County Cricket: Somerset Rewdy and Abell

Somerset Rewdy and Abell 

Only four Championship fixtures this week, but they delivered a high degree of excitement over the four days. At the Rose Bowl, Hampshire and Somerset engaged in a tight game of cat-and-mouse, with little between them, and enough in the wicket to please batters and bowlers alike. Lewis Gregory returned to lead Somerset and eventually turned the game in their favour, but the result was in doubt well into the final day. 

James Rew struck 86 to take Somerset to a 50-run first-innings lead, then Hampshire were heading towards a potential 400 total until Gregory mopped up the last four wickets. His side still had a lot to do. A target of 288 was not going to be simple. However, good things happen when Rew and Tom Abell are together at the crease. They put on 89 but, even after Rew was caught behind for 59 and three more were despatched, Abell maintained admirable patience and determination and his eighth boundary brought up both his century and victory for Somerset. There is talk about England sniffing around young Rew but I hope they hold off until the county’s season is over, preferably with a maiden title in their grasp. Well, you can only hope…. 

There were only forty-one runs separating Warwickshire and Essex, too. Seamers were generally on top and 220 proved to be the highest total, and Beau Webster’s 91 the top individual score. Chasing 206 to win on the fourth day, Essex slumped to 21-4, their top three falling to the veteran Keith Barker, back in the Warwickshire side after a seven-season stint at Hampshire. Harmer and Akhtar offered some tail-end resistance but Webster broke both to earn the home side’s first success of the year. 

Barker is a mere spring chicken compared with James Anderson but the former England record-breaker bowled his way to another Team of the Week entry and Lancashire dealt Gloucestershire another Spring blow at Bristol. The home side did acquire their first bonus points of the campaign, but batting remains a huge problem. Anderson (3-12) and George Balderson (5-34) skittled Gloucester for 136 but Matt Taylor’s 6-43 kept them in the match. Second time around, Hammond and Bracey put on 148 for the fourth wicket to extend the game into the final day. At 46-3, Lancashire were tottering but Keaton Jennings’ second 70+ score guided then home by four wickets. 

At Wantage Road, there was no repeat of Northants’ rampant run glut but batsmen were too dominant to prevent a draw. Nathan McSweeney struck a second successive ton and James Sales stroked his way to 164 but, in their second outing, Middlesex safely batted through four sessions to seal the draw. Sam Robson shared a couple of century partnerships with Holden and Du Plooy on his way to 162, falling to Guthrie shortly before the curtain fell. 

Lancashire will extend their Division Two lead next week, travelling to Durham, while it will be the Derbyshire attack eager to rip into the Gloucester line-up. 

Team of the Week:-  Jennings (Lan), Robson (Mid), J Rew (Som +), Bracey (Glo), Abell (Som), Sales (Nor), Gregory (Som), Balderson (Lan), M Taylor

County Cricket: Procter’s Lotta Runs, Sussex Success

Big totals and career bests peppered the domestic cricket scoreboards this week, while Sussex made it two out of two. They were second-best at home to Warwickshire, although Fynn Hudson-Prentice took six wickets to keep their final-day target within reach. An unbeaten sixth-wicket stand of 144 between Jack Leaning and Tom Price saw them home. 

However, thanks to their pre-season points deduction, they sit third behind Somerset and Nottinghamshire. The former came away from Chelmsford a day early with a ten-wicket victory against the county which has pipped them to the title in recent years. Controversially, they invoked new injury substitution rules not once but twice. Fresh from plundering runs for the Second XI, white ball specialist Will Smeed made his first-class debut but it was stand-in skipper Craig Overton who stole the show. In addition to four wickets, he crashed his highest score of 141 to establish a lead that Essex failed to dent. 

Champions Nottinghamshire got off the mark with a 192-run victory over promoted Glamorgan at Trent Bridge. Fergus O’Neill and Brett Hutton each took four first-innings wickets, then Joe Clarke (136) pressed home their advantage to set the Welsh side an improbable target of 478. Tribe and Crane offered some resistance until left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White mopped up the tail. Having suffered badly in the opening fixture, Hampshire recovered to hammer Yorkshire at Headingley. Jake Lehmann, son of Aussie star Darren, scored 76 and 92, but it was their South African stalwart, Kyle Abbott, who produced his latest Team of the Week performance, with match figures of 10-70. 

At The Oval, Surrey looked good for success against Leicestershire, as Jamie Smith and Ollie Pope each notched welcome tons. However, their achievements were placed into perspective by the opposition’s reply. Opener Rishi Patel (164), ‘keeper Ben Cox and new recruit Stevie Eskinazi all made centuries of their own to boost the team total to 691. However, the bat-friendly pitch ensured there would be no fourth-day collapse by Surrey, and the current England pair added 80+ to their names to secure a draw. 

Sussex and Notts now have a blank week, so Somerset could open up a significant lead should they beat Hampshire at the Rose Bowl. 

In Division Two, Gloucestershire’s miserable start continued, again failing to register a single bonus point with bat or ball. They lost another game by an innings, this time by Durham. Ex-England under-19 captain Ben McKinney scored 244 and shared a triple-century partnership with Alex Lees, which was almost as many as Gloucester could manage in both innings. 

Northamptonshire’s batting was even more extraordinary. Their top four batsmen racked up a humungous aggregate of 684-2 and may well have reached a thousand without a declaration. Captain Luke Procter called time when unbeaten on 264, and was rewarded when Harry Conway claimed 5-36 as Kent’s batting fell apart. Following on, Ben Compton scratched together 114 but Kent really avoided defeat courtesy of the wet weather which descended on Canterbury on Monday. 

Jimmy Anderson was at it again, adding six wickets to his season’s tally, including a decisive 4-18 to complete an exciting 29-run success against Derbyshire. Marcus Harris also contributed 191 runs to the Red Rose cause. In the other match, there were no centuries and only three fifties as Worcestershire narrowly beat Middlesex. It seems strange seeing Oliver Hannon-Dalby out of the Warwickshire side but the 36-year-old seamer was the pick of Worcester’s attack, while the ever-reliable Jake Libby top-scored with 79. Later this week, Middlesex face the Northants run machine, while Gloucestershire must hope to leap out of the traps for a change against Lancashire to prevent another capitulation. 

Team of the Week:-  Procter (Nor), McKinney (Dur), J Smith (Sur), Pope (Sur), Lehmann (Ham), Cox (Lei +), C Overton (Som), Abbott (Ham), Hudson-Prentice (Sus), Conway (Nor), Anderson (Lan)

County Cricket: Jacks Blasts Surrey Closer to Finals Day

Surrey finished the Vitality Blast group stages in style, winning all three of this week’s fixtures, including the top-of-the-table clash with Somerset. The Curran brothers had their moments but it was Will Jacks who starred, making scores of 57, 52 and a round 100 off 59 balls against Sussex. 

There were three other centurions: Alex Lees (101 not out) for Durham v Northamptonshire, Tom Latham’s 104 for the Bears against Derbyshire and a phenomenal unbeaten 139 for Essex’s Jordan Cox. Including eleven sixes, he almost single-handedly beat Hampshire to register only their third victory of a miserable T20 campaign. The South Coasters had already done enough to reach the quarter-finals thanks to a comfortable six-wicket triumph over a lacklustre Sussex, in which James Vince was left high and dry on 98. 

Glamorgan had begun the week in the South group qualifying places but losing to a De Lange-inspired Gloucestershire opened the door for Kent. They duly barged through thanks to successes against Middlesex and Essex. 

The North division was really tight but, with all the main contenders beating each other, the week’s results left the top four positions unchanged. Despite falling victims to Nottinghamshire, Lancashire topped the table thanks to wins against Durham and Roses rivals Yorkshire. Ex-England Test players Jos Buttler and James Anderson both contributed, but Chris Green delivered vital runs and six wickets. 

While the Bears racked up 233-1 against Derbyshire, they were on the wrong end of a mammoth 240-6 compiled at Edgbaston by Northants. Matthew Breetzke top-scored with a 40-ball 85, while skipper David Willey combined a six-heavy 54 with a useful 2-27, having both Davies and Mousley caught behind. 

Other notable performances included Worcester all-rounder Ethan Brookes’ 57 in 20 balls and 3-30 to despatch Notts, Farhan Ahmed’s hat-trick and 5-25 to destroy Lancashire’s tail, nine wickets for Derbyshire’s Ben Aitchison, including 5-25 against Yorkshire. In that same innings, his teenage Afghan colleague, AM Ghazanfar successfully restricted the attacking talents of Bairstow and Wharton to ducks across a combined twelve deliveries, bowling his four-over allocation for a mere five runs. 

Wea six now face a six-week break before the knockouts. Champions Gloucestershire may be out but I wouldn’t bet against a Surrey-Somerset semi, and Somerset losing another final to Hampshire. It’s just the way of the world… 

Team of the Week:- Jacks (Sur), Breetzke (Nor), Latham (BB), Willey (Nor), Cox (Ess), Moores (Not +), Brookes (Wor), C Green (Lan), Ghazanfar (Der), Aitchison (Der), Farhan Ahmed (Not)

County Cricket: Somerset Sweep into Blast Quarter-Finals

As Twenty20 returned to the county scene, Somerset maintained their domination of the South division. They beat Kent, Hampshire and Essex to establish a fourteen-point lead and ensure a home quarter-final in September. However, they didn’t end the week with a 100% record. Glamorgan edged a tight encounter at Taunton by just two runs. Ingram and Douthwaite knocked half-centuries but the visitors owed then most to former Somerset and Millfield School product, Ned Leonard. The 22-year-old seamer took 5-25 and the Somerset tail found sixteen runs off the final over too much. 

Despite fielding an international XI, Surrey came up short against bottom side Essex in a rain-affected affair at The Oval. Chasing 142 in twelve overs, Pepper and Walter galloped away for four overs before Adam Zampa broke the partnership and checked the run rate. However, Matt Critchley clinched the game with a last-ball boundary. Surrey remain second having seen off Gloucestershire and close rivals Glamorgan. 

Essex, Middlesex and Gloucester may have little or no chance of reaching the knockout stage but they each have players in my Team of the Week. Mohammad Amir’s four fixtures this week yielded eleven wickets for a mere (forgive the phrase!) 107 runs. Stephen Eskinazi’s highlight was a 48-ball 94 for Middlesex against Hampshire, albeit in a losing cause, while D’Arcy Short was Mr. Consistent for Gloucestershire. He struck three half-centuries, the best being 83 against Middlesex. 

Two players cracked incredible centuries. After Glamorgan set Surrey a formidable target of 223, Surrey were cut down to 16-3. In came Dan Lawrence and, supported by Tom Curran, he blasted an unbeaten 120 in 54 balls in the successful chase. Yorkshire were also in the runs, reaching at least 200 in all three matches. 236 came in Friday’s Roses clash at Old Trafford. Young William Luxton heaved seven sixes in his 90 not out, but that was eclipsed by his experienced team-mate Jonny Bairstow. Despite at one stage almost knocking himself out with an attempted over-the-shoulder upper-cut, he raced to 116, 92 of them in boundaries. Even with Salt and Buttler in their line-up, Lancashire were never in the hunt. 

They are, nonetheless, one of four counties leading the North group on 28 points. Durham and Northants are with them, but the Bears (aka Warwickshire) look notably strong. Mousley and Hain are the reliable rhythm section while Hasan Ali provides the electric solos with the ball. He accumulated twelve wickets this week, including a mean 4-22 in the comfortable victory over Leicestershire. Single-match bowling performance of tre past eight days must go to Sussex’s Danny Lamb, who ripped through the Kent batting for an impressive 5-15. 

In the concluding week of group fixtures, there are so many crucial contests. The Somerset-Surrey match-up is there for quarter-final bragging rights but Lancashire will have extra incentive to reverse their loss to Yorkshire. They also ace ‘eight-pointers’ against Durham and Notts, who are also very much in the mix. Durham’s last game against Northants could decide qualification for both teams. 

Team of the Week:- Bairstow (Yor +), Eskinazi (Mid), Short (Glo), Madsen (Der), Luxton (Yor), Lawrence (Sur), Ingram (Gla), Dwarshuis (Wor), Hasan Ali (Bea), Leonard (Gla), Amir (Ess)

County Cricket: The Runfest Continues….

820-9, 722-6, 679-7, 305,….It was a week when numbers seemed to encapsulate the latest round of County Championship matches. With the Kookaburra ball and hot, dry pitches almost everywhere, it was a double-whammy for batsmen. There were even more centurions than last week, making it extremely difficult to decide which to omit from my Team of the Week. And the hapless, put-upon bpwlers? Pity poor George Drissell of Durham. His 45 overs were plundered by Surrey for 247 runs, with just the solitary wicket of Sam Curran as compensation. 

Surrey compiled a county record 820-9 declared, anchored by Dom Sibley’s triple-hundred. Jacks and Curran also weighed in with tons, but Dan Lawrence’s 149-ball 178 was the most eye-catching. Dan Worrall (4-60) helped dismiss Durham for 362 but, despite the massive deficit, the visitors’ openers cruised to the close without losing a wicket. Alex Lees struck his second hundred of the game, while Emilio Gay struck twenty-five boundaries in his unbeaten 156. 

Nottinghamshire also failed to win, despite having a first-innings advantage over Somerset at Taunton, and slipped a point below Surrey at the top of Division One. Slater and Haynes reached three figures while Jack Leach twirled away for 53 overs but on the final day Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s 147 not out was crucial in preventing defeat. 

Bottom club Worcestershire have struggled for first-innings runs all summer so it was a shock when their third-wicket partnership went on….and on….and on. Captain Jake Libby was the quiet partner while Adam Hose provided the fireworks. Both swept past 200 and the stand totalled 395. They even collected maximum bowling bonus points as Hampshire slumped to 221 all out. Second time around, Ben Brown et al pulled up the drawbridge and crawled to safety.

Sussex remain third after another high-scoring game at Hove. They, too, topped 500, both Hughes and Coles hitting the 150 mark but, like Somerset, Durham and Hants, Warwickshire batted out day four with little hardship. 

The only victory in the division came at York. For the first three days, there wasn’t a great deal separating Essex and Yorkshire, with Westley and Revis exchanging tons. However, Ben Coad and Jack White tipped the balance and polished things off by ten wickets. In doing so, Yorkshire leapfrogged Essex out of the relegation positions. 

In the second flight, the form book was tipped upside-down. Both leaders were beaten by basement residents. Runaway table-toppers Leicestershire lost to Middlesex by an innings. While Sam Robson (133) and Ben Geddes (137) propelled the Londoners to 534, seamers Tom Helm and teenager Naavya Sharma helped restrict the home team to 205 and 202 and their first loss of the season. 

At Chesterfield, Lancashire recorded their first triumph so far, crushing Derbyshire by 261 runs.  Their star performers were all-rounders George Balderson and Chris Green, although Ashton Turner and Keaton Jennings also scored centuries. 

Northamptonshire racked up the highest score at Canterbury, 722-6, including an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 298 involving Saif Zaib (196*) and Justin Broad (157*). Although responding to Kent’s formidable 566-8, the pair sensed a possible victory so accelerated the run rate on the last morning, giving their bowlers sixty-odd overs to bowl Kent out. They almost succeeded. Spinners Chahal and Harrison worked their way through the batting, but Joey Evison defended admirably, and the injured Muyeye limped on as tenth man to aid the survival effort, but it was nerve-shredding stuff. 

Another 500+ total was delivered by Glamorgan at Cardiff against Gloucestershire. Colin Ingram and Ben Kellaway contributed almost half of those runs, then the latter added six wickets. However, the visitors held on comfortably for the draw. 

It is now back to the Blast for a few weeks. At least in this format spectators won’t mind so much if the boundaries flow unchecked. 

Team of the Week:- Sibley (Sur), Lees (Dur), Libby (Wor), Hose (Wor), Lawrence (Ess), Bracey (Glo +), Kellaway (Gla), Saif Zaib (Nor), Balderson (Lan), White (Yor), Helm (Mid) 

County Cricket: Gregory’s Boys Still Unbeaten

Just as England’s men and women were making mincemeat of the poor West Indies in every format going, the county T20 fixtures offered surprisingly few close encounters. The exception was Surrey’s last-ball victory over Kent. Having dismissed four batsmen with the ball, Chris Jordan proceeded to crunch Parkinson’s final delivery for the winning boundary. 

Northamptonshire maintained their unbeaten star to the Vitality Blast beating closest rivals Lancashire and the Bears, only for Durham to spoil the party at Wantage Road. Hamed Neesham was inspired, cracking an unbeaten fifty and taking 4-29. They remain eight points clear in the North group, with Lancashire trying to cling on. That 24-run defeat to Northants, for whom England’s forgotten seamer, George Scrimshaw claimed 4-19, cost them dear. However, the forever-remembered James Anderson took three wickets in each of his matches this week. 

Somerset are now the sole county with a 100% record, after chasing down targets set by Gloucestershire and Middlesex. The latter made things tough, compiling a formidable 229-5. Max Holden (87*) and Ben Geddes (69) put on 131 in only 63 balls. Somerset were 45-3 but a sensational stand of 104 from 43 balls by Sean Dickson (76) and skipper Lewis Gregory (58 not out) put the home side back in the driving seat. Gregory clinched the victory with his sixth six. Hampshire sit six points behind Somerset, after a tie against Middlesex. With rain invoking Duckworth-Lewis, Middlesex had to outscore their hosts by 13 and not lose a wicket. Holden and Geddes did their best but missed out by a single. 

Gloucestershire have no points to their name at all, but played just a single fixture this week. Sussex stand third after thrashing Glamorgan by 78 runs, including an impressive 5-19 for Nathan McAndrew. Best figures of the week, though, were Hasan Ali’s 6-23 for the Bears against Derbyshire. The Pakistan paceman had only been in the country for a few days. He picked up a further five scalps later in the week only at greater expense. 

His team-mate Dan Mousley was probably the most consistent all-rounder of the week, Dawid Malan belted three half-centuries for Yorkshire and the highest individual innings was Adam Hose’s 95 off 51 deliveries in Worcestershire’s defeat of Derbyshire. Where will the season’s first century come from? 

In the South group, Somerset face Kent, Hampshire and Glamorgan, while Northants have only Notts to beat if they want to top the North table throughout the mid-competition break. 

Team of the Week:- Bell-Drummond (Ken), Malan (Yor), Holden (Mid), Hose (Worg), Cox (Ess +), Mousley (War), Gregory (Som), Hasan Ali (War), Jordan (Sur), Scrimshaw (Nor), Anderson (Lan)

County Cricket: Surrey Make it Three in a Row

With Alec Stewart’s outfit increasingly resembling a cricketing Manchester City in terms of squad depth and quality, it is no surprise that Surrey retained the County Championship with a game to spare. The success could so easily have been rubber-stamped the week before had it not been for Somerset’s unexpected triumph at Taunton. This time, normal service was resumed. Surrey easily defeated Durham at The Oval before being crowned champions as soon as Somerset were bowled out a second time by Lancashire at Old Trafford on the final morning. 

Ryan Patel’s 134 and eight wickets from Dan Worrall did for Durham, but Rory Burns made another decent contribution as both opening bat and skipper. Meanwhile, Somerset blew their opportunity to maintain the pressure. No fewer than 21 wickets fell on the first day, with Craig Overton, Lewis Gregory and Toms Bailey and Balderson each claiming four. On the second outing, Lancashire recovered admirably. Luke Wells struck a century, then his 4-34 proved crucial as the visitors crumbled from 107-1 to 224 all out. 

Hampshire advanced to second place, thumping Worcestershire at home by 235 runs. A stand of 220 by Nick Gubbins (201 not out) and Liam Dawson (109) laid down the gauntlet, but only Garth Roderick (94) and Ethan Brookes (132) made any headway against the strong attack. Hampshire chose to bat again, and Kyle Abbott sealed maximum points with 5-36. 

At Canterbury, Kent succumbed to their eighth Championship defeat, this time at the hands of Nottinghamshire, who surely now only need avoid losing their final fixture to remain in the top flight. Ben Slater’s 160  and 196-run opening partnership with Haseeb Hameed set the ball rolling, and Kent were helpless to stop it. 

It took Essex under two days to flatten Warwickshire at Edgbaston, but the hosts have surely done enough to be relegated. Shane Snater (5-13) in the first innings and Jamie Porter (6-36) in the second inflicted the most damage. They now welcome Surrey in the season’s last week, while Somerset and Hampshire meet at Taunton to decide the runners-up position. At the other end, Lancashire must beat Worcestershire to have any chance of staying up.

Sussex will definitely replace Kent in Division One next year after crushing Gloucestershire by an innings at Hove. Jaydev Unadkat was the pick of the bowlers but Henry Crocombe polished off the last four batsmen to complete the rout. Middlesex also won by a similar margin a day early, their victims being bottom county Derbyshire. The soon-to-depart opener Mark Stoneman delivered a crisp 115, while Toby Roland-Jones continued his recent form by amassing ten wickets in the match. 

However, for them to achieve promotion, they must beat Sussex and hope Yorkshire fall to Northamptonshire next week. The White Roses were always on top against Glamorgan, with Ben Coad scooping eight more victims. Northants sit in fourth having eclipsed Leicestershire by nine wickets. James Sales struck 135 to take control of the match and Leicestershire looked odds-on to lose by an innings, sliding to 92-7 second time out. However, Scott Currie shared a couple of century partnerships to make Northants bat again. I should also mention wicketkeeper Lewis McManus. He only made thirty runs but managed four stumpings to spinners Keogh and Chahal, a rare feat in the modern game. 

Team of the Week:- Slater (Not), Stoneman (Mid), Gubbins (Ham), Brookes (Not), L Wells (Lan), Dawson (Ham), McManus (Nor +), Snater (Ess), Worrall (Sur), Roland-Jones (Mid), Porter (Ess)

County Cricket: Bears Sharpen their Claws for Final Eight

The final week of Vitality Blast group fixtures was a fine advert for the chaotic and unpredictable Twenty20 format. With quarter-final places up for grabs, few counties enjoyed a clean sweep, but the Birmingham Bears and Surrey ensured progress with early victories against Derbyshire and Essex, respectively. 

Despite losing to Northamptonshire, the Bears sealed first place in the North thanks largely to Moeen Ali. His previous golden duck was forgotten as the opener reeled back the years at Edgbaston to slam nine sixes against Leicestershire in an innings of 103. That also ended the visitors’ hopes of qualification, the fourth spot snapped up by Durham courtesy of an eight-wicket drubbing of Derbyshire. 

Also on Friday, Northants met Lancashire at Old Trafford to determine which of them secured home advantage in the knockouts. New recruit George Dockrell was the surprise top-scorer as the home team racked up a formidable 201-9, but a searing 76 from Matthew Breetzke set Northants on their way to a four-wicket win to cap an all-conquering conclusion to the groups. 

A special mention to Northants ‘keeper, Lewis Mc Manus. He wasn’t the most prolific batsman of the week but, in an eight-over thrash at Chester-le-Street, he won the game by striking the only two deliveries he faced for six. That’s what I call decisive! 

Worcestershire were never really in the hunt, and lost their last two games, both right at the death. Yorkshire pipped them with three balls remaining, while Derbyshire duo Whitely and Thomson struck seventeen from Tom Taylor’s concluding over, including a scrambled single from the very last delivery. 

Reigning champions Somerset recovered some composure to roll over both Hampshire and second-place rivals Sussex, the latter with the aid of Ben Green’s 4-17. However, a home quarter-final was denied them on Friday by a barnstorming Glamorgan performance at Cardiff. Captain Kiran Carlson blitzed the county’s highest individual score, 135, more than a century of them in boundaries. Somerset proceeded to be skittled for a paltry 123 as Marnus Labuschagne, of all people, captured the final five wickets. Five days earlier, Glamorgan had been on the receiving end of a similar massacre. A Cheltenham Sunday crowd watched Jack Taylor whack an unbeaten 80 from 35 balls out if a total of 206-6, followed by a top-class bowling attack. The ever-reliable left-arm seam of David Payne starred with 3-7 from three overs. 

Elsewhere, there were centuries by Surrey’s Sam Curran against Hampshire and Michael Pepper’s 120 not out for Essex against Sussex. Pepper is the third-highest run-maker so far but his total won’t be added to. Gloucestershire’s defeat of Middlesex and Essex’s loss to Hampshire handed Jack Taylor’s outfit the fourth slot in the quarters, and a daunting trip to Edgbaston, whose spinner Danny Briggs and batsman Sam Hain were amongst the tournament’s group stage stars. 

But that’s six weeks away. In the mean-time, the school holidays will host the Hundred and Metro One Day Cup, which begin next week. As usual, I shall putr my feet up, ignore the franchise competition and focus on the county contest. 

Team of the Week:- Moeen Ali (Bir), Carlson (Gla), Hughes (Sus), Pepper (Ess), Hain (Bir), Labuschagne (Gla), McManus (Nor +), Briggs (Bir), P Brown (Der), Robinson (Sus), Payne (Glo)

Louis Kimber’s Record Six-Fest all in vain

Some times with four-day cricket, a rash of big scores is indicative of dull flat batting tracks and drawn matches. This week, however, there were eleven individual scores of 150+ but five of the nine fixtures produced victories, three by an innings. 

With the County Championship returning, it was back to normal for the champions. Surrey crushed Worcestershire at a dry New Road, Dan Lawrence starring with 175 and four wickets, and the bowling strength in depth paying dividends. 

Closest rivals Essex and Somerset both drew, allowing Surrey to re-open a lead of twenty points. Second-placed Essex were facing defeat at home to Durham, who piled on 587 in just four sessions. Ollie Robinson (198) and Alex Lees (113) le the charge before Potts and Siddle claimed seven wickets. Durham chose not to enforce the follow-on, and gave themselves just over a day to bowl out the hosts again. Zealander This time, Tom Westley and Dean Elgar dug in to avoid defeat, the South African veteran notching his fiftieth first-class century. 

Bowlers toiled at Trent Bridge, although two of them, Migael Pretorius and Olly Stone, made 241 runs between them with the bat! Nottinghamshire spent much of the last two days occupying the crease and losing only two wickets to Somerset. Ben Slater compiled an unbeaten 168 before skipper Haseeb Hameed pulled the plug on Wednesday evening. 

At Canterbury, Lancashire hauled themselves out of the relegation mire by pummelling bottom-placed Kent. Luke Wells (150) and Josh Bohannon (205) put on 312 for the second-wicket, more than Kent managed in their whole first innings. Bailey, Williams and Wells finished the job on the final morning. In the other Division One tie, Warwickshire and Hampshire served up a feast of cricket. The runs really flowed in the second half. James Vince and Liam Dawson scored centuries, then a 183-run partnership between Sam Hain and Michael Burgess thwarted Keith Barker et al. Hain was still there with the last man when time ran out. 

Next weekend sees the leading contenders meeting head-to-head at The Oval, while Somerset welcome Warwickshire to Taunton. 

Sussex were victorious at Hove, remaining top of Division Two in the process, but they had to endure one of the most extraordinary rearguard innings ever witnessed. Skipper John Simpson rattled off 183 not out on day one and Tom Alsop 81 on day three, leaving Leicestershire a daunting target of 464. Sussex were cruising at 144-6 when all-rounder Louis Kimber rocked up. After a circumspect start, the 27-year-old decided to chance his arm and went after the spinners. He reached 50 in 37 balls, 100 in 62 and 200 in 100, the fastest in Championship history. His 21 sixes shattered Ben Stokes’ record and England paceman Ollie Robinson became the unwanted victim of the most prolific over ever. With the aid of three no-balls, Kimber pulled, cut, slashed and carved an unbelievable 43 from the over! Just 18 short of victory, Kimber was eventually dismissed for 243, and both sets of players and officials gave him a standing ovation and guard of honour!   

Up at Scarborough, Yorkshire ended their win drought by beating Gloucestershire by an innings.   A triple-century opening stand involving Adam Lyth and Finlay Bean set them on their way, followed by their seam attack, led by Jordan Thompson and Connor McKerr. At Lord’s, Derbyshire are still winless, succumbing to Middlesex by 194 runs. Ryan Higgins enjoyed scores of 163 and 67, adding four wickets to the victory fund. 

At Cardiff, Glamorgan and Northants fought a really competitive, high-scoring encounter. Marnus Labuschagne top-scored for the home county but Northants’ wicket-keeper Lewis Mc Manus (168) was the game’s only centurion. Glamorgan had less than forty overs to attempt a 262-run chase, and they really went for it. Trouble is, the wickets fell regularly, too. When they slipped from 196-5 to 207-8, the chance had gone but the visitors also ran out of overs to remove the remaining two batters. 

It's another full set of fixtures next week, in which Northamptonshire face Sussex and Middlesex travel north to Leicestershire, although the latter’s new signing, Ajinkya Rahane, won’t arrive for a few more weeks. 

Team of the Week:- Slater (Not), L Wells (Sus), Bohannon (Lan), O Robinson (Dur), Higgins (Mid), Lawrence (Sur), Simpson (Sus +), Kimber (Lei), Barker (Ham), Hannon-Dalby (War), McKerr (Yor)

Somerset Win Big but Lightning also Strike Twice

In this week’s South division fixtures, Somerset showed hey meant business. Although undone by a Sam Billings century at Canterbury, they bounded back by accumulating 241-5 at home to Hampshire a few days later. Tom Abell (96 not out) and Sean Dickson (65) shared a stand of 144 before Ben Green proved it wasn’t a featherbed wicket by taking 5-29. On Tuesday, it was all about the seam bowlers, Aussie Riley Meredith (4-12) leading the way as Middlesex were skittled for 78. Not quite England v Oman, but it did Somerset’s net run rate a world of good. 

Sussex also won twice, scoring over 200 on each occasion. Daniel Hughes reached 65 twice as they defeated Surrey and Gloucestershire. Middlesex broke their duck with a last-over victory over Kent, for whom Zak Crawley is struggling for runs. Not so Ollie Pope, who was left high and dry on 99 in Surrey’s loss against Sussex. 

In the North group, Nottinghamshire remain pointless after five games. going down to Derbyshire and table-toppers Lancashire, who also edged their contest against Birmingham Bears. Derbyshire were involved in tow of the most one-sided encounters of the week. Ross Whitely smashed a 16-ball 46 not out and grabbed three wickets in a 96-run drubbing of neighbours Notts, but struggled against Yorkshire at Headingley. Adam Lyth (84) and Dawid Malan (79 not out) were rarely troubled in their pursuit of 180. 

Lots to play for in the coming weeks, and almost any county could progress to then knockouts, even Nottinghamshire, but hey may require the luck of a United States to do so! 

Team of the Week:- Wells (Lan), Hughes (Sus), Bedingham (Dur), Abell (Som), Pope (Sur), Billings (Ken +), Coles (Sus), Whitely (Der), Raine (Dur), Green (Som), Rehan Ahmed (Lei)

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)

Somerset Crash the Essex Party

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

One-Day Cup: Dawson Drives Hampshire into Final

 In the final group fixtures of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, Leicestershire and Warwickshire held their ground at the top of their respective groups, thus by-passing the quarter-finals. Those four places were taken by Hampshire, Lancashire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, each of whom won their last three matches. 

Warwickshire were involved in a couple of nervy finales, both decided by a single run or wicket. They held off Sussex but succumbed to Durham in a game featuring two enormous innings, David Bedingham’s 152 and Ed Barnard’s 161. The latter also reached three figures in the Sussex encounter, although it was Danny Briggs whose boundary got Warwickshire over the line with an over to spare. 

Somerset’s miserable competition was brightened by Andrew Umeed’s brilliant batting. The Glaswegian capped an excellent month with an unbeaten 172, a third century in five outings, ensuring no Group B wooden spoon. At the other end of the table, Gloucestershire’s Oliver Price was almost as prolific as Umeed and Barnard. In Group A, Aneurin Donald smashed two rapid tons for Hampshire – one to propel them into the knockouts and the next to dominate Worcester’s attack in their Southampton quarter-final. Ian Holland’s eleven wickets the previous week were even more important to the county’s progress. 

The other quarter-final saw Gloucestershire maintaining their momentum by seeing off Lancashire by eight wickets. On this occasion, Price played a supporting role to Marcus Hammond, who plundered six sixes in an undefeated 109 to reach a modest target with half their overs unused. 

The semis were just as truncated, as Hampshire demolished Warwickshire by nine wickets. Liam Dawson hasn’t played much in this year’s tournament but nobody has bettered his 7-15 at Edgbaston. Keith Barker accounted for the top three batsmen, including Barnard, then it was Dawson’s spin all the way. Opener Fletcha Middleton reached 54 not out as the way side ticked off the 94 required with the sole loss of Nick Gubbins. 

That same Tuesday afternoon at Leicester, it was Gloucestershire’s turn to be routed. Hammond was first out for a seven-ball duck, then Wiaan Mulder and Tom Scriven each picked up three wickets as the visitors were bowled out for 125. Mulder rounded off a match-winning all-round performance, stroking nine fours in tandem with Peter Handscomb in a six-wicket victory. We now have a fortnight to wait for the trophy to be decided at Trent Bridge and now it’s back to the red ball…. 

Team of the Week:- Umeed (Som), Barnard (War), Bedingham (Dur), O Price (Glo), Donald (Ham), Handscomb (Lei +), Mulder (Lei), Holland (Ham), Dawson (Ham), Williams (Lan), Baker (Wor)

County Cricket: Surrey Crippled, Bell-Drummond Tripled

This week’s County Championships fixtures produced a satisfying mixture of shocks, record performances and heart-pounding finishes. Before this week, both Surrey and Lancashire were unbeaten and, at The Oval, you’d expect the former to retain that sequence against the latter. Thanks to a last-wicket stand of 130 between Sean Abbott and Dan Worrall, a first-innings lead was duly established. On day three, the Surrey seamers picked up regular wickets, leaving their batters a comfortable target of 208. However, Tom Bailey ran through the formidable top-order, including Tom Latham first ball, and Will Williams finished the job. 

With the counties behind them also lacking consistency, Surrey are still looking good to retain their title. Essex advanced to second at the expense of Warwickshire at Chelmsford. Tom Westley and Dan Lawrence put on 227 for the third wicket before bowlers Porter and Harmer left the opponents facing the follow-on. Late flurries from Bess and Lintott forced the Essex openers to bat again but victory was achieved inside sixteen overs. 

Hampshire made short work of Middlesex at Southampton, where Liam Dawson became the first Hampshire all-rounder to score a century and take ten wickets in the same match. The Londoners have only one batting bonus point on the board all season, a disturbing state of affairs. Kent also won by an innings, at the expense of bottom side Northamptonshire. Last week, Daniel Bell-Drummond was by far the leading T20 run scorer and this time he repeated the feat in red-ball cricket. He joined the select few Kent batsmen to strike a triple-century, moments before his tail-end partner was last man out. 

At Taunton, Somerset made a dreadful start to their fixture against Nottinghamshire, for whom Brett Hutton took 5-34. However, Matt Henry began the turnaround with 6-59, his work continued by George Bartlett and teen sensation James Rew whose tons took the second innings total beyond 500. Notts had well over a day to compile 492 to win but they failed to survive even a few hours. Somerset’s pace attack was ruthless, Josh Davey’s 4-17 the most eye-catching figures. The enormous winning margin of 399 runs was Somerset’s second largest runs victory in their Championship history.

 

In Division Two, leaders Durham were frustrated in their push for a fifth triumph of the season. Their contest at Leicestershire yielded six centuries, two of them from the Durham opener Alex Lees but the most crucial turned out to come from Leicester’s Aussie Peter Handscomb. While all around him floundered, he avoided the temptation to dig in, instead peppering the boundary twenty-one times on the way to an unbeaten 136 and dominating a match-saving ninth wicket partnership lasting twenty overs.

Leicester’s superior batting bonus points helped them leapfrog Sussex, who also required a desperate rearguard action to avoid defeat at the hands of Glamorgan. With nine wickets down, Oli Carter and Henry Shipley somehow managed to last more than twenty-one overs, the latter making only two scoring shots (both boundaries) from the 56 deliveries faced. 

Bowlers struggled, too, at Headingley. The first-innings totals surpassed a thousand runs, including centuries by Bean, Hill and Revis (Yorkshire) and Oliver Price (Gloucestershire) and a draw was inevitable. It was the same outcome at Worcester, where winless Derbyshire looked likely to break their duck after skipper Luis Du Plooy shared partnerships of over 250 with each of Wayne Madsen and Anuj Dal. However, their bowlers were less successful, as Garth Roderick (123) and Ed Pollock (56 in almost four hours) anchored a dogged last-day dig-in to attain a draw. 

Back to T20 mode now, where Worcestershire have much more chance of silverware… 

Team of the Week:- Muyeye (Ken), Lees (Dur), Bell-Drummond (Ken), Du Plooy (Der), Robinson (Dur +), Handscomb (Lei), Dawson (Ham), Abbott (Sur), McAndrew (Sus), Williams (Lan), Henry (Som)

Somerset and Bears Blast into the Knockouts

 It has been a busy week or so for the Twenty20 squads, with some counties shoehorning five matches into the diary. Remarkably, Kent Spitfires won all five, lifting them from oblivion to the very heart of the quarter-final qualifying places. For that, they ought to thank Daniel Bell-Drummond, who plundered more than 300 runs, including a 58-ball 111 against Middlesex. 

At least by this time Middlesex had broken their embarrassing tournament duck, and they did so in a style so at odds with the rest of their T20 season. In front of 20,000 fortunate fans at the Oval, Surrey amassed another huge score. Will Jacks smashed Luke Hollman for five sixes in an over but misdirected a full-toss when aiming for number six. Uncharacteristically, Middlesex paced their chase – a Blast record 254 – to perfection. Eskinazi and Holden, who already had a century to his name this week, led the charge but it was young Jack Davies whose last over boundaries sealed their solitary success. 

It was a mixed week for Surrey, who had temporarily deposed Somerset from the top spot by beating their rivals at Taunton. However, they were taken apart by Hampshire at home. The South Coasters also boosted their quarter-final credentials by edging past Essex in a tight finish. Meanwhile, Somerset got their title push back on track with victories against Essex, Glamorgan and, less easily, Gloucestershire in the local derby. 

In the North division, the Birmingham Bears ensured a top-four finish by defeating Derbyshire at Old Trafford. In a rain-restricted tie, Livingstone and Buttler peppered the roof of the ground’s new hotel and the ‘keeper’s 83 off 36 balls propelled him past 10,000 career runs in T20 cricket, only the ninth man to do so. With Damen D’Oliveira in fine form, Worcestershire need to beat Durham and Derbyshire to proceed, and the Roses encounter in Manchester takes on an extra edge with both counties vying for a place in the quarters. 

Nottinghamshire are still very much in the hunt, but their batting has been very inconsistent. Not so, Alex Hales. His last three scores of 0, 5 and a first-ball 0 have been the model of consistency. Am I wrong to snigger at his misfortune? 

Team of the Week:- D’Oliveira (Wor), Bell-Drummond (Ken), Jacks (Sur), Buttler (Lan +), Holden (Mid), S Curran (Sur), Jordan (Sur), Van der Gugten (Gla), Sams (Ess), T Taylor (Nor), Zaman Khan (Der)

Surrey March On

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

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

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

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

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

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

Back to the Blast for the next few weeks…. 

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

Chris Rushworth in a Rush

Warwickshire must have travelled down to Hampshire anticipating a real scrap but came away celebrating an innings over the former league leaders. It seems plain wrong to write about Ed Barnard and Chris Rushworth as Warwickshire players but both played important roles in this success. James Vince easily top-scored in both Hampshire innings and he was a lone wolf watching the carnage at the other end as Rushworth took 7-38. 

There were other examples of extremely doughty day-four defence, this time preventing probable defeat. At Trent Bridge, Lancashire were heading for their first win of the summer, setting Nottinghamshire 295 in 67 overs and reducing them to 55-6, three of the wickets falling to George Balderson. In a match allowing England veterans James Anderson and Stuart Broad some competitive bowling practice, it was Balderson and Brett Hutton whole stole the bowling honours. However, it was Broad’s unbeaten three in just under an hour which ultimately denied Lancashire that much-needed victory, building upon Hutton’s 23 in 141 balls. Who needs Baz-ball to generate excitement? 

Leaders Surrey had to battle for a draw at Chelmsford, too, despite Gus Atkinson’s eight Essex wickets. With Sibley, Burns, Pope and Jacks back in then pavilion, and Simon Harmer twirling away, batsman Jamie Smith stonewalled superbly for more than 2 ½ hours, leaving Essex three wickets short. At the bottom, the order is unchanged as Somerset failed to hammer home a rare advantage over Northamptonshire at Taunton. Tom Kohler-Cadmore upped the tempo for the home side, smashing 130 at more than a run a ball but opposing skipper Sam Whiteman wisely opted for a more cautious approach, batting throughout the final day, also for 130, to prevent Somerset batting again.

Next week, Surrey welcome Middlesex across the Thames to The Oval and Warwickshire’s game against Essex promises to be a cracker.

 

In Division Two, all three fixtures were drawn. While Joe Root sits in an IPL dugout counting his cash, Jonny Bairstow had a rare outing for Yorkshire with bat and ‘keeper’s gloves watching Glamorgan’s Billy Root from behind. Glamorgan were generally on top, thanks to Michael Neser’s first-innings 7-32 and Marnus Labuschagne’s devastating170 not out to set Yorkshire an unlikely 492 target. The Aussie run machine even dared to catch Bairstow for a duck, but ex-England opener Adam Lyth showed it should be done crafting an excellent 174 from the front. However, defeat looked inevitable as the wickets tumbled but – hang on – Jordan Thompson was taking a leaf out of Bairstow’s book, punctuating defensive blocks with eleven fours and a six to end on 55, and the White Roses hanging on with the last pair at the crease. 

At Worcester, all eyes were in another Australian warm-up performer, as Steve Smith made his Sussex debut. He scored 30 but his captain Cheteshwar Pujara eased his way to another ton. A third-day washout meant that a result was virtually impossible, especially when another Asian veteran, Azhar Ali, ground out an unbeaten 103. For all these runs, it was an English seamer who produced the week’s outstanding bowling performance. Not Anderson, not Broad, nor Woakes, but Ollie Robinson. The Sussex quick took seven wickets in each innings, a career-best match aggregate of 14-117. 

He could well claim more victims in the next round, against Leicestershire, who struggled against Derbyshire in this week’s remaining game. Bowler Henry Brookes’ 6-20 was the most eye-catching turn. Derbyshire will be gunning for Gloucestershire next weekend while table-toppers Durham meet neighbours Yorkshire. 

Team of the Week:- Lyth (Yor), Balderson (Lan), Whiteman (Nor), Pujara (Sus), Vince (Ham), Labuschagne (Gla), Burgess (War +), Brookes (Der), Atkinson (Sur), Robinson (Sus), Rushworth (War)

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)

Strange Results but it’s Surrey’s Title

I was on the holiday island of Ibiza last week, enjoying the unfamiliar surroundings of sun, sea, pine-clad hills, golden cliffs and super-yachts. But nothing was as bizarre as some of the cricket results leaping out at me from the internet, especially on Tuesday when the penultimate round of fixtures kicked off. 

Twenty-six wickets fell at Chelmsford and twenty-three at Southampton. I’d have anticipated title-chasing Hampshire to tear into Kent but it was the home side who were skittled for just 57 inside 17 overs, Matt Quinn taking 6-23. Kent skipper Jack Leaning tipped the scales back towards the batsmen with a century but, despite the efforts of Vince and Fuller the 378 target was always going to be beyond Hampshire. 

This defeat left Surrey clear to claim another Championship pennant at The Oval. They did so in style by thrashing Yorkshire who now face the possible ignominy of relegation. Ollie Pope’s 136 anchored Surrey’s first innings while the key bowlers were Aussie Dan Worrall and local teenager Tom Lawes. Rory Burns struck the winning boundaries and the crown was theirs to celebrate. 

Lancashire have an outside chance of finishing as runners-up after emerging victorious from the wild wicked bonanza in Essex. Simon Harmer, Tom Bailey and Shane Snater all improved their season’s averages but it was Lancashire’s George Balderson’s 5-14 and Will Williams’ 4-24 which proved decisive as Essex plunged to 59 all out, just 38 runs short. Alastair Cook’s 40 was the highest individual score, and surely the pitch inspectors will be publishing a critical report in the coming days. 

At the other end, Somerset produced a surprisingly emphatic 352-run victory at home to Northamptonshire, completing a welcome recovery from their dreadful start to the summer. Their fantastic run of top-tier cricket will continue in 2023, thanks largely to Tom Abell’s twin tons and Craig Overton’s seven wickets. What would we do without him? 

Warwickshire now find themselves in the bottom two, victims of already-relegated Gloucestershire’s first success of 2022. Dom Sibley gave the Midlanders a promising start but Jack Taylor and Zafar Gohar evened things out. Young medium-pacer Tom Price produced an outstanding 8-27 but Gloucester still faced a tricky target of 148. At 30-4 on a turning pitch, a ninth loss looked probable, only for a 97 partnership between Dent and Van Buuren to steady the listing ship. They may be heading straight back to Division Two but at least they have this result to console them, having already seen Ryan Higgins been loaned out to Middlesex. 

His new club have yet to ensure promotion, despite a hard-fought victory over poor Leicestershire who matched them all the way until the final morning. Toby Roland-Jones left them struggling at 13-4 but once Colin Ackermann was trapped LBW for 80, another defeat was inevitable. Middlesex could yet go up as champions should they beat Worcestershire, who dealt Nottinghamshire a sobering blow by an innings. Gareth Roderick top-scored with 102 and took seven catches behind the stumps.

Glamorgan are also in the frame after defeating Derbyshire. Captain David Lloyd became their second triple-centurion of the season as the Cardiff faithful witnessed them rack up a mighty 550-5 declared. Ajaz Patel and Timm van der Gugten shine with the ball but the loudest applause came for 41-year-old Michael Hogan as he left the Sophia Gardens field for the last time. His metronomic pace has been a feature of Glamorgan’s game for so long that he will be almost impossible to replace. 

There was another innings-victory at Chester-le-Street, with Durham comfortably beating Sussex. Four of their batsmen reached 80 without making three figures but none of the opposition managed even 40 in two attempts. Ben Raine was the stand-out bowler. If they repeat this performance at Trent Bridge they could deny Nottinghamshire the promotion that has looked nailed-on all summer. 

The Division One battle to avoid the drop goes to the wire. Kent host Somerset, Warwickshire face Hampshire and Yorkshire welcome Gloucestershire but it’s Warwickshire who have the trickiest task. They have to win and do what Kent did last week. Surely lightning won’t strike twice?

Pope and Amla Steer Surrey Closer

In the race for the title, the top three each won again to pull away from the field. At The Oval, no centuries were scored but two fifties from Olly Pope and a smooth unbeaten 80 by Hashim Amla eased Surrey to a six-wicket victory over Warwickshire. Hampshire’s trip to the Scarborough seaside netted them 20 points and an eighth success of the summer. Kyle Abbott took his season’s tally to 49 wickets, more than anyone else, although colleagues Abbas and Barker are also in the top six in Division One. The seam trio are really fuelling the South Coasters’ bid for a first crown in decades.

At Old Trafford, it was definitely a game of two halves. Matt Henry ably led the Kent attack into a commanding lead over Lancashire, but the home side didn’t roll over to have their tummy tickled for a second time. Josh Bohannon (134) was part of two century partnerships as they declared on 439-9 by lunch on the fourth day. There was no chance of a Kent run chase but only Daniel-Bell Drummond survived the experience against Williams, Sundar and Tom Bailey, who ended the match with career-best figures of 11-110. More importantly, the 184-run triumph keeps Lancashire just about within range of Surrey should the leaders slip up.

There weas plenty of entertainment at Cheltenham where Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire not only served up plenty of runs but also an exciting finish, a difficult combination in a first-class contest. Ryan Rickelton led the visitors to a handsome first-innings lead, only for Gloucester skipper Graeme Van Buuren’s 127 not out to help set up a thrilling final afternoon. Needing 202 off a minimum 37 overs, Northants got off to a cracking start with Will Young and Rickelton again before losing a steady flow of wickets to Zafar Gohar’s spin. In the end, it was tail-ender Simon Kerrigan who hit Higgins for the winning boundary.

At Chelmsford, there was no chance whatsoever of a nail-biting conclusion; it was all about accumulation of runs as only sixteen wickets fell in total. Essex batted first, Nick Browne ending unbeaten on 234 before Somerset continued in the same vein. They delayed their first-innings declaration until late on the fourth afternoon, allowing teenage ‘keeper James Rew and Tom Banton to strike their maiden first-class centuries. Somerset really needed more, and now their next two fixtures, against fellow strugglers Gloucester and Warwickshire are ‘must-wins’. But they will have to wait until after the summer holidays, when the Hundred and One-Day Cup take over.

In Division Two, Nottinghamshire extended their lead to thirty points thanks to a straightforward defeat of Sussex inside three days. Overseas stars James Pattinson and Dane Paterson shared most of the wickets to fall. Further north, Middlesex lost ground by only drawing a rain-hit encounter against Durham. Opener Michael Jones racked up 206 for the home team, before a ton from John Simpson ensured maximum batting bonus points for Middlesex. They now go into the summer hiatus, Glamorgan breathing down their neck with a game in hand. Anuj Dal’s superb all-round performance for Derbyshire made the difference against Worcestershire and very much keeps them in the promotion hunt.

Team of the Week: Browne (Ess), Jones (Dur), Bohannon (Lan), Rickelton (Nor), Van Buuren (Glo), Simpson (Mid +), Anuj Dal (Der), Pattinson (Not), Abbott (Ham), Bailey (Lan), Paterson (Not)