Worcestershire’s Triple Whammy

While Stuart Broad and the Barmy Army were giving the Aussies a warm welcome by the throat at Edgbaston, other Antipodeans were in Vitality Blast action around the UK. Riki Wessels and Kiwi Martin Guptill got Worcestershire off to some stunning starts last week, as the county notched three straight wins which propelled them to second in the North division table. Their most emphatic came against Durham where they chased down 180 in barely 12 overs.

The opposition opener D’Arcy Short continued his fine all-round form although Durham lost two of their matches. Their only victory was at home to bottom team Leicestershire. Last week I conjectured that Leicester’s winless streak would surely end soon, and so it proved in an eleven-over romp at Trent Bridge where Arron Lilley cracked 66 in 30 deliveries. Hales, Duckett, Clarke and Christian just couldn’t respond for Nottinghamshire although they crushed the Birmingham Bears by 71 runs. Lancashire still top the group without a single defeat.

Further south, Afghan seamer Mohammad Nabi made some telling contributions for Kent, albeit with the bat. The most devastating was his 12-ball 43 not out in a seven-over thrash against Surrey, out-striking even Aaron Finch. In contrast, Kent’s first loss of the campaign was inflicted by Sussex, for whom Tymal Mills was in particularly good form all week and Jofra Archer was given a few workouts with the ball.

Glamorgan’s search for a T20 success goes on. They missed a golden opportunity to beat Gloucestershire at Cardiff where short-form specialist paceman Andrew Tye struck a rapid unbeaten 38 to earn his side a tie. The Welsh side did suffer the most humiliating reverse of the week, as Hampshire dismissed them for 87 on a tricky Southampton pitch. Mason Crane and Liam Dawson each took three cheap wickets.

Somerset managed a single win, beating Surrey easily in a high-scorer at Taunton. Eddie Byrom struck a 19-ball fifty on his T20 debut. However, a stress injury to Lewis Gregory earlier in the week could prove disastrous for Somerset not only in the Blast but also our efforts to clinch the Championship from Essex’s clutches. Cricket is not just about the Aussies.

Team of the Week: Short (Dur), Wessels (Wor), Westley (Ess), Vince (Ham), Parnell (Wor), Moores (Not +), Mohammad Nabi (Ken), Higgins (Glo), Crane (Ham), Rampaul (Der), Mills (Sus)

Somerset Storm into the Final

Please forgive me but I am typing this with a stupid smile on my face. I feared the worst but Somerset rediscovered their early season form to propel them into a first List A cup final in nine years where they’ll face defending champions and Lord’s season ticket-holders Hampshire.

It feels like longer but it was only five days ago when a five-wicket victory over bottom club Surrey secured Somerset’s passage from the South division to the quarter-finals on net run rate ahead of Gloucestershire. On the same day, Middlesex also joined Hampshire in the knockouts breaking records in the process. Their 380-5 was their highest ever one-day score and Matt Holden’s 166 was another best for the county. 

The day previously, Nottinghamshire left it late to top the North table. Needing 326 to beat Northamptonshire, they were running out of time and wickets until in the last over centurion Samit Patel struck Sanderson’s opening three deliveries for 6-4-4. Worcestershire’s target was an even more challenging 351 but, with new boy Riki Wessels in typical aggressive mode – eleven sixes in an innings of 130 – they came through wit ten balls to spare. Poor Durham endured disappointment as the Headingley weather frustrated their efforts and allowed non-playing Lancashire to qualify instead.

A few days later Worcestershire found Somerset’s attack a tougher proposition altogether. 20 year-old wicketkeeper Tom Banton’s second ton of the tournament set up a formidable total of 337-8 and, with Azhar Ali’s leg-spin an unexpected weapon of mass destruction, the home side was bowled out twelve overs and 147 runs short. Middlesex also collapsed on home territory. Batting second, they tumbled to 24-5 before James Harris (117) and John Simpson (74) got them back on track against Lancashire. However, once they were dismissed in the same over, Saqib Mahmood took his fourth wicket and Graeme Onions finished things off.

This afternoon, Lancashire’s unwanted reputation as serial semi-final losers was maintained. Mahmood was again amongst the wickets but Hampshire’s experienced all-rounder Gareth Berg had earlier claimed 5-24 ripping out the Red Rose tail and was in the middle when team-mate Fuller struck the winning boundary.

At Trent Bridge, the other semi-final had long since finished. The highly-fancied Notts went the same way as Worcestershire as Somerset enjoyed a near-repeat of their quarter-final victory. Their 337 total was identical, Banton again passed 50 and Azhar Ali made a crucial contribution, this time with the bat. The press were ready with their Alex Hales headlines but his 54 runs were insufficient to prevent the Overtons and van der Merwe destroying them. As at Worcester, it was done and dusted after around 38 overs.

The final takes place in a few weeks’ time and I for one will be happy to see them take a little longer as long as Tom Abell holds the trophy aloft at close of play. Sadly he, or James Vince, will be the last to do so, as in 2020 proper cricket gets trampled underfoot by the hateful Hundred. As for May 2019, the ‘Years of Hurt’ tally has risen to eighteen but could cricket finally be coming home to Somerset?!  I hope so.

Team of the Week: Wessels (Wor), Banton (Som +), Chopra (Ess), Azhar Ali (Som), Holden (Mid), S Patel (Not), Berg (Ham), Harris (Mid), C Overton (Som), T Taylor (Lei), Mahmood (Lan)

Porter carries Essex to the brink of the title

The County Championship entered its final phase with the respective division leaders strengthening their grip on the top spots. With rain interruptions, most matches extended into the fourth day, providing some lively conclusions, but sadly one which was more disturbing.

In Division One, leading pair Essex and Lancashire were in action against the bottom two, and results went to form, much to my chagrin. Runs were in typical short supply at Chelmsford but Somerset were at least in the hunt up to the final morning, thanks largely to the wickets of Craig Overton but no thanks to the batsmen who are collectively having a nightmare season. But Essex romped home, Jamie Porter wrapping up a seventh win of the summer with 7-55 to follow his first-innings 5-40. He and team-mate Steve Harmer now each boast over 50 Championship wickets, more than anyone else.

At Old Trafford, Lancashire clung onto Essex’s coat-tails by defeating Warwickshire by eight wickets. The dye was cast on day one, when Ryan McLaren and Kyle Jarvis captured all ten between them. Liam Livingstone proceeded to outscore the opposition on his own, creaming the attack for 224, including four sixes. The venerable Shiv Chanderpaul just missed out on another century. Warwickshire ‘keeper Tim Ambrose did reach three figures as they succeeded in making Lancashire bat again, but only for 44 balls.

The other fixture ended in more ugly fashion. Middlesex and Surrey were heading towards a certain draw at The Oval when play was suspended. A lethal-looking crossbow arrow had landed on the outfield not far from Surrey players and, with no guarantee the assailant wouldn’t fire again, the match was abandoned. While John Simpson may be a little peeved at missing out on a hundred, the authorities made the correct decision I just hope the scum who shot the arrow is caught before he kills someone.

Back to the cricket…. Nottinghamshire now lead the second tier by thirty-two points after beating Northamptonshire by 163 runs. Riki Wessels top-scored in both innings, culminating in a typically entertaining 116 off 88 balls as they looked to make a declaration. Only Rob Newton passed 50 in the second Northants effort, before Samit Patel polished off the final pair.

I am no fan of the guidelines that no Division Two batsmen can be considered for England selection, although I note that this was not enforced until Alastair Cook’s Essex were promoted last season! It’s not as if the counties battling for promotion all have rubbish bowlers. Think Broad, Onions, Jordan, Patel, Hogan et al. Add to that list Worcestershire’s new signing who happens to be the world’s best spinner, Ravi Ashwin. He played a major part in his county’s victory over Gloucestershire, along with the opening batsmen Mitchell and D’Oliveira and all-runder Ed Barnard. With Ashwin in the attack, Worcester must now be favourites to join Notts in Division One next year.

Sussex are also making a late bid for promotion. They travelled to Colwyn Bay to face a weakened Glamorgan side who were resting their stars in advance of the T20 Finals Day. Credit to the Welsh side that they gave Sussex a real alarm and it was only due to Ollie Robinson’s brave 41 not out that they avoided a humiliating defeat. With last man Briggs at the other end, Robinson knew he had to rescue the team on his own and he duly delivered with a second six off Rhuadri Smith.

Durham recorded their third victory of the season, overcoming dismal Derbyshire at Chester-le-Street. Their star performers were veterans Paul Collingwood (177) and Graeme Onions (4-44 and 3-88) but they really need the younger players, including England reject Keaton Jennings, to step up and get Durham back into the top flight and into the black.

In the other game, another 40-something, Kent’s Darren Stevens, took 8-75 in the first Leicestershire innings but was frustrated by the final pair of Callum Parkinson and Lewis Hill who shared a tenth wicket partnership of 122. The match petered out into a soggy draw leaving Leicester still winless and Kent rueing another which got away.

Next week, all eyes will be on the Essex-Lancashire clash. Win that one and Essex will be almost home and dry. Lose, and Lancashire could yet pull off a totally unexpected Championship success. Over to you, guys…

Team of the Week: Mitchell (Wor), D’Oliveira (Wor), Livingstone (Lan), Collingwood (Dur), Wessels (Not), Stevens (Ken), Simpson (Mid +), Jordan (Sus), C Overton (Som), Robinson (Sus), Porter (Ess)

Alex Hales Steals the Show

Nottinghamshire’s openers were again in fine fettle this week. Riki Wessels passed 35 in each of his three innings but when he carried his bat for just 41 at home to Durham, he was completely overshadowed by his opening partner. Alex Hales hammered nine sixes on his way towards a potential record-equalling T20 century. Going for another huge hit off his thirtieth delivery to match Chris Gayle’s world record, he could only sky James Weighell into the ‘keeper’s gloves. However, it was job done for the Outlaws, breaking the previous best for Powerplay runs (106) and reaching the 185 target with 43 balls remaining. Notts also smashed more than 200 against Leicestershire only for the weather to prevent any reply and deny them the chance to more clear of the rest in the North group. Credit is also due to Samit Patel’s impressive consistency with his off-spin: 2-27, 2-26 and 2-23. As for Hales, I don't agree with the suggestion that such form should propel him back into the Test team, but he must be a shoo-in for any T20 international squad.

Northamptonshire also notched their sixth win of the competition. Ben Duckett’s unbeaten 92 against Worcestershire was the individual highlight but they came mighty close to overhauling Warwickshire on Tuesday. Skipper Alex Wakely had them in his sights but was run out from the last ball with three needed for victory.

Struggling Durham won the North-East derby in a thriller at Chester-le-Street. Paul Collingwood plundered 88 off 57 deliveries but Willey and Patterson frustrated his team-mates and 157 wasn’t a frightening target for Yorkshire. However, the visitors also struggled, with McCarthy and Coughlin each taking three wickets. Needing ten off the last over, they could scramble just eight, thus losing by a single run.

Scoring wasn’t as high further south. Glamorgan’s narrow victory over Surrey ensured they remained top of the league. They were unfortunate not to triumph in the Severn derby, too. Michael Hogan produced a brilliant five-wicket burst in his last two overs to restrict Gloucestershire to 150-9. Unfortunately for the Welsh, they were undone by a poor start when batting before the rain wiped out the last 15 overs. Duckworth-Lewis did the rest. Somerset also lost to their local rivals at Bristol but lead them by a single point with five to play.

The South group is so tight, anything could happen in the next fortnight. Just six points separate top and bottom, so Essex need not be too downhearted right now. However, they face a tricky trip to Bristol next Sunday. On the same day, the Somerset-Glamorgan clash could well have a major influence on who progresses to the quarter-finals. On Friday, Headingley hopes for a bumper night as Roses rivals Lancashire are in town while, down at Trent Bridge, Warwickshire’s bowlers will have to get rid of Hales and Wessels early on if they want to have a reasonable chance of overhauling Notts at the top of the North division.

Team of the Week: Wessels (Not), Hales (Not), Nash (Sus), Madsen (Der), Rossington (Nor +), Bailey (Ham), Patel (Not), Shahid Afridi (Ham), T Curran (Sur), Gleeson (Nor), Hogan (Gla)

The Willey and Whiteley Show

Yorkshire went top of the North group thanks largely to a couple of big innings from David Willey. Against Worcestershire, the Vikings smashed a county record 233-6, including a 55-ball 118 by the all-rounder. The Royals’ reply fell well short, but Ross Whiteley stole the headlines with that extremely rare achievement, six sixes in an over. Young off-spinner Karl Carver was the unfortunate bowler.

Burly Richard Levi was smoting sixes at will for Northamptonshire against Nottinghamshire and also whipped 41 in 28 in Leicestershire’s first defeat in the competition so far, albeit on Duckworth-Lewis. Meanwhile, Wayne Madsen furthered his reputation as virtually a one-man team in Derbyshire, accumulating 160 runs and five wickets as an opening bowler. I was also surprised when it was reported that Riki Wessels' 110 against Madsen's side was Notts' first T20 century. He'll miss his old mucker and fellow big-hitter Michael Lumb, though. The former England T20 star announced his immediate retirement this week.

Down South, the rain was the biggest winner. The champagne boys of Surrey lead the table after seven games but their closest rivals have only managed two wins. Poor Glamorgan have experienced three ‘No Results’, including another washout today. I’m not surprised: it poured here in Cardiff most of the day. Kevin Pietersen’s ego-boosting parachute into The Oval resulted in a man-of-the-match half-century followed by a disastrous seven in the London derby, allied to an embarrassing run-out of an angry team-mate Finch! This match, providing an entertaining spectacle under the lights in front of 23,000 fans, was more of a showcase for Surrey’s short-format specialist bowlers like Dernbach and Meaker, supported by the excellent Curran brothers. 

Indeed, it was the bowlers who enjoyed most of the success in the South Group. Jofra Archer’s 4-18 for Sussex was the best of the week, while Mohammad Amir (Essex), Gareth Batty (Surrey) Danny Briggs (Hampshire) and Steven Finn (Middlesex) were consistently economical. For all the latter’s fine performances, and McCullum and Morgan batting, Middlesex prop up the table. However, a few wins would put them at the top. It’s that kind of season. 

Team of the Week: Wessels (Not), Levi (Nor), Willey (Yor), Madsen (Der), Whiteley (Nor), Simpson (Mid +), Pringle (Dur), Batty (Sur), Archer (Sus), Mohammad Amir (Ess), Finn (Mid)

Ballance saves Yorkshire, Livingstone Lifts Lancs

Yorkshire fans travelling to the Rose Bowl must have been drooling at a rare opportunity to see their England stars Root and Bairstow appearing with the white rose badge. However, the internationals managed a mere 18 runs between them as Hampshire made them follow on. Instead, it was the Test reject Gary Ballance who shone with the bat. The new captain followed his first innings 108 with a match-saving 203 not out in a game where his opposite number James Vince (147) also reminded us what he is capable of.

The only First Division county to win was Lancashire. For the second successive week, their opponents Somerset threw away an early lead, as Alex Davies and captain Liam Livingstone set up a 164-run victory. Unfortunately, the good form enjoyed by team leaders did not extend to Somerset’s young Tom Abell. His first four Championship innings in charge have yielded a pathetic two runs, and I don’t know how many more chances he can be afforded by Mathew Maynard.

Surrey remain top of the table despite failing to beat struggling Warwickshire at Edgbaston. The home team had Ian Westwood largely to thank for grinding out a draw, after his 205 run aggregate, after first innings centuries by Mark Stoneman and Kumar Sangakkara.

There were plenty of runs from Middlesex’s top three, too. Stewart Robson, Ed Gubbins and Stevie Eskinazi each scored hundreds in the first innings and fifties in the second. However, helped by bad light, Essex kept Finn, Roland-Jones et al at bay throughout the fourth day as the champions failed to capture the final two wickets.

In Division Two, Nottinghamshire and Kent made it three wins out of three. The former side lead the way courtesy of their maximum points at Trent Bridge, where they crushed Sussex by an innings inside two days. The home side must have had a prior engagement on Sunday because they blazed to 447 before day one was completed. Unsurprisingly, it was Riki Wessels who led the assault, slamming seven sixes and 22 fours in a maiden double-century. James Pattinson and Stuart Broad did much of the damage with the ball on the Saturday.

At Canterbury it was that man Darren Stevens who stole the honours yet again, with a peerless all-round performance, featuring 107 runs and nine wickets. It was a good, too, for stand-in ‘keeper Adam Rouse who narrowly missed out on his first Championship hundred and took five catches. It was another very short match at Worcester, too, in which the home team eked out a tight 20-run winning margin against Derbyshire. Moeen Ali’s first-day 50 proved to be the highest score of the game, while captain Joe Leach picked up a couple of five-fors.

There was little to choose between the counties at Grace Road, either, but runs flowed fluently on all four days. Both Leicestershire and Glamorgan reached 420 in their first innings, then a Mark Pettini century set up a pointless declaration on the last afternoon. After an early scare, Aneurin Donald’s 66 not out ensured there was to be no repeat of last week’s batting collapses for the Welsh.

In the other fixture, Paul Collingwood contributed 101 runs, two wickets and five catches for Durham at Bristol. However, Gloucestershire opener Chris Dent’s patient six-hour 101 meant there was insufficient time for the visitors to ram home their advantage, and a draw ensued.

We now have a four-week break in the Championship to allow the sadly-unloved Royal London Cup a run in what I hope will be the late Spring sunshine.

Team of the Week:
Robson (Mid), Westwood (War), Vince (Ham), Ballance (Yor), Wessels (Not), Livingstone (Lan), Stevens (Ken), Leach (Wor), Rouse (Ken +), Broad (Not), Pattinson (Not)

Lumb and Wessels on Fire!

As the County Championship took its first week off this summer, the 50-over One-Day Cup kicked off alongside the continuing T20 Blast. Gloucestershire have made a terrible start to their title defence, losing all three fixtures so far. Mind you, they should have beaten Somerset in their first match, but Jamie Overton and Tim Groenewald produced a tenth wicket stand of 65 to clinch an unlikely win with three balls to spare.

Somerset top the South Group with Essex and Glamorgan but all eyes this week have been on Nottinghamshire and their opening partnership of Michael Lumb and Riki Wessels. All three of their stands reached three figures, including an astonishing 342 against Northants. It broke the old Dravid/Ganguly List A record in England, while the county total of 445-8 is the second highest anywhere in the world. Even more remarkable was that Northants fell only 20 runs short, and the aggregate of 870 was a mere two behind the world record. Lumb made 184, Wessels 146 but perhaps both were outdone by the opponents’ Rory Kleinveldt. Having to bat with a runner, he had to go for boundaries. Thumping ten 4s and nine 6s, he amassed 128 from 63 balls before falling five overs from home.

Lumb made 133 in the Warwickshire game, and both he and Wessels made fifties in their twenty-over match for good measure. For all the runs racked up by Notts, their net run rate is inferior to Derbyshire’s. Ben Slater (against Durham) and Hamish Rutherford (vs Worcestershire) scored centuries while Shiv Thakor, deprived of batting opportunites, has again been amongst the wickets.

Elsewhere, Hain, Bell and Trott were in the runs for Warwickshire, and Johann Myburgh (Somerset), Kevin O’Brien (Leicestershire) and Jesse Ryder (Essex) were also consistently high in their scoring. It certainly wasn’t a week for bowlers, but then modern one-day cricket is fundamentally designed for batsmen: all fielding restrictions, big blades and short boundaries.

Twenty20 is even worse, but at least there were opportunities for experienced Aussie seamers Clint McKay and Michael Hogan to work their magic. Northants currently boast the only 100% record in this year’s Blast while Yorkshire are in the unenviable position of losing all three games played to date. While the big signings like Gayle, Bravo, McCullum, Afridi, Jayawardene et al undoubtedly shift tickets, the top performers on the pitch thus far are home-growners like Daniel Bell-Drummond of Kent, Joe Leach from Worcestershire and Leicestershire’s Ben Raine. Time will tell whether the picture changes as the competition progresses.


Team of the Week: Lumb (Not), Wessels (Not), K O’Brien (Lei), Westley (Ess), Hain (War), Buttler (Lan +), Thakor (Der), Dawson (Ham), Howell (Glo), McKay (Lei), Hogan (Gla)

Yorkshire Take the Roses Crown

The weather had an East-West split this week. Unusually, it was the West which enjoyed the sunshine while the East suffered unseasonal rain and cold winds. This had an effect on the cricket results, too, but the top of Division One has a Northern look about it.

Yorkshire bounced back to deliver a decisive 175-run victory over their Roses rivals and go level on points with Lancashire. However, the Reds remain on top having won more games. In fact only two points separate the top four, with Middlesex making a move.

It was a great all-round show by Adil Rashid, while Tim Bresnan’s 2016 debut after a calf injury was also successful, contributing 98 runs and six wickets. It was a shame for Neil Wagner, who added another eight to his Championship scalp tally.

Middlesex thrashed Hampshire by an innings at Northwood, but required a fourth day fine weather window to finish off the job. Adam Voges shared two sizeable partnerships, the first of 279 with Dawid Malan, then a further 174 with ‘keeper John Simpson, before declaring on 467-3. Tim Murtagh and Toby Roland-Jones then left the visitors reeling and following on more than 300 behind. James Fuller bagged a five-for and only Adams managed more than 33 in the futile run chase.

For two delightful days, Somerset sat in third place having squeaked home by a solitary wicket against Surrey at Taunton. Old enemy Gareth Batty achieved an impressive 7-32 to establish a first innings lead of 162. They may regret not enforcing the follow-on because Jack Leach and the Overton twins set up an exciting final day. Trescothick and Allenby each struck 50s but tailenders Leach and Groenewald were the batting stars. They survived almost fifteen overs to score the required 31 runs. Phew! A victory on the board at last!

Nottinghamshire and Durham shared the spoils at Trent Bridge where the batsmen were well on top. Brendan Taylor became the first Notts player to strike two hundreds in the same match since 2003, while stand-in stumper Riki Wessels slammed 159 not out. However, Durham’s Steve Borthwick combined an unbeaten 188 with eight leg-spin wickets and the forecast rain spoilt any remote hope of a contrived final day finish..

In Division Two, it’s three southern counties competing for the promotion places. Awful weather at Canterbury meant neither Kent nor Leicestershire could garner many bonus points let alone the 16 for a win. That enabled Gloucestershire to leap into second spot by beating Worcestershire in a high-scoring encounter.

At 31-5, the home team were in a bad way but Tom Kohler-Cadmore (169) and Jack Shantry’s run-a-ball 106 helped them to a very respectable 439. Graeme van Buuren’s unbeaten 172 enabled Gloucs to declare 75 behind, then Craig Miles’ 5-54 set up an exciting fourth day chase. Michael Klinger was well up for it but it was Jack Taylor’s fireworks at the death which clinched the victory, achieved with a six. It was a bitter-sweet week for Taylor as he faces a second bowling ban because of a dodgy action. However, with innings like this, he surely merits a place as a specialist batsman.

Sussex took maximum points from their ten-wicket mauling of Derbyshire at Hove. Without the runs from the visitors’ Shiv Thakor it would have been even more one-sided. Centuries from Ed Joyce and Luke Wells, then the swing and seam of Steve Magoffin and Ollie Robinson, were too just too much.

In the remaining Championship fixture, Essex and Northants amassed more than 1000 first-innings runs between them. Mickelburgh, Foster and Ten Doeschate each racked up hundreds, with Monty Panesar’s already distant hopes of an England recall demolished under the onslaught. With Northants 56-4 at stumps on day 3, another Essex triumph would have been inevitable were it not for the rain which restricted play to just six overs.

So now we have a fortnight’s break for a blast of twenty- and fifty-over cricket, not to mention England going for a Test whitewash of Sri Lanka. Just as the Championship was boiling up nicely. There were lots of fine performances this week, including some in the T20, and several failed to make my Eleven, which reads as follows:

Duckett (Nor), Malan (Mid), Borthwick (Dur), van Buuren (Glo), B Taylor (Not), Wessels (Not +), Rashid (Yor), Bresnan (Yor), Batty (Sur), Wagner (Lan), Leach (Som)

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).

Team of the Week 16th May 2014 - the Colly and Yuvy show

Three major tournaments to pore over this week, as the County Championship and IPL were joined by the inaugural round of Nat West T20 Blast matches. Despite that, there were few opening batsmen to really stand out. Finch and Sehwag enjoyed one good score each in the IPL but Lendl Simmons picked up 118 runs across the week for for Mumbai. Top of the lot was Graeme Smith, whose 103 laid the foundations for a final day rally by Surrey to clinch ther first Championship in for yonks.

David Warner was in the runs for Hyderabad, plundering an aggregate 111 runs in 63 balls, the best performance being his 31-ball 55 against the Indians. Sangakkara's 159 was compiled when the match was alreay drawn so I've gone for the hard-hitting Nottinghamshire batsman Riki Wessels at number four. Today he struck a cameo 25 in 18 in the T20 but his 156 in the Championship fixture against Northants was completed in a T20-esque 152 balls.

North and Styris excelled in today's Blast but in India Yuvraj Singh proved there's life in the old dog yet. After a miserable run, he produced a couple of stupendous innings for Bangalore, including sixteen sixes, plus a 4-35 to demonstrate his all-rounder credentials. For Sussex, Luke Wright (189) and wicket-keeper Ben Brown (163) shared a record sixth wicket county partnership, then a few days later, Wright added another rapid 56 in the T20 against Surrey. Both he and Brown stake their places in my Team of the Week with ease.

Neil Dexter and Darren Stevens came close but the best all-rounder candidate is Paul Collingwood. He followed a 74 in the first-class match versus Sussex with a rapid 62 and 3-29 in the 20-over stuff this evening. Not far behind is Colly's former Durham colleague, Liam Plunkett. Now at Yorkshire, the ex-England seamer produced not one but two excellent all-round performances this week, but his 75-ball 86 batting at number nine in the four-day victory against Notts was the most eye-catching.

Jack Brooks almost features in my XI again, while Ajmal Shahzad out-bowled even Peter Siddle for Notts earlier in the weeks. Nevertheless, the final two bowling spots go to Tim Murtagh and Chris Tremlett. They each took six cheap wickets for their counties to bring about last day victories.

So, no out-and-out spinners this time. Even Tambe failed to make the grade. So my Team of The Week reads: Smith (Sur), Simmons (Mum), Warner (Hyd), Wessels (Not), Yuvraj Singh (Bang), Wright (Sus), Collingwood (Dur), Brown (Sus +), Plunkett (Yor), Tremlett (Sur), Murtagh (Mid)