Somerset pull off dramatic win over Surrey in thrilling finish
The County Championship title race has been blown wide open after Somerset snatched a dramatic victory over the leaders, Surrey, with a couple of minutes to spare at Taunton, the champions’ stout defensive rearguard toppled after they collapsed from 95 for three to 109 all out in a final hour overflowing with tension.
Archie Vaughan was again to the fore, the teenage son of the former England captain Michael burnishing an incredible second first-class match with a second five-wicket haul. But it was Jack Leach, who also took five, who struck the concluding blows, ending a defiant ninth-wicket partnership between Kemar Roach and Jordan Clark when he had the latter caught behind before pinning Dan Worrall lbw second ball to spark jubilation among Somerset’s players.
Joining them on crutches on the outfield was Tom Banton, whose heroic 46 earlier in the day had helped give Somerset a platform despite the batter sustaining an injury in the warm-up on Wednesday. Chasing 221, Surrey played unashamedly for the draw and a defensive masterclass from two pre-Bazball England discards – Dom Sibley and Ben Foakes – looked set to foil Somerset until Leach dismissed both and forced the door open for Vaughan to take the prized wickets of the one-match freelancer Shakib Al Hasan, caught at slip, and Tom Curran as well as Cameron Steel. Surrey, missing eight players on England duty, now lead Division One by only eight points with two matches remaining in a title race set to go the distance.
At Chester-le-Street, Matthew Potts took a career-best nine for 68 in Durham’s thumping innings victory against Lancashire as he reprised the early season county form that earned him an England recall this summer. In a match of tumbling records (David Bedingham hitting the county’s highest individual score of 279 on Wednesday), Potts broke the back of some lower order defiance led by Matty Hurst. Defeat left Lancashire 11 points adrift of Nottinghamshire and safety, Notts also subsiding to an innings defeat by Essex, who responded to their 12-point deduction on Wednesday by picking up 23 with victory at Chelmsford.
A century from Warwickshire’s Will Rhodes, along with the rain, denied Worcestershire a fourth consecutive win at New Road while Jack Leaning’s century helped doomed Kent escape with a draw against Hampshire.
In the Second Division Middlesex’s promotion hopes suffered a major blow in a four-wicket defeat by Gloucestershire at Lord’s. The visitors’ victory was underpinned by a fluent fourth-wicket partnership between the left-handers Miles Hammond and James Bracey. A three-wicket burst from the spinner Joshua de Caires gave the hosts brief hope before Tom Price and Zafar Gohar steadied the ship to steer Gloucestershire home and put them in good spirits going into T20 Blast finals day Middlesex’s defeat leaves the top two, Sussex and Yorkshire, set fair for promotion.
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And that’s this round of fixtures done, the third damn fine round in a row. There’s life in this maligned competition yet. A roundup will appear in due course but, in the meantime, thanks for your company and comments over the past four days. Fun has been had. Bye.
How they stand
Division One
1 Surrey P12 Pts 198
2 Somerset P12 Pts 190
3 Hampshire P23 Pts 171
4 Essex P12 Pts 160
5 Durham P12 Pts 154
6 Worcestershire P12 Pts 147
7 Warwickshire P12 Pts 143
8 Nottinghamshire P12 Pts 118
9 Lancashire P12 Pts 107
10 Kent P12 Pts 82
Division Two
1 Sussex P12 Pts 200
2 Yorkshire P12 Pts 179
3 Middlesex P12 Pts 164
4 Leicestershire P12 Pts 142
5 Gloucestershire P12 Pts 148
6 Northants P12 Pts 130
7 Glamorgan P12 Pts 126
8 Derbyshire P12 Pts 107
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Final scores on the doors
Division One
Chester-le-street: Lancashire 228 & 282; Durham 573-9 dec. Durham win by an innings and 63 runs
Chelmsford: Essex 457 v Nottinghamshire 93 & 281 (f/o). Essex win by an innings and 83 runs
Canterbury: Hampshire 403 & 24-1; Kent 207 & 338 (f/o). Kent drew with Hampshire
Taunton: Somerset 317 & 224 v Surrey 321 & 109. Surrey beat Somerset by 111 runs
Worcester: Worcestershire 307 v Warwickshire 128 & 252-3 (f/o). Match drawn
Division Two
Lord’s: Middlesex 377 & 165 v Gloucestershire 309-9dec & 236-5. Gloucestershire win by four wickets
They could have shaken hands on this an hour ago, and now look at them. Jack Leach hasn’t had enough props for his performance in this match, overshadowed by Banton and Vaughan. But he kept plugging away, keeping the pressure on and has his five-fer reward. Somerset’s next assignment is away to the horribly out of form Lancashire, while Surrey have a tougher assignment at home to Durham.
I’m going to have to go and make sense of all this for the paper now. But keep chatting excitedly below the line. Hurrah for the Champo.
Somerset beat Surrey by 113 runs in incredible finish!
78th over: Surrey 109 all out. The stand is broken, Somerset need one more in these few remaining minutes. Out comes Dan Warrell, after as much delay as possible, to face six close catchers on the offside. And he’s gone second ball, pinned lbw. Somerset’s players go noisily berserk, Tom Banton limping out to join them on crutches. A stunning, magnificent finish. The title race has suddenly been blown open.
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Wicket! Clark c Rew b Leach 0, Somerset 109-9
The 78-ball partnership is broken, Leach induces an edge from Clark. Rew takes. One needed.
77th over: Surrey 109-8 (Clark 0, Roach 0). The Goldsworthy experiment lasts only the one over, before Vaughan is called into action again. There are some rare runs, but they’re byes again as one keeps low and zips past Rew behind the stumps. Both batters still on nought.
76th over: Surrey 105-8 (Clark 0, Roach 0). Leach is almost turning it too much here and Clark, like Roach, is producing some excellent tail-end defensive batting. Surrey just do not crumble easily. That’s why they’re champions.
75th over: Surrey 105-8 (Clark 0, Roach 0). Somerset change things up by introducing Lewis Gregory who brings some variety, dip and flight. He has half an lbw appeal against Roach, who is heroically 0 not out from 24 balls. Proper Cricket.
74th over: Surrey 105-8 (Clark 0, Roach 0). Ignore the “overs remaining” stuff; that’s minimum overs. We’ll play on till 5.30, weather permitting. Another maiden.
Three overs remaining: Surrey 105-8 (Clark 0, Roach 0). Vaughan has three catchers close in on the off, three on leg. He’s still finding plenty of rip but no wickets this time.
Four overs remaining: Surrey 105-8 (Clark 0, Roach 0). Leach has four round the bat on the offside as he appeals optimistically after beating the outside edge. Nowhere near to be frank. It’s another good over, another maiden, but Somerset are running out of time.
Five overs remaining: Surrey 105-8 (Clark 0, Roach 0). Some stout orthodox defence from Kemar Roach as Surrey survive another maiden from Vaughan. Might Roach be Surrey’s ultimate hero?
Six overs remaining: Surrey 105-8 (Clark 0, Roach 0). Getting a bit gloomier overhead now – please Lord, no! – as Leach continues to find plenty of turn in another maiden. A bit of timewasting from Surrey as towel-bearers come on, only to be told to do one by the umpires. To raucous cheers.
Seven overs remaining: Surrey 105-8 (Clark 0, Roach 0). Roach looking relaxed with the bat as Surrey eke four byes off the last ball of Vaughan’s over.
Eight overs remaining: Surrey 101-8 (Clark 0, Roach 0). Leach getting extravagant turn now, Clark prodding and missing a couple of times, one of which initially looks like a drop behind the stumps by Rew, but there was no edge.
Eight down! Vaughan again, trapping Cameron Steel in front for a pair. There are nine overs remaining for Somerset to take two wickets or Surrey to stand firm. 101-8
Archie Vaughan has bowled Tom Curran! Absolute scenes as Vaughan Jr bowls Curran to take his 10th wicket in the match. It looked as if Curran has miscued a cut and played on. Surrey 101-7. If you’re leaving work just now in the Taunton area, get yerself down there.
So now Surrey have at the crease Tom Curran, who rescued their first innings with a devil may care 86, and Jordan Clark. Curran may be under orders to play very differently this time.
Kent, meanwhile, have almost certainly saved themselves against Hampshire. 327 for 9, 131 ahead. Harry Finch is still there on 73 after Jack Leaning was dismissed by Mohammad Abbas for precisely 100.
Surrey are suddenly six down! After a good solid hour of blocking and nurdling, Leach dismisses both Foakes and Sibley. Then woah! What’s this. Archie Vaughan gets Shakib Al Hasan caught at slip. Game, and title race, on on on! Surrey 96-6.
Archie Vaughan has four men in round the bat as he tries to winkle out Dom Sibley, but the Surrey opener is nothing if not watchful and his defiance continues. Surrey 70 for 3.
Right, with everything done and dusted at Lord’s I’m going to dash back to the comfort of the spare bedroom to follow the conclusion to the big one at Taunton. Back in a bit.
Scores on the doors
Division One
Chester-le-street: Lancashire 228 & 282; Durham 573-9 dec. Durham win by an innings and 63 runs
Chelmsford: Essex 457 v Nottinghamshire 93 & 281 (f/o). Essex win by an innings and 83 runs
Canterbury: Hampshire 403; Kent 207 & 268-5 (f/o).
Taunton: Somerset 317 & 224 v Surrey 321 & 67-3
Worcester: Worcestershire 307 v Warwickshire 128 & 252-3 (f/o). Match drawn
Division Two
Lord’s: Middlesex 377 & 165 v Gloucestershire 309-9dec & 236-5. Gloucestershire win by four wickets
Gloucestershire beat Middlesex by four wickets
Zafar Gohar sweeps a low full toss to the square leg boundary to complete a mostly comfortable victory, and a fine personal match, for Gloucestershire. That’s a major blow to Middlesex’s promotion hopes with Sussex and Yorkshire winning so easily yesterday. They’ve paid the price for yesterday evening’s batting collapse.
Gloucestershire look as if they’ve weathered the storm, as Tom Price drives a Hollman full toss for four to take them within 13 of victory. They’re duly delaying tea.
Middlesex are suddenly looking lively and alert in the field and with the ball at Lord’s, De Caires’s spin at one end, Roland-Jones’s pace at the other stemming the flow of runs with Gloucestershire six down and 38 short of victory.
And off for rain again at Taunton, where they’ve taken a ridiculously early tea – we’re talking a cuppa and a bar of chocolate rather than sandwiches. Surrey 63-3.
At Taunton, Surrey’s scoring rate is like a Test match from the 1960s – 63-3 off 41 overs. Vaughan and Leach are still wheeling away but it could be a long, patient afternoon.
Worcestershire draw with Warwickshire
They’ve called a halt at a damp New Road. Warwickshire 252-3, 7o ahead of Worcestershire and the visitors reprieved thanks to a fine unbeaten 121 from Will Rhodes.
Meanwhile, at Canterbury, Kent are plodding on while following on, 232 for 5 and 36 ahead of Hampshire, Jack Leaning leading the way on 73 not out.
Another wicket for Middlesex! James Bracey, having played so well, slog sweeps straight to Tom Helm at deep midwicket to give Joshua de Caires a third wicket. 182-6, and we’re for a nailbiting finish.
Two in three balls for Middlesex spinner De Caires. New batter Van Buuren is bamboozled by one that jags away, and is given out caught behind. It’s a marginal one and Van Buuren doesn’t look happy. 179-5 and it’s game on.
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I say that, but I’ve cursed it again. Hammond goes for 78, mistiming a slog and hoiking to Toby Roland-Jones at midwicket off Joshua De Caires. Gloucs 179-4, 55 needed.
Perhaps conscious of incoming rain, Gloucestershire have put their foot on the accelerator here at HQ, taking 18 off the last two overs, Miles Hammond in particular sweeping and driving with panache. He’s 78 not out. 179-3
Another breakthrough for Somerset! Leach gets one to straighten back on Geddes and snares him leg-before for 1. Surrey are 46-3 as Foakes strides out to the middle.
Middlesex, and their promotion hopes, are looking a little ragged here: they’ve got two men out on the legside boundary for Ryan Higgins but rarely putting the ball in the appropriate places. James Bracey has joined Miles Hammond in passing 50. 14-3, 80 more needed.
A handy partnership between Jack Leaning and Harry Finch has made it likely that Hampshire will have to bat again and boosted Kent’s chances of escaping with a draw. They’re 182=5, 14 behind. And it’s still raining in Worcester.
Gloucestershire now require less than 100 as James Bracey and Miles Hammond continue on their merry way. They’ve now put on 70 and Middlesex are beginning to fret a little, and they may come to rue an earlier drop by Sam Robson off Bracey. Gloucs 136-3 chasing 234.
And another! Archie Vaughan has two in the over, bowling Ryan Patel for a duck. What an incredible second-ever first class match the teenager is having. They’ll soon be calling his old man “Archie Vaughan’s dad”. Surrey 31-2
TWO IN THE OVER FOR VAUGHAN!! Patel goes for a duck and Somerset are flying!!
— Somerset Cricket (@SomersetCCC) September 12, 2024
Surrey 32/2 ➡️ https://t.co/aRtGCP76ez#SOMvSUR#WeAreSomerset pic.twitter.com/kpISt67CP9
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Breakthrough for Somerset! And it’s that boy Vaughan again. Archie has Rory Burns feathering at a pinpoint delivery and Rew takes the catch behind the stumps. Surrey are 31-1, target 221. Ryan Patel the new man in against Somerset’s current all-spin attack.
There was plenty of clippable content in Durham this morning during Potts’s rampant spell, including this catch:
EIGHT for Potts & he has his best first-class figures!! 🤩
— Durham Cricket (@DurhamCricket) September 12, 2024
Fantastic catch by Parky & Lancashire are nine down. #ForTheNorth pic.twitter.com/yEht1gcUeT
They’re back playing again at Taunton, where Dom Sibley and Rory Burns continue to deploy the ancient art of blocking like hell. Surrey 21 without loss off 16.
Talking, briefly, of white-ball cricket, here’s Taha Hashim on Liam Livingstone, England’s best batter last night.
One downside for Durham after Matt Potts’s heroics today is that England ODI duties now take precedence and he’ll miss their last two Championship games of the season, something that irks ThamesSider BTL:
Why TF are we even playing ODIs at this time of year;
and we’ve already had a surfeit of international cricket with proper Tests; not to mention they rushed the last two presumably to allow this meaningless hit-and-giggle:
and can’t we have a few uninterrupted weeks for the county game, especially since we’ve pushed it out well beyond “summer” to accommodate MORE meaningless shite being driven purely by money demands?
Essex beat Notts by an innings and 83 runs
All over at Chelmsford, where Essex respond to their points punishment by picking up 23 with an emphatic win over Notts, who remain deep in relegation bother. Four wickets for Simon Harmer.
Gah! Rain at Taunton again, with Surrey having nudged and blocked their way to 18-0 in 13 overs.
Durham beat Lancashire by an innings and 63 runs
Just nipping back in to flag up a sensational performance by Matthew Potts as Lancs succumb to the inevitable – the England seamer finishes with a career best 9-68 as he traps Anderson Phillip in front for 41.
Lunchtime(ish) scores
Division One
Chester-le-street: Lancashire 228 & 282-9; Durham 573-9 dec
Chelmsford: Essex 457 v Nottinghamshire 93 & 268-9 (f/o)
Canterbury: Hampshire 403; Kent 207 & 145-5 (f/o).
Taunton: Somerset 317 & 224 v Surrey 321 & 18-0
Worcester: Worcestershire 307 v Warwickshire 128 & 246-3 (f/o)
Division Two
Lord’s: Middlesex 377 & 165 v Gloucestershire 309-9dec & 101-3
I’m off for some lunch and a stroll. Back in a bit.
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Lunch here at Lord’s, with the left-handed pair of Miles Hammond and James Bracey playing nicely to take Gloucestershire to 101 for 3 in pursuit of 234. It could go either way, this, but the visitors might feel the happier side.
And a 50 partnership for Lancashire’s last-wicket pair of Philip and Aspinwall, showing a defiance they’ve rarely shown at any other point in this match – 282-9, 63 behind Durham.
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We haven’t looked in on another innings defeat-threatened side, Kent, for a while, and they’re edging, tentatively, towards possibly making Hampshire bat again at 144-5 but have been losing wickets at regular intervals. Kyle Abbott has three of them.
An email from Henry Knight makes me feel as if I’m mediating a neighbourhood quarrel. “Ex-neighbour and Gloucestershire fan Tim Lezard owes Tom Banton four runs for what would have been a monumental 50 in the second innings - his jinxing message clearly paying off. A truly terrific effort from the Somerset pair as my Dad watches on with tears in his eyes at Taunton, while I’m sheltering from the rain with a hot chocolate in Ortisei in the Dolomites, desperately searching for enough signal to follow the live stream. Leach & Vaughan to the fore!”
At the Riverside, Lancashire have lost Matty Hurst, caught by Parkinson off Potts for 67, but fair play to their last pair of Anderson Philip and Tom Aspinwall, who are hanging on in there and have added 24 to take the score to 253-9, the deficit now below 100.
Their fellow strugglers Notts have lost another, Jamie Porter dismissing Liam Patterson-White. They’re 254-7, 110 adrift of Essex.
Burns and Sibley are going old-school, as might be expected, and have inched Surrey to 8-0 after five overs.
Wicket at Lord’s, Henry Brookes shapes one away from Ollie Price, who edges a regulation slip catch to Sam Robson. Gloucestershire 66-3, and Middlesex sniff an opportunity.
Meanwhile, Will Rhodes has his second ton in consecutive matches for Warwickshire (220=3, 41 ahead of Worcestershire), and Notts have lost two more wickets, to tall Paul Walter, at Chelmsford – 220-6, 144 behind.
Somerset all out 224
Banton is bowled by Shakib for 46. What an unforgettable match he’s had. Somerset all out 224, Surrey need 221 to win. Shakib, who’s also had a memorable one on his one-match deal, ends with five-fer, and nine in the match.
Somerset’s last pair are going to have to make some calculations about timings here. Banton and Overton are looking comfortable, 56 runs into their partnership, but Somerset need time to bowl Surrey out, amid changeable weather. 210-9
“Please keep your jinxy thoughts to yourself in future,” thunders Gloucesterhire fan Tim Lezard. “Unless you want to say how well Ryan Higgins is bowling. Or how well Tom Banton’s batting. Interesting finish in prospect at Lord’s. I remember Glos winning there in 1996. I think Tony Wright took the plaudits with a ton in the run chase, but one-cap wonder Mike Smith took the game away from the hosts with a swashbuckling 40-something in the first innings. The touring Indian team was netting during the game and I had fun standing right behind Sachin Tendulkar who was simultaneously smashing the ball over the sports centre whilst admonishing himself for hitting it in the air.”
Batters frowning at themselves for not keeping it on the deck. Imagine. The 90s truly was a foreign country. No wonder that Tendulkar lad never had much of a career. Anyway, Gloucestershire are 52-2, Price and Hammond pushing them along, the latter pulling a fine six into the Tavern Stand a few minutes back.
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Matt Potts has taken three wickets in four balls – the end is nigh for Lancashire. Venkatesh Iyer (28), Tom Harley (first ball) and Tom Bailey all perish in the same over, but Matty Hurst is still there, having passed. 50 for the second time in the match.
This is why Potts is in the England touring party:
MATTHEW POTTS!!!!! 👏🤯
— Durham Cricket (@DurhamCricket) September 12, 2024
Pottsy has three wickets in the over & his 10th of the match!!#ForTheNorth pic.twitter.com/NfLyNV7Xeq
And there’s the 50 partnership at Taunton. Surrey must chase more than 200.
Fifty partnership up between Overton & Banton including this lovely shot!
— Somerset Cricket (@SomersetCCC) September 12, 2024
LIVE STREAM ➡️ https://t.co/aRtGCP76ez#SOMvSUR#WeAreSomerset pic.twitter.com/qLPUaGr3oL
They’re under way at Taunton and Tom Banton is still batting. He is also still limping, a proper Flintoff-Edgbaston-2005 knock this. He’s 33 not out and Somerset are 201-9. Craig Overton has also done a superb job, unbeaten on 42.
At New Road, Worcestershire will have to bat again if they’re to beat Warwickshire, who’ve now nudged ahead in their second dig, 192-3, leading by 13 with Will Rhodes (89) closing on a century.
I was just about to post, in my reliably jinxy way, that Gloucestershire have progressed quite serenely since their early loss, but then Ryan Higgins struck again, another lbw against Cameron Bancroft, who did that thing of exaggeratedly pushing his pads forward outside the line after they’d been struck. Umpire having none of it though. Gloucs 25-2 chasing 234.
Two big wickets at Chelmsford – Sam Cook has seen off both Nottinghamshire’s overnight batters. Haseeb Hamed’s defiant century is over, lbw to Little Chef for 105, followed by Joe Clarke, caught by Simon Harmer for 67. Notts, following on, are 194 for 4, still 170 behind Essex.
They’re set to resume at 11.05 at Taunton, where it now looks quite bright.
Another beleaguered Division One side to lose a wicket early this morning are Kent, who’s promising opening stand in their second innings is at an end. Tawanda Muyeye, who was in fine touch last night, is gone for 46, providing Hampshire’s Kyle Abbott with a sixth wicket of the match. Kent 75-1 following on, trailing by 121.
Oh Lancs! They’ve lost one already this morning, another scalp for Matt Potts, pinning George Balderson in front for 16. Matty Hurst, who’s pretty much held Lancashire’s batting together in this match, is still there on 48. Lancs 169-5 at Durham, still trailing by 176.
Early inroads for Middlesex here at Lord’s. Ryan Higgins has had Ben Charlesworth plumb in front for a duck. Gloucestershire 0 for 1 chasing 234 in a game Middlesex really need to win.
And it’s raining at Taunton …
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“Tom Banton is batting on this morning,” reports LongHop. “If Somerset somehow win this game he will not buy another pint of cider in his life. Unbelievable bravery.”
He’s due a scan today too.
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“Well here it is then,” chirps Glastonian BTL. “The day Somerset’s dream dies for another year.” A runners-up treble would be particularly heartbreaking, even by Somerset’s standards of agonisingly falling just short. And whatever happens today, they’ve got only todays to patch themselves up – pretty much literally in Tom Banton’s case – for Blast finals day on Saturday and the One Day Cup final on Sunday week. The ever-elusive Championship is the biggie for them though, and they’ve a sniff of a chance today.
Wednesday roundup: Surrey hold edge over Somerset, records fall at Durham
A compelling day at Taunton featured spinners old and new excelling, thrilling late-order hitting and Somerset’s injured star batter hobbling out at No 11 and keeping his side in the match. It ended with the leaders, Surrey, just about having the edge.
The day had begun brilliantly for Somerset, with the teenager Archie Vaughan claiming six wickets to leave Surrey reeling on 228 for eight. But momentum was jerked Surrey’s way by Tom Curran, who clobbered a 75-ball 86 that gave them a four-run first-innings lead, a foundation built on by Shakib Al Hasan.
The former Bangladesh captain took four wickets on a typically spin-friendly Taunton surface, Somerset’s woes further compounded by a warm-up injury to their first-innings centurion, Tom Banton. He managed to hobble out at No 11 with a runner and cracked four fours in a potentially vital unbeaten partnership with Craig Overton.
Off the field, Essex have been docked 12 points for the oversized bat used by Feroze Khushi in their match at Nottinghamshire in April. The club had appealed against the initial charges, citing “inconsistencies with the compliance of bat gauges” but, after an independent Cricket Discipline Commission panel found Essex and Khushi liable, Essex accepted the charges.
Essex’s president, Keith Fletcher, told the Times: “I assume the ECB thought this was cheating and the appeal panel is trying to flex its muscles a bit. Feroze does not believe he did anything wrong and the whole side has been penalised, not just the one player.” On the pitch, Essex’s victory charge in the return fixture was kept at bay by Haseeb Hameed’s hundred as Notts, following on after being skittled for 93 by Jamie Porter and Simon Harmer, closed 184 behind.
Records tumbled at the Riverside, as David Bedingham registered Durham’s highest ever individual score, 279, which underpinned the club-record fifth-wicket stand with Colin Ackermann of 425. Relegation-haunted Lancashire, trailing by 345 after the first innings, managed to at least stay afloat in the second innings, losing only four wickets.
In Division Two, Yorkshire boosted their chances of swapping divisions with their Roses rivals by wrapping up an innings win over Leicestershire, despite a defiant 77 by Rehan Ahmed. The seamer George Hill took six wickets. Ahead of them, the Division Two leaders, Sussex, also completed a thumping innings victory over Glamorgan, Ollie Robinson, Henry Crocombe and Jack Carson claiming three scalps each.
All of which piles pressure on Middlesex, second before the current round of matches, to force a result against Gloucestershire, whom they set 234 after a second-innings collapse. Northamptonshire finally have a Championship win to brag about this season with their new signing, the India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, proving his worth with four second-innings wickets, alongside Rob Keogh’s five, as they hammered Derbyshire by 133 runs.
Preamble
Morning again everyone. Cricket and its players may be being flogged senseless – in every respect – under the game’s current headless-chicken administration, but this great game of ours has thrown up something for everyone this week. Sri Lanka’s unlikely Oval triumph, a record rout for England’s women, a historic win for Ireland’s a couple of days later, and some T20 pyrotechnics from Travis Head and Jofra Archer last night.
And amid all that, the dear old County Championship, beguiling and sometimes bewildering its aficionados with an absorbing fluctuating de facto title decider at Taunton featuring young tyros, old stagers, crocked batters keeping their side in it; records tumbling at Durham; punishments handed down for five-month-old offences and promotion and relegation intrigue.
Obviously, attention today will focus on Taunton, but the one unfinished Division Two match – which we’ve slightly neglected – will have a huge impact on the promotion race, as Middlesex defend a small target against Gloucestershire, who like their rivals Somerset were fired by a teenager named Archie, in their case the 19-year-old medium-pacer Bailey who led the way as the hosts’ second innings collapsed at Lord’s last night. I’ll be toddling off to Lord’s to keep an eye on a straightforward run-chase. And. if the weather holds, every match this round might have a result.
Scores on the doors
Division One
Chester-le-street: Lancashire 228 & 155-4; Durham 573-9 dec
Chelmsford: Essex 457 v Nottinghamshire 93 & 180-2 (f/o)
Canterbury: Hampshire 403; Kent 207 & 70-0 (f/o).
Taunton: Somerset 317 & 194-9 v Surrey 321
Worcester: Worcestershire 307 v Warwickshire 128 & 171-3 (f/o)
Division Two
Leicester: Leicestershire 98 & 209 v Yorkshire 379. Yorkshire won by an innings and 72 runs
Lord’s: Middlesex 377 & 165 v Gloucestershire 309-9dec
Northampton: Northants 219 & 211 v Derbyshire 165 & 132. Northants won by 133 runs
Hove: Glamorgan 186 & 218; Sussex 491. Sussex won by an innings and 87 runs
