Tanya's county roundup
Despite an evening wobble, Warwickshire’s middle order probably did enough to stave off any nasty last-day surprises on a slow pitch. From the chaos of 41 for four as Surrey’s Kemar Roach ran rampant, Matt Lamb, Sam Hain and later Dan Mousley pulled the game past the follow-on and towards a draw.
Lamb’s hundred was a bucketful of strokes, 17 fours and, once in the nineties, a cheeky six flying off Roach. He finally fell to Reece Topley, he of the strutting walk back to his mark, who thundered in tirelessly, sometimes fruity with the short stuff. Hain, who was most reluctant to walk back after leaving a ball from Jordan Clark that rattled into the stumps, sculpted a patient 78. Mousley fell to a flying catch from Ollie Pope at second slip, also off Clark who, bowling with four slips and a short leg, flew in with some hostility.
Somerset’s summer started with a sad whimper, defeated by an innings and 113 runs by a rampant Hampshire at the Rose Bowl. Somerset’s second innings was dismantled first by James Fuller, who skittled the top order after Ben Green and Tom Lammonby had battled to an opening partnership of fifty; and then by Mohammad Abbas, who persuaded Steven Davies to edge to first slip with the first ball after lunch and finished with four for 22.
“We’ve very aware of it,” said Somerset’s captain, Tom Abell, of his side’s problem with collapses. “We tried to address it over the winter. We need to try not to panic.” The good news for Somerset is they should have most of their absentees back for the next game. The bad news? Their next game is against Essex. The Chelmsford pitch continued to smile sweetly at the batters as this time Kent totted up two more centuries, one to Ben Compton, the other to Jordan Cox. Compton, on his Kent debut, and who only squeezed into the team because of those injured and resting, had a previous highest score of 20 in the UK. Cox reached his hundred by bustling a single just before the close, while Darren Stevens and Tawanda Muyeye picked up fifties.
Steven Mullaney, the captain with infinite patience, made a magnificent 192 – his highest first-class score, to steer Nottinghamshire from a position of jeopardy (52 for four) to a lead of 159 against Sussex. Notts fizzed along to 534 for nine, at four an over, giving themselves time to have a bowl at Sussex in the evening chill. Haines then fell to Liam Patterson‑White, giving him his sixth wicket in the match, to complement the two sixes he heaved onto the pavilion roof in an innings of 44.
A Derbyshire collapse of four for nought in nine balls, triggered by Tom Helm and Toby Roland‑Jones, gave Middlesex a chance of forcing a win on the last day. While Ryan Higgins followed four wickets with an unbeaten 134 to give Gloucestershire a sniff of victory in a match that flew this way and that against Northamptonshire at the County Ground. Ed Pollock’s maiden first-class century gave Worcestershire the keys to the match with Leicestershire at Grace Road.
England’s Alex Lees had a successful return to the Championship after a tricky West Indies tour, making an unbeaten 163 for Durham who built a healthy lead over Glamorgan. Lees plumped for a very off-stump guard when Glamorgan came around the wicket, which worked well, though he escaped a couple of good shouts for lbw.
The groundstaff in woolly hats pull on the covers here at Edgbaston, with late wickets probably coming too late for Surrey. Elsewhere round the grounds, hundreds for Alex Lees, Ryan Higgins, Jordan Cox and Ed Pollard arrived while I was writing up. Looks like there will be a result at Grace Road, Lord’s and Hove - maybe more. That’s it from me, time to de-addle my brain. Have a lovely evening. Good night!
The players look very, very cold. Time for me to write up today’s play with Somerset down and out and things look spicy at The County Ground and bubbing at Hove , Lord’s and Grace Road.
A hundred for HIggins!
What a game! Four wickets and an unbeated 105. Gloucestershire squeak to a lead of nearly 200 in the battle of the promotion boys.
They’re back out at Edgbaston, and so is the sun, the new(ish) ball in the hands of Kemar Roach.
Jordan Cox, 84 not out, has been joined by DI Stevens, who has crashed five fours in his 26 not out. Kent 360-4.
A hudred for Alex Lees!
Never mind the stance - look at the numbers! 132 not out, 265 balls, 18 fours. Just what the new head coach, whosoever he may be, will be looking for.
Round the grounds... the weather is being problematic. The floodlights are on at Edgbaston, but the covers are too. At Lord’s the lights are on too, 99-3 with first innings centurion Eskinazi out for 15. A lead of 196 and counting.
Notts have declared - and Sussex are 8-0, a deficit of 151 on their shoulders. Worcestershire, they a-flying, Pollock and Libby putting on an unbeaten hundred for the first wicket, the lead 235 over Derby
Apologies about the delay, I was just chatting to Mark Robinson, surely one of the nicest guys in cricket. He feels Warwickshire are a better side this year, with the addition of Al Davies and Nathan McAndrew, and the knowledge of how to win.
Anyway, rain has stopped play here with Warwicks 231-5
Teatime(ish) scores
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex 514 all out (Browne 107, Cook 100, Critchley 132) v Kent 300-3 (Compton 129)
Rose Bowl: Rose Bowl: Hampshire 428 all out (Weatherley 168) v Somerset 180 and 135 all out. Hampshire win by an innings and 113 runs
County Ground: Northants 288 (Keogh 113) v Gloucestershire 223 and 206-5
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 223-5 (Lamb 106) v Surrey 428-8-dec (Foakes 132)
DIVISION TWO
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 234 all out v Durham 163-2
Grace Road: Leicester 213 v Worcestershire 348 (D’Oliveira 118 not out)and 0-0
Lord’s: Middlesex 401 all out (Eskinazi 118) and 42-1 v Derbyshire 304
Hove: Sussex 375 all out (Clark 100; Patterson-White 5-84)v Nottinghamshire 468-7 (Mullaney 192 not out)
Leicestershire all out, the Worcestershire lead 135. They’ve taken tea there, and will start to do that round the grounds in dribs and drabs. Five overs till Surrey get their hands on the new ball here at Edgbaston.
Was that a drop at leg slip? Hain gets a life off Will Jacks.
Drop down a division and Durham’s Lees and Borthwick are ploughing onwards. 77 not out for Lees in his first outing since the West Indies. Durham 144-2, 90 behind, but the earlier bad weather looks like it will prevent this game ending in anything but a draw.
Leicestershire battling, but Hill’s dismissal for 93 a blow. They trail by 146 wiht one wicket remaining. Four for Leach, a couple of wickets for Barnard and Morris and one for Pennington.
Middlesex are batting again, Maident half-centurion De Caires out for a duck. Thems the knocks. A lead of 114 over Derbyshire.
Bimey, who’d have thought Mullaney would be the first to a double century? 187 and counting as Notts turn the screw:455-7, a lead of 80.
It’s tight at The County Ground. An unbeaten fifty for Higgins with Lace proving a helpful sidekick. They’ve cobbled together a lead of 91, with five wickets in hand.
Let’s peer in at Chelmsford: where young Compton is going great guns, 129 not out on his Kent debut, Jordan Cox 5o not out: Kent 280-2, 234 behind as this match trundles towards a draw.
Topley strides back to the top of his run-up like a contestant in America’s Next Top Model. Quite the slouchy swagger. He lets one fly over Mousley’s head.
Hampshire beat Somerset by an inning and 113 runs
Rose Bowl: Hampshire 428 all out (Weatherley 168) v Somerset 180 and 135 all out
Abbass 4-22, Fuller 3-12. Hampshire 23 points; Somerset one.
The good new for Somerset - they should have most of their absentees back for the next game, including Craig Overton, Jack Leach and Jack Davey who’ve been playing against Cornwall. The bad news? Their next game is against Essex.
A hundred for Lamb, fifty for Hain
I left the room, and both Warwickshire batters passed their milestones. Lamb with a pull over the rope, courtesy of a misfield ; Hain with a tickle off Topley . Lamb’s century, his first in three seasons. A great afternoon for the Bears after a tricky first hour. Warwicks 198-4
Well done son cousin:
Ben Compton 100!!! I can’t tell you how proud I am of this young man. The perseverance and belief to keep going through years of club cricket. Amazing what happens when a supportive club with good people get behind someone! @KentCricket @CountyChamp
— Nick Compton (@thecompdog) April 9, 2022
Updated
Gloucs have a lead, but it is a fragile one, with just half the wickets gone. Higgins, fresh from four wickets, 34 not out: 119-6. Would it be unfair, or a huge compliment, to call him the heir to Darren Stevens?
Somerset down to the barest of bones.
Hain and Lamb pass the hundred partnership mark - 100 from 175 balls - and throttle on upwards. Lamb 79, Hain 45. Roach 3-52 still firing them in, But Surrey partaking in some head scratching, as Amla offers Roach some advice.
It’s all happening after lunch:
A hundred from the Compton dynasty making machine: this time Ben, against Essex. Kent 224-2.
Cover your eyes ye Somerset fans. A wicket lost with the first ball after lunch, courtesy of Mohammad Abbas. He grabs two more, Barker one and Somerset are 101-8, 147 behind Hampshire’s first innings. In like a lamb, out like a lion?
Anyone at Sophia Gardens? Seems Alex Lees is taking a most peculiar stance. It’s working ok though, he’s 61 not out and counting. Durham 90-1
I have never seen anything like this before, taking off stump guard to the next level pic.twitter.com/RChj7RdBVb
— Will (@will_0822_) April 9, 2022
Respect to anyone out there watching in person today. When I went downstairs to get my lunch (delicious mushroom stroganoff, incidentally) I saw spectators coming through who had obviously spent the morning outside. Shoulders hunched like clothes hangers, hand struggling to pull off glove.
About time for it to start hailing in Cardiff. Just off to grab some lunch, back shortly.
Lunchtime scores
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex 514 all out (Browne 107, Cook 100, Critchley 132) v Kent 200-2
Rose Bowl: Hampshire 428 all out (Weatherley 168) v Somerset 180 and 88-4
County Ground: Northants 288 (Keogh 113) v Gloucestershire 223 and 93-4
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 136-4 v Surrey 428-8-dec (Foakes 132)
DIVISION TWO
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 234 all out v Durham 88-1
Grace Road: Leicester 128-6 v Worcestershire 348 (D’Oliveira 118 not out)
Lord’s: Middlesex 401 all out (Eskinazi 118) v Derbyshire 256-6
Hove: Sussex 375 all out (Clark 100; Patterson-White 5-84)v Nottinghamshire 332-7 (Mullaney 126 not out)
I had a dig around for this after it was mentioned BTL (thank you stoneinatincan)
"The volume of cricket we play in the county game, and now with The Hundred, it's probably marginally unsustainable."https://t.co/suc4tsUl0r
— The Cricketer (@TheCricketerMag) April 7, 2022
Lovely! Matt Lamb moves to fifty with his ninth four. Warwicks 113-4. And a fourth Somerset wicket gurgles miserably down the plughole, Hildreth not able to repeat his first-innings stoicism. Somerset 88-4
A new job for Chris Silverwood, discarded after the Ashes fiasco, as Sri Lankan men’s coach.
JUST IN: Chris Silverwood has been appointed as the head coach of the Sri Lanka men's team 🇱🇰 pic.twitter.com/rXIFfzhaw8
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) April 9, 2022
Things suddenly not quite so rosy for Somerset as Lammonby and Abell quickly follow Green back to the pavilion, via the lesser-regarded arm of James Fuller. From 50-1 to 57-3 with not even a Lindt lindor egg to cheer things up.
Discuss:
I’ve said it for years now and won’t be popular but should be 3 divisions, 6 teams in each. 10 championship games a season. Allows for better quality cricket and preparation for all involved. https://t.co/XP7IMlBort
— Rikki Clarke (@RikkiClarke81) April 9, 2022
Down the garden and through the back gate into Division Two:
The weather is smiling at Sophia Gardens, but Durham have already lost Michael Jones in their truncated first innings. Lees is still there.
Leicestershire mounting a recovery of sorts, losing Ackermann for 12 but Lewis Hill still there, 51 not out. Three wickets for the indefatigable Joe Leach.
At Lord’s, Middlesex’s superior firepower is showing as Derby stumble to 226-6, still 175 behind. One each for Murtagh and Bamber this morning.
And a captain’s knock from Steven Mullaney, 106 not out, puts Notts in touching distance of Sussex. Surely the most put-upon county captain in recent years. Moores the only wicket to fall this morning, to Rawlins.
A wander round the grounds:
DIVISION ONE
Kent doing nicely on what seems a benign Chelmsford track: 150-1, with fifties for both Muyeye and Compton. Kent 150-1
Ben Green has just been out at the Rose Bowl, bowled Fuller for 20, but otherwise things looking remarkably rosy for Somerset, considering. Somerset 54-1, Lammonby 30 not out.
Gloucestershire: oh dear, oh dear. 30-4: two for Berg, two for Sanderson.
And at Edgbaston, Lamb and Hain battling down but the follow on target of 279 looks a long way away. Warwickshire 72-4.
All change at New Road. The old groundsman out, Tim Packwood is leaving, after more than 30 years in the job.
Guy Hornsby -Surrey are looking good for putting one over the Champs
Morning from sunny Sale @tjaldred, where it's still two jumper cold. As an exiled Surrey fan I'm pretty happy with the game so far at Edgbaston. We need to get a wriggle on here though if we're hoping for a win. Roach looks in great nick, and could be a key signing.
— Guy Hornsby (@GuyHornsby) April 9, 2022
Interesting timing here... https://t.co/ZxXawXrjrB
— George Dobell (@GeorgeDobell1) April 8, 2022
Updated
Well he couldn’t win every day: Bracey back in the pavilion for eight, caught off Berg. Gloucestershire wobbling alarmingly: 11-2. As are Warwickshire: 41-4, Yates gone for a pretty, six boundaried, 32.
Yates caresses his fifth boundary of the day, making it three from Roach’s over as he rushes to 31.
Do get in touch: whether you’re washing the car (does anyone do that any more - used to be one of my dad’s regular weekend jobs) or freezing your fingers and toes in carbonite around the grounds.
Danny Briggs didn’t stick around: the second duck of Warwickshire’s dowdy scorecard: 20-3. But then Yates sends Topley for two fours in three balls. Nicely done.
Nightwatchman Danny Briggs and one of the best young batsmen around last year, Rob Yates, take guard. It is sunny but bloody freezing. An appeal for caught behind first ball - just warming-up the lungs.
Start of play scores
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex 514 all out (Browne 107, Cook 100, Critchley 132) v Kent 122-1
Rose Bowl: Hampshire 428 all out (Weatherley 168) v Somerset 180 and 15-0
County Ground: Northants 288 (Keogh 113) v Gloucestershire 223 and 5-1
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 16-2 v Surrey 428-8-dec (Foakes 132)
DIVISION TWO
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 234 all out v Durham 5-0
Grace Road: Leicester 42-3 v Worcestershire 348 (D’Oliveira 118 not out)
Lord’s: Middlesex 401 all out (Eskinazi 118) v Derbyshire 177-4
Hove: Sussex 375 all out (Clark 100; Patterson-White 5-84)v Nottinghamshire 214-5
Friday's round-up
It was a day of mixed fortunes for discarded England batsmen. Dom Sibley was bowled first ball by Surrey’s Reece Topley as the evening clouds settled over Edgbaston and Warwickshire finished the day 412 runs in arrears; while earlier at the same ground an unbeaten 132 from Ben Foakes had not only charmed the fleece-wrapped crowd but was a replica of his start to the 2021 season.
Then, Foakes made a brilliant 133 in a losing cause against Gloucestershire. In line for international honours, he slipped on a rogue sock in the Oval changing room, tearing his hamstring. It was enough to rule him out of the summer’s international cricket and in his place came James Bracey, whose Test baptism was torrid.
But the second day of the season was cheering for Bracey too. He moved through the gears from slow hand to like-the-clappers on the way to 117. He then pocketed five catches as Northamptonshire recovered from 129 for seven to take a 65-run first-innings lead against Gloucestershire thanks to a century from Rob Keogh and 66 from Gareth Berg.
Matt Critchley was last man out for Essex as they marched to a mammoth 514 at Chelmsford. Critchley arrived from Derbyshire last autumn, and was off the mark with an on-drive for four, his timing immaculate throughout his 132. Darren Stevens claimed his first wicket of the season when he bowled Adam Rossington. Ben Compton, grandson of Denis and cousin of Nick, got Kent off to a sparky reply.
Somerset’s early season starter moved from the disconsolate to the downright miserable, as Hampshire powered onwards at the Ageas Bowl. Joe Weatherley danced merrily to 168, a career best, and James Vince made a typically celestial 56. Such is Somerset’s player shortage that they had briefly to field a Hampshire player as a substitute fielder.
At Grace Road, Leicestershire spent the early evening rebuilding from six for three. Earlier the new Worcestershire captain, Brett D’Oliveira, added backbone to their innings with an unbeaten 118 alongside some sensible hitting from the lower order.
Shan Masood was stumped for 91 on his Derbyshire debut off Josh de Caires as his side fought towards Middlesex’s 401. Tim Murtagh took his 900th first-class wicket when he swung a ball into Billy Godleman’s stumps.
Sussex debutant Steven Finn gathered three wickets, including a tentative Haseeb Hameed for five, to give Nottinghamshire a scare as they chased Sussex’s 375. Earlier a maiden first-class century for Tom Clark topped a sprightly Sussex display with the bat.
Only 26.5 overs were possible at Sophia Gardens, time for Glamorgan to lose six for 42 against Durham as the lower order shuffled about after Colin Ingram fell for an attacking 87. After lunch, the groundstaff were reduced to scooping hail off the field with a tractor bucket.
A reminder that Dom Sibley made himself unavailable for international selection last winter - whether he would have been selected is a moot point. He spent the time in the nets at Edgbaston, and was batting like a prince in pre-season. Those who watched said he was playing with much more freedom straight and through the offside. And then came yesterday. Cricket, you cruel old mistress.
Preamble
Good morning from a sun-dappled Edgbaston where outside the ground the roads are a chaos of cones and holes and inside the ground the players are stretching and bending. Yesterday Ben Foakes started the season as he knows best, by making a century - not chanceless (he was dropped twice) but cogent. For Dom Sibley though, there was nothing but the agony of a first baller, leaving the champions wobbling at the close after Surrey’s declaration.
Elsewhere, there were centuries for Weatherley, Eskinazi, Critchley, Clark, D’Oliveira and Keogh. It looks like trouble for Somerset, 233 behind, and keep an eye on the game at the County Ground.
Time to track down a coffee - the excellent machine is looking suspiciously kaput.
