Jarvis and Woakes make it a brill week for the bowlers

Hurrah! The last week in May and finally the bowlers have something to celebrate. With five counties collecting their 16-point win bonus, there were some major shifts in league positions, too, with Lancashire surging to the top of Division One, and non-playing Yorkshire slumping to mid-table.

For once, there was considerable competition for places in my Team of the Week, too. I can’t count the performances of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad but, while England were hammering another nail in the coffin of the five-day game, any number of counties were promoting the four-day format in all its glory.

Perhaps the best match was at the Rose Bowl, where Hampshire overcame Nottinghamshire by 69 runs. It probably didn’t help the visitors to lose star bowler Jake Ball to an England call-up mid-game, nor Chris Read to injury. However, despite nine wickets from Harry Gurney, it was the whirlwind sex machine, aka Tino Best, who did most to propel the hosts to victory on day four. Strangely the highest individual score was a mere 72!

Lancashire made short work of Surrey, with Alviro Petersen’s first hundred of the campaign and Kyle Jarvis capturing eleven wickets. Durham are just ten points behind them after despatching Warwickshire. Chris Woakes finished on the losing side despite claiming a magnificent 9-36. However, in mitigation he followed Jake Ball to the England camp before the second innings could begin. Instead, the final day bowling honours went to Durham’s James Weighell, although his own nine-wicket haul came at the expense of 130 runs.

At Lord’s, Middlesex and Somerset shook hands on each side’s sixth successive draw. Chris Rogers and Nick Gubbins swapped centuries, while James Hildreth and Peter Trego again stabilised Somerset’s batting. Trego seems to bowl less these days but two more fifties make him an invaluable asset at six or seven, especially as our new wicket-keeper can’t bat to save his life.

In the second tier, it was the bad old Leicestershire who turned up to Grace Road and face Worcestershire. Matt Henry and Joe Leach cut through their second innings batting like a hot knife through butter, dismissing them for 43 and leaving their own top-order a meagre total to chase, which they did for the loss of only three wickets.

At Derby, Shiv Thakor’s fine century and five-for were in vain, as Kent wrapped up another seven-wicket success. Sean Dickson ended a miserable run by amassing the week’s only double-century, and James Tredwell justified his four-day place with six scalps.

Gloucestershire must be licking their lips now that Michael Klinger has arrived at Bristol. He racked up 140 on his season debut, but it wasn’t enough to beat Northants, for whom Steven Crook found some form with the bat. Glamorgan kept leaders Essex at bay, thanks largely to Will Bragg, who followed a first-innings duck with a career-best 161 not out.

Next week, I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that Somerset can break their duck at home to Surrey. I just hope Mr Sangakkara doesn’t take a liking for the Taunton wicket! However, the Bank Holiday weekend heralds the War of the Roses at Headingley. Can Lancashire widen the gap over the champions?
In the promotion hunt, Essex travel to Northampton while Kent entertain Leicestershire, whose new-look batting line-up needs to forget this week’s second-innings horror show.


Team of the Week:
Dickson (Ken), Jennings (Dur), Bragg (Gla), Klinger (Glo), Davies (Lan +), Thakor (Der), Crook (Nor), Woakes (War), Jarvis (Lan), Weighell (Dur), Gurney (Not)

Durham dominate, Buttler blasts

While England were rattling up a record ODI total against New Zealand, runs were distinctly hard to come by last weekend in the County Championship. On Day One, all batting sides were dismissed for under 300, although bowlers were less dominant a few days later.

Durham didn’t have it all their own way at Chester-le-Street. However, Somerset’s second innings batting frailties were again exposed, and Sunderland-born Paul Coughlin’s 4-10 finished things off with a day to spare, taking Durham to the top of Division One. Somerset, meanwhile, were consigned to bottom place, despite more effective bowling by Craig Overton (4-40 and 3-41).

Their cause was helped by Yorkshire’s four-wicket defeat of previous leaders Middlesex. Jonny Bairstow’s unbeaten 125 held the White Roses’ first innings together, and James Brooks bounced back with 5-44. Adam Lyth’s return after a successful Test match stint included a useful 67 which steered his side to victory, and within eleven points of Durham who have played a game more.

Hampshire recorded their first win of the season, easily beating Sussex at Hove. Gareth Berg enjoyed his best week of 2015, taking five wickets and sharing a 165-run partnership with Adam Wheater. He must have been gutted to be run out on 99, though. Fidel Edwards hastened Sussex’s defeat with his first five-for in two years, and his team escaped the relegation zone by three points. It’s already looking to be any two from Hampshire, Somerset and Worcestershire, as I thought at the start of the season.

Looking to replace them, Lancashire and Surrey both won again in Division Two. Despite another ten wickets for Craig Miles and a century from the in-form Michael Klinger, Gloucestershire went down by 91 runs. Lancashire’s veteran Glen Chapple made his first appearance of the summer and added another to his first-class wicket tally of 975, but Kyle Jarvis’ 4-67 and 5-39 proved more decisive. Meanwhile, Surrey made short work of Leicestershire in another low-scoring contest. James Burke took a wicket with his first ball in the Championship en route for match statistics of 6-54. Team-mate Tom Curran, son of the late Kevin who graced the county game a few decades ago, fared even better. He captured nine scalps and contributed an important 60 late-order runs on the first afternoon.

It was an even shorter match at Canterbury, where wickets tumbled early on. Mark Footitt (5-45), Wayne White (6-25) and Matt Cole (5-24) were the main beneficiaries. However, Derbyshire found batting somewhat easier second time around, and Billy Godleman and Chesney Hughes ensured they won by eight wickets.

Tom Westley struck the week’s highest individual score (179) as Essex played out a draw at Northampton. Jesse Ryder and the home county’s Richard Levi each contributed more than 200 runs, too, as the game petered out into a draw leaving Essex adrift of Kent by eight points at the foot of the table.

Next week, Lancashire ought to extend their lead by defeating Leicestershire, but Glamorgan should challenge Surrey in their Guildford encounter. Essex must beat Derbyshire to give themselves a positional boost. In the top tier, Durham can put daylight between themselves and Yorkshire if they overcome fourth placed Sussex. Meanwhile, Somerset can leapfrog Nottinghamshire and Hampshire by thumping Chris Read’s side at Taunton. Warwickshire could also be vulnerable to Worcestershire if Moeen Ali plays.

The England discard, Ali, along with Ian Bell, each scored rapid 90s for their counties in last weekend’s T20 fixtures, even outclassing another big innings for Chris Gayle. I’ve a ticket for what was to be his last appearance for Somerset at Cardiff on Saturday but, sadly, he's been allowed to head back to the Caribbean instead. Cheated, or what?! Oh, well. It'll probably be washed out anyway....

Team of the Week: Moeen Ali (Wor), Root (Eng/Yor), Westley (Ess), Klinger (Glo), Levi (Nor), Ryder (Ess), Buttler (Eng/Lan +), Curran (Sur), Jarvis (Lan), Brooks (Yor), Miles (Glo)