Category: Cricket

Defeats for Kent and Lancashire keep them in the relegation slots but Somerset still have a shot at glory

By Gary Naylor for the 99.94 Cricket Blog

With Surrey only able to draw at Trent Bridge against a resilient Nottinghamshire, Somerset needed a win to apply a little pressure to the serial champions. With their top three back in the hutch after an hour, somebody needed to bat well to avoid wasting the chance to bat first against the Kookaburra ball.

Surrey’s lead at the top of Division One is now 35 points, while Lancashire and Notts slip towards trouble

No hattrick for Worrall but Lancashire in trouble at 36-3, still 204 behind. A hard morning for poor old Rocky Flintoff but, Ali reminds me, his dad dropped a handful of catches off Wasim Akram on debut - so he’s in good company.

“Me debut was a disaster,” Flintoff said. “Played against Hampshire, down at Portsmouth on the army ground. Wasim [Akram] was playing, and Bumble [David Lloyd, then Lancashire coach], he said I was the best slip catcher he’s ever seen, I think, and I catch pigeons. I do, but in kids’ cricket!

Tawanda Muyeye gave Kent a glimmer of hope against Worcestershire, while there were runs aplenty at Bristol

My son tells me that one of the Test umpire’s is wearing carbon-plated running shoes – things have moved on a bit since Dickie Bird’s plimsolls.

They’ve made it on to the field at CLS, but Durham are without their main strike bowler Neil Wagner, who is having an MRI scan after slipping and injuring his shoulder yesterday. Ben Raine has already removed Lyndon James, for 56, after Ollie Robinson (that one) dropped him off Callum Parkinson but caught him the next over. Notts 228-9, still a mountainous 303 behind.

The Division One leaders were in dominant form again while Essex made a strong start to their delayed match against Hampshire

A classic CCLive dismissal! Mohammad Abbas, still slim as a pencil, fizzes one into Robin Das’s shinpads. Essex 12-1.

Lancashire have their first breakthrough as Dom Sibley opts not to play a shot at Will Williams. Surrey 86-1.

Surrey honoured Graham Thorpe before Rocky Flintoff, the 16-year-old son of Andrew, got off the mark for Lancashire

And after a six week wait, Tom Haines is the first Championship wicket to fall – lbw to Ben Coad up in Scarborough, where Jonny Bairstow is wearing the gloves.

Starts delayed at Edgbaston, Bristol, Southampton and Merchant Taylor’s. Dampness sniffing about. This is the Met office’s verdict: “Rain moving southeastwards throughout the day, with sunny spells and blustery showers following across the north and west. Very windy during the morning, but easing through the day. Rather cool for many.”