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)

Run Sprees All Around the Counties

As last week, it wasn’t much fun being a bowler in the County Championship. With Monday’s rain causing early abandonments and batters helping themselves to huge scores, every single fixture ended as a draw, although there was one exciting finish to warm the cockles on a cold afternoon. 

At the Oval, Surrey led at the halfway stage, with Dom Sibley equalling Tom Lammonby’s score of exactly 100. On the final day, Somerset’s captain Lewis Gregory, Kasey Aldridge and Craig Overton dug deep to extend their lead and reduce Surrey’s chance of a victory charge. However, that is what they did face. Despite needing 209 in only 19 overs, the champions decided to go for it, T20 style. Jamie Smith and Dan Lawrence made the perfect start but once Smith swiped to the hands of Renshaw at long on, wickets tumbled and the run chase was aborted. 

Essex looked likely to notch a second successive victory at Chelmsford, only for the weather to close in with just three Kent wickets remaining. The visitors, along with many older cricket fans (like me), must have been mourning the death of the incomparable Kent and England spinner, Derek Underwood. However, even ‘Deadly Derek’ would have struggled for wickets this week. Dean Elgar (120) and Matt Critchley (151 not out) helped Essex reach 530-7 declared, after which they were always in the driving seat, despite centuries by Compton and Bell-Drummond. A whizz-bang unbeaten 116 by ex-Kent player Jordan Cox left Kent with a mountain to climb. Finally, 18 year-old Jayden Denly and his Uncle Joe rescued the situation before the clouds intervened. 

Edgbaston saw a crazy day and a half, in which the Warwickshire top three made hay. At one stage, they were 590-1 and who knows what records could fall? They were scoring on excess of five an over, too, with Alex Davies (256) trumping colleagues Rob Yates and Will Rhodes who each passed 170, too. Durham’s reply was none too shabby yet they still had to follow on, and the strange nature of the game was demonstrated by nightwatchman Matthew Potts top-scoring in the second innings with an unbeaten 149! 

There was only one centurion at Trent Bridge, namely Joe Clarke, who later fell second ball as Worcestershire briefly threatened, especially when Kiwi quick Nathan Smith had ball in hand. However, a draw ensued, as it did at the Rose Bowl, where the fourth day was washed out. Lancashire’s Keaton Jennings (172) starred, but poor George Bell was run out on 99. Ouch! 

The runs also flowed fast in Division Two, with three double-centuries and a few near-misses. At Grace Road, Sussex plundered a record 698-9 declared before gales and showers killed off any chance of them bowling out Leicestershire twice. The Kookaburra ball was in part blamed by Leicester coach Alfonso Thomas for the Sussex total, which showed a wee bit of disrespect towards John Simpson (205 not out) and Danny Lamb (a rapid 134), who each achieved lifetime bests. 

Pity the bowlers, too, at Northampton, where 1105 runs were scored for just eight wickets in three days. Emilio Gay racked up 261 for the home county, before Max Holden (211 not out) and Leus du Plooy (196 not out) tool their third wicket partnership to 350 before umpires were forced to call a halt. It was also a shame that Gloucestershire’s encounter with Yorkshire was abandoned with the result very much in the balance. England duo Joe Root and Harry Brook each passed fifty, but Shan Masood and Adam Lyth reached three figures apiece, setting Gloucester an unlikely target of 498. It was to their credit that they reached 405-6, with Charlesworth and van Buuren well in. They never got the chance to complete the task, although Coad and co may well have taken those remaining four wickets. 

Cardiff saw play in all four days, although Glamorgan and Derbyshire traded blows with little chance of a positive result. In the second innings, Luis Reece and Brooke Guest ensured there would be no Welsh success but they had spinner Alex Thomson to thank for keeping them in the game. He claimed twelve wickets, including a career-best 7-65 on the first day. 

Leicestershire will be his opposition next week, while Middlesex v Yorkshire looks tasty, especially as the weather looks set to improve. In Division One, Essex will aim to press home their good opening form against Lancashire, Surrey visit Kent, and Warwickshire face more batting practice against Hampshire. 

Team of the Week:-  Yates (War), A Davies (War), Gay (Nor), Holden (Mid), Du Plooy (Mid), Simpson (Sus), Bracey (Glo +), Critchley (Ess), C Steel (Sur), Aldridge (Som), Thomson (Der)

County Week: Stokes Six Blitz but Surrey storm ahead

There were no double-centuries this week but Ben Stokes marked his first Durham appearance in the Championship for ten months with an innings to match the new England captain’s larger-than-life personality. His first-innings knock had a typically charmed start but once he started swinging his bat, the records began to fall. He smashed 17 sixes from 88 balls, the highest ever in the competition, before another leg-side hoik was snaffled in the deep when on 161. Pity poor teenage spinner Josh Baker. He was clubbed for five successive sixes, and it could have been a full set had Stokes’ next club over mid-wicket bounced a few metres short of the boundary. 

In the match context, Stokes wasn’t even the top scorer. That accolade went to the opener Sean Dickson who struck two centuries, including a declaration-chasing 73-ball 105. Thanks to Jack Haynes’ maiden ton, Worcestershire easily avoided defeat on the final day. Stokes as bowled but ended wicketless from thirty overs. Will he play for the county again before England’s Test series begins? Who knows? 

Also in Division Two, Chetneshwar Pujara also outscored the Durham all-rounder, thanks to a second-innings 170 not out for Sussex at Hove. Middlesex were challenged to reach 370 in under three sessions and, anchored by Sam Robson’s 149 and accelerated by Max Holden and Martin Andersson, they succeeded. 

Middlesex now to the table, and Glamorgan also leapfrogged Nottinghamshire into second by defeating Leicestershire in Cardiff. Most players contributed, including ‘keeper Chris Cooke, Sam Northeast and the Aussie pacemen Neser and Hogan. 

In the top tier, there were centuries from four former England openers. Warwickshire’s Dom Sibley and Lancashire’s Keaton Jennings, in his first game in 2022, were the batting stars although the game limped to a draw. At Chelmsford, Alastair Cook emulated Sean Dickson by reaching three figures twice, surprisingly something he’d ever achieved before. However, the second innings of 102 not out was played out with little pressure as the match petered out into batting practice for Cook and opening partner Nick Browne. Special mention, too, for Yorkshire’s Harry Brook. His 123 was his sixth score of 50+ in six innings. That’s what you call consistent cracking form. 

Surrey notched a third win of the season, this time against Northamptonshire. Rory Burns’ 107 led the way to a total of 401, which was beyond Northants in two attempts. Colin de Grandhomme and Dan Worrall took ten wickets between them, and ‘keeper Ben Foakes claimed seven catches. 

Hampshire also enjoyed a home victory, clinching an 87-run margin over Gloucestershire. The latter’s Mohammad Amir was in ominous form but his Pakistan ex-colleague Mohammad Abbas had the edge, thanks to a first-innings 6-45. 

Hampshire sit it out this coming week, so Surrey can open up a sizeable lead by beating table-proppers Kent in the Beckenham derby. Talking of derbies, Yorkshire and Lancashire provide the year’s first Roses battle and neighbours Somerset and Gloucestershire also face off in Bristol. In Division Two, Nottinghamshire travel to Lord’s for the chance to reclaim the summit, although a draw could let in Glamorgan who head north to Durham and hope to avoid another Stokes special.  

Team of the Week: Sibley (War), Cook (Ess), Dickson (Dur), Pujara (Sus), Holden (Mid), Cooke (Gla +), Stokes (Dur), De Grandhomme (Sur), Mohammad Abbas (Ham), Mohammad Amir (Glo), Potts (Dur)