County Cricket: Roach and Smith make it three in a row for Surrey

Both Surrey and Warwickshire could have supplanted Essex at the top with a win, but it was the champions who brushed aside their potential rivals by nine wickets at The Oval. Surrey-born Jamie Smith lashed 155 to establish a handsome first-innings lead. It could have been greater were it not for Craig Miles, whose 5-43 gave little sign of the carnage being inflicted around him. Ed Barnard had reached three figures for the visitors first time out but Surrey paceman Kemar Roach ensured there would be no late-order recovery on Sunday afternoon, taking 6-46. Burns, Sibley and Pope finished the job the next morning. 

At Trent Bridge, Nottinghamshire beat Lancashire by the same margin. It could have been an innings defeat had it not been for 20-year-old wicketkeeper Matt Hurst’s maiden hundred and century partnership with Tom Hartley. However, the game’s outstanding performer was Notts opener and skipper Haseeb Hameed. It feels like forever since, as a promising Lancashire teenager, he was thrown into the England side where he struggled in ten Tests. This summer, too, he failed to make fifty in his first four fixtures, which makes his unbeaten 247 so extraordinary. His score became the highest ever by a Notts player to carry his bat in a completed innings. Hameed was also not out at the conclusion of the match, every minute of which he was on the field. 

Bad light deprived Worcestershire of a likely victory against Kent at Canterbury in a game overshadowed by the sad death last week of young Josh Baker. The Pears occupied the opening five sessions amassing 618-7, including three centurions. Gareth Roderick set the ball rolling with 117 but the daunting total was ultimately extended by the eighth-wicket pair of Jason Holder and Matthew Waite. Mixing patience with pyrotechnics, each reached three figures, the declaration following Waite’s single to take him to 100. Jack Leaning responded with a magnificent 179 which at least ensured Kent survived to earn a draw. 

It was the same outcome at Southampton, where fourth-day rain ensured neither Hampshire nor Durham claimed the sixteen points. Had there been more sparking sunshine, I doubt the result would have been any different because batsmen were in charge. Orr and Prest helped Hampshire to 503, then Bedingham’s 144 shone for Durham, whilst spinners Dawson and Organ wheeled away for a combined 109 overs. 

On Friday, Hampshire travel to Trent Bridge in search of that elusive first victory, whilst Surrey hope to make it a fourth consecutive success at home to Worcestershire. Essex host Warwickshire, both keen to prevent Surrey running away with the Championship. 

Division Two leaders Sussex suffered a surprise loss against Glamorgan. With heavy rain forecast (correctly, it transpired) in Cardiff for Monday, it was imperative to round things off early, but it was the Welsh side who dominated. It’s not often that Glamorgan take twenty wickets but Mir Hamza and Andy Gorvin claimed thirteen between them. The home side’s batting success rested on the shoulders of Kiran Carlsen and Coin Ingram, whose fifth-wicket stand of 315 broke the county record. 

In the only other fixture, Gloucestershire also celebrate a sizeable winning margin, 256 runs. Miles Hammond’s 112 and Marchant de Lange’s 5-42 had already floored Northamptonshire, only for them to rub their hosts’ noses in the dirt by extending the lead to an imposing 557, thanks in part to Cameron Bancroft’s 130 not out. Gay, Procter and Nazir did their best but could not last until close of play. 

Only Derbyshire sit below Northants on the table and next they meet each other at Derby. Glamorgan host Middlesex, Leicestershire welcome Gloucestershire while Sussex look to get their promotion ambitions back on track at home to winless Yorkshire. 

Team of the Week:- Hameed (Not), Roderick (Wor +), Smith (Sur), Leaning (Ken), Carlson (Gla), Ingram (Gla), Roach (Sur), Waite (Wor), de Lange (Glo), Gorvin (Gla), Miles (War)

Murtagh’s Middlesex Milestone

Tim Murtagh may be 41 now, transitioning from player to coach, but this weekend he was still giving opposition batsmen nightmares. With Ethan Bamber’s support, his ten-for was instrumental in Kent’s downfall at Lord’s, and included his 1,000^th wicket in any format in his 16-year Middlesex career. He would love to take another 66 to reach the modern rarity of 1,000 first-class victims and, fitness and ECB’s short-sighted short-format obsession notwithstanding, it certainly is not beyond the realms of reality. 

London neighbours Surrey returned to the top at Edgbaston by defeating Warwickshire by the same nine-wicket margin. In damp conditions, runs were again in short supply, only Jamie Smith (88) showing any mastery of an attack led by Dan Worrall and Kemar Roach, who reached a milestone of his own: 500 first-class wickets. 

In Division Two, Durham made their extra game count, claiming pole position with an innings defeat of Derbyshire at Chester-le-Street. Two half-centuries by Luis Reece and a frustrating 99 by Matthew Lamb reduced the embarrassment begun by home-side tons by Kent old-boy Ollie Robinson and Brendon Carse and completed by seamers Ben Raine and Matthew Potts. 

Last season, Leicestershire were tonked by Glamorgan, including Sam Northeast’s quadruple-hundred, but in 2023 they are racking up the runs themselves. Captain Lewis Hill and young opener Rishi Patel reaped centuries, as did Glammie 'keeper Chris Cooke, but a draw was inevitable on the final day. There was no decisive result either at Bristol, where Gloucestershire were made to follow on by Sussex skipper Cheteshwar Pujara made 151 out of a first innings total of 455-5 declared, then Nathan McAndrew’s 5-63 put the home side in severe trouble. At 41-4 second time around, They were heading for a heavy loss but a Graeme Van Buuren half-century and rain came to the rescue. 

Next week, Durham sit it out while either Sussex (against Worcestershire) or Leicestershire (v Derbyshire) could knock them off their perch. In the top tier, Hampshire host Warwickshire and Surrey travel to Essex while bottom two, Somerset and Northants will contest what already looks like being a relegation battle. 

Team of the Week:- Patel (Lei), Compton (Ken), Hill (Lei), Pujara (Sus), O Robinson (Dur), Cooke (Gla +), Carse (Dur), Potts (Dur), Roach (Sur), Worrall (Sur), Murtagh (Mid)

Northants Clinch One-run Thriller and Notts win at last

Headingley played host to an incredibly tight Group 3 encounter. It was only when, under grey skies and spitting rain, Yorkshire skipper Steven Patterson induced an edge from Northamptonshire’s Wayne Parnell to the ‘keeper with just two needed for victory. The South African international had already taken ten wickets but it was David Willey who was the home team’s best bowler. 

Lancashire lead the group by a single point by way of a five-wicket triumph over Sussex at Hove. Tom Bailey et al had brought the Red Roses back into the match before Alex Davies’ belligerent 73 and a more measured 91 not out from Keaton Jennings saw them home at a canter. Glamorgan welcomed Marnus Labuschagne back to Cardiff but it was a combination of David Lloyd’s spin and 39 year-old Michael Hogan’s second innings seam which proved decisive against bottom club Kent. Yet Hogan wasn’t the oldest man to record a five-for in the game; that achievement belonged to none other than Darren Stevens, the 46^th time he’s done it in first-class cricket. 

In Group 2, previous leaders Hampshire were unexpectedly trounced by Surrey by an innings at The Oval. Following a pair in the last fixture, Hashim Amla struck a commanding double-century and could have made more had he not retired hurt with a stiff neck on 215. Kemar Roach completed the rout with 8-40. Gloucestershire took control of the league beating Leicestershire by four wickets but only after playing second fiddle for three days. Tons from Hill and Evans, plus 7-58 by Chris Wright, left the home county playing catch-up but a rapid 224-run stand between Iain Cockbain and Tom Lace was the cornerstone of the successful 348-run chase. 

Somerset also held their nerve to repeat their comeback success against Middlesex of a few weeks ago. Steve Finn and Tim Murtagh bowled the visitors into contention but Craig Overton’s 5-34, the consistent Josh Davey’s six wickets, an assured debut by batsman Lewis Goldsworthy and patient 44 not out by Steven Davies saw Somerset home by four wickets. History was made, too, when Jack Brooks became the first Covid substitute, replacing Lewis Gregory who was forced to self-isolate when his girlfriend tested positive mid-match. 

Nottinghamshire claimed their first Championship win in three years and 31 matches and they did it in style by defeating neighbours Derbyshire by 310 runs. Openers Slater and Hameed were again in the runs but this week they had strong support with the ball in the hands of Luke Fletcher and Stuart Broad. Durham were equally emphatic in thumping Warwickshire at Chester-le-Street by an innings and 127. On day one, Ben Raine and Mark Wood had ripped out the Midlanders for a mere 87 then, after Alex Lees and Will Young had them wishing they could leave right now, it was the turn of Ben Carse and the - er – Evergreen Chris Rushworth to bowl them out a second time. 

The only fixture not to produce a result came at New Road where Essex failed to hammer (Harmer?) home their first innings dominance. Sir Alastair Cook and Mr Tom Westley each made three figures in a total of 568-8 declared but, forced to follow on, the Worcestershire batsmen knuckled down to defy Harmer, Sam Cook and co and agree a draw. 

Essex now sit in fifth but victory over Notts next week could see them back in the top three. Worcestershire will go top if they beat derby rivals Warwickshire at Edgbaston as Durham don’t play. In roup 2, Hampshire and Somerset meet for a chance to overhaul Gloucestershire who make the trip to Lord’s. Lancashire welcome a resurgent Glamorgan to Old Trafford while Yorkshire host winless Kent. 

Team of the Week: Slater (Not), Jennings (Lan), Vasconcelos (Nor +), Lloyd (Gla), Amla (Sur), Pope (Sur), Hill (Lei), Parnell (Nor), Raine (Dur), C Overton (Som), Roach (Sur)

‘Ordinary’ Windies Destroy England - Again!

Before this series started, Geoff Boycott described the West Indies side as ‘very ordinary, average cricketers’. In comparison with the Caribbean conquerors he faced in the Seventies, they probably are. The team languish a lowly eighth in the ICC Test rankings and ninth in the ODI list. Prior to Antigua, I had to scroll down to 33 before locating their highest ranked batsman, Jason Holder, and that followed his amazing double-century in the Barbados massacre.

After that humbling 381-run reverse, the consensus back home was that England had messed up by dropping Stuart Broad to fit in an extra spinner. For a side ranked in the top three, that hardly excuses such a dreadful batting display. Furthermore, since the tourists obviously learnt their lesson by reinstating Jimmy Anderson’s old partner for North Sound, how on earth did Joe Root’s team capitulate so meekly once more, this time inside three days?

Eighteen months ago, Holder’s men surprised everyone, myself included, by achieving a hefty run chase at Headingley. Hmm, maybe this lot aren’t so bad after all. And yet still the West Indies came into this home rubber without a series success against a top eight nation for seven years, and it’s only a matter of weeks since they lost to Bangladesh.

While the West Indies have resisted England at home for many years – and in 2009 they actually achieved a 1-0 victory – it’s not since 1988 that they inflicted a ten-wicket drubbing. That was the era of Viv Richards, Haynes, Hooper, Dujon, Marshall, Walsh and Ambrose, giants of the global game. With the best will in the world, the current crop don’t match up to the Eighties generation. However, with a series win already secured, Holder’s team should take a huge confidence boost. I feared that the T20 World Cup triumph would harm first-class cricket in the islands but the powers-that-be are gradually turning things around.

But what about England? They may well be licking their lips in anticipation of the ODI World Cup and Ashes, but they seem to have forgotten how to drop anchor when required. On most pitches, Root, Bairstow, Stokes and Buttler have managed to hit their way out of trouble and rely on Anderson and Broad to bowl out the opposition. Apart from Burns in the second innings at Bridgetown and Moeen Ali in the first at St John’s, nobody has lasted very long in the face of Kemar Roach and co. Compare and contrast with Kraigg Brathwaite, Shannon Gabriel and the recalled Darren Bravo, who toiled for almost six hours over his half-century last week. As Mr Punch would exclaim, that’s the way to do it! Respect, too, to Alzarri Joseph who persevered with the ball despite losing his mother the day before.

In the past few weeks England have been outplayed in every department and desperately need to grab a consolation victory in St Lucia to restore some pride. No doubt Australia at home will be a much easier prospect and for most cricket-aware people here, that’s the only contest which counts. However, all the best to the Windies: I really hope they can kick on and charge up the Test rankings. Roach is no Curtly Ambrose, Campbell no Gordon Greenidge and Holder no Richards, but if they inspire youngsters to follow in their footsteps, they can hold their heads high for the rest of their lives. Very ordinary and average? No longer.