Roundup: Henry helps Somerset swat aside Northants
A contented hum rose and fell at Cheltenham, much as the seagulls eyeing up the college pitch circled before bombing down in search of a crumb. Despite the coal-dust cloud that threatened just before 11 o’clock, play was undisturbed all day as Glamorgan dashed to 450 before declaring. A typically stylish 76 from Kiran Carlson, which included a six that bounced off the pavilion spire, was complemented by a beautifully timed 98 from Billy Root and 86 from Chris Cooke.
With a deluge promised on Saturday, all Gloucestershire had to do was not collapse, and Chris Dent and Ollie Price duly played sensibly till stumps. It was all music to the two little boys playing cricket in a makeshift net as Benny the labrador, the first Gloucestershire member with a wet nose and fluffy tail, queued up for a free ice-cream from the van.
Somerset completed a good week’s work by polishing off Northamptonshire by lunchtime. Matt Henry, hero of Saturday’s Blast final, finished with five wickets. Hampshire notched up their fifth Championship victory of the year, over Nottinghamshire, despite a busy 81 from Tom Moores.
In Division Two it took Worcestershire only 25 minutes to grab the three wickets they needed to defeat Leicestershire. Josh Tongue’s five for 29 were his best figures of the summer. The main drama came when Leicestershire announced they would ask the ECB to look into taking disciplinary action against Worcestershire, saying they erroneously claimed the catch of Colin Ackermann on Thursday afternoon, despite “clear evidence” that the catcher grounded the ball.
Elsewhere, Kent’s Harry Finch batted for five hours for 114 to keep Essex at bay; Keaton Jennings’s careful 64 helped Lancashire to a sizeable lead at Edgbaston; half centuries for Matthew Potts and Brydon Carse took Durham to maximum batting points for the fifth time on a dreamboat batting pitch at The County Ground, Derby. Middlesex were forced to follow on at Lord’s; Sussex resisted at Headingley.
Three wins wrapped up, with the weather looming ominously over the rest. Thanks for dropping in while fireworks were going off at Old Trafford. Jim Wallace will be your guide to whatever the rain allows tomorrow. From Cheltenham, with the mowers plodding up and down and an occasional drunken bellow from the hospitality tent, good night!
