Roundup: Northants and Leicestershire hold on
Six slips and three short legs stood ready to pounce as a nail-biting game went down to the final over at Wantage Road. First Northamptonshire were on top as Saif Zaib hit the boundary boards and Rob Keogh pierced the gaps, later helped by Josh Cobb. But Gloucestershire’s Ryan Higgins struck in successive balls and, with two wickets needed in the last over, Higgins dropped a tantalising caught and bowled as honours finished even.
A magnificent unbeaten century from Hassan Azad and a 60-ball 16 by their No 11, Beuran Hendricks, enabled Leicestershire to hang on by the skin of a custard at Grace Road. The unbroken last-wicket stand stood an hour and 38 minutes, causing Worcestershire much frustration.
A 50 from Wayne Madsen and another delectable half-century by Shan Masood gave Derbyshire hope of an enterprising win at Lord’s, until Middlesex’s Tom Helm took three wickets in 19 balls after tea. An abrupt about-turn followed and Leus du Plooy and Anuj Dal batted sensibly until stumps.
Nottinghamshire’s greater experience told as they beat Sussex’s callow youths by 10 wickets. Sussex fought gamely, with Ali Orr stoical at the top of the order for his 45, but a collapse of five wickets for 59 was terminal. Liam Patterson‑White finished with career-best match figures of eight for 128.
Kiran Carlson and Chris Cooke carried Glamorgan from choppy waters at Sophia Gardens to secure a draw against Durham. An elegant partnership of 92 put Durham off the scent after an early collapse. Cooke finished unbeaten on 85. In the morning Durham’s Alex Lees carried his bat, 182 not out.
Two Division One games dwindled into draws. Chelmsford’s pancake pitch served up yet more runs, as Kent surpassed Essex’s total in a game that produced five centuries. With the new signing Alex Davies breathing down his neck, the Warwickshire keeper Michael Burgess skipped to 178 off 221 balls against Surrey on the friendly Edgbaston surface.
A couple of nerve-janglers there at the end. An excellent and most unexpected start to the Championship, with two five-fers but 20* centuries. The only entirely predictable thing was Nottinghamshire’s victory, but even that unfurled in unexpected ways.
Time to walk the dog. Thanks for all you comments and hanging around. We’ll be back here on Thursday for round 2. See you then!
*please check
Results
Division One
Chelmsford Essex 514 all out (Browne 107, Cook 100, Critchley 132)and 68-1 v Kent 581-9 (Compton 129, Cox 129). Match drawn
Northampton Gloucestershire 223 (Bracey 117) and 363 (Higgins 139). Northamptonshire 288 (Keogh 113) and 272-8. Match drawn
Edgbaston Warwickshire 531 all out (Lamb 106, Burgess 178) v Surrey 428-8-dec (Foakes 132) and 43-0. Match drawn
Division Two
Cardiff Glamorgan 234 all out and 220-5. Durham 383 all out (Lees 182 no). Match drawn
Hove Sussex 375 all out (Clark 100) and 172-9 v Nottinghamshire 534-9 dec (Mullaney 192, Evison 109) and 14-0. Notts won by 10 wickets
Leicester Worcestershire 348 all out (D’Oliveira 118 no) and 234-5 dec (Pollock 112). Leicestershire 213 and 218-9 (Azad 104 no). Match drawn
Lord’s Middlesex 401 all out (Eskinazi 118) and 258-5 dec. Derbyshire 304 and 255-5. Match drawn
Apols: I’m going to have to leave you to suffer Derbyshire and Northants’s travails alone while I write up. Leicestershire nearly down and out.
Warwicks draw with Surrey
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 531 all out (Lamb 106, Burgess 178) v Surrey 428-8-dec (Foakes 132) and 43-0.
Essex draw with Kent!
They put the game out of its misery
Chelmsford: Essex 514 all out (Browne 107, Cook 100, Critchley 132)and 68-1 v Kent 581-9 (Compton 129, Cox 129)
KEOGH - SIX! Fifty for the big man.
Nottinghamshire beat Sussex by ten wickets!
Hove: Sussex 375 all out (Clark 100; Patterson-White 5-84) and 172-9 v Nottinghamshire 534-9 dec (Mullaney 192, Evison 109) and 14-0
Notts 23 pts, Sussex 5
Oh, Saif Zaib what have you done? Northants 172-4. 127 to win.
Sussex all out 172 - a valiant effort. Notts need 14 to win.
Do you remember that time that Lancs need about 20 and lost five wickets? Someone help me - I can’t remember exactly even though I was there.
The second email of the day floats in:
“Dear Tanya in pink blossomed Manc.”
Hello there, Derek Stocker.
“I am Peak District born & bred and came to Bulgaria following 12 years in Africa - Rhodesia/Zimbabwe.
“Hmm, 26 degrees here in my part of Bulgaria yesterday and today and weather, heavy rain...correction, 17,41 EET and an enormous single clap of thunder, thought the Russians were here, which appears to have caused the grey clouds to leak sleet.
“Anyway hun, to our shared passion cricket, rather specifically COUNTY cricket.
“Some very interesting performances as we are in day four of the
world’s finest four day competition.
Being a saddo for which I apologise as we could, can, are both
correct, I am sadly pedantic. You type drumming, I type drubbing. [you’re right - drubbing it is] Maybe it is a senior picky moment with you still a young lassie [she flicks her middle-aged hair] and me past my best as my pack stamp suggests.
Tanya, keep on keeping me entertained with your rather good cricket journalism for OBO.”
Thanks for putting up with this whatnot the Guardian let me get away with.
Teatime scores
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex 514 all out (Browne 107, Cook 100, Critchley 132) v Kent 481-9 (Compton 129, Cox 129)
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) and 114-3 v Gloucestershire 223 (Bracey 117) and 363 all out (Higgins 139; Sanderson 5-66) Northants need 185 to win
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 521-9 (Lamb 106, Burgess 168 not out) v Surrey 428-8-dec (Foakes 132)
DIVISION TWO
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 234 and 136-4 v Durham 383 (Lees 182 not out )
Grace Road: Leicester 213 and 147-8 Worcestershire 348 (D’Oliveira 118 not out) and 234-5 dec (Pollock 112) Leics need 223 to win
Lord’s: Middlesex 401 all out (Eskinazi 118) and 258-5dec v Derbyshire 304 and 181-2. Derbys need 175 to win
Hove: Sussex 375 all out (Clark 100; Patterson-White 5-84) and 166-8 v Nottinghamshire 534-9 dec (Mullaney 192, Evison 109)
Well batter Carlson and Cooke - an unbroken partnership of 66 to keep Durham at bay.T wo minutes till tea.
Hannon-Dalby took 67 balls to make his one. Hyper inflation means he has 11 off 81. Burgess sniffing 150
I’m embarrassed to say I just spent ten minutes reading about Brooklyn Beckham’s wedding. Two very dull games in Division One - it’s all about Gloucs v Northants. I think the odds are on a draw there too, with 191 needed, seven wickets in hand.
Leicestershire and Glamorgan holding on - just. But only two wickets left for Notts to grab at Hove. Finn has made 3 off 33 balls.
You know it’s ...fill in as required .. when Alastair Cook gets a bowl.
Dan Lawrence has collected 2-97 (including Cox for 129). Kent 564-8
Sir Alastair Cook, ever the entertainer 😂#LVCountyChamp pic.twitter.com/JRYCeI11oM
— LV= Insurance County Championship (@CountyChamp) April 10, 2022
Updated
Sussex seven down, I’m afraid. Notts-up averted.Can Steven Finn and Archie Lehman stay in till tea?
Leicestershire also seven down: Josh Baker 4-38. Azad still there, 62 from 146 balls.
And a third wicket for Gloucestershire as Ben Curran is lbw to Zafar Gohar. It’s Keogh or bust
A hundred for Michael Burgess!
Well played! And the third century of the match. There just remains a hour or so of going through the motions.
At Lord’s, a big blow for Derbyshire as Masood is caught behind. Two fifties in the match, and he’s looked a million dollars. Derby, 110-2, need another 246/Middx another 8 wickets. .
Updated
Warwickshire overtake Surrey for kudos points. Burgess needs seven more for his century if only Olly Hannon-Dalby can hang on. Great batting recovery here by Warwicks, albeit on fairly slow pitch.
A seventh catch for Bracey in the match! A second Northants wicket falls: Emilio Gay off an on form Matt Taylor.
In the race to the bottom:
Sussex slipping, sliding. Top of the order Ali Orr, out for 45, snaffled at short leg. A third for Hutton. Sussex 116-5.
Glamorgan four down: but Carlson and Cooke have the talent to bat for the afternoon....
Leicestershire have added 19 runs in the first 40 minutes after lunch - still five down
No runs in the first 20 minutes at The County Ground
And thank you so much to Romeo who has not only discovered this picture of Pujara and Rizwan in Sussex gear (we think playing second XI)
Muhammad Rizwan and Chiteshwar Pujara will together for same side in county championship match in England. pic.twitter.com/BfOEHlQwNO
— Shahzaib Ali 🇵🇰 (@DSBcricket) April 10, 2022
but discovered Rizwan will be available alongside Pujara for the next match. Congratulations Derby fans, you win the jackpot!
Time for a quick walk round the block, back shortly!
Lunchtimes scores
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex 514 all out (Browne 107, Cook 100, Critchley 132) v Kent 468-5 (Compton 129, Cox 127 ot out)
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) and 34-1 v Gloucestershire 223 (Bracey 117) and 363 all out (Higgins 139; Sanderson 5-66) Northants need 256 to win
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 411-9 (Lamb 106) v Surrey 428-8-dec (Foakes 132)
DIVISION TWO
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 234 and 34-3 v Durham 383 (Lees 182 not out )
Grace Road: Leicester 213 and 82-5 Worcestershire 348 (D’Oliveira 118 not out) and 234-5 dec (Pollock 112) Leics need 288 to win
Lord’s: Middlesex 401 all out (Eskinazi 118) and 258-5dec v Derbyshire 304 and 73-0. Derbys need 283 to win
Hove: Sussex 375 all out (Clark 100; Patterson-White 5-84) and 89-3 v Nottinghamshire 534-9 dec (Mullaney 192, Evison 109)
If Sussex can hold on, Cheteshwar Pujara will be there to man the barricades against Derbyshire. I think Mohammad Rizwan also due around the same time (if you have any info - please let me know).
And on the stroke of lunch, Vasconcelos falls! Northants 34-1
In the Division Two garden, everything is not rosy for Glamorgan, who are 22-2. Chris Rushworth, of course. They still trail by 125.
.@ChrisRush22 has 2 x @Borthwick16! #ForTheNorth pic.twitter.com/qGVo35Scmo
— Durham Cricket (@DurhamCricket) April 10, 2022
At Grace Road Leicestershire, I imagine, will shut down shop: 74-3. Azad still there, 39 not out.
Derbyshire, impressed: 53-0. Middx have lost a limping Murtagh.
And Sussex are holding on grimly, losing (nightwatchman Atkins) and Alsop this morning. Orr 33 not out.
Let’s take a walk round the Div One grounds.
Runs a plenty at Chelmsford: Jordan Cox has moved onto 114, 20 for Matthew Milnes. What a happy season’s baptism for the batters.
Northants have made a brisk start to their target (another 285 needed); Vasconcelos typically pugnacious. Zafar Gohar (SLA) already has the ball, and it is fizzing.
At Brum, Warwicks have reduced the deficit to 73. A second catch of the innings to Ollie Pope to catch Craig Miles for 32 - a third wicket to Topley
Brief confusion when I put Sports Xtra on and heard Rishab Pant at the crease. Oh god, who did he sign for?
Anyway, Durham are all out for 383, losing seven wickets in less than an hour. Alex Lees has carried his bat for 182. Andrew Salter 7-45!
Gloucestershire have fallen victim to Ben Sanderson this morning, who dismissed Higgins for 139 and Taylor for 3. Lace was c and b by Emilio Gay for 73. Still, the lead is nearly 300.
Middlesex declare!
Setting Derbyshire 356 to win! Two sixes from Simpson and three fours from TRJ took Middx past their desired target. My money’s on an early season Murtagh.
Early wickets for Durham and Middlesex and they push for quick runs. White and Holden gone (three wickets for Conners), while Simpson and Roland-Jones throw the bat. Middx 256-5, a lead of 353 over Derbys.
Durham, er... have lost four wickets in 20 mins, including three in one over from Andrew Salter. Now 360-7. Salter 5-27.
Worcestershire have declared!
Leaving Leicestershire 370 to win. They’re currently 14-0. Wishing Azad a good third season after a tricky second album.
A couple of bits of injury news: Naseem Shah has a shoulder problem and probably won’t bowl today, which is very unfortunate for him and bolsters Northants’ chance of batting out the day. Sussex’s Dan Ibramhim is also out of the rest of the game, awaiting a scan on his shoulder.
I’m thinking about making a Simnel cake for Easter Sunday, does anyone have a favourite recipe?
Also, I was amused to read James Vince’s interview yesterday evening. Vince was asked if there were areas to improve before they play Surrey next week. He replied “I’m not sure there is.”
I take it back, when you sit still, it is actually really quite cold. Anyway, the players are out round the grounds.
Troubling and bizarre allegations against Durham head coach James Franklin. Indian cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal has claimed that Franklin and Andrew Symonds tied him up, taped his mouth and left him in a room all night when they played together at Mumbai in the IPL
An ESPN Cricinfo reports Chahal telling an RCB podcast:
“It happened in 2011, when Mumbai Indians won the Champions League,” said Chahal. “We were in Chennai. He [Symonds] had had a lot of ‘fruit juice’.
“I don’t know what he was thinking, but he and James Franklin got together and tied my hands and legs and said, ‘no, you’ve to open’.
“They were so lost that they taped my mouth and forgot about me completely during the party. Then they all left and, in the morning, someone came to clean [the room] and saw me, and called a few others and untied me.
“They asked me since when I had been there, and I said ‘I’ve been here the whole night’. So that became a funny story.”
A Durham statement read they would seek to “determine the facts”.
“We are aware of recent news reports surrounding an incident in 2011 which name a member of our staff,
“As with any matters involving employees, the club will speak privately with all parties involved to determine the facts.”
Chahal went on to say that he and Symonds had become friends, though he had never received an apology.
Day four scores on the doors
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex 514 all out (Browne 107, Cook 100, Critchley 132) v Kent 405-5 (Compton 129, Cox 100)
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 326-6 (Higgins 134 not out)
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 293-7 (Lamb 106) v Surrey 428-8-dec (Foakes 132)
DIVISION TWO
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 234 all out v Durham348-3 (Lees 163 not out)
Grace Road: Leicester 213 v Worcestershire 348 (D’Oliveira 118 not out) and 234-5 (Pollock 112)
Lord’s: Middlesex 401 all out (Eskinazi 118) and 201-3 v Derbyshire 304
Hove: Sussex 375 all out (Clark 100; Patterson-White 5-84) and 29-1 v Nottinghamshire 468-7 (Mullaney 192, Evison 109)
Saturday's round-up
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.
Preamble
Hello! It’s a beautiful morning in Manchester, the array of pink blossoms are blooming, the birds tweeting and on a brisk walk with the dog it was warm enough to take my coat off. Unfortunately, there isn’t a game at Old Trafford this round, but BBC weather suggests the same around the grounds.
After some surprisingly stout batting performances - I don’t think there have been more centuries in an opening round for a while - (feel free to do the maths) - we go into the last day with all but one game still in play. Somerset are back in the south west licking their wounds, and carrying a solitary point, after that drumming by Hampshire.
My bones are telling me there will be results at The County Ground in the battle of the newbies, Sophia Gardens, because, well, Glamorgan, and Hove, where Sussex’s cub scouts would do well to hold Notts off twice. Elsewhere, I predict draws ranging from the squeaky to the dull.
Time to put the kettle on - black coffee anyone?
