Match abandoned over Bristol pitch safety fears
The County Championship Second Division match between Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire was abandoned after concerns from the umpires over player safety on a hybrid pitch. They called a halt early in the final session after the Northamptonshire batsmen, Ricardo Vasconcelos and Rob Keogh, had both been struck on the hand by the Gloucestershire paceman Ajeet Singh Dale and forced to retire hurt.
Gloucestershire had been shot out for 125 in just 36.1 overs and the visitors were 116 for two in reply when play was abandoned. Vasconcelos had been taken to hospital with a suspected broken finger and when Keogh was struck during the final session, the umpires, concerned for the safety of the batters, made their intervention.
The umpires contacted the ECB pitch inspectors and issued the following statement.“The match has been abandoned because there was a foreseeable risk to the batters. In the opinion of the umpires, it would be unreasonable to continue.” Northants will collect 11 points for a draw, including three bowling bonus points, but Gloucestershire will receive none. It remains to be seen whether or not the county will face any further sanction.
Elsewhere, Rory Burns followed his double-hundred against Lancashire with 161 as Surrey, the champions-elect, ended the first day of their Division One match against Nottinghamshire on 339 for five. But by the close at Trent Bridge, the Surrey skipper found himself pushed out of the spotlight by the 16-year-old off-spinner Farhan Ahmed, who claimed the wicket of Burns and two more Test players, Ben Foakes and Will Jacks. The younger brother of the Leicestershire and England prodigy Rehan Ahmed, Farhan is the youngest first-class player in Nottinghamshire’s history. He finished a sensational first day in Championship cricket with figures of four for 69 from 28 overs.
Tom Abell made it back-to-back centuries at Taunton as Somerset ran up 395 for six on the opening day of the Division One game with Durham. Having hit a career-best unbeaten 152 in the previous home game against Warwickshire, Abell scored 124 off 181 balls, with 18 fours, sharing a stand of 185 with Tom Banton (73). James Rew was unbeaten on 89 at the close, while there were two wickets each for Daniel Hogg and Callum Parkinson. Somerset gave a first class debut to the all-rounder Archie Vaughan, the 18-year-old son of the former England captain Michael Vaughan, following his appearances in this season’s One-Day Cup. Vaughan was dismissed for 30 by Hogg.
Elsewhere, Kent’s lurch towards relegation continued as they were bowled out for 156 by Warwickshire on the opening day of their Division One contest at Edgbaston. Michael Booth, Olly Hannon-Dalby and Chris Rushworth all took three wickets while only Ben Compton (70) and Joey Evison (28) reached double figures. Warwickshire reached 207 for three at the close, Will Rhodes compiling a measured unbeaten 82 to build a perfect platform for a belated first Championship win of the season.
Jamie Porter blitzed a hole in Worcestershire’s upper order but Essex let slip their early advantage. Essex had Worcestershire 10 for four inside five overs – Porter and Sam Cook sharing the four wickets in a 13-ball spree – then 46 for five in 12 overs, before the tail wagged and the visitors reached a more respectable 266 all out. Essex knocked off 50 of the deficit for the loss of Dean Elgar in 19 evening overs.
The Australian Daniel Hughes made 144 as the Second Division leaders, Sussex, established a strong position after day one against Derbyshire at Hove. The openers, Hughes and Tom Haines, put on 196 in just 36 overs, with Haines making 72, and after Hughes departed Tom Alsop hit an unbeaten 69 as Sussex closed on 391 for four.
Timm van der Gugten and Dan Douthwaite took four wickets each as Glamorgan took charge of their match with Leicestershire. Van der Gugten took the first four Leicestershire wickets to fall as the visitors were skittled for 251 on day one in Cardiff. Glamorgan overcame a shaky start to reach 114 for two in response. Leicestershire’s Chris Wright made his first-class return from nine-month ban for a failed drugs test to help his side secure a single batting bonus point, combining with debutant Sam Wood and Tom Scriven as the last two wickets added 75 runs. PA Media
Updated
Close of play scores
Division One
Taunton: Somerset 395-6 v Durham
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 207-3 v Kent 156 all out
Chelmsford: Essex 50-1 v Worcestershire 266 all out
Old Trafford: Lancashire v Hampshire 330-9
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Surrey 339-5
Division Two
Cardiff: Glamorgan 114-2 v Leicestershire 251 all out
Headingley: Yorkshire 372-5 v Middlesex
Hove: Sussex 391-4 v Derbyshire
Bristol: Gloucestershire v Northants – match abandoned
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