County Cricket: Bracey Drives Gloucestershire Safely into Semis

The penultimate week of the One-Day Cup left six counties still in the hunt for qualification for the knockout stage. Only Gloucestershire and Worcestershire can breathe more easily, having ensured more 50-over action this season. James Bracey’s blistering 186 did for Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, making it six in a row, although Essex spoiled the unbeaten run at Chelmsford, in which Tom Westley, Matt Critchley and Simon Harmer excelled as all-rounders. In this competition, the latter has added the role as late-order six-hitter to his traditional off-spin skills, having a few days earlier blasted a 22-ball 42 and taken 5-47 to demolish Glamorgan by 190 runs. In the same game, Westley and Charlie Allison shared a third-wicket stand of 231, easily beating the entire Glamorgan line-up, who were bowled out with almost 18 overs remaining. 

Essex lost their opening three Group A fixtures but have dragged themselves into fourth place and with an excellent net run rate. Hampshire are four points ahead, after routing Surrey and edging an epic encounter against Derbyshire. Hampshire opener Nick Gubbins has certainly been leading from the front, hoisting his aggregate tally of runs in the competition towards 600, jncluding an unbeaten 144 in the loss to Nottinghamshire. Victory at Bristol would take Hampshire into the two-stage semi-finals. Any slip-up could let Essex leapfrog them. 

After being at the wrong end of a fair few Cup thrashings, Surrey appeared to have turned the corner at Derby, and they have some up-and-coming talent to thank. With Foakes injured, 20-year-old Ollie Sykes stepped up as captain and, alongside the even younger Adam Thomas, made their maiden centuries (115 and 162, respectively) and broke Surrey’s List A third-wicket partnership record. Oliver Hunt and Ralphie Albert each launched their senior careers in the same match then, against Notts, Albert scored 96 and took 2-56. The county’s short-term pain may result in long-term gain. 

Yorkshire still lead Group A with 24 points but in their wake, three teams have twenty, and one must ultimately miss out. The White Roses defeated Susses and swatted Durham aside at Scarborough by 212 runs thanks largely to Finaly Bean’s 102 runners – sorry, runs – in 57 balls and tight bowling by Coad and White. I feel sympathy for Durham, for whom Alex Lees this week delivered another big hundred and Ben Raine captured nine wickets. 

Somerset maintained their challenge with wins against Sussex and Kent. Tom Lammonby contributed another ton and a decisive 5-20, including three Sussex top-order batsmen in a single over. Sussex also fell prey to another outstanding bowling performance on Sunday, when Yorkshire’s Matt Milnes took 7-38, the best of this year’s competition so far. Warwickshire clung on to third position, triumphing over Lancashire and Durham. In the latter match, Ed Barnard managed the chase beautifully, still there at the end on 141, although it took some mighty hitting by Michael Booth to get them over the line with two overs to spare. 

Middlesex are hot on their heels, boosting their weak net run rate with a cruise against Northamptonshire. Ben Geddes led the side effectively and, on Tuesday at Radlett, achieved his maiden century in the defeat of Kent. 

In the final round of fixtures, none of the top four play each other. Therefore, it is conceivable that, should Yorkshire succumb to Kent and Somerset, Warwickshire and Middlesex see off their respective opposition, all will be on equal points tallies and net run rate will decide who progresses. Yorkshire will have to endure an unlikely pounding to miss out and, with rain in the forecast, there could be some tricky decisions to be made regarding on-pitch strategy. I just hope Somerset don’t blow it against bottom-side Northants! 

Team of the Week:- Lees (Dur), Bracey (Glo; +), Gubbins (Ham), Westley (Ess), Lammonby (Som), Sykes (Sur), Geddes (Mid), Harmer (Ess), Fuller (Ham), Raine (Dur), Milnes (Yor)

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)

Hannon-Dalby Hoists 100% Warwickshire

It’s not often you find Leicestershire and Northamptonshire near the top of a county table but both are looking good in the One-Day Cup qualifiers. Leicester lead Group A after having a fruitful week, beating Essex, Hampshire and Lancashire at Old Trafford, where Rishi Patel and Colin Ackermann each scored centuries and Sol Budinger came close in a total of 411-6. 

Group B also witnessed a few totals of 400+, both scored against Somerset, whose attack in this tournament is heavily depleted. Only Andrew Umeed showed any consistency amidst the carnage, passing fifty in all three fixtures, and striking 119 against Sussex, for whom Cheteshwar Pujara once again showed his class. Somerset were taken for 415-8 by Northants, who have a new name to chant. Indian opener Prithin Shaw crashed 39 boundaries to all corners in a blistering 244. This is the second-highest List A innings ever seen on these shores, then he notched another terrific ton against Durham. 

The highest innings of all came at Bristol, where Gloucestershire helped themselves to 454-3 against their old West Country rivals. James Bracey thumped an unbeaten 224 from 151 deliveries, by far a county record. In only his second senior game, poor James Langridge saw 95 runs stuck off his eight overs. 

However, it is Warwickshire who top the table, maintaining a five-out-of-five start. Victories over Glamorgan and Derbyshire were not always straightforward but they crushed Worcestershire by nine wickets. Ed Barnard continued his all-round form, while Oliver Hannon-Dalby notched thirteen wickets in the week, including 5-31 at Worcester. 

There were other big wins for Lancashire over Kent at Blackpool and Middlesex against Notts at Radlett, although Middlesex were on the receiving end of a last-over thriller against Essex at Chelmsford. Hampshire sit second in Group A, assisted by Nick Gubbins’ runs at the top, and some decisive bowling feats by Mason Crane and Brad Wheal. 

The group stages are completed in the next seven days. Warwickshire require only one, maybe two wins from their three fixtures, which include a crucial encounter with Northants. Leicestershire will also be home and dry from Group A should they defeat Middlesex and Yorkshire, with Hampshire favourites to join them in the knockouts. The other two places are up for grabs, with several counties in the mix. Somerset are not one of them. They will be pleased just to avoid another 400-run hammering. 

Team of the Week:- Shaw (Nor), Bracey (Glo +), Gubbins (Ham), Umeed (Som), Barnard (War), Pujara (Sus), Ackermann (Lei), Higgins (Mid), Bess (Yor), Wheal (Ham), Hannon-Dalby (War)

Somerset bounce back amidst Nationwide Runfest

At long last, a more familiar line-up ensured Somerset ended their dismal run with a surprisingly decisive victory over champions Warwickshire. Most of the side chipped in, including Matt Renshaw’s century and typical tight bowling plus splendid catching from Craig Overton.  That they wound things up inside three days proved fortuitous because Sunday’s rain prevented positive results in six of the nine fixtures. 

However, there may not have been a winner at Bristol had Gloucestershire and Surrey batted on all week! From 37-3, Surrey ran rampant to pass 600, led by Jamie Smith’s 237 not out. The home county’s openers Marcus Harris and Chris Dent quickly showed this was a batsman’s paradise, sharing a stand of 296. A draw was agreed with only 12 wickets having fallen. None of them fell to Gloucestershire’s Mohammad Amir, returning to first-class cricket for more than two years. 

There was another huge partnership at Headingley, where Dawid Malan and Harry Brook put on 259 in a total of 571. Ollie Robinson and Grant Stewart ensured Kent avoided an innings defeat. Ben Compton and Daniel Bell-Drummond also continued good recent form but England’s Zak Crawley failed twice. At Southampton, Nick Gubbins struck a century in each innings for Hampshire but James Anderson was in an old-fashioned mean mood at the head of a solid Lancashire attack. 

At Chelmsford, a Luke Procter century and Ben Sanderson’s 4-32 left Essex following on against Northants, only for a steadfast middle-order performance to see them safely to a draw. Later this week, leaders Surrey and Hampshire face winless Northants and Gloucestershire, respectively. 

In Division Two, Nottinghamshire consolidated their position at the top by defeating Worcestershire. Dane Paterson’s first-innings 8-52 was easily the best bowling statistic of the county week but all-rounder Ed Barnard’s unbeaten 163 forced Notts to bat a second time. It merely delayed the inevitable, with Ben Duckett and Joe Clarke picking up half-centuries to win by five wickets. 

Middlesex had an easier task in overcoming bottom side Leicestershire at Lord’s. Opener Mark Stoneman’s hundred was the highlight, although his seam colleagues were unrelenting with the ball, Ben Mike’s brave 99 not out nothwithstanding. 

Derbyshire and Glamorgan provided the week’s closest and most entertaining contest. After an evenly-matched first two days, Derby’s Wayne Madsen and ‘keeper Brooke Guest’s second ton of the match set the visitors a challenging target of 331. Marnus Labuschagne and Sam Northeast got the Welsh off to a great start but after Chris Cooke and Kiran Carlsen lost their wickets, both sides could eye a possible triumph. In the end, time ran out with Glamorgan 21 runs and Derbyshire two wickets short. 

The towering scores in Division One were also in evidence at Hove. Cheteshwar Pujara struck a double-hundred for Sussex, but even this was eclipsed by a triple-century opening stand by Alex Lees and Sean Dickson, which was curtailed just short of a Durham record. Sussex ‘keeper Mohammad Rizwan, one of the finest T20 batsmen in the world, had an interesting game. He scored 79, took three wickets behind the stumps and, during a two-over stint as medium-pace bowler with a draw inevitable, a wonderful over-the-shoulder catch at first slip! 

This week, Notts and Derbyshire aren’t in action, so Middlesex can take over at the pinnacle by defeating Sussex but Glamorgan could do the same with a home conquest of Leicestershire. 

Team of the Week: Dent (Glo), Dickson (Dur), Gubbins (Ham), Madsen (Der), Pujara (Sus), J Smith (Sur), Guest (Der +), Barnard (Wor), C Overton (Som), Paterson (Not), Anderson (Lan)

3 in 3 for Worcestershire

While the big names have been diverted to the Hundred the One-Day Cup has given some of the lesser lights of the county circuit to showcase their skills. Worcestershire are the only side to have won their first three fixtures, thanks to last night’s rout of Essex by 182 runs. Jack Haynes and Brett D’Oliveira shared a county record opening stand of 243, and the latter also chipped in with three cheap wickets, as did Joe Leach. The impressive Haynes accumulated almost 300 across the week.

Warwickshire’s Rob Yates passed fifty three times, team-mate Matt Lamb struck his maiden List A century and there were similar achievements from Leicestershire’s Rishi Patel, Surrey’s Ryan Patel (ten sixes in his 131) and Yorkshire’s teenager Harry Duke. 

Somerset enjoyed two victories, including an exciting one-run nail-biter against Glamorgan. Earlier in the week, it was veterans James Hildreth and Steven Davies who starred with the bat but in their Severn Estuary derby clash it was young captain Ben Green (87 and 2-32) and rookie seamers Sonny Baker and Kasey Aldridge who just about did enough. A devastating early spell by Michael Hogan, old enough to be their dad, had given the Welsh a chance but Andy Gorvin could only strike a four not six from the final ball. 

Perhaps the best match of the week came at Scarborough. Graham Clark’s second ton in three games helped Durham to a challenging 335-4 but Bracey and Charlesworth kept Gloucestershire in the hunt at the death. Nevertheless they still needed 16 off the final over, from the redoubtable Chris Rushworth, but two sixes and a four by Jack Taylor gave the West Countrymen their first win. All-round performance of the past seven days must be that of Hampshire’s Nick Gubbins. In a comfortable defeat of Sussex at Southampton, he produced an unbeaten 131 then his part-time leg-spin yielded an excellent 4-38. 

Next week, the juiciest ties include Worcestershire’s hosting of Middlesex, Lancashire’s trip to Durham and the Surrey-Somerset encounter next Thursday, by which time the One-Day Cup will be warming up nicely. 

Team of the Week: Haynes (Wor), G Clark (Dur), Yates (War), R Patel (Sur), Gubbins (Ham), Cullen (Gla +), D Lamb (Lan), Hudson-Prentice (Der), Leach (Wor), Aldridge (Som), Hogan (Gla)

2020 County Cricket off to a late but flying start

At last we have some meaningful domestic cricket in this most dismal and distressing of summers. The appearance of four-day scorecards on websites almost took me by surprise. Like many sports – and indeed the UK Government – county cricket seems to be making it up as they go along. However, unlike the self-inflicted chaos of the Boris regime, it doesn’t really matter. Given the current circumstances, it is right that spectators are not allowed in to watch but for all those who play of just follow the game, the launch this week of the truncated season is extremely welcome. 

It’s not the County Championship as we know it – and I seriously wonder whether the Bob Willis Trophy will become the default format even when Covid-19 has been despatched over cow corner – but the first set of regional fixtures provided excitement a-plenty.

Results made a mockery of the 2019 league tables, including Leicestershire’s seven-wicket victory over Lancashire, achieved thanks to a late fourth day run chase led by Colin Ackermann. Lancashire’s bowling attack featured three debutants and they were powerless to stop Ackermann and, in the first innings, Ben Slater, whose 172 was the second highest score of the week. 

At Trent Bridge, Derbyshire nicked a three-wicket win against local rivals Nottinghamshire. Having been set an unlikely 365 to win, an unbeaten 91 by Fynn Hudson-Prentice saw Derby home in the final over, continuing Notts’ miserable run from last year. Durham’s ex-Yorkshire opener Alex Lees struck 106 but his old county came out on top with fine bowling by Coad and Fisher in particular. 

Worcestershire sit atop the Central group after triumphing at Bristol. Solid first innings batting down the order, followed by a four-wicket Joe Leach spell set eared the 22 points. Last season’s nearly-boys Somerset were in trouble on day one at home to second-tier Glamorgan before Jack Brooks blasted 72 batting at eleven. Cue the Overton brothers. It was announced this week that Surrey have bought Jamie’s services but his allegiance to the West Country was in no doubt as he and Craig each ended up with seven wickets. Tom Abell’s 119 rubbed in the fact that the Welsh batting was hopelessly outclassed, missing a top-class overseas player or two. Warwickshire’s new signing Tim Bresnan was in good all-round form, taking four wickets and striking a first-day century but they were held to a draw by Northants. 

In the South, Middlesex won bragging rights in the London derby. Nick Gubbins produced the best batting performance of the week, contributing 252 runs in the match and that man Tim Murtagh, while his Irish compatriots were beating England in their ODI, snaffled another five-fer in a 190-run victory. It was a tighter affair at Chelmsford where Essex overturned a substantial first-innings deficit to beat Kent by two wickets. Sussex had briefly led the group after beating Hampshire inside three days. Opener Phil Salt struck two half-centuries while Ollie Robinson again proved his worth as one of the country’s finest young pace bowlers, should Anderson and Broad ever decide to quit. 

I don’t know who will win the whole affair or even how it will be eventually decided. It’s just great to get things up and running. 

Team of the Week: Dent (Glo), Slater (Lei), Gubbins (Mid), Kuhn (Ken), Ackermann (Lei), Smith (Sur +), Bresnan (War), C Overton (Som), J Overton (Som), Robinson (Sus), Murtagh (Mid)

Middlesex win Thrilling County Championship Climax

The county cricket season used to have its high point with the principal one-day final. This year, Warwickshire thrashed Surrey to take the cup in a game nobody other than Ian Bell, Man of the Match Jonathan Trott and the Bears fans will remember. On the other hand, we have just witnessed the most exciting climax to the unfairly maligned County Championship I can recall.

Right up to the final half-hour of the season, the pennant could still have been heading to any of three counties. It was already a rollercoaster ride just following Somerset’s match against Nottinghamshire at Taunton. The home side needed to win and collect a bonus point more than Yorkshire while hoping Middlesex didn’t beat the champions at Lord’s.

It started perfectly. Chris Rogers and James Hildreth put on 269 for the third wicket then, at 322-4, Imran Tahir and Jake Ball took five Somerset wickets for no runs! Despite a gallant effort by Dominic Bess, we failed to reach 400 to secure the fifth batting bonus point. Young Bess then shone with the ball to leave Notts 227 adrift. Rogers then rubbed the relegated side’s noses further in the mire, adding a second personal century en route for a declaration 540 ahead. Before day three was over, Leach and van der Merwe had finshed things off. Somerset had done the business but would that lost bonus point prove critical?

Meanwhile, the top two were engaged in a much tighter, slower contest. Would it be too much to hope that it would end in a draw to hand the title to Somerset, ending those 120-odd years of hurt? Reliable Middlesex opener Nick Gubbins struck 125 but Jack Brooks’ 6-65 put Yorkshire in front. However, at 53-4, the leaders were very much back in it. Enter Tim Bresnan. The ex-England bowler is very much a genuine all-rounder these days and, supported by Hodd and Azeem Rafiq, he helped overhaul their opponents’ total. If they reached 350 a Yorkshire win would bring the title back to Leeds by one point. At 349-9 rain stopped play. Now all we Somerset fans wanted was an immediate Middlesex wicket. Alas, it wasn’t to be, and they played on to 390.

Day 3 ended with the score on 82-2. Delicately poised. Clearly, with Somerset on top, a draw suited neither side; a competitive declaration was inevitable. Dawid Malan struck 116 and Stevie Eskinazi a swift 78 not out, and the whole season came down to an afternoon single-innings shoot-out: 240 runs and ten wickets. The Middlesex seamers kept the wickets falling but at 5.30pm, a draw looked the likeliest result. Come on!!! Bu along comes Toby Roland-Jones. He only goes and grabs a hat-trick! The four points deducted for slow over rates didn’t matter; Middlesex were the champions for the first time since 1993.

Somerset’s agony goes on. Rogers announced his retirement from first-class cricket after his side’s victory but before the final day’s incredible conclusion. To bow out with two hundreds in the same match is impressive but the county’s first-ever Championship would have been so much better!

The final relegation issue was also decided on the last day. After a couple of great escapes, Hampshire couldn’t convert a first-innings lead over Durham into the win they needed. In the end, Mark Stoneman and Steve Borthwick signed off their Durham careers with a 162-run partnership, setting up a six-wicket victory. The batsmen have taken the Surrey shilling (and a bit more!) but are leaving a side which finished a creditable fourth, one ahead of their new masters. Ha ha!

Hampshire’s defeat meant that the Warwickshire v Lancashire fixture was of less importance. In the end, the Midlanders triumphed with ease. In a low-scoring encounter, Tim Ambrose’s 59 not out was the highest individual score!

Coincidentally, the top pair in Division Two also met in the last week. The first day was lost to the weather. Then, with both Essex and Kent pretty much assured of promotion, Sam Northeast blasted his way to 178 not out, helped by bowling of mixed quality by almost all of the Essex eleven.

Worcestershire sealed third position by easing to a nine-wicket win over demoralised Derbyshire. Harvey Hosein and captain Wayne Madsen each reached three figures in a losing cause but Worcester’s reliable young Joes, Clarke and Leach, were the stars. Poor Brett d’Oliveira. He enjoyed a fabulous start to the season but ended with a ‘pair’. Hopefully he can kick on next year, but the county need more reliable bowling performances to retun to the top tier.

At Grace Road, Leicestershire snatched victory from the proverbial jaws thanks to Clint McKay and Charlie Shreck destroying the Glamorgan batting on the third afternoon. A familiar tale in this disappointing Championship campaign for the Welsh. In the other game, wicket-keepers Ben Brown and Phil Mustard were amongst the runs but neither side could secure a winning end to their season.

I’ll soon be reviewing the season’s top performances and identifying the most consistent players throughout the long summer. But now for my final County Team of the Week:-

Gubbins (Mid), Stoneman (Dur), Rogers (Som), Clarke (Wor), Northeast (Ken), Hosein (Der +), Bresnan (Yor), Leach (Wor), Roland-Jones (Mid), Brooks (Yor), van der Gugten (Gla)

Lancashire and Petersen Push ahead

The British weather certainly didn’t play ball last week. All the Championship matches endured at last one day’s washout and, consequently, all were drawn. Lancashire were thwarted in their bid to open up a healthy lead at the top of Division One as only fifteen wickets fell at Lord’s. Alviro Petersen’s 191helped them to a 500+ score but Stevie Eskenazi’s maiden first-class hundred and Sam Gubbins’ first ‘double’ helped Middlesex to maximum batting points and denied Lancashire’s attack much joy for a day and a half.

In contrast, Somerset were all over bottom-side Hampshire at the Rose Bowl.. After the Overton twins captured eight wickets on day one, Johann Myburgh and James Hildreth each reached three figures. With on eye on the gloomy weather forecast, they stepped up the run rate and even teenage ‘keeper Ryan Davies thumped three sixes in his first fifty before the declaration. Sadly for us, the home side’s batsmen stuck to their task and lost only five wickets before the rain ended proceedings in mid-afternoon on the third day.

Only 190 overs were bowled at Edgbaston, where Warwickshire had the better of what play there was. Clarke, Rankin and Patel each took three Nottinghamshire wickets in the first innings, while Tim Ambrose collected five catches and a stumping. He and Clarke each scored 70+ in reply, but Jake Ball again impressed with the ball.

This week, Middlesex travel north for the Scarborough festival fixture, where Yorkshire need to win to maintain the Championship challenge with Lancashire, who visit Nottinghamshire. Hampshire face an awkward trip to Durham, while Surrey, seemingly hellbent on cherrypicking any decent player from other counties, host Warwickshire.

The race for promotion remains open after Kent could muster a mere ten points at home to Derbyshire. In their first innings, Sam Northeast scored more than half the side’s 379 runs but Derbyshire mustered well over 500, including centuries by in-form Wayne Madsen and Shiv Thakor. With naughty boy Matt Coles again missing, the Kent attack toiled with little success.

In the other Division Two fixture, a paltry twelve wickets were taken at Leicester as the rains dominated. Mind you, despite Neil Dexter’s first day 136, Gloucestershire’s batsmen were in charge. Chris Dent (165) contributed to a couple of big partnerships especially for the second wicket with Graeme van Buuren (121 not out).

The top two next meet at Chelmsford, with Essex just four points adrift and a game in hand. Glamorgan may be impress in the T20 Blast but they prop up the rest in four-day cricket. They play another disappointing side, Sussex, at Hove.

Only a few T20 games finished this week, but amongst them was Yorkshire’s narrow Roses victory over Lancashire. Elsewhere Michael Klinger racked up an unbeaten 101 to defeat a feeble Gayle-less Somerset in the West Country derby at Taunton, while Ravi Bopara struck a 43-ball 81 not out for Essex against Kent. How the Chelmsford outfit would love to beat their neighbours in this week’s red-ball encounter!

Team of the Week: Klinger (Glo), Gubbins (Mid), Petersen (Lan), Northeast (Ken), Madsen (Der), Ambrose (War +), Clarke (War), Thakor (Der), J Overton (Som), Mills (Sus), M Taylor (Glo)

Gubbins and Klinger Club the Runs

It was all about 50 overs in county cricket last week and, with some decidedly dodgy weather at times, Gloucestershire must be delighted with four wins out of four, to secure a knockout phase place. Fellow Group A front-runners Surrey also had a 100% record in the past seven days, albeit from three matches.

Surrey owed much to their batsmen, Jason Roy, Stephen Davies and the evergreen Kumar Sangakkara, with Joe Burke chipping in with valuable wickets. Gloucestershire weren’t a one-man band either, although Michael Klinger’s incredible one-day form showed no sign of waning. Two more centuries and a round 50 boosted the Bristol-based side, but ‘keeper Garth Roderick also made three figures and Geraint Jones struck three half-centries. Seamer David Payne also collected eleven scalps including five against Durham.

In Group B, Nottinghamshire rule the roost. Riki Wessels produced one of his trademark innings to defeat Middlesex today. Seven sixes helped raise his score to 131, the third highest this week. However, the star player
was probably Samit Patel. A fine century against Essex and seven wickets did as much as anybody to take his side to the top.

Middlesex experienced a mixed week but, despite a duck against Hampshire, it was a fabulous seven days for their 21 year-old, Nick Gubbins. He aggregated well over 300 runs, the best being 141 in 113 balls against Sussex. In that game, he shared a massive stand of 268 with fellow centurion Dawid Malan.

Some compensation for me came in two victories for Somerset, for whom Taunton favourites Peter Trego and James Hildreth showed what they are made of. Wes Durston (Derbyshire) and all-rounder Scott Borthwick (Durham) were also consistently excellent, but a special mention should be made of Joe Clarke.

The Worcestershire teenager plundered an unbeaten 131 in 109 balls off Gloucestershire but still finished on the losing side. Sentimentality would have placed him in my Team of the week, but there were just too many other worthy winners, especially with the bat. Maybe next week, Joe? Colleague Joe Leach also made the headlines. Against Northants, he achieved the rare feat of a hat-trick with the first three balls of the whole match. Unfortunately for him, his side's batting was even worse than the opposition's and his spectacular opening was in vain.

Team of the Week: Klinger (Glo, *)), Davies (Sur), Borthwick (Dur), Durston (Der), Gubbins (Mid), Roderick (Glo, +), Patel (Not) – two weeks running!, Trego (Som), Rayner (Mid), Payne (Glo), Hannon-Dalby (War).