Durham profit from verdant outfield to triumph
It was a late-April miracle that the Worcester groundstaff had coaxed New Road into action at all after the pitch was underwater for 39 days across five different floods during the winter. It still bore the scars, however, a verdant outfield that Worcestershire’s New Zealand fast bowler Jacob Duffy called “the slowest outfield he’d ever played cricket on”, and a surface that promised great bounty to the bowlers.
And, in a match played at double-speed, it was injury-hit Durham who came out the best with a six-wicket win in a game where the highest individual score was 42. Twenty wickets fell on the second, and final, day, as first Durham were bundled out for 136, and then a hyperactive Worcestershire limped with chocolate sticks to 81 all out – Ben Raine, unplayable at times, taking four for 20 and Codi Yusuf four for 26. It left Durham chasing 108 for victory. There were hiccups on the way but 20 year old Ben McKinney, rated so highly by England, was resolute in his 34, helped out by twenties from Ollie Robinson, Will Rhodes and Graham Clark.
Delighted Durham return home to stitch up their walking wounded, while Worcestershire ponder a second successive loss despite taking a first-innings lead.
Somerset just about kept Surrey in check on an Oval pitch with occasional bite. Surrey’s powerhouse top six, made up of four batters jilted by England and two men in possession, is an ominous sight and Dom Sibley and Rory Burns made excellent progress on a sunny Saturday morning. But, after lunch, Burns was undone on 76 by a spitting delivery by Lewis Gregory which followed him like a homing pigeon, landing on his top glove before flying to slip. Gregory then bowled Ollie Pope for one. Sibley and Jamie Smith batted like fire and ice, until Sibley had a wanton dance at Jack Leach and was bowled for 53. Smith was well caught for 58 and Somerset chipped away, fielding with great panache. Surrey had a lead of 38 at stumps, helped by a huge early evening six from Gus Atkinson, with three wickets in hand.
Nottinghamshire have victory in sight at Trent Bridge after stretching to a first-innings lead of 131 over Sussex despite Jayden Seales (four for 107) and Ollie Robinson (four for 94) causing some early morning disorder. The valuable late-order run-scrabbling came from Josh Tongue (39 not out) and Liam Patterson-White (42). Tom Haines opened Sussex’s reply and reached his fifty – and 500 runs for the season – with a six, until he was one of three wickets for the Australian Fergus O’Neill, who finishes his excellent spell with Notts at the end of this round. There were two wickets for Farhan Ahmed, and Sussex shuffled to a lead of 64 at stumps, but with only three wickets in hand. Robinson, who bowled 25 overs in Nottinghamshire’s innings, thought Sussex had a chance if they could catch a lead of 150. He also waved in the direction of Rob Key.
“Obviously, I’d love to play international cricket again and I hope that by bowling these longer spells I can prove I can still do that. I’d just like to put my name back in the hat, really.”
Martin Andersson showed his former club, Middlesex, just what they were missing after he hit 107 to put Derbyshire in a strong position at the County Ground. Middlesex then lost three early wickets, one of them to Andersson, who also snaffled a catch. Leus du Plooy retired hurt after his right foot was squished by a yorker from Luis Reece.
Leicestershire and Gloucestershire are still toe to toe after an absorbing day at Bristol. Fifties from Lewis Hill, Ben Cox and Ian Holland helped Leicestershire to a first-innings lead of 10, an excellent result from the doldrums of 37 for four. Dom Goodman collected his first five-wicket haul.
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The Oval groundstaff are busy on the outfield, hammering down one pitch and covering others in tarpaulin. Above the pavilion roof three flags fly in the milky blue April evening sky.
Congratulations to Durham and commiserations to Worcestershire, the second time in a row that they’ve lost after a first-innings lead.
Time for me to go, we’ll be back tomorrow, thanks for your messages – bye!
Close of play scores
DIVISION ONE
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 300 v Sussex 169 and 195-7
The Oval: Surrey 321-7 v Somerset 283
New Road: Durham 136 and 108-4 BEAT Worcestershire 162 and 81 BY SIX WICKETS
DIVISION TWO
Derby: Derbyshire 472 v Middlesex 101-3
Bristol: Gloucestershire 252 and 88-2 v Leicestershire 262
(returning quickly as Clark throws the bat with abandon, and caught behind off Pretorius – the Surrey lead 22 now 7 down)
With New Road over in two days, Sussex in big trouble (the lead 37, only three wickets left), Somerset holding Surrey in check, Middlesex wobbling and things neck and neck at Bristol, time for me to write up. BTL remains open, as always.
Durham have beaten Worcestershire by six wickets
It’s all over on the New Road grassland. Durham get to the target without too many worries, led by McKinneys’ 34, propped up by twenties from Rhodes, Robinson and Clark.
New Road: Durham 136 and 108-4 BEAT Worcestershire 162 and 81 BY SIX WICKETS
A third for Gregory! A cracking tumbling catch by Leach at long leg as Ryan Patel top-edges a pull. Surrey 283-6 and scores are level. Big Somerset energy.
I think Durham can now tuck this one behind their ear – just 13 needed. While at Trent Bridge, Coles and Simpson are going to have to bed in for the rest of today and a good deal of tomorrow with the Sussex lead just 19.
A clink of dancing bails is followed by a huge roar by Gregory. Foakes gone for 42, Surrey 266-5 and this is a good fightback by Somerset to contain this Surrey top five. Surrey 266-5, the deficit 17
As Somerset take the new ball, and Durham shuffle towards victory at New Road, a look around the grounds…and hold that thought as young McKinney is caught with both hands by a diving D’Oliviera. Durham still need 36, six wickets in hand, main man out.
Durham have lost a third at New Road, to bring in out-of-sorts Ollie Robinson. McKinney still there on 29. 45 needed.
A crouching Smith unwinds to pull Aldridge. It sounds gorgeous, but it’s a top edge, and a back peddling Gregory takes the catch. Smith gone for 58. Surrey 246-4. But there’s not much respite for Somerset – as it brings out Dan Lawrence.
An early wicket for Leicestershire, that man Holland again. Charlesworth caught for three. While here at The Oval, where the beers have started to talk in parts of the stands, Smith has reached his fifty, and, in the company of Foakes, has that Somerset total in sight. Surrey 244-3
An early wicket for Middlesex, as they climb the mountain of Derby’s 472: Fernandes caught man of the moment Andersson, b Tickner. Middx 40-1.
Durham have lost a second, but the target has shrunk to 6.6 Ali’s man, maybe England man, McKinney 16 not out.
Fergus O’Neill, unexpectedly in the shadows during Sussex’s first innings, removes Alsop for four. Two quick wickets for Farhan Ahmed. Sussex in trouble, still 19 behind, already four wickets down.
A second in the space of two overs for Farhan 🧙♂️#NOTvSUS | 📺 https://t.co/kpLAMvOp8p pic.twitter.com/wRQKOSVjKm
— Nottinghamshire CCC (@TrentBridge) April 26, 2025
An inevitable early wicket at New Road. Lees bowled for two.
I spoke to the fabulous Worcestershire groundsman Stephen Manfield for this year’s Wisden, who at that time had dealt with five floods. He was excellent on the trials and tribulations of dealing with flooding.
The amount of time flood water settles on the ground makes a difference. Two days, fine. Two weeks? The grass will almost definitely die because of all the debris and silt. Last winter Manfield took the top of the square off, scraped until he removed the layer added by the river, replanted and covered everything with a tent, using the MacLeod system. The April flood could have ruined everything, but luckily it drained quickly.
The stress can be a seemingly trival thing - is a flood coming? Is it not? How long will it stay? There are times when you think, oh bollocks to this, I don’t need this in my day. You have to love it in some form to put yourself through it.
Tea time-ish scores
DIVISION ONE
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 300 v Sussex 169 and 102-3
The Oval: Surrey 218-3 v Somerset 283
New Road: Worcestershire 162 and 81 v Durham 136 Durham need 108 to win
DIVISION TWO
Derby: Derbyshire 472 v Middlesex 18-0
Bristol: Gloucestershire 252 v Leicestershire 262
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The Durham chase is underway…
See here, for the fast-approaching Yusuf, as mentioned yesterday.
Codi Yusuf has four and Worcestershire are all out for 81. #ForTheNorth pic.twitter.com/y3SwI0HzCb
— Durham Cricket (@DurhamCricket) April 26, 2025
They’ve also taken tea at Bristol, where Leicestershire were eventually all out for 262 – a lead of ten. An excellent recovery from 37 for four. Fifties for Hill, Holland and Cox; five wickets for Dom Goodman.
Durham need 108 to win
Eyes to New Road where Worcestershire have limped with wilted sticks to 81 all out. Four for Yusuf, four for Raine, two for Ball. They take tea before Durham tackle the daemons.
Barnacle removed! Sibley, a man suddenly transformed, dances at great speed down the pitch to Jack Leach, and is bowled! Surrey 188-3.
Worcs 54-6, Jake Ball once more joining the party.
Jake Ball has our sixth and Henry Nicholls departs for 25. 💪#ForTheNorth pic.twitter.com/6nAZzkbYPB
— Durham Cricket (@DurhamCricket) April 26, 2025
Leicestershire have clambered back to near parity at Bristol, Cox retired hurt on 39, Green 21 not out. Five wickets for Dom Goodman. Gloucestershire’s lead has shrunk to 19.
Fire and Ice at The Oval, where Sibley has become marooned on 43 whilst a giddy Smith has 22 from 28 balls.
A hundred for Martin Andersson!
Bouquets for Andersson – the first hundred of the round! Out for 107 and Derbyshire sitting pretty at 441-8. On must Middlesex trudge.
Haines and Hughes are making light work of Nottinghamshire, second time around. Sussex 57-0, 74 behind.
Is there any come back from 44-5? If so, Dolly ( 0 not out) is the man. Raine 3-11, Ball 1-17, Yusuf 1-10.
A roar from Somerset, a sudden silence from the crowd, as Pope goes to cut but just slices Gregory into his stumps, for one. A tasty bit of bowling. Pope hangs his head back like the lid of a kettle, but must trudge whence he came. Enter Jamie SMith, Surrey 136-2.
From nowhere, at The Oval, a wicket: Burns surprised by some nasty bounce from Davey, caught at second slip. Burns, furious with himself, a hundred for the taking, sloughs his helmet half way and mutters all the way back to the rope.
Ben Raine 3-1
Er, Worcestershire… (poor Rob Jones lbw 0). Worcs 9 for three.
Burns, bum out, whirring blade, drives Pretorius across the lime and soda grass to the rope in front of me. Surrey 120-0.
The game at New Road moves into fast-fast forward – as Ben Raine bowls Gareth Roderick for a third-ball nought. Jake Ball purrs in at the other end. And quickly, another, Libby, a second for Raine. Worcestershire 3-2, a lead of 29.
Lunchtime scores
DIVISION ONE
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 285-9v Sussex 169 still in play
The Oval: Surrey 99-0 v Somerset 283
New Road: Worcestershire 162 v Durham 136
DIVISION TWO
Derby: Derbyshire 369-5 v Middlesex
Bristol: Gloucestershire 252 v Leicestershire 189-5
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A successful morning for Surrey, and as the players walk up the steps to the dressing-room, the spectators pour onto the pitch, to inspect the square and other things. Three people appear to have brought a rug and are sitting down to have a picnic. Lunch scores to follow.
An over of Jack Leach to bring on lunch.
Josh Tongue is waving bat, and bloomers, at the selectors – four fours in his 29 not out to complement his five wickets yesterday. He’s just lost his partner Patterson-White (42) after Sussex were frustrated by a ninth-wicket partnership of 71.
Fifty for Rory Burns, his second of the season. He raises his bat for brief, smart, wave at the dressing room. And now a stray delivery from Gregory flies down to the rope for four byes.
Somerset need to come up with something, somewhere, quickly. Burns and Sibley have laid the foundations and are already planning a conservatory. Surrey 87-0.
Clark’s vigil is over at New Road, Ben Allison rearrangig his stumps. But Durham are inching towards parity – just 55 behind now, though the thick pile outfield makes this a more challenging total than usual.
Sibley is jackknifed by Gregory, but after some stretching and bending, is able to carry on.
Round the grounds with an hour gone:
Clark and Drissell are dragging Durham towards three figures: Durham 94 for six.
Burns and Sibley sailing the good ship Surrey towards lunch, the waters calm: Surrey 52-0.
Notts have collapsed against Somerset, losing five for 43, including HH for 83. Four wickets for Seales, three for Robinson. Notts 224 for eight, a lead of 55.
Derbyshire bat on and on against Middlesex, 322-5; while Leicestershire have lost Lewis Hill for 55, but Holland and Cox have reduced the deficit to 98. Leicestershire 156-5.
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This Somerset attack is looking a bit samey, after Craig Overton had a back spasm during warm-up yesterday. Sibley and Burns are tucking in.
Earlier, Shoaib Bashir had a walk around the boundary – and posed for photos with some children – surplus to requirements after his loan spell with Glamorgan.
An americano from Surrey’s excellent coffee machine, and distracted by Adam Collins, doing the Surrey stream, and whose Final Word podcast was given the seal of approval by the big yellow book this year.
I’ve just read on the BBC that New Zealand (and Worcestershire’s) Jacob Duffy yesterday described New Road as “the slowest outfield he’d ever played cricket on.” Which is a) probably something to do with the winter’s multiple floods and b) something to chew over when considering the score!
A clink like a tumble of buttons onto a wooden floor as Sibley drives Davey straight and into the stumps at the non-striker’s end, Burns safely in his ground.
The loan system is one of the great innovations of the last few years. Here is Jake Ball of Somerset, Durham’s five-wicket hero yesterday:
That couldn’t have gone much better for me. I was down in Somerset struggling to get a game and I snapped up the opportunity to play for Durham. I just wanted to get out there and it was nice to confirm the fact that I was bowling quite well.
I think this has been a happy hunting ground for me. It’s a good pitch to bowl on, there’s a bit of nip but you’ve still got to put the ball in the right area.
It’s one of those pitches where, if you put the ball in the right place, something’s going to happen. There were periods where it went a little bit flatter but all in all, it’s nipped all day and as long as we can get ourselves a little lead, we can hopefully bowl them out again.
They’re a great set of lads. I’ve never been out on loan before but you want to respect everything that these guys are doing. You want to play for the badge and make sure you give 110% and that’s what I did today to get the wickets.
Durham incidentally have lost Blatherwick and Rhodes already this morning- and at 58 for six, are 104 behind in a game that looks over and out by tomorrow.
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Jayden Seales picks up the first wicket of the day – it’s at Trent Bridge, but it’s not HH. Jack Haynes caught behind for 34. Sussex will have to get a wriggle on if they want to keep Notts in check, they have a lead already, with six wickets in hand.
Four fistfuls of people in the Mickey Stewart pavilion, a good handful in the stands at The Oval, as Burns and Sibley make their way to the middle. Josh Davey has the ball at the Vauxhall End, a hazy sun stretching into position. Burns’ bat makes a beautiful clonk.
It was a good day for potential England bowlers yesterday. Here is Nottinghamshire’s Josh Tongue:
“I feel like I’m getting better each time I’m bowling. I had a very good winter going into this season. Getting the overs into me, getting that robustness in the body to bowl long spells, is what I’m aiming for.
“The pace is there and it is just now about getting that consistency into my lines and lengths and it feels like the more times I’m bowling, the more I’m getting that.”
Preamble
Good morning from London, where the runners are out, so many runners, plane trees hang heavy over the Thames and eager tourists perch on the steps of Tate Britain.
It’s day two of this fourth round, with five games in play. Lots to look out for – with Gloucestershire and Nottinghamshire eager to press their advantage, and a chance to see what this big bad Surrey batting line up can do at The Oval.
Play starts at 11am, do join us.
Friday's roundup
Gus Atkinson had the Surrey faithful purring on the day he was given his county cap. With his tiptoeing, tightrope approach and tightly knit hands, he made the ball spit like an overheated wok against Somerset. In his first over he hit Sean Dickson on the hand, who retired hurt, and later removed a softened-up Archie Vaughan, did James Rew for pace and greeted Kasey Aldridge with a missile at his neck. Jordan Clark, all muscle to Atkinson’s venom, did most of the rest, picking up five wickets, including two in two balls. Some oomplah from Lewis Gregory took Somerset to a first batting point and beyond.
A series of injuries had left Durham looking behind the fridge for fast bowlers. But their makeshift seam attack made mincemeat of Worcestershire, who were whistled out for 162. Jake Ball, arriving on a two-match loan from Somerset, celebrated with five for 47, while quickfire South African Codi Yusuf (signed on the recommendation of David Bedingham) ran in at full pelt, picked up two wickets, and worried a few more. Durham then lost four quick wickets of their own.
Josh Tongue fizzed like magnesium at Trent Bridge. Regularly hitting the high 80s, with a gravelly yorker, he pocketed five wickets, three of them in one over, as Sussex were dismissed for 169. It was his second five-fer of the season; Brett Hutton grabbed four for 53. Captain Haseeb Hameed ticked along to 67 not out in Nottinghamshire’s reply.
There was another hulking England hopeful in action at Bristol, where Leicestershire’s Josh Hull pinned big Cameron Green lbw, but Gloucestershire were mainly undone by five wickets from Ben Green, another Somerset loanee. James Bracey’s unbeaten 93 took Leicestershire past 250, before Gloucestershire encountered batting problems of their own.
David Lloyd (93) and Harry Came (73) ensured that Derbyshire had a relatively serene day against Middlesex.
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Scores on the doors
DIVISION ONE
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 164-3 v Sussex 169
The Oval: Surrey v Somerset 283-9
New Road: Worcestershire 162 v Durham 55-4
DIVISION TWO
Derby: Derbyshire 267-5 v Middlesex
Bristol: Gloucestershire 252 v Leicestershire 91-4
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