County Cricket: Leicestershire and Middlesex March to the Final

Like the heatwaves and drought blighting most of England throughout August – indeed, most of the summer – Leicestershire and Middlesex held fast at the top of their respective groups in the One Day Cup and survived the knockouts, impervious to the threatened cold fronts of the other counties chasing them. 

In Group B, Leicestershire had no fixture and, although Nottinghamshire and Lancashire achieved the wins they needed, the Foxes evaded the quarter-final hurdle thanks to a superior net run rate. Notts despatched Surrey by six wickets, their pursuit of the 299-run target underpinned by a splendid 138 from George Munsey, aided by half-centuries from his skipper Haseeb Hameed and ‘keeper Kyle Verreynne. 

Lancashire’s batters battered Somerset into submission at Taunton, racking up an uncatchable 443-6. Both Keaton Jennings and Rocky Flintoff blazed their trails past 100, Jennings reaching 156 and the teenager 123, his maiden senior century. Only Tom Lammonby made fifty in reply, and it was all over with ten overs to spare. 

In Group B, Middlesex sailed to another easy victory, this time over Sussex. Joe Cracknell thumped 128 off 112 balls before Sebastian Morgan’s 4-46 sealed the deal. Meanwhile, in their last group tie, Yorkshire made short work of Essex, who slumped to 151 all out. Ben Coad and Dom Bess each claimed three cheap wickets. 

The most significant encounter was Durham’s trip to Worcester. If Durham won, they were safely through but Worcestershire could usurp them by means of a hefty margin that would swing the net run rate in their favour. Tom Taylor’s 86 helped them to a decent total of 291 but, despite bowling Durham out 77 runs short, it wasn’t enough. Durham progressed by a mere 0.057 points. 

On Friday at Old Trafford, they resolved any issues to hand Lancashire a 162-run trouncing. David Bedingham (104) led the way with the bat, and leggie Shafiqullah Ghafari (4-36) inflicted most damage with the ball. At York, Dillon Pennington grabbed a second four-wicket haul, restricting Yorkshire to just 273-9, despite the sterling efforts of local 19-year-old Will Bennison. Notts were reeling at 1-3 (Finlay Bean catching all three) only for Verreynne and Haynes to each hit hundreds and take the spoils. 

Sunday’s semi-finals brought the group winners into the fray and each used the rest to their advantage. At Leicester, Hamza Shaikh’s 104 assisted his team to 303-7. Nottinghamshire lost wickets regularly but, with thirty-odd needed with three overs left and Verreyyne at the crease, success was within their grasp. However, Alex Green and Ian Holland instigated a flurry of wickets and that was that. 

It was another fairly close contest at Radlett, where Middlesex edged out Durham by only two wickets. It came down to a battle between two excellent all-round performances. Colin Ackermann returned 71 not out and 3-46 but the home county’s Luke Hollman combined a useful 3-53 with a List A best score of 83 not out to secure a place in next month’s final. 

As usual, the One-Day Cup has allowed some promising youngsters space to shine, emerging from the shadow of the Hundred, and now its back to the County Championship for them to rub shoulders with various better-known cricketers in the proper four-day stuff. 

Team of the Week: Andersson (Der), Jennings (Lan), Munsey (Not), Bedingham (Dur), Neal (Ham), Flintoff (Lan), Verreynne (Not +), Hollman (Mid), Pennington (Not), Shafiqullah Ghafari (Dur), Coad (Yor)

County Cricket: Four-Ton Libby

With just one round of group fixtures remaining in the One-Day Cup, qualification from Group A is very much up for grabs, but in Group B, three counties have opened up a slight gap on the chasing pack. As was the case last week, Middlesex, Yorkshire and Durham are clinging on to the crucial spots. 

Middlesex are the only team definitely through. They easily defeated Derbyshire but Durham proved a tougher proposition. At Chester-le-Street, the home side passed 300, anchored by Alex Lees’s 103 before Geddes (77) and Cracknell (84) kept up the pace of the chase. However, it needed some late, lusty blows from Roland-Jones and Brookes to take the leaders over the line with three balls to spare. Yorkshire remain second on superior run rate but their five-wicket win over Derbyshire also went to the final over. Two century stands, each involving Aussie Sam Whiteman, the Tykes’ reply, while George Hill’s acceleration to 63 not out off 49 balls ultimately proved decisive. 

Hampshire and Worcestershire can still crash the party with convincing victories this week and a little luck. Worcestershire’s home fixture against Durham is the tastiest and could be a winner-takes-all affair. Skipper Jake Libby has taken a liking to this competition. He followed two centuries last week with another pair against Sussex and Glamorgan: four in a row! 

The Welsh were involved in two cliffhangers. Andy Gorvin’s edge to the third-man boundary from the last ball secured the triumph over Worcestershire, Libby’s 105 notwithstanding, but in the preceding match against Essex, with Timm van der Gugten blazing away to a maiden List A hundred, they fell agonisingly short. Needing only six from McKenzie-Jones’s concluding over, the centurion and Gorvin could scramble just two singles. The Essex innings was lunched in style by Noah Thain – who has exceeded 70 in his past five innings – and Luc Benkenstein, whose 140 was the highest of the week. 

The best team total belonged to Hampshire. Their 383-9 against Sussex was predicated on a 225-run opening partnership between Ali Orr and teenager Ben Mayes. At number three, Toby Albert also enjoyed himself. His 86 included six sixes in successive deliveries, although spread over two overs. In the very tight Group A, Leicestershire lost their last game, against Kent, but sit top of the table. Their four-point margin should see them reach the knockouts but it is not certain. Nottinghamshire beat Northants but surprisingly lost to Gloucestershire. 

A magnificent 114 from Tom Lammonby inspired Somerset to a 188-run demolition of the hated Surrey but hopes of progress were then thwarted by a heavy defeat at the hands of Northamptonshire, with all-rounder Luke Procter in the starring role. Beating Lancashire this week could yet secure a place in the last six but it is unlikely. 

Team of the Week: Benkenstein (Ess), Lammonby (Som), Bell-Drummond (Ken), Libby (Wor), Geddes (Mid), Procter (Nor), Verreynne (Not +), Van der Gugten (Gla), Douthwaite (Gla), B Green (Lei), Lawes (Sur)

County Cricket: Worcestershire and Hampshire Fly into the Final

Despite most of the group stages being dominated by Gloucestershire and Yorkshire, the One Day Cup Final at the end of September will be contested instead by Hampshire and Worcestershire. 

When it really mattered, Gloucester’s wheels well and truly came off in Group A. Having lost their 100% record against Essex, their eight-pointer on Tuesday versus Hampshire also ended in defeat, by five wickets. James Bracey blazed his way to another century, but a rapid opening stand of 112 between Orr and Gubbins set the scene for a successful run chase. At the same time, Worcestershire cruised to a six-wicket win, grateful for Kashif Alli’s 58-ball 80. That meant Gloucestershire dropped from first to third while Jake Libby’s side sailed direct to the semis. 

Group B leaders Yorkshire held their nerve to defeat Kent at Canterbury. James Wharton top-scored with 118 then, once Jayden Denly had been caught for 79 off Dom Bess, the home side struggled to make headway against spin. Bess ended on 4-43 but the coup-de-grace was applied by debutant seamer Matthew Firbank. Sussex’s Archie Lenham claimed 5-48 to end Warwickshire’s participation in the competition, but Somerset made no mistake against Northamptonshire, aided by Archie Vaughan’s maiden List A century. The other county in the hunt for progressing, Middlesex, had to work much harder to reach the top three. Chasing Lancashire’s 291 at Old Trafford, Harry Singh reduced them to 127-6 but the partnership of 126 between Morgan and Fernandes turned things around. The latter was caught in the final over with eight runs still required and the last pair at the crease. However, from the penultimate delivery, Noah Cornwell scored the winning runs and carried Middlesex into the quarter-finals. 

That effort earned Middlesex a home tie against Hampshire and things looked positive when, in spite of Ali Orr’s 108, they restricted them to just 229-9. It didn’t last. The veteran Hants bowlers Kyle Abbott (2-38) and Liam Dawson (4-33) were instrumental in stemming the runs and taking wickets, eventually ending the innings 42 runs short. At Taunton, Gloucestershire were battered in their derby encounter with Somerset. Jake Ball bowled Bracey second ball and left their rivals all out for 159 with the wicket of Miles. The Rew brothers took charge of Somerset’s chase, which succeeded with eighteen overs to spare. 

Even lacking several one-day experts, Somerset’s white-ball reputation made them favourites against Worcestershire but it all went horribly wrong. Ben Green and Jack Leach bowled well and the target of 266 wasn’t notably daunting. Enter Khurram Shahzad with the ball. He had four of the top order caught, and the rest of the batsmen fell regularly, sliding to a pathetic 141.

Yorkshire’s group stage supremacy also counted for nothing against Hampshire at Scarborough. Liam Dawson struck the week’s highest individual score (142), surpassing Harry Came’s 139 for Derbyshire, helping his county post a decent 304-6. When rain forced a reduction of nine overs, The White Roses must have fancied their chances, especially as Imam -ul-Haq in such imperious form. Indeed, he made 105 off 97 balls, his fourth ton of the tournament, but nobody else passed thirty, and they finished eighteen runs behind. 

Next up for the men’s county outfits are the Blast quarter-finals and the return of the County Championship whose summer break has made me forget what the hell was happening. I look forward to having my memory jolted. 

Team of the Week:- Orr (Ham), Came (Der), Imam-ul-Haq (Yor), Tribe (Gla), Lammonby (Som), J Rew (Som +), Dawson (Ham), B Green (Som), Khurram Shahzad (Wor), Lenham (Sus), Leach (Som)

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: Gloucester and Yorkshire in One Day Cup Control

It was a tough week in the One Day Cup for bowlers. Nineteen centuries flowed, including Cameron Bancroft’s unbeaten 143 as Gloucestershire cruised to their fourth consecutive victory against Glamorgan. Their 100% record was maintained on Sunday, with a significant six-wicket defeat of nearest rivals Worcestershire. 

The latter had started strongly, beating Hampshire and Derbyshire, with Brett D’Oliveira in fine fettle. His aggregate for the week topped 200. Leicestershire’s Shan Masood repeated the feat, reaching at least fifty in all three fixtures. Also in Group A, Essex broke their duck, and in style. They achieved a county record 244-run drubbing of Surrey. Irish international Curtis Campher cracked a rapid 123 not out and Luc Benkenstein 83 out of 417-6. Teenage medium-pacer Charlie Bennett then destroyed Surrey’s top order, and there was no way back. Surrey did manage a success, although it rested heavily on a fortunate Duckworth-Lewis situation and a 17-ball 43 not out from an unlikely source, Ben Foakes. 

Yorkshire remain in control of Group B, launched by a seven-wicket thrashing of Lancashire at York, helped by another Imam ul-Haq century, and rounded off with a straightforward dismissal of Middlesex. In between came a loss against Somerset at the same venue, for which the Pakistan opener was absent. The Westcountrymen are currently in second place despite losing a high-scoring encounter with Warwickshire at Taunton. Their opponents that day are equal on points but with an inferior net run rate. Jake Lintott took 5-37 against Middlesex only for Luke Hollman’s 4-27 to lead the Londoners to snatch the win at Rugby.

Middlesex were also involved in a royal run-fest at Chester-le-Street. Lees and Bedingham struck tons for Durham en route for a total of 387-4, only for the visitors to reach the target with two overs to spare, breaking the List A record for a successful chase total. Sam Robson’s solid 169 not out was the cornerstone and also his personal career-best score. 

Other performances worth a mention include double-century aggregates for the week by Lancashire opener Michael Jones and James Sales of Northamptonshire. 22-year-old Sales struck his maiden List A hundred against Durham, followed by a near-miss on 98 at home to Sussex. That match ended in a triumph for the home team, thanks largely to another first century from the bat of Charlie Tear, who impressed with an authoritative 159. 

Next week, Gloucestershire defend their unbeaten Group A record against Notts and Essex while I fancy Hampshire and Notts to reach the top three. In Group B, Yorkshire will be in pole position by beating Durham and Sussex, while Somerset face a few tricky Channel coast trips to Hove and Canterbury. 

Team of the Week:- Jones (Lan), D’Oliveira (Wor), Robson (Mid), Haynes (Not), Masood (Lei), J Rew (Som +), Sales (Nor), Benkenstein (Ess), Lintott (War), Barnett (Ess), Allison (Wor) 

County Cricket: Gloucester Gallop but Rhodes Makes One-Day Hay

The 2025 Royal London One-Day Cup launched this week without the Hundred’s hullabaloo but threw the spotlight on some of the less lauded counties and individuals more often seen plying their trade in the Seconds. 

With few players lost to the more lucrative competition, Gloucestershire would be expected to thrive in the 50-over cup and they duly won all three opening fixtures, racking up plenty of runs in the process. They swept aside Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Surrey, the latter fielding a host of unknowns and little-knowns. Ben Charlesworth, Oliver Price and James Taylor enjoyed their time at the crease, and James Bracey was one of several wicketkeepers to shine during the past week and a half. 

Welbeck CC’s ground at Sookholme played host to Nottinghamshire’s home fixtures, including a high-scoring tie with Worcestershire. Tom Moores thrashed 140 off 93 balls, following it up with a golden duck! Jake Libby and Kashif Ali each reached three figures in the nailbiting Notts defeat. Somerset’s Rew brothers enjoyed a couple of big partnerships but failed in a two-wicket surrender to Lancashire. 

Somerset’s victims included Durham, who nonetheless had easy wins over Sussex and Kent. In the first match, Ollie Robinson claimed the rare distinction of making a hundred and taking six catches. Yet even his performance was eclipsed by team-mate Will Rhodes who ended the week as both the tournament’s highest run-scorer and wicket-taker. In that same Sussex encounter, he fashioned 96 then took 5-30 with his seamers. 

The highest score of the week was Imam ul-Haq’s 159 in Yorkshire’s 202-run massacre of Northants. The county are the only one in Group B with two wins from two, which also owed much to young Ben Cliff’s seven wickets, including 5-46 at Northampton. Other five-fors were achieved by the likes of Alfie Ogborne (Somerset) and Leicestershire’s teenage quick, Alex Green, who took five not once but twice in his two games. 

I should also mention a couple of players who excelled in a losing cause. Essex suffered a run of three defeats despite Tom Westley’s sterling efforts with bat and ball. At Neath, Glamorgan’s only completed match was notable for two substantial individual innings. Hampshire’s skipper Nick Gubbins stroked an unbeaten 144, before his opposite number Kiran Carlson reacted to the steady fall of wickets at the other end (all caught) by lashing ten sixes in a 92-ball 135. The home side’s innings lasted only five balls later, still 72 adrift. 

The next batch of fixtures includes the Roses tie at York, Glamorgan’s trip over the Severn Bridge to Gloucestershire, whose position atop Group A will be matched by Hampshire should they overcome Worcestershire and Leicestershire. In Group B, the Yorkshire-Somerset clash could be critical, but Lancashire need to make up for lost time and their Sedburgh washout with a successful South Coast jaunt to Sussex and Kent. 

Team of the Week:- Imam ul-Huq (Yor), Bracey (Glo +), Libby (Wor), Rhodes (Dur), Carlson (Gla), Kashif Ali (Wor), Westley (Ess), Ogborne (Som), Zaman Akhtar (Glo), A Green (Lei), Cliff (Yor)

One Day Cup: It's Somerset v Glamorgan!

At the end of a week which featured the last group fixtures, two so-called quarter-finals and two semis, next month’s Metro Bank Cup Final will involve Somerset and Glamorgan. Amidst much to-ing and fro-ing, the top three in each group were unchanged.

In Group A, Somerset took the direct route to the last four by defeating Middlesex and, crucially, Worcestershire. The latter lost again, in a nailbiting finale against Lancashire but, along with the equally inconsistent Hampshire, edged out Derbyshire only on net run rate. 

In Group B, Glamorgan had been in pole position to top the group. In a vital clash at Leicester, they lost by only seven runs in a game which featured a second competition century from Peter Handscomb and a Tim van der Gugten five-for. However, was to be the Welsh side’s only loss so far. Warwickshire faltered in the final furlong but just did enough to resist a late challenge by Nottinghamshire. 

With New Road on Hundred hosting duty, Worcestershire had to pop across to Edgbaston for a local derby quarter-final. Skipper Jake Libby continued his run of form with 112, but teenage Kai Smith’s unbeaten 130 saw Warwickshire progress with an over to spare. It was an even tighter affair at Grace Road. In a repeat of the 2023 final, a Nick Gubbins ton took Hampshire to a promising 290-8 but Leicestershire sneaked through from the penultimate delivery. 

So to Sunday’s semis. Sod’s law, I thought, that the two best counties would slip up but it wasn’t to be. At Taunton, Somerset piled on a mighty 334-4, led by Lewis Goldsworthy’s 115 not out and a third successive rapid half-century by James Rew. The latter hasn’t kicked on from last year’s red-ball successes, but the 50-over stuff has rescued his summer nicely. The target was too much for Leicestershire, even with Handscpmb producing a third hundred of the competition. 

Across the Bristol Channel in Cardiff, Glamorgan welcomed Warwickshire to Sophia Gardens. Their Group B encounter had been rained off so at least he fans had something to enjoy. Runs were relatively hard to come by, and it was only some late hitting by Dan Douthwaite which boosted the home county’s total to 247-9. Ed Barnard (4-34) was the pick of Warwickshire’s attack but he and his top order were soon struggling in reply. They sank to 66-6 as Douthweite, McIlroy, Gorvin and the masterly, miserly Timm van der Gugten (2-22) suced the energy out of the innings. Michael Burgess (85) was the only Bear to show his claws but they just weren’t sharp enough to win single-handedly. 

In theory, Somerset could conceivably achieve a treble this season but that would require Surrey to suffer a Championship meltdown and the Cidermen to enjoy considerable luck in the T20 knockouts. On paper, the One-Day Cup climax with Glamorgan at Trent Bridge should favour Somerset but anything can happen and, of course, we are serial runners-up! 

Team of the Week:- Hammond (Glo), Gubbins (Ham), Libby (Wor), Goldsworthy (Som), Rew (Som +), Handscomb (Lei), K Smith (War), van der Gugten (Gla), Douthwaite (Gla), Hill (Yor), Chahal (Nor)

Glamorgan and Warwickshire Still Unbeaten

 In the week when former Surrey and England batsman Graham Thorpe died, Surrey’s woes in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup continued. The County Championship is already all but won but, with their biggest stars involved in The Hundred, the second string has struggled. I suspect that Thorpe would have excelled in the 50-over tournament, just as his successor Dominic Sibley seems to be doing. He has racked up more than 300 runs in the last three matches, including 105 in their first victory of the season, against Leicestershire at Kibworth. 

Only Sussex are below them In Group B, losing all six so far. They made a commendable attempt to overhaul Leicester’s mammoth 363-7, thanks to a brisk 129 from Tom Haines. At the top end of the table, Glamorgan and Warwickshire were enjoying unbeaten runs, leading up to a showdown at Edgbaston. What a shame, therefore, that rain wrecked any chance of a result. At least they both remain unbeaten going into the final fixtures. 

In Group A, nobody seems able to take control. Derbyshire looked good, and achieved a significant one-wicket triumph over rivals Somerset at Taunton. They had a blistering cameo from Harry Moore to thank for that one, but the county’s challenge seemed to falter, suffering a thumping by Hampshire, for whom teenager Dominic Kelly took 5-19, including a hat-trick. 

Both Jack Leach and Kasey Aldridge claimed six-wicket hauls for Somerset against Durham and Lancashire, respectively, keeping them in pole position on net run rate. However, Hampshire and Worcestershire have a game in hand, meeting each other on Sunday afternoon. Pears opener Garth Roderick and skipper Jake Libby were in the runs. 

Across the week, Ben Slater struck the highest individual score, 164 against Surrey’s depleted attack, while Yorkshire seamer Ben Coad was the model of consistency, harvesting eleven wickets at a miserly average. Sol Budinger of Leicestershire was another heavy scorer and heads the run-making table with just a few group fixtures remaining. 

As for the quarter-finals, Somerset should sail through Group A by beating Worcestershire and Middlesex but you can’t take anything for granted. Group B looks less open. With Hammond and Bancroft forming a fruitful opening partnership and Ajeet Singh Dale leading the attack, watch out for Gloucestershire sneaking up in the outside lane. A gold medal could yet be theirs. 

Team of the Week:- Roderick (Wor +), Sibley (Sur), Budinger (Lei), Barnard (War), Libby (Wor), Ingram (Gla), Saif Zaib (Nor), Kelly (Ham), Snater (Ess), Coad (Yor), Leach (Som)

Barnard Boosts Warwickshire in One Day Cup

The return of fifty-over county cricket saw Warwickshire continuing the success of their Twenty20 counterparts, the Birmingham Bears. In the first week, they were involved in two contrasting contests. The Chelmsford crowd witnessed a 652-run cracker, as Essex hustled to 324-7 only for all-rounder Ed Barnard to crack an unbeaten 173 and Michael Burgess a rapid 59 to sew up the match with fourteen balls to spare. They despatched the One Day Cup holder Leicestershire with greater ease. This time it was Barnard the bowler, taking 4-21 as the home side were swept aside for just 88. 

Leicester did at least win a rain-affected tie against Nottinghamshire but in Group A, it was Worcestershire who achieved the highest score of the week, 371-3, against Middlesex. Garth Roderick (115) and Ed Pollock (180 not out) put on 259 for the first wicket, well above what all Middlesex could rack up between them. An unfamiliar Worcester attack, featuring debutants Harry Darley and Tommy Sturgess, contributed to a stonking 183-run win. 

Derbyshire triumphed twice in Group A. An unlikely all-round performance by Zak Chappell for their two-wicket victory against Northants. He took 4-39, then, batting at nine, thumped 94 not out, including a century-stand with Ross Whitely (65). Three days later, it was their opening batsmen who shone. Harry Came’s maiden List A century particularly caught the eye. 

Elsewhere, there were tons for the experienced Hampshire ‘keeper Ben Brown and Notts opener Ben Slater, but kudos, too, for the young seam bowler, Eddie Jack. The 18-year-old England international took 4-29 for Hampshire against Northamptonshire, wrapping it up by 71 runs. 

Team of the Week:- Pollock (Wor), Barnard (War), Came (Der), Umeed (Som), Bohannon (Lan), Brown (Ham +), De Leede (Dur), Chappell (Lei), Douthwaite (Gla), J White (Nor), Jack (Ham)

Leicestershire clinch the Cup, Northants lose again

The 50-over One-Day Cup Final is criminally under-reported these days, but Leicestershire and Hampshire served up a thriller worthy of a big back-page headline. Lewis Hill won the toss and elected to bat, but at 18-4 and 89-6, it looked like Leicestershire’s 38-year wait for another List A trophy would continue. However, local academy products Harry Swindells (117 not out) and Sam Evans (60) rescued the innings, setting Hants a testing target of 268. In reply, Hampshire played it steady, while Mulder, Wright and Scriven bowled tightly. When in Josh Hull’s concluding over, Liam Dawson misjudged a ramp shot to fine leg, it was down to Keith Barker to strike a boundary off the last ball to win. He failed, and Hill’s unfancied side were champions at last. 

A few days earlier, the county’s Championship line-up – without Swindells – narrowly failed to prevent Sussex from moving closer to Worcestershire in the second promotion place. All looked lost for them at Hove, too. Jaydev Unadkat and Aristides Karvelas ripped them apart in the first innings and they faced an Everest-esque target of 499 in almost two days to avoid defeat. That they came within 15 runs is a credit to the batsmen’s professionalism and skill. Not for the first time, Colin Ackermann led the way with 135 but Unadkat mopped up the tail and all that effort proved in vain. 

Also in Division Two, Gloucestershire remain winless, thwarted by the weather and Derbyshire’s spirited performance, notably Anuj Dal’s first-innings 6-69. At Cardiff, Shan Masood plundered 192 for Yorkshire and Glamorgan were forced to follow on after Ben Coad and Matthew Revis claimed eight cheap wickets. Fortunately for the home crowd, Eddie Byrom and Sam Northeast each scored centuries to see out the match. One win from thirteen surely hastened Matthew Maynard’s decision to resign as coach. 

The Division One fixtures focussed mainly on relegation issues. In the wake of lengthy rain delays, cordial declarations created a meaningful climax at Edgbaston. Olive Hannon-Dalby’s 7-46 put Warwickshire in charge against Northamptonshire, but on day four, Ben Sanderson gave his relegation-threatened side real hope, reducing the home county to 24-5. However, Michael Burgess’s unbeaten 78 saw Warwickshire home by two wickets. 

At Canterbury, Zak Crawley got Kent off to a promising start with 158 but, with Joe Clarke in rare good form for Nottinghamshire, it was Kent who ended up relieved to avoid defeat, educed to 86-6 at stumps. The Manchester weather wasn’t kind to cricket last week and Lancashire, for whom Dane Vilas struck 124, were unable to press home their first-innings advantage against Middlesex. 

This week, if Surrey beat Northants at The Oval and Hampshire restrict Essex at Chelmsford, the County Championship belongs once again to Surrey and the South Midlanders are relegated. Kent visit Somerset and Middlesex host Warwickshire hoping to maximise their points return in the battle to avoid joining them. 

Team of the Week:- Crawley (Ken), Masood (Yor), Northeast (Gla), Clarke (Not), Ackermann (Lei), Swindells (Lei), Burgess (War +), Anuj Dal (Der), Unadkat (Sus), Hogan (Ken), Hannon-Dalby (War)

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)

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)

One-Day Cup: Mulder and Ollie prove the talent is out there

While the big names ply their trade in the Hundred, the One-Day Cup allows many other county stalwarts and youngsters to make their mark. It also gives cricket a chance to reach outposts like York and Newport, Isle of Wight, which rarely or never host Championship or white-ball county cricket.

The first week has been particularly fruitful for Hampshire, following their Blast title with three consecutive wins in the fifty-over tournament. 19 year-old Tom Prest has been a revelation, smacking Kent for 181 out of a team total of 396-5, a Hampshire record. The winning margin was 163 runs, but this afternoon’s game on the Isle of Wight against Northamptonshire was one they really should have lost. Prest top-scored again but White and Keogh cut them down to 199 all out. Northants were cruising in mid-innings just 24 from victory when their batting imploded dramatically. Young Jack Campbell, born just across the Solent in Portsmouth, grabbed three quick wickets and 177-5 became 188 all out. Northants did hold their nerve somewhat better against Essex, pipping them by two wickets with just two balls remaining.

Kent ‘keeper Ollie Robinson struck the week’s only double-century, tonking the Worcestershire attack for an unbeaten 206, including 27 fours and six sixes. Chasing 352 for victory, Robinson’s efforts delivered the goods five overs early. Other batting highlights were Colin Ingram’s 155 for Glamorgan and Will Fraine’s rapid 143 for Yorkshire.

In Group A, Nottinghamshire won both their opening fixtures, including a ten-wicket trouncing of 2019 champions Somerset, who also lost to local rivals Gloucestershire. Middlesex opener Stevie Eskinazi was on excellent form, and Leicestershire’s South African Wiaan Mulder carried his red-ball record into the 50-over stuff. Gloucestershire’s Jack Taylor was probably the all-rounder of the week.

Next week, Hampshire look to continue their run against Derbyshire and Lancashire. Nottinghamshire are borrowing Grantham in Leicestershire for their ‘home’ clashes with Durham and Middlesex, while the latter host the London derby against Surrey at Radlett. With the widespread drought set to continue, let’s hope there are a few green patches on the outfields.

Team of the Week: Eskinazi (Mid), Fraine (Yor), Robinson (Ken +), Prest (Ham), Mulder (Lei), Ingram (Gla), J Taylor (Glo), Kimber (Sur), Hutton (Not), Williams (Lan), Campbell (Ham)

Glamorgan triumph at last

Congratulations to Glamorgan for winning their first silverware for 17 years and their first ever one-day final. Having tipped Surrey or Essex to win last week, it was probably inevitable that neither would make the Trent Bridge Royal London One-Day Cup showpiece. 

At least they did win their respective quarter-finals with ease. Essex made short work of Yorkshire, with 20 year-old Josh Rymell demonstrating his potential as an opener scoring 121 and Simon Harmer showing what we already knew with a 13-ball 31 not out and two cheap wickets. Tim David smashed another century for Surrey as Gloucestershire‘s attack suffered. 

A few days later, it was Surrey’s turn to lose by five wickets. In what looks set to be his final innings for the county before crossing the Thames to Middlesex, Mark Stoneman at last found some form, striking a fine century, but Chris Rushworth’s three quick wickets and that solid top order saw Durham over the line and into the final. 

Glamorgan beat Essex by the same margin at Cardiff. Following an excellent start by Hamish Rutherford, Nigel Selman also passed fifty, but it was Joe Cooke’s all-round contribution of 66 not out and five wickets which took the game away from Essex. 

And so to Nottingham, where Glamorgan set Durham a challenging target of 298. Captain Kiran Carlson had endured a difficult tournament but came good when it mattered, firing 82 from 59 balls and leading the side with aplomb. In reply, Durham never settled to any rhythm, but that’s 40 year-old Michael Hogan’s forte. It’s quite remarkable for a seamer to end a limited-overs competition with an economy rate below 3 an over but that’s what he achieved. 

It’s a crying shame that our once premier one-day contest was downgraded to little more than a run-out for the reserves while the big names raked it in before large crowds at The Hundred. However, it was a chance for youngsters like Rymell, Khushi, Jamie Smith (Surrey’s skipper at 21!) and Lenham, plus little–known second-eleveners such as David, Clark and Haines to demonstrate their qualities. Old heads including Hogan, Sir Alastair Cook, Steve Borthwick and Chris Rushworth also proved that they can excel in white ball cricket as well as red. I do hope we haven’t seen the last of domestic 50-over matches but fear the worst next year. 

Team of the Week: Rymell (Ess), Stoneman (Sur), David (Sur), Carlson (Gla), Bancroft (Dur +), J Smith (Sur), J Cooke (Gla), Harmer (Ess), Salter (Gla), Hogan (Gla), Rushworth (Dur)

Durham’s Openers Streak into the One-Day Cup Semis

Durham ended the group stage of the Royal London One-Day Cup in fine style, winning all three fixtures this week. The first proved decisive, as the two-wicket defeat of closest rivals Essex ensured they topped the group and therefore sail straight into the semi-finals. 

Alex Lees struck a fine unbeaten 126 in that match, while fellow opener Graham Clark’s run-a-ball 141 did the job against Hampshire. He is easily the tournament’s top scorer so far, with Lees right behind him. Dutch all-rounder Paul Meekeren and the evergreen Chris Rushworth starred with the ball. Essex didn’t have a bad week either. Batsmen at very different stages of their career ere in prolific mood. Sir Alastair Cook reached three figures in the tied match against Sussex while the 22 year-old from Whipps Cross, Feroze Khushi enjoyed successive knocks of 109 and 77. Ryan Ten Doeschate also rolled back the years, taking 4-34 against Sussex, eighteen years after his county debut. 

Lancashire completed the week with the third highest points tally but, following their void fixture with Covid-hit Derbyshire, Gloucestershire progress with a fractionally superior points per match figure. Their comprehensive defeat of bottom-side Kent was aided by an unbeaten third-wicket stand between Chris Dent and Graeme van Buuren. However, the highest partnership of the week was the 219 shared by Sussex pair Ben Brown and Tom Haines in the entertaining contest with Middlesex at Hove. Chasing a formidable 333, the visitors gave it everything at the end but they fell just three runs short. 

In Group 1, Somerset totally blew it, slipping from second to seventh thanks to three consecutive losses. I guess I won’t be heading for London to see them defend their title this year. They didn’t even play against any of the counties who did qualify for the knockouts. Glamorgan, Surrey and Yorkshire each ended up on ten points. The Welsh side topped the group, thanks largely to their demolition of Nottinghamshire who they bowled out for 73. Joe Cooke, Michael Hogan and James Weighell all look in good nick with the ball. If Nigel Selman could get more support amongst the top order, Glamorgan could be serious contenders. 

Surrey’s Ryan Patel and Tim David have certainly seized their opportunities in this competition. Both aggregated almost 200 runs this week, including a ton apiece. The most spectacular innings came from Singapore-qualified David, whose 70-ball 140 not out against Warwickshire included nine fours and eleven sixes! South African paceman Conor McKerr’s 3-43 at Derby advanced his wicket total to a tournament-leading sixteen. Yorkshire completed the ‘quarter-final’ line-up after edging Glamorgan by four runs a Cardiff on Thursday. 

They now meet a formidable-looking Essex while Surrey host Gloucestershire. The knockouts chase to a conclusion on Thursday when the first trophy of the domestic season will be decided. I think Essex will take some beating, but Surrey should be second-favourites. 

Team of the Week: Clark (Dur), Lees (Dur), Swindells (Lei +), R Patel (Sur), David (Sur), Khushi (Ess), Ten Doeschate (Ess), Van Meekeren (Dur), Mike (Lei), J Cooke (Gla), Rushworth (Dur)

Snater and Westley send Essex clear

This week’s One-Day Cup was one of mixed fortunes for all, and rain also throwing a spanner in the works. Group 2 leaders Essex are the only county to have won more than three games. They thrashed Kent by nine wickets, with Alastair Cook and Tom Westley in charge, but at Bristol left it to the last ball to edge past Gloucestershire by two wickets. Aussie medium-pacer Shane Snater took his wicket tally to thirteen, comfortably ahead of anyone else so far. It was a tough week for Gloucestershire, especially as Jack Taylor struck three half-centuries, Ben Charlesworth aggregated 160 runs (including a 99 not out) and Graeme Van Buuren took six wickets. 

Durham are hard on their heels after Sean Dickson’s 76-ball 103 and a fine all-round performance by teenager Luke Doneathy helped stall Lancashire’s charge. Batsman Rob Jones and seamer Tom Bailey did their best for the Red Roses but another defeat, to Midlesex, could cost them dearly. 

In Group 1, Somerset are the only unbeaten county in the competition and could have ended the week with a 100% record had they not had two fixtures curtailed by the weather. They sit level on points with Glamorgan, who slaughtered Surrey, featuring a typically miserly ten-over spell by Michael Hogan (1-18). Nigel Selman’s 140 against Leicestershire was the top score around the country but sadly it proved in vain as their opponents were prevented from completing their reply by rain. 

They probably wouldn’t have reached the target, having been put to the sword at Welbeck by Nottinghamshire who triumphed with thirty overs remaining. Neighbours Derbyshire achieved their first victory in the tournament, also against Notts. Tom Wood’s 109 off only 59 balls was the outstanding innings, and wasn’t the product of hit-and-hope slogs; there were only three sixes but 14 fours. All-rounder Finn Hudson-Prentice continued his good form and yet they are languishing near the bottom of Group 1. 

Next week sees the final league fixtures and it really is all to play for. Almost anyone can sneak into the top four placings in each group. Essex meet their closest rivals Durham and Lancashire so I’d expect at least two of these three to qualify for the quarter-finals. I expect Gloucestershire to be in the mix, too. 

Somerset probably need two wins from last three matches, but it could go down to their trip to Warwickshire next Thursday. Glamorgan close with two home ties, but Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire are tough opponents who also fancy their chances of progression. 

Team of the Week: Charlesworth (Glo), Eskinazi (Mid), Selman (Gla), Westley (Ess), Burgess (Not +), T Wood (Der), Taylor (Glo), Hudson-Prentice (Der), Van Buuren (Glo), Bailey (Lan), Snater (Ess)

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)

Hampshire’s 100% start in One Day Cup

The first week’s fixtures in the Royal London One-Day Cup have generated the expected variety of trouncings and nail-biters, predictable and surprises. Hampshire are the only side to have won all three matches they’ve played, while in the North division, Worcestershire’s 100% record comes from only two yet is enough to top the table.

On the South coast, it’s been Riley Rossouw rather than Hashim Amla who has provided South African runs for Hampshire while Worcestershire’s best performances have come from the lower order. Somerset got off to a cracking start, thumping Surrey in double-quick time with Craig Overton’s 4-29 outstanding. An amazing 159 from the in-form James Hildreth helped defeat Glamorgan but his subsequent 87 couldn’t prevent a loss to Sussex for whom Luke Wright reached three figures. The county’s medium-pacer Ollie Robinson has also been one of the most consistent wicket-takers so far.

Poor Glamorgan. Despite the arrival of Colin Ingram for the white-ball season, they’ve yet to register a victory, falling an agonising two runs short against Middlesex. However, Kent sit below them in the South table despite two solid starts by Daniel Bell-Drummond. Gloucestershire are faring somewhat better, beating the Welsh as well as Essex along the way. Their H men, Hankins, Howell and Higgins have been especially useful with the bat.

Further north, another H man, Sam Hain, struck two centuries for Warwickshire while Paul Horton also struck 103 in Leicestershire’s opener at Northampton. However, for consistent run-making, you had to look at the Roses counties. Horton’s replacement at Lancashire, Keaton Jennings, racked up 278, while Tom Kohler-Cadmore accumulated 292, including 164 in Yorkshire’s 142-run win over Durham. His colleague Cheteshwar Pujara has also found form at last. Normally considered a red-ball specialist, the Indian star produced an impressive run of 82, 73 and 101 so it is perhaps surprising that Yorkshire have only one victory to their name.

It hasn’t been a great week for bowlers. Robinson’s team-mate Chris Liddle, Harry Gurney (Notts) and Lancashire’s young leg-spinner Matt Parkinson head the wicket table with nine apiece but the May sunshine has been kinder to the willow-wielders.

Nottinghamshire’s formidable squad looks tailor-made for retaining their title and they amassed an impressive 409-7 against Leicestershire. Samit Patel celebrated his new contract with a 63-ball century and a couple of wickets. However, they lost easily to Northamptonshire whose poor start in the Championship has been set aside to allow new confidence in 50-over cricket to take over. With Division One strugglers Worcestershire also riding high, it’s encouraging that there are no dominant counties across all formats. Long may it continue.

Team of the Week:

Jennings (Lan), Davies (Lan, +), Kohler-Cadmore (Yor), Pujara (Yor), Hildreth (Som), Hain (War), Bopara (Ess), Ingram (Gla), Berg (Ham), Parkinson (Lan), Robinson (Sus)