County Cricket: Essex make the early running

The fielders’ sweaters may have been extra-thick this week but at least most of the Championship fixtures ended in a positive result. Essex made it two wins in three by making short work of Lancashire at Chelmsford. The Red Roses were dismissed twice for under 150, seamers Shane Snater, Sam Cook and Jamie Porter doing most of the damage. 

Surrey also triumphed by an innings, although Kent and the bad weather extended the match into the fourth day. Centuries by Dom S|bley and Dan Lawrence fuelled the champions’ charge to a total of 543-7 declared. He may be used as the fifth bowler but Cameron Steel continues to harvest the wickets, taking his tally for the season to twenty. 

Durham registered their first victory in the top division since 2016, despatching Worcestershire by 185 runs at Kidderminster with a day to spare. The real damage was inflicted on Saturday when David Bedingham crashed 138 in 99 balls. Robinson and Clark increased Worcestershire’s target to an improbable 458, but, despite fifties from Libby, Waite and Smith, the Durham seamers Paul Coughlin, Ben Raine and Matthew Potts were too strong. 

At Taunton, a ninth-wicket stand of 139 between Craig Overton and Migael Pretorius looked to have established a winning foundation for Somerset against Nottinghamshire. However, that was as good as it got. Once Joe Clarke joined Will Young early on Sunday morning, the home attack was forced to toil wicketless for more than 100 overs. Clarke reached his double-century as the pair shattered the county’s third-wicket record which had stood for 121 years. If it hadn’t been for Monday’s heavy rain, they may well have pushed on to 400, 500, 600, …. 

At Southampton, Warwickshire openers Rob Yates and Alex Davies maintained their prolific start to the county season, but at least Middleton and Gubbins kept Hampshire in the hunt on day three, by when time was running out to force a result in worsening conditions. Second time around, Rob Yates notched another unbeaten half-century and even weighed in as a spinner with 4-37. 

Only four Division One fixtures this week, the tastiest being Hampshire’s trip to The Oval and Essex schlepping all the way north to Durham. 

Meanwhile, Middlesex and Sussex earned the first 2024 victories in Division Two. Following recent run-fests, it was the batters who struggled at Lord’s. Yorkshire’s Root and Brook contributed a grand total of 40 between them and, for all the gallant efforts of seamer Ben Coad, it was Middlesex’s Ryan Higgins whose seven wickets and steady batting at the end proved decisive. 

Zafar Gohar’s Pakistan Test career may have stalled after a solitary appearance, but his pair of 50s and second-innings 5-59 probably deserved to bring Gloucestershire success at Hove. However, young Trinidadian Jayden Seales made his mark with the ball and, when it comes to anchoring a tricky run chase, nobody does it better than Cheteshwar Pujara. 2023 demonstrated that Sussex need to make hay while the Indian is available to play for them. 

On home ground, Northamptonshire racked up an impregnable 605-6. Ricardo Vasconcelos made 182, but Karun Nair went even better. The experienced Indian player doesn’t score many centuries but when he does, they tend to be big ones. They declared once he reached 202, and Saif Zaib had ben dismissed for exactly 100. Glamorgan were spared a likely humiliation by a final-day washout. 

Leicestershire were similarly robbed by the rain whilst in a commanding position against Derbyshire. Marcus Harris (214) outscored the whole of the home side’s first innings. Scott Currie’s six wickets was his best tally so far in a nascent career, but the match was called off with only four wickets to fall. 

Sussex rest next week, so Middlesex will go clear at the top by defeating Gloucestershire at Bristol. However, should they fail, Northants meet Leicestershire for a chance to take their place. 

Team of the Week:-  Vasconcelos (Nor), Harris (Lei), Yates (War), Nair (Nor), Clarke (Not), Young (Not), Robinson (Dur +), Higgins (Mid), Zafar Gohar (Glo),  Steel (Sur), Snater (Ess)

Warwickshire County Champions in last-day drama

So, after a Hundred-hampered, two-phase season, the destination of the County Championship fluctuated several times during the final four days before settling on Warwickshire in dramatic style. It was like a typical thriller. Red herrings, plot twists and in the climactic episode it was a peripheral character who dunit.

At the start of the week, Hampshire were in pole position to win the title for the first time since, incredibly, 1973. Beat Lancashire at Liverpool and they’d succeed. However, when they were bowled out for 143 and still ended up with a first-innings lead, it looked like being a lottery. Second time around Tom Bailey (7-37) was in devastating form and only an 80-run stand from James Vince and Liam Dawson prevented an embarrassment. Nonetheless, Lancashire’s target was, in the context of the game, a challenging one. They made a solid start and, with captain Dane Vilas at the crease, were cruising to victory. Suddenly Mason Crane grabbed wickets only for the cool-headed skipper, with one partner left, to strike the winning boundary. Hampshire’s chance had gone. 

Long-time leaders Nottinghamshire were hosting Yorkshire and had been in with a shout themselves. Joe Clarke’s 109 and Joey Evison’s 4-13 gave them hope on day two and, despite Adam Lyth’s robust 153, Ben Slater’s unbeaten 79 ensured Notts won by five wickets. However, Lancashire’s win left them an agonising half a point behind. 

Over to Edgbaston where bowlers were finding life more difficult. Warwickshire were piling on the runs until the returning Craig Overton, unplayable earlier in the summer, put on the brakes with five wickets. Given Somerset’s abysmal record this September, it was therefore amazing that they somehow notched a marginal first-innings lead and on the final morning a draw looked the most likely outcome. The home side promptly went for broke, led by Rob Yates and Will Rhodes, declaring 272 ahead. Could Somerset avoid yet another defeat? Nah. Chris Woakes claimed another three victims, as did Craig Miles so, on the very final afternoon, the Championship belonged to Warwickshire! 

In Division Two, wickets tumbled like the Government’s Brexit restrictions on foreign HGV drivers. Twenty-four fell on day one at Chelmsford and Essex had beaten Northamptonshire by an innings early the next morning. At barely 96 overs in total, it was the shortest ‘four-day’ match in Championship history! Sam Cook’s 10-41 were the most significant stats but I wonder if a points deduction will be imposed, just as it was against Somerset in their decider versus Essex last year. 

Gloucestershire also defeated Durham inside two days. Spinner Zafar Gohar took eleven wickets while all-rounder Graeme van Buuren rounded off a fine season. Nobody won more first-class matches in 2021 than Gloucester but  Essex still finished above them. What a contrast with proceedings at The Oval. Only ten wickets fell in the entire match! Chris Cooke’s 205 not out helped Glamorgan to a mighty 672-6 declared but Surrey’s top order also enjoyed two days of batting practice. Jamie Smith and Hashim Amla helped themselves to hundreds but Ollie Pope went even further. He improved his Oval record by reaching 274 before part-time spinner Hamish Rutherford ripped out his middle stump. At one stage, ‘keeper Cooke swapped places with seamer Michael Hogan to amuse themselves but it couldn’t have been much fun for spectators. In his very last innings, Rikki Clarke was given a guard of honour by the opposition and ended unbeaten on twelve. What a servant to county cricket he has been. 

Talking of brilliant veterans, Darren Stevens took 4-21 and 1-18 in Kent’s two-wicket victory over Middlesex. Very much a game of two halves, the batsmen took charge on the last two days. Mark Stoneman struck 109 for the visitors, then Ollie Robinson (109) and young Zimbabwean refugee Tuwanda Muyeye (89) seemed to be steering the match in Kent’s favour until Murtagh and Roland-Jones intervened. On the fourth morning, with just three men left, Matt Milnes and Grant Stewart saw them home for a fourth successive win. 

Worcestershire advanced to third place with a ten-wicket demolition of Leicestershire. Jake Libby top-scored with 77 and Joe Leach claimed six wickets to triumph with a day to spare. After the remaining fixture at Hove involving the bottom clubs, the wooden spoon was the unwanted property of Sussex who handed Derbyshire their first win of the season. Wayne Madsen struck 111 in the first innings but Ben Brown achieved a valiant 157. On its own this isn’t especially momentous, but no fewer than six team-mates were dismissed for ducks! Matt Critchley mopped up the tail, forcing Sussex to follow on. This time it was Brown who failed to score, but only Rawlins passed 30. An innings defeat was averted but a ten-wicket margin was still pretty decisive. 

The Championship is over for another year but top two counties Lancashire and Warwickshire will meet to decide the Bob Willis Trophy next week. Forecast showers could affect the result but if the pitch is as bowler-friendly as Liverpool or Chelmsford, it could be done and dusted by Wednesday….. 

Team of the Week: Lyth (Yor), Stoneman (Mid), Yates (War), Pope (Sur), Cooke (Gla), Robinson (Ken +), Van Buuren (Glo), Stevens (Ken), Bailey (Lan), Zafar Gohar (Glo), S Cook (Ess)