County Cricket: Leicestershire and Middlesex March to the Final

Like the heatwaves and drought blighting most of England throughout August – indeed, most of the summer – Leicestershire and Middlesex held fast at the top of their respective groups in the One Day Cup and survived the knockouts, impervious to the threatened cold fronts of the other counties chasing them. 

In Group B, Leicestershire had no fixture and, although Nottinghamshire and Lancashire achieved the wins they needed, the Foxes evaded the quarter-final hurdle thanks to a superior net run rate. Notts despatched Surrey by six wickets, their pursuit of the 299-run target underpinned by a splendid 138 from George Munsey, aided by half-centuries from his skipper Haseeb Hameed and ‘keeper Kyle Verreynne. 

Lancashire’s batters battered Somerset into submission at Taunton, racking up an uncatchable 443-6. Both Keaton Jennings and Rocky Flintoff blazed their trails past 100, Jennings reaching 156 and the teenager 123, his maiden senior century. Only Tom Lammonby made fifty in reply, and it was all over with ten overs to spare. 

In Group B, Middlesex sailed to another easy victory, this time over Sussex. Joe Cracknell thumped 128 off 112 balls before Sebastian Morgan’s 4-46 sealed the deal. Meanwhile, in their last group tie, Yorkshire made short work of Essex, who slumped to 151 all out. Ben Coad and Dom Bess each claimed three cheap wickets. 

The most significant encounter was Durham’s trip to Worcester. If Durham won, they were safely through but Worcestershire could usurp them by means of a hefty margin that would swing the net run rate in their favour. Tom Taylor’s 86 helped them to a decent total of 291 but, despite bowling Durham out 77 runs short, it wasn’t enough. Durham progressed by a mere 0.057 points. 

On Friday at Old Trafford, they resolved any issues to hand Lancashire a 162-run trouncing. David Bedingham (104) led the way with the bat, and leggie Shafiqullah Ghafari (4-36) inflicted most damage with the ball. At York, Dillon Pennington grabbed a second four-wicket haul, restricting Yorkshire to just 273-9, despite the sterling efforts of local 19-year-old Will Bennison. Notts were reeling at 1-3 (Finlay Bean catching all three) only for Verreynne and Haynes to each hit hundreds and take the spoils. 

Sunday’s semi-finals brought the group winners into the fray and each used the rest to their advantage. At Leicester, Hamza Shaikh’s 104 assisted his team to 303-7. Nottinghamshire lost wickets regularly but, with thirty-odd needed with three overs left and Verreyyne at the crease, success was within their grasp. However, Alex Green and Ian Holland instigated a flurry of wickets and that was that. 

It was another fairly close contest at Radlett, where Middlesex edged out Durham by only two wickets. It came down to a battle between two excellent all-round performances. Colin Ackermann returned 71 not out and 3-46 but the home county’s Luke Hollman combined a useful 3-53 with a List A best score of 83 not out to secure a place in next month’s final. 

As usual, the One-Day Cup has allowed some promising youngsters space to shine, emerging from the shadow of the Hundred, and now its back to the County Championship for them to rub shoulders with various better-known cricketers in the proper four-day stuff. 

Team of the Week: Andersson (Der), Jennings (Lan), Munsey (Not), Bedingham (Dur), Neal (Ham), Flintoff (Lan), Verreynne (Not +), Hollman (Mid), Pennington (Not), Shafiqullah Ghafari (Dur), Coad (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)  

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)

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

Vince Convinces and Tom Price’s value soars

Hampshire cheated the rain by taking Northamptonshire to the cleaners inside three days. They thundered to the top of Division One by an innings and 270 and already look prime candidates for the Championship pennant, along with Surrey. Skipper James Vince and Nick Gubbins shared a third-wicket stand of 188, which is almost what Northants managed in total across both their innings. James Fuller took 6-37 in the first reply, then Mohammad Abbas and Kyle Abbott swept the home side away for 63 all out. 

Middlesex had to work harder to beat Nottinghamshire, scoring at more than six an over in the afternoon gloom at Lord’s to earn a 4-wicket victory. Mark Stoneman was the pick of their batsmen but Ryan Higgins produced one of those doughty all-round performances that used to be his trademark at Gloucestershire. Pity poor Ben Duckett whose 184 runs came to nought. 

At Taunton, Lancashire had the better of Somerset, despite career-best scores by Tom Abell and teenage ‘keeper James Rew, who also took six catches in Lancashire’s mammoth first innings. Keaton Jennings had looked set to make a ‘double’ but retired hurt when on 189. An unbeaten partnership of 89 between Gregory and Aldridge ensured a draw. 

Previous wet weather and a final-day washout also prevented a result at Canterbury involving Kent and Essex. For the visitors, Nick Browne and Tom Westley put on 265 for the second wicket, while Zak Crawley helped himself to 170. The top two don’t play next week, so the winner of Warwickshire v Surrey will leapfrog both. 

All three Division Two fixtures were drawn, and runs were in short supply between the showers. Indeed, only two players reached three figures. Kiran Carlson’s 119 couldn’t prevent Glamorgan following on at home to leaders Durham, but his team-mates defied the aptly-named Ben Raine et al to save the match. At Worcester, Gloucestershire’s Tom Price achieved a remarkable double on Thursday. He smashed a maiden century, then claimed a hat-trick, all three victims caught behind by James Bracey. 

In the week’s other game, Yorkshire were stranded just 63 runs short of the Sussex target thanks to the Hove rain, with Adam Lyth and Shai Hope on half-centuries. In the next round, Durham will extend their lead handsomely by beating Derbyshire but, if not, Leicestershire will pounce with success at home to Glamorgan. 

Team of the Week:-  Crawley (Ken), Jennings (Lan), Duckett (Not), Vince (Ham), Abell (Som), Rew (Som +), Higgins (Mid), T Price (Glo), Fuller (Ham), Mohammad Abbas (Ham), Ajeet Dal (Glo)

My County Team of 2022

At last, a full season of cricket, post-pandemic. Too full, to be honest. With four domestic formats plus internationals to squeeze into six months, I thought the schedule ‘blocks’ worked quite well but it would be so much better if the Hundred was removed to allow free rein to the fifty-over One Day Cup during the summer, but we’re lumbered with the pointless innovation for several years to come. 

The Strauss report advocates massive changes to county cricket supposedly to benefit England’s Test, ODI and T20 teams. So why are first-class and List A competitions being diminished while The Hundred continues despite the format not being part of international cricket at all? Crazy, or what? 

Anyway, England seemed to prosper nicely in the summer’s Tests under the current system, with new skipper Stokes, Bairstow, Anderson, Root et al coping admirably with the lack of bowling resources. But what about the county system which has nurtured these England stars? Here is my annual review of the best and most consistent players across the County Championship, Royal London Cup and Blast which also provided plenty of excitement and record-breaking performances during 2022. 

Openers 

Kent’s Ben Compton and Leicestershire’s Pakistan recruit Shan Masood were quick out of the blocks and the latter was also prolific in the Twenty20, one of the few bright spots in Leicester’s dismal summer, in which they failed to register a single Championship victory. Sussex didn’t fare much better but their top order was their strongest feature, particularly Ali Orr. Haseeb Hameed was scoring runs for promoted Nottinghamshire right up to the last game, while Yorkshire’s Adam Lyth maintained his transformation from blocker to blaster. However, it’s Keaton Jennings who was one of the few who starred in all three competitions, the top scorer in Division One and a key figure in Lancashire’s limited-overs campaigns.

 

Middle Order

 

Ben Duckett and 23 year-old Harry Brook played themselves into the notebooks of England’s management early on. The Yorkshire batter averaged an amazing 107 in the Championship during his limited appearances. Tom Alsop aggregated 1,644 runs for Sussex and, when he stepped into the shoes of Shan Masood, Wiaan Mulder was a revelation for Leicestershire at the crease. His 33 wickets also helped carry the county into the 50-over quarter-finals. James Vince was the highest T20 scorer as he led Hampshire to the title, and his former colleague, in his first season with Glamorgan, Sam Northeast shattered his county’s record by easing his way to 410 not out at Leicester. In that game, the home side amassed 584 in their first innings and still lost by an innings. Extraordinary! 

He may be nudging forty years of age, but Stephen Croft’s experience and 1,774 runs played a major role in Lancashire’s excellent season and another veteran, Derbyshire’s Wayne Madsen enjoyed one of his finest seasons in the Championship and was just one shy of 500 runs in the Blast. More surprising was the enduring India Test player Cheteshwar Pujara knocking the ball around so effectively for Sussex in the One-Day Cup. Only Steve Eskinazi outscored him. He also totted up over a thousand Championship runs in only eight outings. Remarkably, on each of the five occasions he reached fifty, Pujara went on to make three figures, including two double-centuries. Even more significantly, nobody achieved as many selections (five) as he did in my Teams of the Week. 

All Rounders 

2022 wasn’t a vintage year for genuine all-rounders. These days, Stevens Mullaney and Croft and Tom Abell bowl less than they used to, so for me it’s a toss-up between Rob Keogh and Ed Barnard. The Northants man added some solidity to the middle-order and contributed 34 Championship wickets with his off-spin. The Worcestershire all-rounder’s batting has come on leaps and bounds in the past few years and 2022 saw him average almost 60 and strike three tons in the four-day tournament. His 42 wickets total overall just elevates him above Keogh in my Eleven. 

Wicket-Keeper 

This was an extremely difficult dilemma, leaving me humming and haahing for ages. Glamorgan’s Chris Cooke claimed the most Championship victims behind the stumps but John Simpson eclipsed his run tally with Middlesex, passing a thousand. Derbyshire’s Manchester-born, Aussie-qualified Brooke Gest made his first impression on me with big and small gloves but in the end it was Gloucester’s James Bracey who clinched it, courtesy of his superior strokeplay in the one-dayers. An extremely marginal decision.

Bowlers 

Craig Overton and Durham’ young Matt Potts made some headlines back in the spring, the latter earning a deserved call-up to the Test team with his ace and Stokes-like passion and pace. Seamers Abbott, Barker and Mohammad Abbas hogged the Hampshire wicket list in the first-class format while Snater and Sam Cook seamed away to great effect for Essex. Like Hampshire’s, Nottinghamshire’s attack shared most of the honours but Dane Paterson was he pick of the bunch, taking 75 wickets in total. Oliver Hannon-Dalby carried Warwickshire’s seam threat in the Championship, and Tom Bailey was always dangerous for Lancashire but Toby Roland-Jones’ promotion-winning haul of 67 at 18.8 topped the lot. As for the spinners… Well, surprise, surprise, that man Simon Harmer makes my end-of season team for the fourth year running. When he wasn’t representing South Africa, the Essex spinner was accumulating another 76 wickets and being one of the most economical men in the T20 Blast. That’s what I call consistency. 

Strangely, my County Eleven of 2022 features no members of Surrey’s Championship victors but stands as follows:- 

Jennings (Lan), Shan Masood (Lei), Pujara (Sus), Northeast (Gla), Madsen (Der), Mulder (Lei), Bracey (Glo +), Barnard (Wor), Roland-Jones (Mid), Harmer (Ess), Paterson (Not). 12^th man: Croft (Lan)

Season Finale: Norwell’s Nine Sends Yorkshire Down

In the last week of 2022 county cricket, the second relegation slot wasn’t decided until the final afternoon, and boy, was it close. Gloucestershire, doomed to drop for much of the summer, registered a second consecutive victory against rivals at the bottom, defeating Yorkshire by 18 runs inside three days. That result meant that the Tykes were looking safe, provided second-placed Hampshire avoided a reverse against Warwickshire. 

Edgbaston suffered rain on day one, so the home team, with Rob Yates making 104, declared early in 272-4. Hampshire weren’t intending to make things easy but, despite skipper Vince striking 98, they were bowled out with only a marginal first-innings lead. Warwickshire’s second effort upped the strike rate but lost wickets steadily, leaving Hampshire a target of just 139. Nevertheless, this was a case of all or nothing for Warwickshire and their persistence paid immediate dividends. Oliver Hannon-Dalby dismissed Organ in the third over and from then on, it was all about Liam Norwell. Once Nick Gubbins fell with the score on 124-8, you’d still bet on Fuller, Wheal and Abbas steering Hants home but Norwell had other ideas. He finished on 9-62 and Warwickshire won by five runs. The 21 points accrued lifted them three above Yorkshire into the safety zone. 

Oops. That wasn’t in the script for Andrew Strauss, whose proposals for a pathetic six-county Division One would surely have gambled on Yorkshire being one of the six, along with Surrey, Middlesex, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire and Essex or Warwickshire. There’s still time for the pieces to fall into place by 2024 but hopefully the ECB blueprint to destroy first-class county cricket will yet be scuppered by the counties themselves. It wasn’t in the script for Shah Masood, either. Poached from Derbyshire and named as Yorkshire’s 2023 captain, he’ll remain in the Championship’s second flight after all! 

Surrey seem in no peril of being frozen out. However, already confirmed as champions, the London moneybags couldn’t end the year unbeaten. At Old Trafford, Lancashire triumphed by an innings and their maximum bonus points also carried them ahead of Hampshire into second place. Keaton Jennings’ 199 propelled him to the top of the run-scoring league but it was slow left-armer Tom Hartley’s 5-52 which throttled Surrey’s chances of a draw. His victims included Burns and Amla before the last seven wickets tumbled for 31 runs. 

Essex finished fourth after overcoming Northamptonshire in a low-scoring clash. The result was tough for Jack White, whose nine wickets pushed the visitors all the way. In the end, the ever-reliable Simon Harmer came up trumps with 6-49. He seems to do it year after year. Somerset ended the season the way they started, with a thumping loss, tis time at the hands of Kent.

After a shaky few weeks, Nottinghamshire confirmed their promotion with a 462-run demolition of Durham. No fewer than four of their batters reached three figures, led by Matt Montgomery’s 178 and featuring a Steven Mullaney special: 136 off 111 balls. For two and a half days days, Glamorgan looked set to steamroller Sussex, but a second-innings triple-century opening partnership between Ali Orr and Tom Haines halted Glamorgan’s march to victory and promotion in its tracks. 

A fourth-day washout at Worcester also ended Middlesex’s hopes of a seventh victory, but a draw proved sufficient for them to secure a return to Division One. Like Middlesex, Derbyshire racked up more than 500, built on a stand of 251 between Luis Reece and skipper Billy Godleman. The latter hasn’t been in the runs in 2022 but his 158 elevated him past the 10,000 mark in a seventeen-year first-class career. The match was also notable for a maiden century and five-for from 18 year-old Rehman Ahmed, one to watch next year. 

But that’s it for this season. It’s been great to enjoy a full summer of cricket, out of the dark shadow of Covid. England have thrived and, despite an apparent national media blackout, all formats of county cricket have produced some excellent action. I’ll be reviewing the outstanding players shortly but for now here is my final Team of the Week.

Orr (Sus), Haines (Sus), Jennings (Lan), Montgomery (Not), James (Not), Cooke (Gla +), Rehman Ahmed (Lei), Zafar Gohar (Glo), White (Nor), Hartley (Lan), Norwell (War)

Hampshire’s remarkable turnaround to win Blast

A week ago, I felt that momentum was with Somerset but, after struggling to contain Lancashire in the Championship then being strangled by Hampshire in the T20 semi-final at Edgbaston, all that evaporated. Instead, it was Hampshire who proved to be on the roll which really mattered.

Incredibly, they lost their opening four group fixtures but fought back to qualify for the knockouts. In the Final against Lancashire, despite a below-par total of 152-8, Matt Parkinson's four wickets, a brief opening blitz by Phil Salt and a few tumbling ramp shots from Keaton Jennings, James Vince’s men showed admirable patience and belief in their ability. Dane Vilas’ strategy of a solid Powerplay and thereafter minimising risk to reach the modest target seemed sensible but, as against Somerset a few hours earlier, Liam Dawson’s consistently mean spin and Nathan Ellis’ brilliant execution of the slower ball turned things around in remarkable fashion – then it could all have gone ridiculously awry. Lightning had to score a boundary from the final ball but Richard Gleeson was bowled. Cue pitch invasion, fireworks, the usual Sky razzmatazz. Until umpire Graham Lloyd was spotted signalling a no-ball: Ellis had overstepped! Once the pyrotechnic smoke had dispersed, Ellis and Gleeson had to take breath again only this time the target had been reduced by two, and it was a free hit. Could the Hawks have blown all that good work? No, Gleeson swung and missed and Hampshire had won – again.

Phew! I could get to like Twenty20 after all.

Earlier in the week, there had been some remarkable performances in the four-day format. Amidst an orgy of runs around the country, Keaton Jennings struck the first Championship triple-century for five seasons against Somerset, for whom only Lewis Goldsworthy possessed the determination to prevent a sixth defeat of the summer.

At Scarborough, Yorkshire and Surrey fought a real ding-dong of a game. Both counties passed 500 in their first innings. Opener Adam Lyth and ‘keeper Jonny Tattersall, in his first Championship appearance of 2022, put on 305 for the sixth wicket, and the latter took three stumpings and two catches off spinner Dom Bess as Surrey went for their shots. With a draw looking the most likely outcome, Jamie Overton’s 6-61 gave the leaders a chance of a last-afternoon victory. The batters timed the chase perfectly, Foakes and debutant Hardie finished the job with just three balls to spare.

Therefore, Surrey remain in the driving seat but those Hampshire boys don’t know when they’re beaten. They made relatively short work of Warwickshire with a side very different from the one which succeeded in the Blast. In particular, veteran seamers Barker and Abbott were back in form.

Essex thrashed Gloucestershire by nine wickets, thanks to a century from Alastair Cook and one of those vintage Simon Harmer one-man bowling shows; he ended with match analyses of 13-156. Northamptonshire spinners Keogh and Kerrigan took all ten Kent wickets on the final day to claim a 203-run triumph at Canterbury. South African Ryan Rickelton supplied a fair chunk of those runs.

Two other Saffers were accumulating plenty for Leicestershire at Hove. There were batting records galore, as only fifteen wickets fell for 1,564 runs. Tom Alsop top-scored with 150 as Sussex piled on 588, but this total was eclipsed easily by the visitors. The reply had an inauspicious start, as Hazad fell first-ball. However, most of the rest filled their boots. In particular, Colin Ackermann and Wiaan Mulder each made double-hundreds, sharing an unbeaten county record partnership of 477 as the county declared on 756-4, easily their best-ever in the competition.

Also in Division Two, another South African, Leus du Plooy, scored a century in each innings for Derbyshire at Chester-le-Street. However, Chris Rushworth celebrated his 36h birthday with the fifth ten-for of his long career to keep Durham n the match. Meanwhile, Worcestershire were surprise winners over Middlesex and Glamorgan matched leaders Nottinghamshire all the way at Cardiff. Michael Hogan’s 4-47 and centuries from Byrom and Northeast provided an opportunity to win, only for Clarke and James to ensure a draw. No records, no fireworks, no men in giraffe costumes. Just another day in the office.

Team of the Week: Lyth (Yor), Jennings (Lan), Alsop (Sus), Ackermann (Lei), Du Plooy (Der), Mulder (Lei), Tattersall (Yor +), J Overton (Sur), Harmer (Ess), M Parkinson (Lan), Rushworth (Dur)

County Batters run riot

At the end of last week, all four Division One counties batting first racked up scores well in excess of 500. Pity the spinners twirling away for hours with no reward: Danny Briggs and Simon Kerrigan ended with figures of 1-166 and 0-177, respectively. The opening run blitz almost guaranteed there being no results. 

Bristol hosted the exception. Tom Abell’s 142 and a run-a-ball 89 from Lewis Gregory helped Somerset to 591-7 declared, a total Severn derby rivals Gloucestershire failed to match in two attempts. For the first time this season, Somerset’s line-up looked as strong as in 2021 and Jack Leach led the march to victory, taking 8-90. 

At Beckenham, Surrey set a remarkable new world record for first-class cricket. Their 671-9 was the highest total to include no centuries! Pope, Overton and Foakes each passed 90 but none pushed on to three figures. Jamie then chipped in with 3-37 as Kent slipped to 230, but rain ensured league leaders Surrey couldn’t press home their advantage. 

The Roses fixtures always make headlines, and Joe Root’s 147 was, surprisingly, his first against Lancashire in the County Championship. However, James Anderson dismissed him for four in the second innings. The former England captain notwithstanding, Lancashire dominated the game from the off, as Keaton Jennings followed last week’s 110 with an even more impressive  238. Meanwhile, at Edgbaston, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire served up a rather dreary draw to suck the life out of bowlers. There were 1,165 runs but only ten wickets. Vasconcelos and Young shared an opening stand of 287 for the visitors then, in response, Sam Hain and Matt Lamb extended their partnership to 254 as the game petered out. Luke Procter also made 100 not out but Warwickshire captain Will Rhodes missed out, dismissed for 99. 

This week, Surrey aren’t playing so Lancashire could overtake them by beating Essex at Old Trafford. I’ll cheer Somerset against Hampshire as they aim to complete a trio of triumphs following the previous three drubbings. 

In Division Two, bowlers had slightly more success. Durham and Glamorgan went as far as producing an exciting contest which could have swung either way on the fourth day. Despite another poor start, Glamorgan established a first-innings lead then Michael Neser and Marnus Labuschagne bowled them into an even stronger position. However, defending only 195, the home team regained the advantage as Matt Potts seamed his way through the line-up, taking 7-40, easily the best county figures of the week. 

At Derby, Shan Masood maintained his remarkable form with another century, and his 113 was eclipsed by number seven, Anuj Dal, who reached 114 when Godleman declared the innings at 565-8. Worcestershire avoided defeat thanks to day four stonewalling by centurion Jake Libby, Azhar Ali and first-innings ton-maker Jack Haynes. At Lord’s, leaders Middlesex kept Nottinghamshire at bay despite the latter’s dominance throughout. Notts skipper Steven Mullaney accelerated his declaration decision by launching a T20-style second-innings assault. He struck eight sixes en route to a hundred, but Sam Robson played a patient 101 not out, assisted by Max Holden’s 18 which spanned almost three hours. Struggling Leicestershire were spared another defeat, this time against Sussex, who themselves had not won for eighteen games. At 209-7 on Sunday morning, an innings defeat was on the cards, but a combination of rain showers and sturdy defence by Harry Swindells, and bowler Callum Parkinson gobbled up the overs needed by Sussex to complete the victory. 

In the last round of fixtures before Twenty20 blasts off at the Bank Holiday weekend, Middlesex entertain Durham while Nottinghamshire wait to pounce should they beat neighbours Derbyshire. Glamorgan have played a game more but, should they win and Middlesex lose, they could enter the Championship break in pole position. 

Team of the Week: Vasconcelos (Nor), Jennings (Lan), Hain (War), Root (Yor), Foakes (Sur +), Lamb (War), Mullaney (Not), Neser (Gla), Pattinson (Not), Leach (Som), Potts (Dur).

Championship Top 6 decided

While England were polishing off a 3-0 series win against Pakistan, the county circuit was mostly concerned with finalising the initial ‘conference’ stage of the 2021 Championship. The week got off to a miserable start. The English government’s response to the rampant Covid Delta variant may be to abandon all safety precautions but the virus made its presence felt from the start. 

Kent’s entire First XI was forced to isolate before the start of their Group 3 match against Sussex. Their makeshift side managed to avoid defeat against their neighbours who themselves fielded an unfamiliar line-up. 20 year-old opener Ali Orr and 19 year-old seamer Jamie Atkins put Sussex in the driving seat but Kent’s Hastings-born Harry Finch responded with a gutsy 115 to earn a draw. 

In Group 1, Essex and Derbyshire had already begun play at Derby when a positive test wiped out the home side and forced the abandonment. It seemed tough on Essex who needed victory to have a chance of defending their title. Fortunately it wasn’t Covid which ultimately thwarted them but Warwickshire, whose draw at Worcester ensured that not even a maximum-point win would have handed them a top-two place. The West Mids derby was quite high-scoring in a generally wet week. Daryl Mitchell and Ed Barnard struck tons for the home county but South African Pieter Malan scored 141 and 77 not out for Warwickshire in what has been a weak season for their batting. 

Nottinghamshire consolidated their position as leaders with a draw at Durham. Losing the second day to rain made a result less likely, despite Joey Evison’s impressive first-innings 5-21, and Durham managed to bat out the final two sessions. 

In Group 2, Sam Robson’s 154 and seven wickets for Tim Murtagh propelled Middlesex to their second triumph of the summer, beating Leicestershire by 121 runs. However, given they have lost seven out of the previous nine, they still finished last. The battle at Cheltenham to decide which of Gloucestershire and Hampshire advanced to the top group went the way of the visitors. New recruit Nick Gubbins struck an unbeaten 137 and Colin de Grandhomme took 4-31 to establish a huge lead. Tom Lace responded with an excellent 118 but none of his colleagues reached 30, leaving Hampshire to knock off the required 54 with the loss of three wickets. 

However, it was Somerset who remained at the summit despite a rollercoaster ride at The Oval. Stand-in skipper James Hildreth made 107 and Jack Leach twirled his way to 6-43, leaving Surrey in trouble at the start of day four. Following their opening gambit of 429, Somerset then tumbled to just 69 at the hands of spinners R Ashwin (6-27) and Dan Moriarty (4-20), giving Surrey a glimmer of victory hope. At 25-2, Somerset must have fancied their chances of a similar skittling but a draw was eventually agreed. 

In Group 3, Yorkshire and Lancashire were already guaranteed Division One status but Keaton Jennings led a high-scoring Lancashire top four until the weather, and a dangerously unfit Headingley outfield brought the clash to a premature conclusion. In Cardiff, Glamorgan’s fifth wicket pairing of Kiran Carlson and Chris Cooke put on a mighty 307 against Northamptonshire but their bowlers couldn’t finish the job on the final day. Both will play in Division Two when the Championship resumes after The Hundred weaves its spell. 

Team of the Week: Robson (Mid), Jennings (Lan), P Malan (War), Gubbins (Ham), Carlson (Gla), Cooke (Gla +), D’Oliveira (Wor), Evison (Not), W Davis (Lei), Leach (Som), Murtagh (Mid)

Patel propels Surrey to take their turn at the top

The County Championship leadership seems to be a revolving door this summer. Somerset took over from Nottinghamshire last week but it didn’t last long; they were demolished by an innings at Guildford and Surrey now sit at the summit 13 points clear.

Somerset elected to bowl first and the home side duly made hay. With Ben Foakes away with the Lions, Ollie Pope took the gloves and scored another century. His career is still in its youth but a first-class average above 60 is nevertheless a stat to admire. The total of 459 was large but in theory not unattainable. The practice was different. At 169-4, Somerset were nibbling away despite Rikki Clarke dismissing the top order. Enter Ryan Patel. Half an hour later, Somerset were back in the pavilion and the local lad boasted extraordinary figures of 3.5-2-5-6. He took no wickets in the second innings but the fast men Morkel and Dernbach each claimed four as all but James Hildreth surrendered meekly.

Nottinghamshire rose to second after thumping Essex by 301 runs at Chelmsford. Ross Taylor’s 146 dominated the first day then bowlers Luke Fletcher and Matt Carter put their county even more firmly in control. Notts didn’t enforce the follow-on and set a target which proved way beyond the champions’ capabilities.

At the other end of the table, Worcestershire broke their 2018 duck by outscoring Lancashire. At New Road, after fifteen wickets fell on the first day, it was a story of two openers. Keaton Jennings scored 55 and 177 but he was eclipsed by Daryl Mitchell who delivered a century in each innings. With the ball, Ed Barnard followed his first innings 5-34 with four more wickets as Lancashire chased an improbable 602 to win.

The day-night at the Rose Bowl was not the spectacle it was supposed to be. The batting track gave neither attack any assistance and a draw was the inevitable outcome. Only Dale Steyn raised the flag for the Hampshire bowlers with a first innings five-for but Yorkshire’s Gary Ballance and the home team’s Jimmy Adams each made three figures.

The big promotion clash in Division Two at Tunbridge Wells was very much a game of two halves. Twenty wickets tumbled on day one. Then Kent, led by Joe Denly and Sean Dickson, racked up more than 400, setting Warwickshire a target of 519 which would have been a championship record. With Sibley and Bell apparently cruising at 304-1 on the final morning, that record looked vulnerable. However, once they and Jonathan Trott were dismissed, Warwickshire’s chances ebbed away.  Denly himself mopped up the tail and Kent advanced to within eight points of their table-topping opponents.

Sussex used their annual visit to bucolic Arundel to gain ground, too, defeating Durham with consummate ease. Philip Salt and Tom Haines each achieved their maiden centuries while David Wiese and Danny Briggs starred with the ball.

At Northampton, the home side emulated Worcestershire by snapping up their first Div 2 success of the summer. Ben Sanderson’s first innings 5-16 and Brett Hutton’s 8-57 tell the tale of Gloucestershire’s batting woes. Ben Duckett raced to 32 off 15 balls to clinch a ten-wicket victory on the final morning. Their next opponents Glamorgan are also struggling but came within two wickets of beating Derbyshire. Tailenders Palladino and Olivier had to dig in for the last fifteen overs to survive. Glamorgan’s chances were enhanced by a 289-run partnership involving Usman Khawaja and young Kiran Carlsen but unfortunately for them, the excellent Michael Hogan and debutant Prem Sisodiya were frustrated at the end.

It was an even more exciting finish at Leicester. Colin Ackermann’s mighty 196 not out and a solid team bowling performance put Leicestershire in the driving seat. However, Tim Murtagh and James Harris shared six wickets to restrict the home side to 186 all out. Chasing 381 to win, Middlesex looked set to lose on 197-6. However, Hilton Cartwright’s 80 anchored the tail, and right at the death Harris (58 not out) struck the winning boundary with just one wicket remaining.

Should Middlesex defeat Kent at Beckenham this week, they’ll be right back in the race to return to the top tier, but Warwickshire will be optimistic about beating Durham to hold on to the top spot. In Division One, Somerset visit Essex minus their high-scoring Aussie Matt Renshaw whose broken finger has ended his stint down at Taunton. We’re not having much luck with our overseas signings. Surrey travel to sunny Scarborough and Nottinghamshire host Worcestershire who must hope to channel their confidence to secure a second consecutive win. Can’t see it happening, though. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s Notts who emerge from the revolving door and slip into T20 mode in front.

Team of the Week:

Mitchell (Wor), Jennings (Lan), Denly (Ken), Bell (War), Ackermann (Lei), Pope (Sur +), Clarke (Sur), Barker (War), Patel (Sur), Hutton (Nor), Murtagh (Mid)

Hampshire’s 100% start in One Day Cup

The first week’s fixtures in the Royal London One-Day Cup have generated the expected variety of trouncings and nail-biters, predictable and surprises. Hampshire are the only side to have won all three matches they’ve played, while in the North division, Worcestershire’s 100% record comes from only two yet is enough to top the table.

On the South coast, it’s been Riley Rossouw rather than Hashim Amla who has provided South African runs for Hampshire while Worcestershire’s best performances have come from the lower order. Somerset got off to a cracking start, thumping Surrey in double-quick time with Craig Overton’s 4-29 outstanding. An amazing 159 from the in-form James Hildreth helped defeat Glamorgan but his subsequent 87 couldn’t prevent a loss to Sussex for whom Luke Wright reached three figures. The county’s medium-pacer Ollie Robinson has also been one of the most consistent wicket-takers so far.

Poor Glamorgan. Despite the arrival of Colin Ingram for the white-ball season, they’ve yet to register a victory, falling an agonising two runs short against Middlesex. However, Kent sit below them in the South table despite two solid starts by Daniel Bell-Drummond. Gloucestershire are faring somewhat better, beating the Welsh as well as Essex along the way. Their H men, Hankins, Howell and Higgins have been especially useful with the bat.

Further north, another H man, Sam Hain, struck two centuries for Warwickshire while Paul Horton also struck 103 in Leicestershire’s opener at Northampton. However, for consistent run-making, you had to look at the Roses counties. Horton’s replacement at Lancashire, Keaton Jennings, racked up 278, while Tom Kohler-Cadmore accumulated 292, including 164 in Yorkshire’s 142-run win over Durham. His colleague Cheteshwar Pujara has also found form at last. Normally considered a red-ball specialist, the Indian star produced an impressive run of 82, 73 and 101 so it is perhaps surprising that Yorkshire have only one victory to their name.

It hasn’t been a great week for bowlers. Robinson’s team-mate Chris Liddle, Harry Gurney (Notts) and Lancashire’s young leg-spinner Matt Parkinson head the wicket table with nine apiece but the May sunshine has been kinder to the willow-wielders.

Nottinghamshire’s formidable squad looks tailor-made for retaining their title and they amassed an impressive 409-7 against Leicestershire. Samit Patel celebrated his new contract with a 63-ball century and a couple of wickets. However, they lost easily to Northamptonshire whose poor start in the Championship has been set aside to allow new confidence in 50-over cricket to take over. With Division One strugglers Worcestershire also riding high, it’s encouraging that there are no dominant counties across all formats. Long may it continue.

Team of the Week:

Jennings (Lan), Davies (Lan, +), Kohler-Cadmore (Yor), Pujara (Yor), Hildreth (Som), Hain (War), Bopara (Ess), Ingram (Gla), Berg (Ham), Parkinson (Lan), Robinson (Sus)

Lancashire Upset the Leaders and Leicestershire finally win

In the final round of Championship matches before the first summer break, Lancashire and Surrey blew the race for the pennant wide open. The former went to Trent Bridge and came away with an innings victory over the leaders inside seven sessions. With Keaton Jennings scoring the runs and Jimmy Anderson and Graeme Onions taking the lion’s share of Nottinghamshire wickets, it was a surprisingly easy victory. Stuart Broad took a commendable 4-41 for the home team but Test hopeful Jake Ball blotted his copybook with 2-101 at more than five an over.

At the Oval, Surrey enjoyed a similarly decisive success over Yorkshire. First of all, back-up ‘keeper Ollie Pope maintained his excellent form with the bat, striking 27 boundaries in an innings of 158, ably supported by Dean Elgar and Rikki Clarke. Sam Curran then snapped up ten wickets in two days, taking his first-class tally into three figures while still a teenager. Yorkshire’s Gary Ballance was missing and it has now been revealed he is taking a break “for personal reasons”. A shame, because his county needs him, especially when Jonny Bairstow return to England duty.

Essex were also winners, but were made to work hard by Worcestershire in a low-scoring game at New Road. Joe Clarke’s second successive century and nine wickets for Josh Tongue deserved more but, needing only 215 to win, Worcester were bowled out for 182, thanks to five-fors from both Peter Siddle and Simon Harmer. The Aussie seamer leaves Essex with a lot of wickets and even more goodwill, but the return of Neil Wagner should keep the county’s seam attack in fine fettle.

In the other Division One fixture, the batsmen were very much in control at Taunton. Somerset established a huge first innings lead thanks to James Hildreth’s 184 and late-order runs from internationals past and future, Craig Overton and Dom Bess. However, Hampshire made sure they didn’t fail again, as Hashim Amla (107) and James Vince (201 not out) saved the game. Vince’s double-hundred has also probably saved his Test career.

In Division Two, Leicestershire’s latest head coach, Paul Nixon was celebrating a first Championship win for two years. It was a nail-biting finish, though. Hunting 251 on the third day, Glamorgan subsided to 139-8 and all looked lost. Marchant de Lange decided that he may as well go out in a blaze of glory and instead took his side to the brink of an unlikely triumph. He had plundered eight sixes in a 45-ball 90 when he hoisted a full-toss high for the winning hit only to be caught on the boundary. The result leaves the Welsh side second from bottom, above only Northamptonshire, who were trounced by leaders Warwickshire at Edgbaston. Olly Stone was the pick of the bowlers but it was Will Rhodes’ first career century which anchored the second innings chase.

Kent overtook neighbours Sussex by beating them in a short and sweet encounter at Canterbury. Matt Henry was again the star of the show, ending any Sussex resistance with 6-53, taking his Championship tally to 37 in only four matches.  I’m not sure what Kent will do without him.

Derbyshire’s clash with Durham easily went the distance but finished as a tame draw. Stuart Poynter (170) and Michael Richardson (115) put on 275 for Durham’s sixth wicket, then Mark Wood’s fine 6-46 hurt Derby’s batting on the final day but it was all too late to secure a result after the home team’s 427 on the first few days. They meet again when the Championship resumes in four weeks.

Middlesex’s bid to bounce back into the top tier was dealt another blow when their bowlers couldn’t hammer home the follow-on advantage over Gloucestershire. Even Eoin Morgan scored 76 red-ball runs alongside Dawid Malan in the first innings but 21 year-old Bristolian James Bracey led the fourth day resistance with an unbeaten 125.

So now it’s off to the Royal London Cup. While some players are off to play against Pakistan and others head across the world after serving their short-term contracts, the 50-over competition offers a stage for those remaining and for whom four-day cricket is too onerous or simply cramps their style. Over to you, Messrs Rashid, Hales et al….

Team of the Week:

Jennings (Lan), Bracey (Glo), Vince (Ham), Hildreth (Som), Pope (Sur), Poynter (Dur +), Henry (Ken), S Curran (Sur), De Lange (Gla), Tongue (Wor), Onions (Lan)

Stoneman and Crane In for England

England are rightly celebrating a well-earned 3-1 series victory over South Africa. With the exception of Trent Bridge, Joe Root’s side appeared dominant and, when injury struck, most of the new boys stepped up to the mark admirably.

Not that the old guard were disappointing. Alastair Cook, Root himself and Jimmy Anderson were as reliable as ever, while Moeen Ali proved himself a matchwinner with bat and ball. Maybe he can at last consider himself a genuine Test all-rounder, having amassed 252 runs and an impressive 25 wickets at only 15.64. Jonny Bairstow scored three half-centuries, including a 99, and didn’t disgrace himself with the gloves, while Ben Stokes’ 112 at The Oval suggested a new maturity with the bat.

After sterling Championship form in 2017, Gary Ballance deserved his recall but couldn’t re-establish himself in the England team. Keaton Jennings dominated the run charts last summer but his run in the national team would appear to have run its course – for now. Roland-Jones, Westley and Malan avoided disasters in the final couple of Tests, successfully making the transition from Lions to first team, although I have doubts over the latter’s ability to stay in the side.

And now for the West Indies. Sadly the outcome of the three-Test series should be a foregone conclusion, which may explain why Jennings and Liam Dawson have been jettisoned in favour of two further potential debutants, Mark Stoneman and Mason Crane.

Firstly, I reckon Stoneman deserves his place, and not only because he is one of the Surrey boys. Five year ago, he didn’t exactly set the Durham faithful alight but then started to reach 1,000 first-class runs regularly, causing Surrey to splash the cash on him and team-mate Scott Borthwick, leaving Jennings behind. In 2017 so far, only the supreme Kumar Sangakkara has scored more runs in Division One, and he made half-centuries for England ‘A’ a few weeks ago. I did see him at Taunton on Monday but only patrolling the rope in the field while Abell and Davies were hitting boundaries!

The selection of Mason Crane is perhaps a little more puzzling. English leg-spinners are certainly in short supply and in any case tend to be used primarily to keep batsmen guessing in Twenty20. Adil Rashid’s batting has helped him gain international experience but he is not the player he was. Hampshire’s Crane, born in neighbouring Sussex, is still only 20 and not exactly a first-class specialist. His 70 wickets have come at a hefty cost of 42 runs apiece and he’s only played five Championship matches all summer. I can only presume he is being blooded in the squad rather than heading for the first XI, with an outside chance of becoming the new Shane Warne in the Ashes series. Well, Warne was his childhood idol, so a boy can dream!

I think Stoneman has the temperament to be a decent Test player and, at the ripe old age of 30, the experience to avoid becoming another Robson, Hameed or Duckett. However, I fear he may be another Lyth: a decent opening batsman capable of scoring county runs for fun but a little vulnerable to top-class international bowlers. We shall see.

Van der Merwe brings Somerset to Life

The opening fixtures of the Royal London Cup produced some memorable batting performances, especially by South Africans, with bowlers struggling to make a mark.

In the North division, Yorkshire and Worcestershire each won both of their matches. The former enjoyed easy victories over Nottinghamshire (helped by Bresnan’s bowling and Joe Root’s unbeaten 75) and Lancashire, who were undone by a 143-run stand between Handscomb and Ballance, and the spin of Rashid and Rafiq. Worcester’s successes, against Notts and Leicestershire, owed more to the whole team.

The most exciting climax was witnessed by the Old Trafford crowd on Friday evening. A strong start from Hameed (on his List A debut) and a late flurry of boundaries by Joe Clark took Lancashire to 314-8. An over was lost to the weather, leaving Leicestershire a D/L target of 309. Mark Pettini and South African Cameron Delport shared a first-wicket century stand, but it was Zak Chappell’s cameo which clinched the three-wicket triumph with four balls to spare.

In the South group, Somerset are the only side with two wins out of two. Against old rivals Surrey, they found themselves in dire straits at 22-5. Enter Roelof van der Merwe. Supported by fellow Saffer Dean Elgar, he clumped 22 fours and a six en route to a career-best 165 not out, leading to victory in under 44 overs. A few days later, Elgar reached three figures himself at Hove. In a rain-affected match, Craig Overton’s 3-20 restricted Sussex to just 155-9 in their 20 overs. After two Championship defeats, Somerset needed this boost to their season!

Elsewhere, Durham skipper Keaton Jennings was in superb form. He followed his 79 in the Derbyshire ‘no result’ with a commanding century against Warwickshire. 23 year-old James Weighell weighed in with a decisive 5-57, too. Glamorgan opener Jacques Rudolph crunched 121 not out off the Gloucestershire attack and 57 versus Surrey. Team-mate Colin Ingram also enjoyed all-round success during the week.

Craig Norwell (5-36) and Benny Howell (86 not out and 3-40) were instrumental in Gloucestershire’s trumping of Middlesex, while Neil Wagner’s 4-41 was the most eye-catching contribution to Essex’s success in their only match played so far. I reckon the Chelmsford outfit will have plenty more this season, with the likes of Ten Doeschate, Westley and Ashar Zaidi on form, and then there’s Alastair Cook who’s no fool in the 50-over format.

In the coming week, three of the most interesting fixtures are Kent’s trip to Taunton, Surrey’s hosting of Essex and Yorkshire’s trip to Worcester. And then there’s the potentially popular London derby on 5th May. Middlesex won’t want to lose to Surrey at Lord’s!

Team of the Week: Rudolph (Gla), Jennings (Dur), Elgar (Som), Thakor (Nor), Ingram (Gla), van der Merwe (Som), Foakes (+, Sur), Howell (Glo), Norwell (Glo), C Overton (Som), Weighell (Dur).

County Cricket Team of 2016

It was all change for the domestic trophies in 2016. Yorkshire relinquished the Championship pennant to Middlesex, albeit only after an incredibly close winner-takes-all final afternoon. Earlier, the 50-over competition was won by Ian Bell’s Warwickshire, and the T20 Blast by Northamptonshire, proving once again that the shortest format is the most unpredictable of them all.

For England, Joe Root’s all-round batting quality shone through, and it was wonderful to watch Chris Woakes finally make the step up from top-notch county stalwart to the international stage. Of course, playing for England deprives the domestic game of the best players for much of the season. It was nice to see Alastair Cook and Jonny Bairstow make some runs for Essex and Yorkshire before the ECB called them back for England duty, but they weren’t available for long enough to justify places in my county team of the year.
As before, this is based partly on my Teams of the Week and partly on the end-of-season statistics.

Openers:
In contrast to 2015, it was a fine year for opening batsmen. Marcus Trescothick, free from captaincy responsibilities and limited-overs cricket, enjoyed a fine 25th season for Somerset, Nick Gubbins’ runs were vital in Middlesex’s Championship success, and Mark Stoneman demonstrated why Surrey have prised him away from Durham. However, my places go to Adam Lyth and Keaton Jennings. The Yorkshireman may have been discarded by England, but he made runs in all competitions in 2016. The same is not true of Durham’s Keaton Jennings. Suddenly the Jo’burg-born left-hander found form of which I’d never dreamed him capable, doubling his career tally of first-class centuries in just one summer. He may not ‘do’ the one-day stuff but his dominance of the Championship run table (1,548 and 7 centuries), plus his record six Team of the Week appearances, earn him a spot in my Eleven.

Middle Order
It was a shock when James Taylor was forced to retire from cricket just as his international career was beginning to bloom. He left a big hole in the England middle-order which James Vince could not amply fill this summer. Steve Borthwick and Wayne Madsen were consistent performers but none could match Ben Duckett. The 21 year-old Northamptonshire man amassed well over 2,000 runs in all competitions. Hardly surprising then that he scooped both individual PCA awards and a place in the Bangladesh tour party. He is joined in my 2016 XI by Tom Westley of Essex and Kent’s Sam Northeast. They may have plied their trade in Division Two of the Championship but I wonder how long it will be before they also get their chance for England. Essex, in particular, have an encouraging talent pool of young batsmen.

All-rounders
Genuine all-rounders are a bit thin on the ground in the county game. Darren Stevens wasn’t his usual prolific self for Kent, while Samit Patel was unable to prevent Nottinghamshire from relegation. Somerset’s Peter Trego doesn’t bowl so much these days, helped by his county having the services of the Overton twins and Lewis Gregory. Nevertheless, he broke the 1,000 Championship run barrier in 2016 and struck a career best 154 not out against Lancashire. Now in his thirties, Tim Bresnan is carving quite a niche as a Yorkshire all-rounder these days. Besides supporting the likes of Sidebottom, Brooks and Patterson with the ball, Pontefract’s finest contributed essential runs in the lower order, culminating in his unbeaten 142 against Middlesex which almost clinched the third consecutive title.

Wicketkeepers
Ben Foakes (Surrey), Ben Cox (Worcestershire), Ben Brown (Sussex), James Foster (Essex) and John Simpson (Middlesex) each performed well with bat and gloves, but Tim Ambrose nicks it for me. He claimed more Championship victim than anyone else (57) and averaged a creditable 40 at the crease.

Bowlers
The reliable seamers Graeme Onions, Jack Brooks, Steve Magoffin, Clint McKay and Keith Barker each grabbed more than 50 Championship wickets as usual. Jamie Porter was promoted to new-ball duty for Essex and seemed to relish the responsibility. However, it was his 38 year-old team-mate Graham Napier, in his final season, who stole the glory. For so often he has taken the headlines for his six-hitting but in 2016 it was his wickets which did so much for Essex’s promotion challenge. Toby Roland-Jones seemed to enjoy match-winning performances at crucial times, none more so than the hat-trick which wrapped up the Championship on the very last afternoon. However, I have omitted him in favour of Worcestershire’s Joe Leach. He topped the Division Two table of wicket-takers (65), contributed another 20 in the T20 Blast and scored almost 600 runs in the four-day game.

The change in the toss rules was designed to benefit spinners and the jury’s out. I don’t suppose it made any difference to Jeetan Patel who underlined his reputation as the most consistent wicket-taker in county cricket. Ollie Rayner claimed 51 for Middlesex but the surprise name on the list was Somerset’s Jack Leach. The locally-born 24 year-old benefited from the county’s end-of-season turning track strategy and took his season’s tally of Championship wickets to 65, identical to his Worcestershire namesake.

It was encouraging to see so many different players emerging on the county scene. And I haven’t even mentioned Glamorgan’s Dutch-Aussie Timm van der Gugten, Nottinghamshire’s Jake Ball or Lancashire teenager Haseeb Hameed! How many will kick on in 2017 and will there be more promising newcomers filling the void left by England call-ups? I can’t wait to find out.

In summary, my County Team of 2016 is:-

Lyth (Yor), Jennings (Dur), Duckett (Nor), Northeast (Ken, *), Westley (Ess), Ambrose (War, +), Trego (Som), Bresnan (Yor), Joe Leach (Wor), Napier (Ess), Patel (War)

12th Man: Roland-Jones (Mid)

Somerset Make it a Three-Way Title Finale

At the start of the week, the County Championship looked like a two-horse race. A few days later, two became three. I would have put money on Yorkshire seaming their way to victory against Somerset at Headingley. However, it all went pear-shaped on the first day as the hosts were bowled out for 145. Despite Ryan Sidebottom’s 5-51, Somerset opened up a considerable first innings lead. The champions fared a bit better on day three but, with Root and Bairstow banned from participating, there was too little support for centurion Jake Lehmann. This time it was slow left-armer Jack Leach who did most of the damage, completing his fourth five-for in five matches. Incredibly Somerset are just one point behind Yorkshire with the final round of games to come.

Gareth Batty may have been called up for England but Leach is by far the most successful leftie in the Championship this summer. At Chester-le-Street neither Batty nor fellow potential Bangladesh tourist Ansari took any wickets as Durham sneaked a 21-run win over Surrey. Sam Curran did his best on the final few days, taking 7-58 then compiling an unbeaten 50 before Stoke and Onions applied the coup-de-gras.

Jason Roy aggregated more than 200 runs in the match but Durham’s Keaton Jennings stole the show with another double-century. He is by some margin the highest scorer in Division One and can add to his tally next week.

With Yorkshire stumbling, Middlesex must have seen the finishing line looming large at Old Trafford, but Lancashire showed some admirable fight. At 248-2 on day one, all was going the leaders’ way, then Jarvis and Kerrigan instigated a collapse. Haseeb Hameed is the talk of the town at the moment but he was dismissed for a duck, while his senior opening partner, 20 year-old Rob Jones carried his bat for 109. Unfortunately, too many hours’ play were lost to produce an exciting climax and a draw ensued.

The bonus points ensured that Middlesex remain on top by nine points. But we’re in for the best finish to the Championship in years. If Somerset beat relegated Nottinghamshire and the Yorkshire-Middlesex clash is drawn, there is a distinct possibility of Somerset’s late charge yielding that elusive first title. Too many ifs and buts, of course, but it keeps things interesting to the last.

In Division Two, Essex were surprisingly humbled at home by struggling Glamorgan. However, the six bonus points collected were sufficient to confirm them as champions. Chris Silverwood seems to have succeeded where others have failed in recent seasons. They have some decent young batsmen but in this game relied too much on captain Ryan Ten Doeschate, James Foster and Graham Napier. Special mention should go to the Welsh side’s Kiran Carlson. Following his embarrassing ‘pair’ last week, the Cardiff 18 year-old struck 119 to become Glamorgan’s youngest ever centurion. It was a very close conclusion but van Gugten and Hogan got the better of the Essex tail and Glamorgan won by eleven runs.

The margin of Worcestershire’s triumph over Sussex was identical at Hove. Nobody made three figures but two bowlers claimed ten wickets or more. Steve Magoffin’s 5-38 and 5-32 deserved to win the game, but Worcester’s new arrival from Barbados, Miguel Cummins snared 12 for 166, claiming the last four to fall.

Northamptonshire have enjoyed an impressive September but their victory over Gloucestershire came to late to challenge for promotion. Ben Duckett signed off with 78 and thoroughly deserves his chance with England. He’s been magnificent in 2016. However, it was Rob Newton and Alex Wakely who produced first innings hundreds which laid the foundation for their final success of the summer. Nevertheless, it took another impressive bowling performance from Ben Sanderson to deny Gloucester an improbable run chase. He took 8-73, taking his season’s first-class tally to 55 at an excellent average of 21.

The Derbyshire-Leicestershire fixture ended in a draw but, while Mark Cosgrove was at the crease, the visitors were in with a chance of knocking off the 347 required. However, when he fell victim to Callum Parkinson for 110, he brakes were applied and it took dogged defence by Jones and Sayer to avoid defeat and hand Derbyshire their first Championship success of the season. Now they must travel to Worcester in hope of ending their 2016 drought. Meanwhile Kent entertain Essex at Canterbury and should have enough points in the bank to join their Thames-side neighbours in the top tier next year.

Team of the Week: Jones (Lan), Jennings (Dur), Cosgrove (Lei), Roy (Sur), Madsen (Der), Ten Doeschate (Ess), Hosein (Der +), Kerrigan (Lan), Cummins (Wor), Magoffin (Sus), Sanderson (Nor)

Essex Almost There!

A funny two-tier week. Rain destroyed all four Division One fixtures on the last day but in the second group, three of the matches were wrapped up before the weather could do its worst. And so that’s where I’ll start.

For the second successive week, both Essex and Kent enjoyed victories by an innings, widening the gap between themselves and the chasing pack. Ryan Ten Doeschate’s side made mincemeat of third-placed Worcestershire at Chelmsford. The ever-reliable David Masters took 7-51 as the visitors slid to 230 all out. Alastair Cook popped in to score 66 but it was Tom Westley who outscored Worcestershire all on his own! Tendo also chipped in with a hundred of his own before Graham Napier’s five-for and a few wickets for that man Westley finished things off with a day to spare. Essex are now almost guaranteed promotion. It’s been a long time coming.

Down on the South coast, there were no centuries to celebrate, although Will Gidman was stranded on 99 in Kent’s first innings of 496. As has become customary this summer, their four main seamers shared the Sussex wickets fairly democratically and the job was done was minimal fuss.

Glamorgan looked in an unfeasible hurry to scurry home from Northampton. They surrendered meekly, twice bowled out for under 140. Last week, Rob Keogh made three figures. This time, he left the major run scoring to Ben Duckett and claimed amazing bowling figures of 9-52 and 4-73 with his occasional off-breaks. Graeme White polished off the remaining seven wickets. They seemed transformed and it seems odd that Northants have been so poor in the Championship. Perhaps Keogh’s performance highlights the paucity of their seam attack until Ben Sanderson’s recent good form.

In the race to the pennant, Middlesex and champions Yorkshire now look to be out on their own. The former seemed to be in the driving seat at Edgbaston when the rain closed in. Warwickshire’s Josh Poysden (8-133 match figures) and Middlesex’s Ollie Rayner (7-91) were the pick of the players.

Meanwhile at Southampton, Gareth Berg had Yorkshire concerned on day one, taking 6-56. However, Jack Brooks and Ryan Sidebottom restored White Rose supremacy on Thursday. After setting Hampshire 298 to win on the final day, the same bowlers looked set for a repeat performance. However, the weather was always going to win.

At Old Trafford I was optimistic about Somerset’s chances of staving off relegation as Tom Abell helped push the score past 200 with the loss of just Trescothick’s wicket. I was even more positive when Peter Trego accelerated on the second morning, eventually walking off with a career-best 154 not out, scored at almost a run a ball. More encouraging was ‘keeper Ryan Davies keeping him company and contributing an unheard-of 86 out of their eighth wicket partnership of 236. Alviro Petersen’s 155 made sure the game was drawn. We’re now fourth but not out of the woods.

Nottinghamshire, however, looked doomed after narrowing the gap behind Durham by a mere two points. They now have to win their final two matches and hope Durham lose theirs. Harry Gurney’s 6-61 and Jake Libby’s 144 gave Notts a first innings lead. but another big Keaton Jennings score (171 not out), his sixth this season ensured the home side remained out of the danger zone albeit in a precarious seventh. Jennings is now improbably the top scorer in Division One.

Durham now meet Yorkshire, Notts travel to a title-hungry Middlesex and Hampshire also have a difficult date at The Oval. It should go to the final week, and that’s how it should be!

Surrey rested at the end of the week but they were in high spirits after ending Yorkshire’s hopes of a double. Stuart Meaker took five wickets in their Royal London Cup semi-final triumph. Somerset’s ambitions for a first one-day final in years were also snuffed out by Warwickshire. Davies again was advancing the Westcountrymen’s cause in the chase before Jeetan Patel delivered one of his devastating spells, winning five lbw decisions to win by just eight runs. Ouch!

Team of the Week: Duckett (Nor), Jennings (Dur), Westley (Ess), Petersen (Lan), Trego (Som), Keogh (Nor), Bresnan (Yor), Davies (Som +), Brooks (Yor), Gurney (Not), Masters (Ess).