Davies hits double century as Warwickshire pummel Durham
It was a day for batting as the sun came out and the Kookaburra ball was placated as it likes to. There were eight centuries around the grounds, one a magnificent 226 by Alex Davies as Warwickshire pinballed 490 for one by stumps at Edgbaston. Davies’s swashbuckling knock was his first double century, and he and Rob Yates pounded 343 for the first wicket until Yates was caught for 191. It was a chastening return to Division One for Durham and for their new overseas recruit Scott Boland, an expert with the Kookaburra. There was one bright spot for Durham, Ben Stokes bowling two practice spells. The hope is that he might return for their match on 24 May.
At the Oval, 3,000 people pushed through the turnstiles to watch Somerset gallop through the morning session against Surrey before tumbling into a batting black hole after lunch. While the ice-cream van did a good trade, Tom Lammonby reached his seventh career century, a promising early sign from a man who usually makes his hundreds in September.
He and Matt Renshaw had skipped along to 178 for the second wicket before Lammonby called for a quick single on 99. Renshaw was run out from a direct hit and from there they concertinaed, losing seven for 20. It was only some big hitting from Lewis Gregory that dragged Somerset towards a batting point. There was time for four overs from Shoaib Bashir as Surrey made smooth evening progress.
Elsewhere, there was a century for the Yorkshire captain, Shan Masood, against Gloucestershire at Bristol, as Joe Root and Harry Brook fell cheaply to Zaman Akhter (five for 89).
There were centuries too for Dean Elgar and Matt Critchley as Essex made hay against Kent; Joe Clarke as Worcestershire plugged away against Nottinghamshire; and Emilio Gay, whose 165 against Middlesex was his highest first-class score and helped Northamptonshire gather home batting points, something they didn’t achieve until 26 September last year.
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What a day for the Kookaburra ball – and Alex Davies. His bombastic 226 not out one of eight centuries, as batters made hay round the grounds.
Thanks for all your comments today, my very talented colleague Taha will be here tomorrow on his CCLive! debut. Enjoy your Friday night. Bye!
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