Tanya's county roundup
Autumn blew across the County Championship, shortening sessions at Old Trafford, wiping out the day at Edgbaston. But at Canterbury, where Kent are chasing crucial survival points and Nottinghamshire risk being drawn into the mix, the game moved on swiftly.
After an early wobble, Nottinghamshire made a good fist of their second innings after being asked to follow on. Reduced to 78 for five by Joey Evison and Michael Hogan, plus a balletic one-handed catch by Zak Crawley, Joe Clarke and Lyndon James then put on an unbeaten 99 to reduce the deficit to just four runs.
It wasn’t good news for fellow members of the relegation pack, Middlesex, thwarted first by the weather and then by Lancashire’s batting at a soggy Old Trafford. The soon-to-retire Dane Vilas hit 124 and Luke Wells a feisty 97 as Middlesex’s spinners were put to the sword. The Lancashire lead was 136 when the rain came.
At Hove, the Division Two promotion hopefuls Leicestershire set off on the unlikely pursuit of 499 after Sussex declared five balls after lunch. The pursuit was made marginally less unlikely by stumps with Colin Ackermann unbeaten on 103, and Leicester needing another 278 for an incredible victory.
The Derbyshire captain, Leus du Plooy, zipped to a fifth century of a super season on a wet day at Bristol; the 22-year-old leg-spinner Ed Middleton picked up his first Championship wicket when Mark Watt charged down the pitch.
At Sophia Gardens, Glamorgan were forced to follow on after Yorkshire’s Matt Revis pocketed a career-best five for 50. Sam Northeast (45) and Eddie Byrom (52) had reduced the deficit to 107 by stumps.
The weather rather sticking its boot into proceedings today, but we go into day four with all six games still in play and precious relegation/promotion points to be collected – Kent chasing a precious win at Canterbury, and Leicestershire an improbable one at Hove. Thanks for hanging around on a soggy afternoon, we’ll be back with thoughts on the “investable pyramid” Colin Ackermann and more tomorrow morning. Till then, good night!
