The top flight was blighted by a series of draws, but there was some very bright cricket in Division Two
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Continue reading...Jofra Archer ends four-year wait for a red-ball wicket: county cricket, day two – as it happened
Rolling coverage from around the grounds in Div 1 and 2
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[Meanwhile, at Blackpool, Ben Compton goes to his century-warm applause round the ground as he raises his bat to all corner in a window of bright sunlight.]
The stream cameras are showing surround-sound clouds and the commentators report rising damp. Just what Durham’s were dreaming on. Here come the players and the first over goes to…. Ollie Robinson.
Continue reading...County cricket: Nottinghamshire flying in Division One at the break
It’s an East Midlands double in the County Championship, with Leicestershire topping Division Two
Nottinghamshire bounced back from last week’s defeat to go into the T20 Blast break with a handy 10-point lead at the top of the County Championship. Yorkshire, enduring a tricky return to the top flight, were their victims, the leaders simply too strong at Headingley.
Continue reading...Notts beat Yorkshire, Surrey draw with Essex, and more: county cricket day four – as it happened
Nottinghamshire dance into the Championship’s early summer break at the top of Division One, after bowling Yorkshire out just before tea at Headingley
And now D’Oliveira follows at New Road…a third for Rushworth. This turning into rather a sad little procession.
Worcestershire lost two in two balls and suddenly that run chase tilting uphill – one for Woakes, one for Rushworth., Roderick and Kashif gone.
Continue reading...County cricket talking points: Notts stay top but Surrey are on the prowl
Nottinghamshire remain top of Division One after defeat at Durham but, cue the Jaws music, the champions are coming
At the end of day one, Haseeb Hameed had carried his bat for 206, his team had posted more than 400 and Nottinghamshire’s position at the top of Division One was secure. At the end of day four, all of that was still true but quite a lot had happened in-between.
Continue reading...County cricket talking points: Notts soar higher as Lancashire sink lower
Nottinghamshire hammered Hampshire to take a 12-point lead at the top, while Lancashire fell to another bad defeat
A second consecutive win – a 366-run evisceration of Hampshire – lifted Nottinghamshire 12 points clear at the top of Division One. Haseeb Hameed’s team are clearly the outstanding team in the Championship with more than a third of the season already gone.
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His first of the season, and as elegant and composed as ever, but the only centurion in Surrey’s innings, whereas Warwickshire had three. Surrey 399-9, trail by 266. I wonder if Warwickshire will risk their bowlers again and ask Surrey to follow-on.
An early wicket at Hove, where the nightwatchman Ben Allison is gobbled up by Hudson-Prentice. Worcs 120-4, need another 231. The smart money with Sussex.
Continue reading...Notts beat Hampshire, Essex v Yorkshire and more: county cricket – live
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It looks hot at Hove, the sun umbrellas up around the ground, slips picking at their sleeves. Gibbon thinks he’s had a driving Coles caught behind, but no cigar. Sussex 94-3, a lead of 198.
A Sunday morning start to proceedings at Trent Bridge after Hampshire initially lose the ball following a wild delivery from Brad Wheal. Liam Patterson White has reached fifty, the partnership with Jack Haynes an invaluable 113.
Continue reading...County cricket day two: Warwickshire’s batters go big against Surrey – as it happened
Ed Barnard and Zen Malik celebrated centuries as Warwickshire put up a first-innings total of 665 against Surrey
When Abbas played for Hampshire his trousers always used to be slightly too short. The Notts kitman/woman seems to have measured his legs correctly. A magical slip of a man. At the other end Brett Hutton is an old fashioned, underrated, broad of beam tricksy English seamer. A pleasing combination and not easy to face on this pitch.
And there is Abbas’s first wicket for Notts! Gubbins a 13-ball duck. Hants 31-2.
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He may have been due a rest anyway but Latham and Webster in Warks team means no Michael Booth, their second-leading wicket taker (and tormentor of Harry Brook last week). Booth, Zimbabwe born, is qualifying for England but still an overseas player at present.
More on the PSL’s shift to the UAE.
Continue reading...County cricket talking points: Bears beat Bairstow to go second
There were plenty of thrilling finishes this week, but more could be done to eradicate dull draws
If you were asked which recent England player had delivered these results – lost by five wickets, won by 504 runs, drawn, lost by five wickets – you would guess Jonny Bairstow, wouldn’t you?
Continue reading...County cricket day three: Warwickshire beat star-studded Yorkshire
The Bears and Leicestershire secured victories inside three days on another busy weekend of action
After pulling a muscle on 99, diving for the line during a quick single, Cox completes his hundred muscling a reverse-sweep before hobbling off to field concerned phonecalls from England. A fabulous hundred. Essex 251-4 and a lead of 312.
How is Warwickshire’s chase going? Pretty well, although Hamza Shaikh has just been caught by YJB off new boy Buckingham and Davies lost his off stumps to a screamer from Ben Coad. Only 125 more needed.
Continue reading...County cricket talking points: Notts take top spot but Surrey are stalking
Josh Tongue was on form again as Nottinghamshire beat Sussex to move ahead of the pack in Division One
Josh Tongue’s second five-fer of the season will have England’s chief selector, Luke Wright, licking his lips at the prospect of getting the tall pacer back in the phalanx of fast bowlers all countries need these days. For now, Haseeb Hameed is having his say about his speedster’s work and Nottinghamshire sit atop Division One as a result.
Continue reading...County cricket day four: Derbyshire draw with Middlesex – as it happened
Zafar Gohar’s half-century helped Middlesex secure a draw against Derbyshire in the only County Championship match in this round to make it to the fourth day
And now Eskinazi slips through the Derbyshire fingers, gloved behind – the ball seems to fly off the gloves of Guest and loop just short of the sprawling close fielders. Derbys 94-1.
A couple of cricketing letters:
Continue reading...County cricket talking points: it’s tight at the top in both divisions
The usual suspects may take the big prizes come the autumn, but it’s been a spring for the underdogs
In a round short on thrills, there was a sensational fourth morning at Chelmsford, where Worcestershire’s Ethan Brookes and Essex’s Jamie Porter were both cast in the role of a hero who wasn’t quite – for different reasons.
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