantage over Hampshire, despite Felix Organ’s 6-67. A Gubbins-Vince rally made the home team bat again, only for Dane Vilas to guide them to the sixteen points. 

In the second tier, Yorkshire finally opened their account by defeating Derbyshire by three wickets at Chesterfield. On the first morning, the home county were mauled by Fisher and Coad, slipping to 15-4 and only just reaching three figures by the end of the innings. Second time around, a slaughter looked certain as they plunged to 17-4. This time, the rest of the side didn’t go down s easily. Captain Leus du Plooy and Haider Ali shared a stand of 277 and Yorkshire’s victory charge looked decidedly ropey. In the end it was Yorkshire’s own captain Shan Masood who grabbed the game by the scruff of its neck with an unbeaten 95. 

Leicestershire came away from Gloucestershire with a valuable 5-wicket triumph. Colin Ackermann and Rehan Ahmed had to step on the gas to reach the 215 target before time ran out. There were runs galore at Chester-le-Street where Durham and Glamorgan traded centuries en route for a draw. Kiran Carlson stroked 162 for the Welsh, then Bedingham (151) and Robinson (102) helped Durham to a mighty 630, leaving Chris Cooke (134 not out) and Van Gugten (55 not out) to see the side to stumps. 

The most exciting conclusion was witnessed at Hove, where Sussex and Worcestershire slugged it out to the bitter end. Worcester opener Jake Libby was in imperious form, hitting 198 and 97, but Sussex’s Carson, Haines and Alsop set their opponents a formidable target of 386 in 79 overs. At 317-3, it looked gettable and, even after Azhar Ali fell for a well-paced ton, Worcester required only eight off Nathan McAndrew’s final over. Remarkably, he conceded just three, Leach swinging and missing for the six needed off the final delivery. The draw meant it was Sussex who sit in second place behind Durham. 

Back to the Blast for the next few weeks…. 

Team of the Week:- Libby (Wor), Evans (Sur), Clarke (Not), Bedingham (Dur), Carlson (Glam), Du Plooy (Der), Foakes (Sur +), Critchley (Ess), Fisher (Yor), Porter (Ess), Cook (Ess)

Essex and Leicestershire achieve landmark victories

Amidst all the Easter eggs and bunnies, the County Championship launched its 2023 season with some fascinating contests up and down the land. Anticipating a serious outbreak of Bazball, batting sides now have to score more heavily to secure bonus points and there is less incentive to settle for a draw. Is it working? 

Well, in Division One, not a single side secured the maximum batting points! Essex achieved a rare victory at Lord’s but it was a rollercoaster affair. Dan Lawrence’s hundred eased Essex to 199-3 before Toby Roland-Jones ripped through the lower order with 7-61. In reply, each of Middlesex’s top four were dismissed for ducks and 127 out of a total of 170 came solely from the Higgins/Simpson partnership. Jamie Porter and Sam Cook ensured the home team fell well short of their second-innings target. 

It was another low-scoring affair at Canterbury, where Northamptonshire needed a Rob Keogh century to take the game into a fourth day and an outside chance of victory. It was not to be; Ben Compton’s 114 not out eased Kent to a seven-wicket triumph. Hampshire’s margin over Nottinghamshire was even greater (8 wickets) at Southampton, Mohammad Abbas claiming nine wickets. 

The other two fixtures were drawn. After a day one washout, Somerset struggled at home against Warwickshire, whose tons by Alex Davies and Sam Hain ensured a healthy lead. However, their attack failed to capture more than six wickets on the final day. Surrey also had the upper hand in Lancashire, led by batters Cameron Steel and Ben Foakes. Set a 444 target, Josh Bohannon’s 108 and a gritty 56 from Steven Croft frustrated the Surrey bowlers and even Ollie Pope was given an (expensive) over. 

After their last-gasp relegation in 2022, Yorkshire began their new campaign with defeat to Leicestershire. At least there were plenty of runs. Finlay Bean and Dawid Malan reached three figures to take their first innings total beyond 500 and the home county felt confident enough to set Leicester 389 to win in less than a day. They regretted it. Rishi Patel’s maiden ton (125), another strong performance by Peter Handscomb and a late flurry of Chris Wright boundaries saw Leicestershire to an historic win with just seven balls to spare. It was their first Championship success at Headigley since 1910! 

It was an even tighter affair at Hove, where Sussex eked out a two-wicket victory over Durham. Skipper Pujara’s first-innings 115 and Fynn Hudson-Prentice’s 4-27 ultimately proved the difference. Worcestershire were more decisive at Derby, winning by eight wickets, all-rounder Matthew Waite the star. At Cardiff, Timm van der Gugten’s 5-26 and centuries from Carlsen and Root put Glamorgan in a commanding position only for Marcus Harris (148) and Graeme van Buuren (110 not out) to turn the tables leaving a draw the only outcome, even if it only came with a five-point reward! 

Team of the Week:-  Harris (Glo), Libby (Wor), Pujara (Sus), Steel (Sur), B Root (Gla), Handscomb (Lei +), Waite (Wor), Roland-Jones (Mid), Z Chappell (Lei), Mohammad Abbas (Ham), Porter (Ess)

Cook and Porter carry Essex to victory

After beating second-placed Hampshire last week, Essex went one better by defeating leaders Somerset inside three days at Chelmsford. Alastair Cook top-scored with 80, while Jamie Porter finished with match stats of 9-73 as Somerset struggled on what must have been a tough wicket for batting.

In the other top fight fixture, last year’s champions Surrey finally notched their first Championship win of the summer, overcoming Warwickshire by 74 runs. As in Essex, there were no centuries, but Mark Stoneman aggregated 104 across both innings. Sam Curran added a 52 and five wickets while Ben Foakes claimed five catches and a couple of stumpings. Surrey now face Yorkshire, Somerset meet the team they beat in the RLOC final, Hampshire and Essex have the easier challenge, playing bottom county Nottinghamshire.

There were three Division Two encounters, after which Glamorgan are unexpected leaders. Beaming with confidence, they nipped across the Severn to Bristol and returned bearing 21 points, enough to overtake Lancashire, although the latter have one game fewer. Labuschagne was again in the runs and the evergreen Aussie Michael Hogan took seven Gloucestershire wickets.

There were changes at the other end of the table, too. Sussex were shocked by lowly Durham at Hove, and it wasn’t even close. Cameron Bancroft struck 158 in the first innings and Alex Lees 143 in the second, before Ben Raine polished off the home team with 6-27, aided inevitably by Chris Rushworth. Remarkably this leaves Middlesex at the foot of the whole shebang.

The weather was less kind in the East Midlands, where Northamptonshire and Leicestershire couldn’t fashion a result. Mohammad Abbas (3-49 and 3-39) looked the classiest bowler on display, while Leicester’s opener Hassan Azad scored 92, taking his fledging first-class average above 50.

Northants now meet struggling Sussex, Worcestershire are next up for the Glammies and Durham will be fortunate to make it two in two because they face promotion favourites Lancashire. But anything can happen. Just ask Middlesex!

Team of the Week: Bancroft (Dur), Cook (Ess), Lees (Dur), Labuschagne (Gla), Wakeley (Nor), Eckersley (Dur +), Gregory (Som), Raine (Dur), Porter (Ess), Beard (Ess), Hogan(Gla)

Worcestershire Up…. Then Down

It all started so well for Worcestershire. Last weekend, a combination of Ben Cox’s new-found finishing skills, Pat Brown’s mega-mean spin and Moeen Ali’s allroundership propelled the Royals to their first T20 Blast title. However, they knew that their stay in the Championship’s top flight was tenuous at best. Needing to beat Essex at Chelmsford, it all went pear-shaped straightaway as Jamie Porter ripped through them before lunch. Ravi Bopara then starred as Essex established a 380-run first-innings lead. There was no coming back from that. When asked a direct question, Daryl Mitchell had professed a preference for the Finals Day success even if his side were relegated so at least he and his mates will have to live off the Edgbaston euphoria.

Champions-elect Surrey were thwarted in their effort to make it ten consecutive wins by the impact of Storm Bronagh. Gales and torrential rain combined to render the Taunton pitch unplayable on day four, with Somerset struggling to avoid an innings defeat. Surrey’s top four had piled on well over 300 runs before the home team were bowled out for a mediocre 146. His hopes of a Championship already dashed poor Marcus Trescothick bagged a pathetic ‘pair’. I hope his Taunton career doesn’t end in such a manner.

The weather messed things up at Headingley where Adam Lyth had reached three figures in the Championship for the first time in over a year. Tim Bresnan also rolled back the years, taking 5-28 but a final day washout gave Hampshire the draw they needed to preserve Division One status. The White Roses are almost certainly safe and need just five points from their final fixture against Worcestershire to be 100% sure. Lancashire must win at Southampton to stand a chance of relegating Nottinghamshire who host Somerset.

The Division Two promotion places were confirmed when Kent annihilated Glamorgan with five sessions to spare. They notched their tenth victory and the Welsh side their tenth defeat, which says it all. Matt Henry and Darren Stevens took nine second-innings wickets while 20 year-old Zak Crawley completed a maiden century. With Warwickshire and Sussex playing out a high-scoring draw – a rarity this month – Sussex saw their fading hopes evaporate completely.

If Glamorgan thought they had it bad, Durham suffered the ignominy of being bowled out twice by Leicestershire for under 70 inside 52 second day overs. Mohammad Abbas achieved a couple of five-fors, including five clean-bowleds en route for a fifth win of the summer.

Middlesex beat Derbyshire despite a Matt Critchley century and, in a last day rearguard action, Billy Godleman carrying his bat for 105. The Gloucestershire-Northants action was severely curtailed by the weather. There’s not a lot to play for next week so expect a few first-class debuts around the country and maybe the launch of future stellar careers.

Team of the Week:

Robson (Mid), Crawley (Ken), Godleman (Der), Trott (War), Hain (War), Cox (Wor +), Critchley (Der), Stevens (Ken), Henry (Ken), Mohammad Abbas (Lei), Porter (Ess)

Heino Kuhn and James Vince in a hurry

The Royal London Cup knockout stage delivered nothing on the scale of England’s record-shattering total against the Aussie second string at Trent Bridge. There was no shortage of runs, though, especially when Kent were batting.

In the so-called quarter-finals, holders Nottinghamshire were battered by nine wickets. Chasing 256, Daniel Bell-Drummond and Heino Kuhn mustered 194 for the first wicket before Joe Denly thrashed an unbeaten 52 in 28 balls to take Kent into the semis at Worcester.

There, Kuhn produced his fourth century in the competition but this time the pursuit was a much closer affair. Brett D’Oliveira (78) and Ben Cox (122 not out) helped Worcestershire – lacking Moeen Ali – to a reasonable total of 306-6 but the South African’s 127 took Kent to within a whisker of victory. Four were still needed with just three balls remaining, but Podmore immediately found the boundary to snatch victory.

At Chelmsford, Jamie Porter’s 3-25 helped restrict Yorkshire to 259-7 but when Steven Patterson eventually entered the bowling fray Yorkshire took charge and ran out winners by 25 runs. A few days later, they travelled to Southampton and found life considerably tougher. Hampshire’s James Vince showed his class with a series of silky strokes en route for 171 in 126 balls and Liam Dawson’s spin claimed four wickets as the White Roses slipped to 241 all out, 107 adrift.

So the final on 30^th June will see  an all-South Coast battle between Kent and Hampshire, Kuhn versus Vince I’m not sure if another Proteas stalwart, Dale Steyn, will still be around to make an impact, or if New Zealander Matt Henry, a revelation in the four-day game, will be as effective in the white-ball contest.

Nevertheless, whoever wins will bring some welcome silverware to the far south of England. Hampshire could yet face another relegation fight in the Championship, while Kent are currently in the hunt for promotion, but the RL Cup will surely boost their confidence for the season’s second half.

Team of the Week: 

Bell-Drummond (Ken), Kuhn (Ken), Vince (Ham), Ballance (Yor), D’Oliveira (Wor), Mullaney (Not), Cox (Wor +), Dawson (Ham), Patterson (Yor), Podmore (Ken), Porter (Ess)

Essex back on the title trail

All the counties were in action this week and mercifully all were able to play, catching the end of an unseasonal hot spell across much of Britain. After their week one washout, both Essex and Yorkshire took their second opportunities in style. At Headingley, seamer Ben Coad was the home side’s star man, tang ten wickets as Nottinghamshire succumbed by 164 runs.

Down in Chelmsford, it was 2017 all over again when Jamie Porter and Steve Harmer dismissed Lancashire for only 144 first innings runs to keep them in the hunt. It was Porter again who snuffed out the visitors’ chase on day three, consigning Liam Livingstone’s side to a second defeat.

I am delighted to report a Somerset victory in their opening fixture, a rarity these days. It was a tough few days for batsmen in Taunton, and Worcestershire all-rounder Ed Barnard took eleven wickets. However, first Matt Renshaw, then James Hildreth reached three figures while colleagues struggled, and Luke Gregory was the pick of the bowlers who ensured the Worcester tail didn’t rescue their top-order failings.

Surrey also wrapped up a home win, defeating Hampshire by 139 runs. The main damage was done by their two wicketkeeper-batsmen, Ben Foakes and Ollie Pope in the second innings. They shared a century partnership, with 20 year-old Pope making 145 and taking his first-class average to almost 50. In reply, Sam Northeast compiled a hundred for Hampshire but nobody else could reach even 40 as teen spinner Amar Virdi took four wickets.

Warwickshire sit atop Division Two after thumping Northamptonshire by an innings. Tim Ambrose top-scored as they passed 400 but the Wantage Road side had no answer to Ryan Sidebottom: not the recently-retired ex-England man, but the injury-hit Aussie right-armer. His 6-35 and 4-61 proved decisive, while England under-19 medium-pacer Henry Brookes picked off the final pair.

The Derby faithful probably fainted when, after a 23-match barren spell, Derbyshire finally secured a home victory. It was particularly surprising given that their opponents were Middlesex. Duanne Olivier boasts a world-class bowling average of under 22 and the South African claimed eight wickets. In the second innings, openers Ben Slater and Luis Reece shared a 210-run partnership, taking took Derbyshire towards the rarified heights of 333-3, whereupon skipper Godleman declared to set a challenging target of 442. Once the Middlesex top-half had been despatched for below 100, that was always out of sight despite late hitting by James Harris and Tom Helm.

Stripped of their top players, Durham look like being the new Derbyshire in 2018. They were knocked over twice within two days by Kent, for whom Matt Henry harvested twelve more wickets. James Weighell weighed in with a defiant 84 before he became Henry’s sixth victim of the second innings. Kent’s Bell-Drummond and Kuhn finished the job a few hours later.

Glamorgan enjoyed their short trip over the Severn Bridge to Bristol, where they plundered a six-wicket victory over Gloucestershire. Marchant de Lange followed his five-wicket haul with an unbeaten 50 but it was the centuries from Shaun Marsh and David Lloyd which did most to take the Welsh beyond 500 and a lead of 290. 20 year-old James Bracey led the charge with 120 not out and, assisted by spirited tailenders, forced Glamorgan to bat again. However, Donald and Lloyd smashed seventeen from Worrell’s seventh over and the job was done.

There were plenty of runs at Leicester, too and, unlike every other match this week, not enough wickets to produce a result. Colin Ackermann compiled an excellent 186 but the Sussex opener Luke Wells played out for a draw with 102 not out. 

Leicestershire host a buoyant Derbyshire in an East Midlands derby next weekend, while Middlesex will want to get their season back on track at home to Glamorgan. In Division One, the Hampshire v Essex encounter looks the pick of the fixture list but could Somerset make it two from two at Taunton? I can but dream.

Team of the Week: 

Wells (Sus), Reece (Der), Ackermann (Lei), Bracey (Glo), Hildreth (Som),  Foakes (Sur, +), Pope (Sur), Barnard (Wor), Henry (Ken), Sidebottom (War), Porter (Ess)

County Cricket Team of 2017

The County Championship structure was adjusted this year to reduce the fixtures played by the top tier, and presumably the strain placed upon those men likely to be playing for England. However, with the international summer dragging on until the end of September, it was even harder for counties to play their stars for more than a few games all season anyway.

From my team of 2016, Keaton Jennings and Ben Duckett were tried and discarded, while Tom Westley just about did enough against the West Indies to justify selection for the Ashes tour. As for the 2017 county competitions, newly-promoted Essex became champions by a country mile while their predecessors Middlesex were relegated alongside a woeful Warwickshire outfit. Worcestershire replaced them, as did Nottinghamshire, who also grabbed both limited-overs trophies in Chris Read’s final season. With only eight teams in Division One, by mid-September most of them were still at risk of relegation. Not sure if that’s a healthy thing but it certainly concentrated the mind, especially at Somerset’s final match at home to Middlesex.

Anyway, who were the men who contributed most to domestic cricket across all three formats?

Openers:

In terms of first-class cricket, there were few consistent run-scorers.at the very top of the order. Alastair Cook helped Essex to a fine start to the summer, averaging 67 in all and, perhaps improbably, was the most prolific player in the Royal London Cup. However, my top two pretty much pick themselves. Alongside Rory Burns, Mark Stoneman made 1,156 Championship runs at 60.84 and 456 in the 50-over tournament for Surrey, and Daryl Mitchell’s seven centuries for Division Two champions Worcestershire were critical.

Middle-order:

Let’s deal first with the no-brainer. Kumar Sangakkara was utterly magnificent. In only 16 innings he reached three figures eight times, five of them consecutive. He stroked runs in either innings and, with the openers, ensured Surrey attained more batting bonus points than anybody else by a mile. If only their bowlers had been any good, they may have given Essex a run for their money. In all competitions the retiring Sri Lankan legend scored 2,156 for his county. Fabulous! Kent’s Joe Denly was the second highest scorer overall. With Sam Northeast, he often held their batting together in Division Two and tonked almost 600 runs in the T20 Blast.

When considering Nottinghamshire batsmen, many don’t get further than Alex Hales. However, the duo of Samit Patel and Riki Wessels were far more influential with the bat, Wessels particularly effective in the T20, often doubling as wicketkeeper. Patel crunched two double-centuries and his spin was typically miserly in the short stuff, too. I should also mention Mark Cosgrove’s consistency amidst the misery that was Leicestershire’s batting line-up. Nevertheless, my number five slot goes to South African Colin Ingram. He scored over a thousand limited overs runs in all, helping Glamorgan to a rare Finals Day appearance with bat and ball.

All-Rounder:

As ever, top-class batsmen-bowlers were thin on the ground. While Ben Stokes was doing his thing for England and outside Bristol clubs, Peter Trego unusually quiet in Taunton, Samit Patel focussing on his batting and Chris Woakes out of county action, the stage was set for a couple of doughty county old-stagers. Steven Mullaney is often written off as a dibbly-dobbler medium-pacer who can bat a bit. However, I bet most counties would love to have a Mullaney in their squad: he has the sound technique to open in the four-dayers, provide valuable late-order swishes in the 50-overs and keep the runs down in Twenty20. Yet he is eclipsed by my old favourite, Darren Stevens. It speak volumes for Kent’s thin attack that a 41 year-old opens their bowling but he finished the season on a record 60 Championship wickets at barely 18 apiece, while notching 707 runs at over 41, and that ignores almost 400 in the one-dayers. His age suggests retirement can’t be far away but at the moment he s simply irreplaceable for Kent.

Wicket-keeper:

Much attention was paid to the progress of Lancashire’s Alex Davies, promoted to open in the Championship. He made a good start, too, while their other young opener Habeeb struggled. At 31, his namesake Steven Davies took time to find his feet at Somerset but then so did the rest of the side. It was his runs and stumpings which did so much to rescue the county from relegation and he seemed to perform best against his old Surrey team mates. Ha-ha, Mr Batty! Surrey’s Ben Foakes also improved his batting but Ollie Pope tended to man the stumps in the Blast. I ought to mention James Foster’s fine second half of the season for Essex but my selection goes, narrowly to Middlesex’s John Simpson. Too often his runs at six or seven held them together and nobody claimed more dismissals on the county circuit.

Bowlers:-

While the likes of Anderson, Broad, Ball and Finn were restricted in their conty appearances, it was left to 24 year-old Essex seamer Jamie Porter to reprise last year’s Division Two success at the higher level. His return of 75 wickets at only 16.82 was phenomenal and makes him the obvious choice, besides Sangakkara, for my Eleven. Worcestershire skipper Joe Leach was also rock steady with the new ball, Ben Coad was a real find for Yorkshire, Liam Norwell did great work for Gloucestershire and, unlike Surrey’s Curran brothers, Craig Overton seemed to progress for Somerset on unhelpful pitches. But my other two seam spots are reserved for Kyle Abbott and Jofra Archer. The 30 year-old South African nicked 60 cheap first-class wickets for Hampshire as well as adding useful runs at eight or nine. At 22, Archer blew out of nowhere for Sussex with his fast bowling. The Bajan’s batting was also strong enough for him to end the Championship summer averaging a very healthy 45.56. Definitely one to watch at home and overseas.

In terms of spin, Jack Leach enjoyed a fruitful September for Somerset, but the normally reliable Jeetan Patel’s season went like much of Warwickshire’s cricket, downhill fast. It is therefore a simple decision to pick Simon Harmer in my XI. I admit my ignorance of the Pretorian before 2017 but his aggressive offbreaks despatched 90 batsmen in all competitions and did so much to carry Essex to the title. What a shrewd Kolpak signing he turned out to be.

In summary, based on stats and my Teams of the Week, my County Team of 2017 is:-

Stoneman (Sur), Mitchell (Wor), Denly (Ken), Sangakkara (Sur), Ingram (Gla), Stevens (Ken), Simpson (Mid), Abbott (Ham), Archer (Sus), Harmer (Ess), Porter (Ess)

12^th Man: S Patel (Not)

Essex are Champions!

What an amazing couple of seasons Essex have enjoyed since Chris Silverwood took over as coach. Promoted last year, their eighth Championship win of 2017 has now guaranteed them their first Pennant since 1992. As so often, Jamie Porter and Steve Harmer claimed most of the wickets as the Warwickshire batting capitulated yet again.

Somerset’s seven-wicket defeat of Lancashire at Taunton not only gifted Essex the title but also consigned Warwickshire to relegation. Jack Leach (5-47 and 4-94) led the way for the Westcountrymen while Steven Davies’ 111 was a rare ton for them. They even briefly sat in fifth place before the rain-ruined Middlesex-Hampshire fixture ended as a draw and the brace of three points were dished out.

In contrast, batsmen were in charge at The Oval. As they did in the reverse fixture in June, Surrey clouted the Yorkshire attack for more than 500, and produced three centurions in their hefty first innings of 592. New England opener Mark Stoneman made 131 while old Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara continued where he left off earlier in the summer, striking 164 and sharing a good partnership with ‘keeper Ben Foakes (110). Yorkshire were made to follow on but Aussie Shaun Marsh and Alex Lees each made three figures to salvage a draw.

Division One is very tight in the middle, and any one of five counties could accompany Warwickshire through the trapdoor. Last year’s top two Somerset and Middlesex are favourites, locked on 123 points, just one behind Yorkshire. Both Surrey and Hampshire also sit within a win bonus of the danger zone. This week, it’s Yorkshire who on paper have the easiest task, at home to the Edgbaston wooden-spooners. Somerset travel to Surrey, Middlesex host stuttering Lancashire and Hampshire meet champions Essex at Southampton. Anything can happen.

In Division Two, Worcestershire took advantage of Nottinghamshire’s week off to go top, getting the better of Leicestershire. Basil D’Oliveira got them off to a good start with 138 but Neil Dexter’s 114 helped the away team reach 400. A special mention for Leicester’s 20 year-old spinner Callum Parkinson. He claimed ten wickets in the match, just superior to his twin brother’s seven for Lancashire. If Jamie Overton could overcome persistent injury, will we see two sets of twins playing for England in a few years’ time?!

Northamptonshire had to work hard to beat Glamorgan at Cardiff. Seamer Richard Gleeson continued his excellent season while Richard Levi scored a typical rapid century at more than a run a ball. Promotion is a mathematical possibility but they’ll have to win both remaining fixtures and restrict Nottinghamshire’s bonus points this week.

At Hove, Sussex must settle for mid-table after losing to Derbyshire, for whom Hardus Viljoen captured no fewer than fifteen wickets, completing the victory with 8-90. Kent’s chances of promotion have also been snuffed out after being held to a draw at Bristol. Gloucestershire’s Australian opener Cameron Bancroft delivered the week’s only double-hundred while who else but Kent’s Darren Stevens combined a 50 with a five-for for the umpteen millionth time, give or take!

Team of the Week: Bancroft (Glo), D’Oliveira (Wor), Sangakkara (Sur), Levi (Nor), Davies (Sur +), Wright (Sus), Stevens (Ken), Harmer (Ess), Viljoen (Der), C Parkinson (Lei), Porter (Ess)

Porter carries Essex to the brink of the title

The County Championship entered its final phase with the respective division leaders strengthening their grip on the top spots. With rain interruptions, most matches extended into the fourth day, providing some lively conclusions, but sadly one which was more disturbing.

In Division One, leading pair Essex and Lancashire were in action against the bottom two, and results went to form, much to my chagrin. Runs were in typical short supply at Chelmsford but Somerset were at least in the hunt up to the final morning, thanks largely to the wickets of Craig Overton but no thanks to the batsmen who are collectively having a nightmare season. But Essex romped home, Jamie Porter wrapping up a seventh win of the summer with 7-55 to follow his first-innings 5-40. He and team-mate Steve Harmer now each boast over 50 Championship wickets, more than anyone else.

At Old Trafford, Lancashire clung onto Essex’s coat-tails by defeating Warwickshire by eight wickets. The dye was cast on day one, when Ryan McLaren and Kyle Jarvis captured all ten between them. Liam Livingstone proceeded to outscore the opposition on his own, creaming the attack for 224, including four sixes. The venerable Shiv Chanderpaul just missed out on another century. Warwickshire ‘keeper Tim Ambrose did reach three figures as they succeeded in making Lancashire bat again, but only for 44 balls.

The other fixture ended in more ugly fashion. Middlesex and Surrey were heading towards a certain draw at The Oval when play was suspended. A lethal-looking crossbow arrow had landed on the outfield not far from Surrey players and, with no guarantee the assailant wouldn’t fire again, the match was abandoned. While John Simpson may be a little peeved at missing out on a hundred, the authorities made the correct decision I just hope the scum who shot the arrow is caught before he kills someone.

Back to the cricket…. Nottinghamshire now lead the second tier by thirty-two points after beating Northamptonshire by 163 runs. Riki Wessels top-scored in both innings, culminating in a typically entertaining 116 off 88 balls as they looked to make a declaration. Only Rob Newton passed 50 in the second Northants effort, before Samit Patel polished off the final pair.

I am no fan of the guidelines that no Division Two batsmen can be considered for England selection, although I note that this was not enforced until Alastair Cook’s Essex were promoted last season! It’s not as if the counties battling for promotion all have rubbish bowlers. Think Broad, Onions, Jordan, Patel, Hogan et al. Add to that list Worcestershire’s new signing who happens to be the world’s best spinner, Ravi Ashwin. He played a major part in his county’s victory over Gloucestershire, along with the opening batsmen Mitchell and D’Oliveira and all-runder Ed Barnard. With Ashwin in the attack, Worcester must now be favourites to join Notts in Division One next year.

Sussex are also making a late bid for promotion. They travelled to Colwyn Bay to face a weakened Glamorgan side who were resting their stars in advance of the T20 Finals Day. Credit to the Welsh side that they gave Sussex a real alarm and it was only due to Ollie Robinson’s brave 41 not out that they avoided a humiliating defeat. With last man Briggs at the other end, Robinson knew he had to rescue the team on his own and he duly delivered with a second six off Rhuadri Smith.

Durham recorded their third victory of the season, overcoming dismal Derbyshire at Chester-le-Street. Their star performers were veterans Paul Collingwood (177) and Graeme Onions (4-44 and 3-88) but they really need the younger players, including England reject Keaton Jennings, to step up and get Durham back into the top flight and into the black.

In the other game, another 40-something, Kent’s Darren Stevens, took 8-75 in the first Leicestershire innings but was frustrated by the final pair of Callum Parkinson and Lewis Hill who shared a tenth wicket partnership of 122. The match petered out into a soggy draw leaving Leicester still winless and Kent rueing another which got away.

Next week, all eyes will be on the Essex-Lancashire clash. Win that one and Essex will be almost home and dry. Lose, and Lancashire could yet pull off a totally unexpected Championship success. Over to you, guys…

Team of the Week: Mitchell (Wor), D’Oliveira (Wor), Livingstone (Lan), Collingwood (Dur), Wessels (Not), Stevens (Ken), Simpson (Mid +), Jordan (Sus), C Overton (Som), Robinson (Sus), Porter (Ess)

Super Sangakkara so close to a new record

In the clash involving to the top two, the weather wasn’t conducive to a clear result. However, following Kumar Sangakkara’s splendid first-innings 200 (after Surrey’s early collapse to 31-5), the final day was all about whether the Sri Lankan star would become the first player to score six consecutive County Championship centuries. He was cruising into the 60s when play was suspended. Surely Sanga wouldn’t be robbed of the record so cruelly? Fortunately, he was soon back in the middle but Jamie Porter was dismissing his partners at a rate of knots. Then on 84, he fell to a caught-and-bowled by Westley, and that was that. So near yet so far. With both sides claiming eleven points, the draw left Essex a point clear in the race for the Championship pennant.

The only other Division One fixture saw Somerset lose again inside three days. Spinners Jack Leach and Dom Bess nabbed seventeen wickets for the Taunton hosts but, David Elgar apart, the Westcountrymen struggled with the bat against the slow bowling of Liam Dawson and Matt Crane, who took 5-40 to clinch a 90-run victory for Hampshire which keeps them in third place.

Hampshire will now meet Warwickshire while Somerset travel to Lord’s in what will be a tough challenge against the champions. We also have another Roses encounter, this time in Yorkshire, and both counties need a victory to kickstart their red-ball seasons.

There was a full round of fixtures in Division Two, yielding three substantial margins of victory. At Trent Bridge, Nottinghamshire flattened Gloucestershire by an innings and 50 runs and now sit atop the table. Cheteshwar Pujara and Michael Lumb each reached three figures while it was all-rounder Steven Mullaney’s 5-32 which wrapped things up on the third day.

Kent remain hard on their heels after taking the honours in the South East derby at Tunbridge Wells. Having dropped him from my Fantasy team, Joe Denly duly struck 119 and 71 not out. Typical! The doughty Darren Stevens then took 5-40 to restrict Sussex to 164 all out and, after a rapid declaration second innings, the visitors were offered the challenge of scoring 504 in the best part of two days. The first three batsmen fell for just eight runs but the rest did at least make a fist of reaching the formidable target before Coles and Harris ended the run chase 147 runs short.

At Northampton, Worcestershire maintained their 100% record in the Championship. Opener Daryl Mitchell continued his recent fine form, contributing 237 to the cause, including a first-innings 161 and a run-a-ball 78 to save the game going to a fourth day.

It was a closer encounter at Swansea where Glamorgan achieved their first win of the campaign. Michael Hogan may not be deemed quick enough to open the bowling, nor Paul Collingwood fit for international duty, but both were in fine fettle for their respective counties. Nevertheless, it was young Nick Selman’s fine 116 not out which proved decisive on an exciting final day down by the seaside.

Leicestershire and Derbyshire are still winless after their clash at Derby, but the runs flowed freely like the River Derwent. It’s not often that Leicester reach 600+ but centuries from Colin Ackermann, Mark Cosgrove and Ned Eckersley (a career-best 158) did propel the side to such heights. Godleman and Thakor also made pleasing hundreds as part of a 532-run response. Spare a thought for Sri Lankan spinner Jeevan Mendis who had to wheel away for 74 overs for a six-wicket return across the match. I think it’s fair to say that neither will make the promotion placings, and to rub it in Derbyshire now meet leaders Notts.

Team of the Week: Mitchell (Wor), Mullaney (Not), Denly (Ken), Sangakkara (Sur), Cosgrove (Lei), Collingwood (Dur), Cooke (Gla +), Porter (Ess), Crane (Ham), Bess (Som), Hogan (Gla)

Northants Rollercoaster Ride

For once, most of the Championship fixtures produced a positive result, which makes for interesting movements in both divisions. The week began with the Nat West T20 Blast Finals Day at Edgbaston where Yorkshire were heavily fancied to secure the first leg of a possible Treble.

Ironic that David Willey, who joined them from Northamptonshire to boost his chance of an England career, experienced defeat to Durham in the semis then could only watch as his old side progress to the final. Three years ago, Willey practically won the climax single-handedly but in 2016, it was a good all-round bowling performance and a rumbustious 80 from Josh Cobb which took the trophy back to Wantage Road. They may have a small squad and little money but one strong point of Twenty 20 is that just about anyone can win it.

In the four-day game, it was a fantastic festival fixture at Scarborough for Yorkshire, who advanced to within five points of leaders Middlesex. They hammered nervy Nottinghamshire by 305 runs. Gary Ballance hit an unbeaten hundred before declaring, but his seamers had a field day. Thirty-somethings Tim Bresnan and Jack Brooks nabbed fifteen cheap wickets between them, with Willey unable to make the team.

Surrey also made short work of Lancashire at The Oval, and must surely be safe from relegation with two matches remaining. Sam Curran top-scored with 96 and it was nice to see Mark Footitt taking 7-62 on a rare outing for the Londoners. At Taunton Somerset had the better of Hampshire, as a terrific run-a-ball eighth wicket stand of 217 by Van Der Merwe and Craig Overton, with his debut hundred, set the visitors a tricky last afternoon target. However a second century of the game by Sean Ervine secured the draw.

At Chester-le-Street, almost two days’ play were lost, so Ian Westwood’s 127 and Jeetan Patel’s 5-32 for Warwickshire were in vain. Both counties sit in mid-table, looking anxiously over their shoulders.

Northants are struggling in Division Two but after scoring 551 in their first innings at New Road, a second victory of the season beckoned. Keogh, Crook and Chad Barrett all reached three figures, the latter becoming the county’s highest scorer for a number ten in their history! It was only the 27 year-old South African’s second first-class game, too. However, after some creative declarations setting Worcestershire 401 to win in 80-odd overs, another hundred by Daryl Mitchell and Joe Clarke’s 125 helped reach the target. It also kept them in contention for promotion.

However, Essex and Kent remain above them, each claiming innings victories this week. The leaders dented Leicestershire’s hopes at Grace Road inside three days, thanks largely to Jamie’s Porter’s eighth wickets and an assured 154 from teenager Dan Lawrence, whose first-class average now stands at a fine 47.

Kent also thumped Gloucestershire on the road at Bristol. Sam Billings and Darren Stevens plundered 258 in 49 overs while Hardus Viljoen was the pick of the Kent bowlers. The margin of victory would have been far greater had Hamish Marshall not shown admirable resistance in each innings.

It was a much closer affair at Cardiff, where Sussex just held on to edge Glamorgan by two wickets. Like Marshall, Chris Nash scored more than anyone else in each outing, but it was Ben Brown and George Garton who survived nine awkward overs to see them home. Sussex are still very much in the hunt to go up, with a game in hand. Beating Kent next week at Hove will do their chances a world of good. Lose, and they needn’t bother booking hotels around Lord’s or Headingley next summer.

Now for an honourable mention for Charlotte Edwards. Deposed as England captain, she nevertheless led the Southern Vipers to triumph in the inaugural Women’s Super League T20 tournament at Chelmsford. One in the eye for Mark Robinson!

Bank Holiday weekend sees the Royal London Cup semifinals. Somerset might be confident in their visit to Warwickshire but I fear they are too dependent on Hildreth, Trego and Jayawardene. Meanwhile, Yorkshire have another attempt at a one-day trophy, meeting Surrey in Leeds. I don’t know if they’ll have Root and Bairstow available, but it could be an away victory of Jason Roy is also released. And there’s a certain David Willey….


Team of the Week: Mitchell (Wor), Nash (Sus), Ervine (Ham), Marshall (Glo), Billings (Ken +), Stevens (Ken), Crook (Nor), Bresnan (Yor), Brooks (Yor), Porter (Ess), Footitt (Sur)

Essex Spring Clean Up in the Championship

Pity the poor county cricketers. While the IPL sloggers sweltered in India, it was a week for multiple sweaters, pocket hand-warmers and woolly hats around the English grounds.

Play was briefly stopped by snow even at The Oval, where 40 year-old Marcus Trescothick’s bones defied the low temperatures to create a fine century for Somerset. Another veteran batsman, Kumar Sangakkara was even better for Surrey, aggregating 244 runs, more than anyone else this week. It ended as a draw but at least they started four innings, which few matches could boast.

Warwickshire have looked good all month but have yet to secure a single victory. They top the table after marginally shading proceedings against Yorkshire. There were several fifties but only Chopra reached three figures. It was a similar story at Chester-le-Street where Mark Stoneman’s unbeaten 141 was the stand-out individual performance.

In Division Two, Essex stole a march on the rest by grabbing a second success of the season, to head the table by 21 points already. They thrashed a miserable-looking Northamptonshire by an innings. Ravi Bopara top-scored but it was the bowlers Jamie Porter, David Masters and Ryan Ten Doeschate who dominated.

Weather and the batsmen were on top in the remaining three fixtures. Chris Dent maintained his early-season form for Gloucestershire, for whom Hamish Marshall also contributed more than 150 runs. However, young Joe Clarke, then Moeen Ali enjoyed hundreds for Worcestershire.

Leicestershire look a more useful unit in 2016. Clint McKay added a further five wickets, and skipper Mark Cosgrove shared a big stand with new recruit Neil Dexter against Kent. Glamorgan showed some more fight this week, but Derbyshire were their equals. Will Bragg struck a rare century but Palladino achieved a five-for in the drawn match.

Next week, Warwickshire rest, but unbeaten Lancashire must fancy their chances of beating notorious poor starters Somerset at Taunton. Surrey against Durham could be an interesting one while Essex could make it three out of four at Worcester. Let’s hope they won’t be playing snowballs instead of cricket!

Team of the Week:
Trescothick (Som), Dent (Glo), Sangakkara (Sur), Moeen Ali (Wor), Marshall (Glo), Ambrose (War +), Rashid (Yor), Rampaul (Sur), McKay (Lei), Palladino (Der), Porter (Ess)