Roundup: Durham and Derbyshire deliver late drama
Another final day of late‑afternoon teeth-squeakers in the County Championship. At Chester‑le‑Street, a game that was meandering to a draw burst into life after tea as Nottinghamshire careered, suddenly stabiliser-less, into a bush. The visiting side lost five wickets for 42 runs, Joe Clarke the last man out for 119, to set Durham 91 in 18 overs. Things looked dicey after Mohammad Abbas grabbed two wickets in his opening over but Colin Ackermann’s calm 53 ushered the hosts home with 10 balls to spare.
Earlier, Surrey wrapped up an innings victory against Yorkshire before lunch at the Oval. Ryan Patel removed Jonny Bairstow’s off stump as Yorkshire lost four wickets in just over seven overs for 21 runs. Jordan Clark finished with four wickets, Tom Lawes three, and Surrey stretched back into their winning lycra. They now sit second in the Division One table, breathing down Nottinghamshire’s neck.
In Division Two, Gloucestershire crept nervously over the line against Kent to notch up their first victory of the season, and first at Bristol since 2022. Cameron Green was the calm head who directed a run chase of 162, with 67 not out to complement his first-innings century. Nathan Gilchrist took four for 43 to keep things tense until the end.
Against large odds, the Derbyshire tail defied Lancashire’s Jimmy Anderson at a sun-bathed Old Trafford. Anuj Dal, with an unbeaten 13 from 114 balls, and Jack Morley, a 36-ball nought, kept out not only Anderson (two for 25), given the second new ball just after 6pm, but also the surprise package Josh Bohannon, who finished with two for 21.
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Good night
Derbyshire’s tail sees off England’s leading wicket taker – not a bad Championship story. We’ll be back for the final round of this spring block – and the OBO will keep you company for England’s Test against Zimbabwe starting on Thursday. Thanks for your cheery company – till Friday!
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