County Cricket: Bears Blast Off

While England’s Test squad signed off from their counties, including virtually any seam bowler able to run unaided, we experienced the first week of Twenty20 in 2022. With most sides completing three fixtures, Birmingham Bears, Middlesex and – after I confidently ruled them out of any success – Somerset so far boast a 100% record. 

In the North division, the Birmingham Bears lead the way. Their 125-run demolition of Northants contrasted with a tight three-run margin against Derbyshire. In the former game, Irish opener Paul Stirling slammed 119 off 51 balls, including five consecutive sixes from James Sales. Surprisingly it was only his second T20 century in his long career. 

Yorkshire’s Harry Brook, having earned an international call-up after a stellar start to the Championship, proved he can score runs with the white ball, too. His 48-ball 72 at Old Trafford looked to have steered the White Roses to a last-gasp victory over the Reds only for Richard Gleeson to trap him LBW with the very last ball for an unlikely tie. In a fruitful week, Gleeson also took 5-33 against Worcestershire, while globe-trotting all-rounder Liam Livingstone contributed in all three Lancashire matches. 

The highest team score of the week was Northamptonshire’s 223-4 against Durham. Australian Chris Lynn marked his Steelbacks Blast debut with a 46-ball 83, sharing a rapid opening stand of 149 with Ben Curran. Durham’s Ben Raine suffered the ignominy of being forced out of the attack as punishment for bowling three deliveries over shoulder height. Harsh but fair…. 

In the South, Somerset established a super start, including two crushing defeats of Hampshire and Kent. The latter, champions in 2021, lost all three contests this week, despite the efforts of skipper Sam Billings. Somerset’s most successful performers were batter Riley Roussouw and pace bowler Josh Davey. Middlesex also have an unblemished record, with Max Holden and Toby Roland-Jones in consistently fine form. 

Essex haven’t enjoyed the best of weeks, but special credit should go to Matt Critchley. Transferred from Derbyshire in the close season, the 25 year-old leg-spinner demonstrated again why he is such a dangerous all-rounder in this form of cricket. Michael Hogan is much, much older and not normally associated with the Blast, but the Glamorgan seamer turned in the best bowling analysis of the past seven days. A shame that his 5-18 wasn’t quite enough to deny Surrey victory. The two players now meet on Thursday. 

Team of the Week: Stirling (War/Bears), M Rizwan (Sus +), Holden (Mid), Rossouw (Som), Brook (Yor), Livingstone (Lan), Critchley (Ess), Roland-Jones (Mid), Gleeson (Lan), Hogan (Gla), Davey (Som)

It's down to Essex and Somerset again!

 The final round of Bob Willis Trophy fixtures offered a myriad of possible outcomes regarding qualification for the Final. What we did not anticipate was the abandonment of the Gloucestershire-Northants clash at lunch on day one, thanks to a positive Covid test result. Obviously a concern but neither side were in contention. 

The main focus in the Central group was New Road, where Worcestershire and Somerset squared up, with the winners likely to harvest sufficient points to be in the top two overall. A draw would suit neither, and it went to the final afternoon.  Yet again Somerset enjoyed a first innings lead, although they conceded the first batting point of the entire season when Worcester limped to 200. Ed Barnard proceeded to rock Somerset but Tom Lammonby carried his bat for 107 to set the home team a gettable 245. However, the opposing seam attack has been dominant all summer. Jamie Overton may have jumped ship to Surrey but Josh Davey took 3-16 to thwart a useful batting line-up and carry Somerset into a second successive Lord’s final. 

They will meet Essex on the 23rd to decide the destination of the red-ball title, just as they did a year ago. The county champions wrapped up victory over Middlesex at Chelmsford inside three days. Simon Harmer was again a key contributor but it was seamers Sam Cook and Aaron Beard who shone brightest, snaffling seven cheap wickets between them in the second innings. 

Kent also proved triumphant, but ultimately in vain. England’s new Test star Zak Crawley notched a second innings ton but much of the damage inflicted upon Hampshire was really done by seamers Harry Podmore and that man Darren Stevens, who could celebrate match stats of 9-72. Even at 44, he could still fulfil Kent’s workhorse role. Roll on 2021! 

Surrey finally clinched a consolation success at home to Sussex. Tom Haines launched the visitors to a 400+ score and not even a first red-ball century this year from Rory Burns and Will Jacks’ unbeaten 84 could help Surrey match that. New signing Jamie Overton (dammit!) weighed in with 55 but went wicketless as the spinners Moriarty and Virdi  blitzed Sussex second time around, leaving Burns et al to win by six wickets. 

Up North, Derbyshire’s hopes of a place at Lord’s were extinguished by Lancashire’s second-innings runfest at Aysgarth. I’d never heard of George Balderson and Danny Lamb but the duo shared a century stand and ten wickets in the 178-run victory. Jack Morley is even younger and, making his debut at 19, he took 5-71. Yorkshire also made short work of their opponents, Leicestershire. Jordan Thompson enjoyed his maiden five-for although old man Ben Coad (he’s 26) more than equalled that return. Amazingly his career first-class average has now dipped below 20. 

Nobody has scooped more batting bonus points than Nottinghamshire but their bowlers have been unable to capitalise. Ben Duckett and Joe Clarke each reached three figures once more, despite the efforts of Chris Rushworth whose seven victims included his 500^th for Durham who batted long enough on day four to thwart Notts yet again. The four-day winless run now extends into a third season. 

Finally, a special mention for Ian Bell. In his ultimate first-class game, the Warwickshire veteran signed off with 50 and 90, and still his critics moaned about a century-making opportunity spurned. That encapsulates for me the lame attitude towards one of the finest English batsmen of the century. That his runs this week did not earn a win owes much to Glamorgan’s rearguard action on the last afternoon, led by Nick Selman’s resolute 73 and the tenth wicket pair getting through to stumps unbroken. 

It’s been great to have some genuine county cricket in this Corona-summer and, although fans have been kept away from most of the action – and won’t be allowed in for the Final either – it hasn’t been a wasted year, offering opportunities to many young cricketers and introducing a host of new names to me. Let’s hope many can kick on to greater things. 

Team of the Week: Burns (Sur), Lammonby (Som), Duckett (Not), Clarke (Not), Bell (War), Wheater (Ess +), D Lamb (Mid), D Stevens (Ken), Davey (Som), S Cook (Ess), Coad (Yor)

Davey Fires Somerset back to the top

With the County Championship entering its final straight, three of the four Division One games ended in victories by more than 200 runs. Crucially, the exception was at Edgbaston where Essex were made to follow on. Warwickshire had racked up 517, helped by Matthew Lamb’s maiden century, making Essex’s chance of victory almost impossible. Tom Westley’s second substantial score of the game did at least prevent a defeat but events in Taunton must have left them frustrated.

It was another low-scoring fixture in Somerset, but the home side’s second innings left Yorkshire in dire straits. Craig Overton may have been absent with the England squad but his replacement Josh Davey was inspired. His 3-30 and 5-21 were integral to third-placed Yorkshire twice being skittled for little more than 100. Their 19 points was enough to move ahead of Essex by eight points. Unless Somerset beat Hampshire next week and Essex lose at home to Surrey – an unlikely combination of events – the title will be decided in a winner-takes-all at Taunton in a fortnight. My heart won’t stand it, and I’ll be in Portugal on holiday when it happens!

Hampshire met Surrey at Southampton this week and it was the champions came off the worse. It was even-stevens after the first innings. Rikki Clarke took 5-21 and Keith Barker 4-38 but when Hampshire batted second, no fewer than five players struck half-centuries, led by a rapid 91 by James Vince. However, it was their 20 year-old opener Felix Organ who clinched the match – with the ball. His part-time leg-breaks clamed 5-25 as Surrey slumped to 151 all out.

At the other end of the table, Nottinghamshire were relegated after Kent demolished them at Trent Bridge. Ravi Ashwin may have taken nine wickets spread over 50 overs but Kent’s star of the show was that wily all-rounder, Darren Stevens. He scored 88 and took 10-92 in the match to send Notts back to the second tier with two fixtures yet to play. They are the only county not to have won in the  Championship. Even Leicestershire have one triumph to their name.

It didn’t happen this week, though. Northamptonshire advanced to a clear second place by winning at Grace Road by seven wickets. Richard Keogh top-scored with 132. Lancashire are assured of promotion, defeating Derbyshire by an innings at Old Trafford inside three days. Josh Bohannon’s 174, his first Championship century, set it up, and the bowlers did the rest to ensure an immediate return to the top tier.

Sussex dealt Gloucestershire’s surprising top three hopes a blow, inflicting an eight-wicket thumping at Bristol. Just about every member of the eleven contributed with runs and/or wickets. Durham schlepped down to Lord’s and came away with a 44-run success. Suddenly they, too, are in the hunt, for which they have Ben Raine (5-26) and South African paceman Brydon Carse (6-26) to thank. Should they beat Northants next week, they will have undertaken a remarkable turnaround and could find themselves a win over Glamorgan away from the rarified atmosphere of Division One.

Worcestershire’s mediocre first-class season improved slightly at New Road where Glamorgan succumbed inside three days. Daryl Mitchell hasn’t been in the runs for a while but struck a welcome second-innings 139. Moeen Ali enjoyed another red-ball outing but it will be at the T20 Finals Day where his time may yet come in 2019.

Team of the Week: Godleman (Der), Mitchell (Wor), Bohannon (Lan), Westley (Ess), Lamb (War), Stevens (Ken), McManus (Ham +), Wiese (Sus), Raine (Dur), Organ (Ham), Davey (Som)