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: Top Two Trounced

The three leading counties were all involved in innings defeats this week, but not necessarily in the way their positions would have suggested. The top two were surprisingly slaughtered inside three days, their first losses of the summer, which evens things up quite a bit as we head into Twenty20 territory. 

Surrey’s suffering at the hands of Hampshire was the greatest shock, especially as this, at an innings and 276, was their heaviest loss in their long Championship history. Indeed, their only larger losing margins were inflicted by sides featuring Don Bradman and WG Grace! Ben Brown, Nick Gubbins and young Toby Albert each plundered centuries as Hampshire topped 600, declaring a whopping 481 runs ahead. Not even the champions’ set of internationals could retrieve that one. Seamer Kyle Abbott’s 5-25 did the damage on day one, while the spinners Liam Dawson and Felix Organ sealed the win two days later. 

Somerset also had a miserable trip, returning from Chester-le-Street two days early with just the points in the bag. Tom Abell’s return to the side as opener was a grim one and, despite his duck with the bat, Durham part-timer Ben Stokes could take enormous satisfaction from his eight wickets with ball in hand. Colleague David Bedingham continued his prolific form, too, claiming a fourth century in consecutive innings. 

Essex moved to within two points of Surrey by thrashing basement county Kent by an innings and 96 at Canterbury. Jordan Cox led the onslaught on his former side’s batsmen, clubbing five sixes in his 207. Kent made a decent response in spite of Matt Critchley’s 5-88 but were made to follow on. This time, Snater and Harmer dominated, wearing the home team down over 57 turgid overs. 

At a soggy Old Trafford, Warwickshire made a sporting overnight declaration to try and make a game of it against Lancashire. Their opener Alex Davies carried his bat for 127, while 20-year-okd Jacob Bethell was the pick of the attack. Cricket returned to the notoriously flood-prone New Road ground at Worcester, only for rain water to leave the outfield unplayable for three days. At least Nottinghamshire skipper could add another hundred to his collection, and the evergreen giant, Luke Fletcher, took his first-class wicket tally past 450.

 

In Division Two, the top two counties met at Lord’s, but the pre-match promise fizzled out into a dreary runfest. Sussex batted the first two days, including another ton from a rejuvenated John Simpson and the doughty Cheteshwar Pujara. Middlesex occupied the crease for the next two, the highest scorers being Sam Robson (135) and Ryan Higgins (106).

 Nobody else could take advantage of this stalemate as all fixtures ended as draws. Leicestershire remain third, after their home tie against Glamorgan was spoiled by the weather.  Luckily, the excitement quotient was notably higher at Northampton. There was little to choose between Northants and Yorkshire in their first innings, as Luke Procter and Adam Lyth traded centuries. Shan Masood’s unbeaten 131 prompted a declaration and a 326-run target. Things were going smoothly at 165-2, then Lyth and Revis ushered a rush of wickets. Only opener Ricardo Vasconselos held firm, and his seventeen boundaries even offered hope of an unlikely victory. Eventually, hands were shaken on a raw with two wickets or 76 runs still needed to produce a result. 

Last week, Gloucestershire racked up more than 700 runs so their first-innings total of 530 against Derbyshire must have seemed a come-down. Matt Lamb struck a career-best 207 and ‘keeper Brooke Guest’s 95 helped Derby’s total to 526 but a rapid 277 stand between James Bracey and Graeme van Buuren anchored a reply which earned Gloucester bragging rights in the inevitable draw. 

Well, now we have a four-week break to accommodate Twenty20 cricket. While England are amongst twenty nations contesting the World Cup across the Atlantic, the domestic counties are about to Blast off. NO doubt I shall get my head around the new intake of internationals and promising young biff-bashers enjoying the limelight in June. 

Team of the Week:- Lyth (Yor), Vasconcelos (Nor), Shan Masood (Yor), Cox (Ess), Lamb (Der), Brown (Ham +), van Buuren (Glo), Stokes (Dur), Dawson (Ham), Abbott (Ham), Bethell (War)

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)

My County Team of 2022

At last, a full season of cricket, post-pandemic. Too full, to be honest. With four domestic formats plus internationals to squeeze into six months, I thought the schedule ‘blocks’ worked quite well but it would be so much better if the Hundred was removed to allow free rein to the fifty-over One Day Cup during the summer, but we’re lumbered with the pointless innovation for several years to come. 

The Strauss report advocates massive changes to county cricket supposedly to benefit England’s Test, ODI and T20 teams. So why are first-class and List A competitions being diminished while The Hundred continues despite the format not being part of international cricket at all? Crazy, or what? 

Anyway, England seemed to prosper nicely in the summer’s Tests under the current system, with new skipper Stokes, Bairstow, Anderson, Root et al coping admirably with the lack of bowling resources. But what about the county system which has nurtured these England stars? Here is my annual review of the best and most consistent players across the County Championship, Royal London Cup and Blast which also provided plenty of excitement and record-breaking performances during 2022. 

Openers 

Kent’s Ben Compton and Leicestershire’s Pakistan recruit Shan Masood were quick out of the blocks and the latter was also prolific in the Twenty20, one of the few bright spots in Leicester’s dismal summer, in which they failed to register a single Championship victory. Sussex didn’t fare much better but their top order was their strongest feature, particularly Ali Orr. Haseeb Hameed was scoring runs for promoted Nottinghamshire right up to the last game, while Yorkshire’s Adam Lyth maintained his transformation from blocker to blaster. However, it’s Keaton Jennings who was one of the few who starred in all three competitions, the top scorer in Division One and a key figure in Lancashire’s limited-overs campaigns.

 

Middle Order

 

Ben Duckett and 23 year-old Harry Brook played themselves into the notebooks of England’s management early on. The Yorkshire batter averaged an amazing 107 in the Championship during his limited appearances. Tom Alsop aggregated 1,644 runs for Sussex and, when he stepped into the shoes of Shan Masood, Wiaan Mulder was a revelation for Leicestershire at the crease. His 33 wickets also helped carry the county into the 50-over quarter-finals. James Vince was the highest T20 scorer as he led Hampshire to the title, and his former colleague, in his first season with Glamorgan, Sam Northeast shattered his county’s record by easing his way to 410 not out at Leicester. In that game, the home side amassed 584 in their first innings and still lost by an innings. Extraordinary! 

He may be nudging forty years of age, but Stephen Croft’s experience and 1,774 runs played a major role in Lancashire’s excellent season and another veteran, Derbyshire’s Wayne Madsen enjoyed one of his finest seasons in the Championship and was just one shy of 500 runs in the Blast. More surprising was the enduring India Test player Cheteshwar Pujara knocking the ball around so effectively for Sussex in the One-Day Cup. Only Steve Eskinazi outscored him. He also totted up over a thousand Championship runs in only eight outings. Remarkably, on each of the five occasions he reached fifty, Pujara went on to make three figures, including two double-centuries. Even more significantly, nobody achieved as many selections (five) as he did in my Teams of the Week. 

All Rounders 

2022 wasn’t a vintage year for genuine all-rounders. These days, Stevens Mullaney and Croft and Tom Abell bowl less than they used to, so for me it’s a toss-up between Rob Keogh and Ed Barnard. The Northants man added some solidity to the middle-order and contributed 34 Championship wickets with his off-spin. The Worcestershire all-rounder’s batting has come on leaps and bounds in the past few years and 2022 saw him average almost 60 and strike three tons in the four-day tournament. His 42 wickets total overall just elevates him above Keogh in my Eleven. 

Wicket-Keeper 

This was an extremely difficult dilemma, leaving me humming and haahing for ages. Glamorgan’s Chris Cooke claimed the most Championship victims behind the stumps but John Simpson eclipsed his run tally with Middlesex, passing a thousand. Derbyshire’s Manchester-born, Aussie-qualified Brooke Gest made his first impression on me with big and small gloves but in the end it was Gloucester’s James Bracey who clinched it, courtesy of his superior strokeplay in the one-dayers. An extremely marginal decision.

Bowlers 

Craig Overton and Durham’ young Matt Potts made some headlines back in the spring, the latter earning a deserved call-up to the Test team with his ace and Stokes-like passion and pace. Seamers Abbott, Barker and Mohammad Abbas hogged the Hampshire wicket list in the first-class format while Snater and Sam Cook seamed away to great effect for Essex. Like Hampshire’s, Nottinghamshire’s attack shared most of the honours but Dane Paterson was he pick of the bunch, taking 75 wickets in total. Oliver Hannon-Dalby carried Warwickshire’s seam threat in the Championship, and Tom Bailey was always dangerous for Lancashire but Toby Roland-Jones’ promotion-winning haul of 67 at 18.8 topped the lot. As for the spinners… Well, surprise, surprise, that man Simon Harmer makes my end-of season team for the fourth year running. When he wasn’t representing South Africa, the Essex spinner was accumulating another 76 wickets and being one of the most economical men in the T20 Blast. That’s what I call consistency. 

Strangely, my County Eleven of 2022 features no members of Surrey’s Championship victors but stands as follows:- 

Jennings (Lan), Shan Masood (Lei), Pujara (Sus), Northeast (Gla), Madsen (Der), Mulder (Lei), Bracey (Glo +), Barnard (Wor), Roland-Jones (Mid), Harmer (Ess), Paterson (Not). 12^th man: Croft (Lan)

County cricket: Star Bores and Close Encounters

Much like the Trent Bridge Test match, the county week was a mixture of mostly solid batting and thrashing, although not in the same competition! Before taking a short break, the Vitality Blast featured a couple more fixtures for each team, which didn’t change the standings very much. 

Lancashire narrowly edged the Roses day/nighter at Headingley, where 25 sixes were struck. Tim David and Dane Vilas supplied ten of them in a total of 213-5, but while David Willey and Tom Kohler-Cadmore were at the crease, Yorkshire were on course for victory. However, once Gleeson caught-and-bowled him in the eighteenth over and dismissed Thompson two balls later, the momentum was lost. As a few weeks ago, it could have been a tie but it concluded with a four-run margin. Lancashire’s lead at the top of the North division could have increased to a commanding four points at Chester-le-Street, where sixes were at a premium. Raine, Sowter and Tye restricted the Lightning to 130, and yet Richard Gleeson’s 4-19 kept them in it al the way to the penultimate over when Liam Trevaskis thumped Liam Hurt for successive boundaries and Durham nicked it with three balls to spare. 

In the South division, Surrey beat Middlesex and Somerset defeated Gloucestershire in their respective derby fixtures to remain at the head of the table. However, the London side maintained bragging rights by winning their subsequent County Championship duel at Taunton. After taking a first-innings advantage of 202, Somerset did at least show some third-day fight, thanks to Lewis Gregory’s century but, with an attack missing Craig Overton, his brother Jamie plus Will Jacks saw the Division One trailblazers home by three wickets. 

Hampshire claimed their fifth success of the season but also faced a thrilling finale. Hosting Yorkshire, it all boiled down to a tense final afternoon. Eventually, on top of the ECB anti-racism charges, Yorkshire succumbed to an onslaught by Liam Dawson before Fuller’s cheeky ramp shot took them over the line at 6pm. 

At Edgbaston, Warwickshire and Lancashire were even-Stevens on first-innings totals, then Alex Davies’ 121 helped the home team to declare near the end of day three, setting a target of 329. Opener Luke Wells responded with a brilliant unbeaten 175 to take the spoils and remain in the title hunt. 

At the bottom, neither Gloucestershire nor Kent had won before this week, and it was the former who remain winless after Kent stormed to an eight-wicket victory. Cox and Leaning had hit tons early on but, with New Zealand-qualified Glenn Phillips in the runs, the visitors had hopes of forcing a draw. However, Jacob Duffy’s five-for on debut ended resistance, and the Kent top-order were left with little work to do. 

In Division Two, Hill and Ackermann did their best to take Leicestershire to a summer’s best 440, just 108 behind leaders Nottinghamshire’s Duckett-assisted 548. Could they spring a surprise? Er, no. Liam Patterson-White’s 4-15 was instrumental in a dismal collapse and an innings defeat. Derbyshire were perhaps surprising winners against Middlesex at the Chesterfield festival. After a recent lean spell, Shan Masood was back on form, as indeed he was in the T20 matches a few days earlier.

Glamorgan’s batters aren’t normally the strongest in the county game, so the Cardiff faithful could be forgiven a few double-takes as Ed Byrom and Colin Ingram shared a triple-century stand against Sussex. However, both failed second time around in what had seemed a simple run chase. Fortunately for them, Carlsen and Northeast steadied the ship and Chris Cooke struck the winning boundary off Lenham. Share a thought for Sussex's young Oli Carter, who aggregated 268 runs and finished on the losing team.

There were plenty of runs at Chester-le-Street but a dearth of competitive excitement. 1294 for 17 wickets signified an unequal contest between bat and ball and if this is what the ECB are demanding as preparation for flat Test pitches, then heaven help us, and the game of cricket. With Covid claiming victims in the NZ Test squad, 22 year-old Rachin Ravindra made a claim for an emergency call-up, compiling 217 in Durham’s mighty 672-7 declared. Worcestershire replied in kind, their all-rounders D’Oliveira and Barnard matching their Durham oppos Raine and Coughlin with their own hundreds. Their bowling figures were less impressive…. 

This coming week is all Blast action, although I’ll be heading somewhere less renowned for its cricket. Never mind, after a three-year holiday hiatus, I’m looking forward to a spell of sun and scenery in Kefalonia. Twenty20 will just mean it’s approaching dusk and time for a post-dinner stroll. Bliss!

Team of the Week: Ravindra (Dur), L Wells (Lan), Carter (Sus), Cox (Ken), Jacks (Sur), Phillips (Glo), Raine (Dur), Moores (Not +), Critchley (Ess), Patterson-White (Not), Wheal (Ham) 

County Batters run riot

At the end of last week, all four Division One counties batting first racked up scores well in excess of 500. Pity the spinners twirling away for hours with no reward: Danny Briggs and Simon Kerrigan ended with figures of 1-166 and 0-177, respectively. The opening run blitz almost guaranteed there being no results. 

Bristol hosted the exception. Tom Abell’s 142 and a run-a-ball 89 from Lewis Gregory helped Somerset to 591-7 declared, a total Severn derby rivals Gloucestershire failed to match in two attempts. For the first time this season, Somerset’s line-up looked as strong as in 2021 and Jack Leach led the march to victory, taking 8-90. 

At Beckenham, Surrey set a remarkable new world record for first-class cricket. Their 671-9 was the highest total to include no centuries! Pope, Overton and Foakes each passed 90 but none pushed on to three figures. Jamie then chipped in with 3-37 as Kent slipped to 230, but rain ensured league leaders Surrey couldn’t press home their advantage. 

The Roses fixtures always make headlines, and Joe Root’s 147 was, surprisingly, his first against Lancashire in the County Championship. However, James Anderson dismissed him for four in the second innings. The former England captain notwithstanding, Lancashire dominated the game from the off, as Keaton Jennings followed last week’s 110 with an even more impressive  238. Meanwhile, at Edgbaston, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire served up a rather dreary draw to suck the life out of bowlers. There were 1,165 runs but only ten wickets. Vasconcelos and Young shared an opening stand of 287 for the visitors then, in response, Sam Hain and Matt Lamb extended their partnership to 254 as the game petered out. Luke Procter also made 100 not out but Warwickshire captain Will Rhodes missed out, dismissed for 99. 

This week, Surrey aren’t playing so Lancashire could overtake them by beating Essex at Old Trafford. I’ll cheer Somerset against Hampshire as they aim to complete a trio of triumphs following the previous three drubbings. 

In Division Two, bowlers had slightly more success. Durham and Glamorgan went as far as producing an exciting contest which could have swung either way on the fourth day. Despite another poor start, Glamorgan established a first-innings lead then Michael Neser and Marnus Labuschagne bowled them into an even stronger position. However, defending only 195, the home team regained the advantage as Matt Potts seamed his way through the line-up, taking 7-40, easily the best county figures of the week. 

At Derby, Shan Masood maintained his remarkable form with another century, and his 113 was eclipsed by number seven, Anuj Dal, who reached 114 when Godleman declared the innings at 565-8. Worcestershire avoided defeat thanks to day four stonewalling by centurion Jake Libby, Azhar Ali and first-innings ton-maker Jack Haynes. At Lord’s, leaders Middlesex kept Nottinghamshire at bay despite the latter’s dominance throughout. Notts skipper Steven Mullaney accelerated his declaration decision by launching a T20-style second-innings assault. He struck eight sixes en route to a hundred, but Sam Robson played a patient 101 not out, assisted by Max Holden’s 18 which spanned almost three hours. Struggling Leicestershire were spared another defeat, this time against Sussex, who themselves had not won for eighteen games. At 209-7 on Sunday morning, an innings defeat was on the cards, but a combination of rain showers and sturdy defence by Harry Swindells, and bowler Callum Parkinson gobbled up the overs needed by Sussex to complete the victory. 

In the last round of fixtures before Twenty20 blasts off at the Bank Holiday weekend, Middlesex entertain Durham while Nottinghamshire wait to pounce should they beat neighbours Derbyshire. Glamorgan have played a game more but, should they win and Middlesex lose, they could enter the Championship break in pole position. 

Team of the Week: Vasconcelos (Nor), Jennings (Lan), Hain (War), Root (Yor), Foakes (Sur +), Lamb (War), Mullaney (Not), Neser (Gla), Pattinson (Not), Leach (Som), Potts (Dur).

County Cricket: Surrey lead but Shan Masood breaks records

After a slow first day, the runs flowed across the country. No fewer than six of the nine Championship fixtures were won by an innings, helped by nine individual scores of 150 or more. 

Somerset looked set to turn things around when Tom Abell’s career-best 150 earned the county their first batting bonus points of the year and Peter Siddle’s 6-51 gave the country a slender first-innings lead at The Oval. However, a Ryan Patel century laid the foundations for a three-wicket victory, as neither the Aussie veteran nor Craig Overton could crack Ben Foakes. At least Somerset weren’t amongst those crushed by a huge margin.

That list included Kent, who, despite a Bell-Drummond ton, were victims of Hampshire. The trusty duo of Abbott and Barker helped themselves to wickets while captain James Vince, Liam Dawson and new recruit Ben Brown each reached three figures en route to a first innings of 652-6 declared. I don’t know why Sussex let wicketkeeper Brown move along the coast but he brings extra solidity to the batting as well as being excellent behind the stumps. He took eight catches in this match. 

Lancashire made it two wins out of two at Old Trafford, making short work of Gloucestershire. Bolton’s Josh Bohannon advanced his England credentials with an excellent 231 and, whilst James Anderson had a solid return with the ball, it was his Pakistani team-mate Hasan Ali whose aggregate of 9-96 prevented the visitors posing any challenge. 

Essex did at least force Warwickshire to bat twice, but Davies and Sibley strolled past the 107 target in 37 overs. Keeper-batsman Michael Burgess starred for the victors, combining a blistering 170 with eight victims behind the stumps. The week’s only draw came at Northampton, although Yorkshire were well on top for the first three days. George Hill, Dawid Malan and Harry Brook filled their boots with runs but Northants did well to bat through the final four sessions to avoid defeat.

 

Nottinghamshire predictably won at Chester-le-Street. Ben Slater’s unbeaten 225 and academy graduate Lyndon James’ maiden hundred proved too much for Durham, and the sound-a-like trio of Pattinson, Paterson and Patterson-White captured sixteen wickets between them. Neighbours Derbyshire easily overcame Leicestershire, too. Pakistani opener Shan Masood became the first man for his county to post successive double-centuries while all-rounder Mattie McKiernan, promoted from 2^nd XI cricket, enjoyed a knock of 101.

Worcestershire dealt Sussex a pasting inside three days at New Road. New skipper Brett D’Oliveira cracked an unbeaten 169 and his predecessor Joe Leach took six wickets, while only Pujara’s first-innings 109 and a devil-may-care 67 not out from Grant Stewart demonstrated any consistent response. 

Glamorgan’s success against Nottinghamshire last week counted for nothing as their batting collapsed twice at home to Middlesex. Former England all-rounder Toby Roland-Jones merited the plaudits with a valuable 65 and ripping through the Welsh second-innings line-up, taking 5-40.

Next week, Glamorgan will have to keep Shan Masood at bay if they are going to beat Derbyshire, while Notts and Worcester meet for a chance to top the table. In Division One, Surrey travel to Bristol, favourites to remain ahead of the rest. However, should they slip up, Hampshire and Lancashire are waiting to pounce. They meet at Southampton.

Team of the Week: Slater (Not), Shan Masood (Der), Bohannon (Lan), Abell (Som), Brown (Ham), D’Oliveira (Wor), Burgess (War, +), Roland-Jones (Mid), Barker (Ham), Patterson-White (Not), Hasan Ali (Lan)

County Cricket: Overtons in Overdrive but Essex win nailbiter

In a week when Anya Shrubsole called time on her England career and Robert Key quit his Sky job to manage the national side, Surrey finally showed they have a capable attack to support their superb batting. With the County Championship pressing the reset button and reverting to the pre-Covid two-division format, Gareth Batty’s new charges romped to the top after twice dismissing Hampshire for under 230. Jamie Overton led the third-day onslaught with six wickets following Ollie Pope’s century. 

Somerset’s extraordinary fall from grace, which began last August, continued at Taunton where Alastair Cook’s 59 was the highest score of the match. Craig Overton carried an inexperienced bowling line-up with distinction, capturing 13-87 and yet he still finished on the losing side. But only just. Shane Snater’s 6-36 gave his side a straightforward target of 84 but at 4-4, even that modest total looked unlikely. In the end, Adam Rossington saw them home with nine down. 

At Canterbury, the home team’s Ben Compton spent 220 overs at the crease for two more centuries, very nearly becoming the first Kent opener ever to carry his bat twice in a match. However, his splendid rearguard action proved unable to prevent Lancashire, for whom Croft and Vilas had struck first-innings tons, taking the victor’s point tally. Across the country at Bristol, Gloucestershire are still winless since their long-awaited promotion despite a career-best 177 from James Bracey. Harry Brook was Yorkshire’s star man with the bat, and captain Steven Patterson mopped things up with 4-43. 

In Division Two, the runs flowed even more freely, and several batsmen helped themselves to double-centuries. Not at Trtent Bridge, though. Title favourites Nottinghamshire came unstuck against Glamorgan, for whom Tim van der Gugten’s all-round performance was the pick of a good crop. Ben Duckett aggregated 217 runs in the losing cause. 

Derbyshire looked set for an innings victory when Shan Masood’s 239 and solid bowling set Sussex 331 just to force a draw. In the event, day four produced a yawn-inducing runfest, with both Tom Haines and Cheteshwar Pujara striking ‘doubles’. Skipper Haines’ 243 was the second-highest score in a follow-on innings in Championship history! Durham were always in control of their home clash with Leicestershire. Bedingham and Dickson shared a fourth-wicket stand of 234 in a total of 428, while the latter also contributed 84 in the second innings before a nominal declaration. On the fourth day, Evans and Ackermann made sure there were no hiccups and hands were duly shaken with plenty of time remaining. 

Next week, the Overton twins face each other at The Oval where Somerset have a battle to avoid yet another defeat. The Hampshire-Kent contest could be a tasty one while Glamorgan’s useful multinational outfit host Middlesex. 

Team of the Week: Compton (Ken), Shan Masood (Der), Bracey (Glo, +), Haines (Sus), Bedingham (Dur), Croft (Lan), van der Gugten (Gla), Snater (Ess), C Overton (Som), J Overton (Sur), Patterson (Yor)