Mark Robinson, Warwickshire’s first-team coach, compared Surrey to Manchester City as he chewed over a nine-wicket defeat at The Oval.
“We’ve done a lot right, but we haven’t been good enough. It’s aspirational for us as a big club like Warwickshire to get up level with them – at the moment they’re Man City and we’re not, you need a few things to go your way to give yourselves the best chance.
“We don’t like being bowled out in 60 overs, and we shouldn’t be, but there’s a lot of variation in the wicket and Surrey have an international attack.” Surrey took under 40 minutes to knock off the required runs, and go 21 points clear at the top of the Division One tablewith their third successive victory.
Streamers and klaxons for Gloucestershire as they won their first Championship game since September 2022, defeating Northamptonshire by 256 runs at Wantage Road. Karun Nair and George Bartlett held things together for the hosts, but only until the second new ball. Marchant de Lange and Ajeet Singh Dale grabbed three wickets each as Northants lost their last five wickets for 35 runs.
Twenty-year-old Matty Hurst hit a maiden first-class hundred, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Lancashire falling to a nine-wicket defeat at Trent Bridge. It was Nottinghamshire’s first win under captain Haseeb Hameed who, after his mammoth 247 in the first innings, then hit the winning run, on the field for every minute of the game. Lancashire, firmly attached to the bottom of the Division One table, stare at a third defeat.
At Canterbury, Worcestershire and Kent shook hands on a draw, with Josh Baker remembered on Worcestershire’s shirt and in their hearts. Jack Leaning was stranded on 179 in the first innings and there was time for Zak Crawley to be out cheaply in the second – just 67 runs in six innings this summer. Elsewhere, Hampshire and Durham drew at rain-hit Southampton.
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Thank you all for your company this week. We’ll be back on Friday – with all 18 teams back in the mix and Surrey sitting pretty. Till then, may May sparkle kindly.
Updated
Final scores
Division One
Southampton: Hampshire 503 and 62-2 DRAW WITH Durham 432
Canterbury: Kent 407 and 146-4 DRAW WITH Worcestershire 618-7 dec
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 503 and 81-1 BEAT Lancashire 331 and 252 BY NINE WICKETS.
The Oval: Surrey 464 and 89-1 BEAT Warwickshire 343 and 209 by nine wickets.
Division Two
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 411 and 58-2 BEAT Sussex 278 and 188 BY NINE WICKETS
The County Ground: Northants 171 and 301 LOSE TO Gloucestershire 409 and 319-5dec BY 256 RUNS
Kent DRAW with Worcestershire
A handsome draw played in a great spirit – with Josh Baker remembered on Worcestershire’s badge and their, and our, hearts.
Canterbury: Kent 407 and 146-4 DRAW WITH Worcestershire 618-7 dec
Worcestershire 13 points, Kent 11
Over at Canterbury, DBD has been and gone, but Finch and Evison have lasted ten overs. I’m going to start writing up for the paper but will keep an eye on events.
I’ve only glanced at this, but looks worth a read when you have a spare half hour.
🚨"I Read Every County Cricket Teams Financials. Here is What I Found."
— Broken Cricket Dreams Cricket Blog (@cricket_broken) May 12, 2024
Reaching out for broader #CountyCricket reach! Thanks 🙏@ajarrodkimber @mroller98@miller_cricket @andymcg_cricket @Athersmike @Trescricket @FirdoseM @cric_blog @guerillacrickethttps://t.co/gfPbpFhtUC
Time to make a cup of tea, with just the game at Canterbury left.
Tea-time scores
Division One
Southampton: Hampshire 503 and 62-2 DRAW WITH Durham 432
Canterbury: Kent 407 and 104-3 v Worcestershire 618-7 dec
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 503 and 81-1 BEAT Lancashire 331 and 252 BY NINE WICKETS.
The Oval: Surrey 464 and 89-1 BEAT Warwickshire 343 and 209 by nine wickets.
Division Two
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 411 and 58-2 BEAT Sussex 278 and 188 BY NINE WICKETS
The County Ground: Northants 171 and 301 LOSE TO Gloucestershire 409 and 319-5dec BY 256 RUNS
Hampshire draw with Durham!
They call it a day at the Rose Bowl. Still no wins under Hampshire’s belt; Durham have one victory, and remain undefeated.
Southampton: Hampshire 503 and 62-2 DRAW WITH Durham 432
Hampshire 13 points, Durham 11
Nottinghamshire beat Lancashire by nine wickets!
And HH wins it! With yet another single. He punches the air and shakes hands with everyone on the pitch.
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 503 and 81-1 BEAT Lancashire 331 and 252 BY NINE WICKETS.
A first win of the season for Nottinghamshire and a third defeat for Lancashire, rooted firmly to the bottom of the Division One table – the only team in the country to have lost more than one game.
Luke Wells’s lanky loopers easing Notts to their target, just 9 needed.
Still raining at Southampton. And they’ve taken tea at Canterbury, where things are drifting to a draw.
Gloucestershire beat Northants by 256 runs!
The County Ground: Northants 171 and 301 LOSE TO Gloucestershire 409 and 319-5dec BY 256 RUNS
After miserable financial results, the disappointment of not getting a women’s Tier one contract, and 18 matches without a win, good news at last for Gloucestershire! Well played young team, a first win since September 2022.
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Notts only need 35, Has looking as if he’ll carry his bat all game. And at The County Ground, it’s all over bar the packing up. Northants toppling from 266-4 to 300-9. A group effort by the Glos bowlers.
"At the moment they're Man City"
Fascinating from Mark Robinson. Interesting that he says The Oval was a tall bowler’s wicket, Kemar Roach isn’t huge. Maybe a tall bowler’s wicket unless you’re Kemar Roach.
“We’ve done a lot right, but we haven’t been good enough. It’s aspirational for us as a big club like Warwickshire to get up level with them – at the moment they’re Man City and we’re not, you need a few things to go your way to give yourselves the best chance.
“We’ve got four front line bowlers who are unavailable so that doesn’t help – it was a tall bowlers’ wicket and we’re having to overbowl Rhodes and Barnard, Jamal at the moment is struggling for rhythm and not reaching the sort of pace we’d like him to.
“We don’t like being bowled out in 60 overs, and we shouldn’t be, but there’s a lot of variation in the wicket and Surrey have an international attack.”
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Bad light in Southampton
Just a little nudge from the weather to pull the curtains on this one. Hampshire 62-2 in their second innings.
Three Lancs slips a waiting. Bailey with the new ball. And HH is off the mark with a single, which reminds me of a fabulous stat that I heard Scott Read mention, and which I wish I’d known when I was writing up yesterday – HH reached his 200 with his 101st single of the innings.
Nottinghamshire need 81 to win!
Hurst is the last man out, 104, going for the heave. 50 overs left, friendly skies.
At Canterbury, Joe Denly has gone. Mr reliable, DBD, nine not out. Worcs have a session and a half to get seven more wickets.
And another six makes the hundred! Ten fours, four sixes, and that’s his maiden first-class century. He takes off his helmet and waves his bat in the direction of the dressing room. Gets a pat from Mahmood, who towers over him. Lancs 248-9, lead of 76.
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Matty Hurst! From 92 to 98 with a six. I’m not sure he has much faith in trusty no. 11 Saqib Mahmood.
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And the slow-rising finger of the umpire sends Will Williams on his way, lbw. Lancs 224-9.
Ken't’s quest for survival not too hot – both Crawley and Compton caught behind now, one off Holder, one off Gibbon.
Crawley’s CC run this summer a return to his creaky period: 5, 4, 41, 1, 6, 10.
Matty Hurst (79 not out) has passed his highest first-class score. Amongst the rubble, there are good things for Lancs to take from this game.
This was Dale Benkenstein last night: “we knew when we came out this evening that getting through that new ball was going to be key and we just couldn’t get through it. There was some really good fast bowling. They had a lot more on the ball than we did and because of that extra pace they just got a bit more out of it than we could.
“It was frustrating to watch. Those first five or six overs today we went past the pat a few times so to go in tonight and nick every ball was difficult. But we’ve just got to stay together and the last two wickets tonight gives us a bit of hope.
“If we can get the ball a bit soft and put some runs on in the morning we give ourselves a chance, but obviously as things stand we’ve got our backs against the wall.”
Lunchtime scores
Division One
Southampton: Hampshire 503 and 34-2 v Durham 432
Canterbury: Kent 407 and 18-1 v Worcestershire 618-7 dec
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 503 v Lancashire 331 and 198-8
The Oval: Surrey 464 and 89-1 BEAT Warwickshire 343 and 209 by nine wickets.
Division Two
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 411 and 58-2 BEAT Sussex 278 and 188 BY NINE WICKETS
The County Ground: Northants 171 and 225-4 v Gloucestershire 409 and 319-5dec
And Pennington makes it eight! Bailey lbw for 10. Lancs 190-8.
And off Hartley must trot, after a really good fifty, full of youthful attacking intent. Caught at second slip. Lancs 178-7, lead by six.
Kent follow on
A second wicket for Kashif, Leaning unbeaten on an almost nine- hour 179. I’d back them to bat this out – those Worcs bowlers are going to be knackered. And the pitch is a pudding.
And Lancashire are not going to lose by an innings, excellent work by Hurst and Hartley – fifties a piece.
And in Division Two, Gloucestershire have got rid of nightwatchman Scrimshaw and the big one – Procter – caught and bowled Tom Price for 60. Northants 183-4, trail by 375 – or, more pertinently, have two and a bit more sessions to survive.
Elsewhere, with an hour gone, Jack Leaning is still there at Canterbury, on 173,, but he’s lost Gilchrist for a 56-ball 12. Kent 400-9, trail by 218..
Durham added 22 this morning, finally out for 432, both wickets to Organ – who finished with 4-101. An unbeaten 52 for Ben Raine. Hampshire are now batting but are having starting issues, have lost both openers with nine on the board. Both wickets to Potts. The Hampshire lead: 80.
And again! Great stuff from Pottsy.#ForTheNorth pic.twitter.com/fNVpV1WBXn
— Durham Cricket (@DurhamCricket) May 13, 2024
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Now Surrey have duly pocketed their points, eyes drift north west, where Hurst (28 )and Hartley (42) have pulled off their shoes and are settling on the sofa. Their partnership of 78 has more than covered the 61 put together by the top six batters. Lancs only trail by 32, the weather is set fine and dandy.
Surrey admirably impregnable. The rest’s best hope that they lose Smith and Pope and Atkinson and Foakes to England. Surrey’s next four CC games, taking them to the start of July, are Worcestershire, Hampshire, Worcestershire again and Essex.
Surrey beat Warwickshire by nine wickets!
And with a little lap round the corner, Ollie Pope wins it for Surrey. A third win on the trot and, after missing a week, straight back to the top of the table for the defending champs – with a 21-point lead over second-placed Essex. Very friendly handshakes all round.
The Oval: Surrey 464 and 89-1 BEAT Warwickshire 343 and 209 by nine wickets.
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Bethell, a fan of the Dom Bess bleach bottle, reels in. Warwicks whizzing through their overs this morning to ensure a positive over rate. Sibley drives four. Ten needed.
Surrey in a hurry at The Oval, including a Rory Burns six, but Jacob Bethell gets his revenge as Burns holes out. 24 needed.
“Top o’ the mornin’ to you Tanya!” Hello Tim Maitland!
”I’m trying to decide whether it’s my imagination or if there really has been a bit of a dearth of Bazballesque biff in this round of matches and, if so, why?
”Apart from Jamie Smith’s match-winning 155 (18 fours, 3 sixes at a strike rate of 86.59) for Surrey there seems to have been a notable lack of run-a-ball moving the game forward.
”I’m not counting, but in no way belittling Worcestershire’s unbeaten 8th wicket stand (Jason Holder’s 123 runs 7 fours 6 sixes at 111.82 and Matthew Waite’s 100 runs at 79.37) as they came in at 393 for 7, which is clearly a case of 225 runs of late-inning how’s your father.
”Even Durham have been relatively subdued, by modern standards.
”It probably doesn’t mean much, but it does strike me as unusual - considering the high totals being racked up and the corresponding high probability of draws - that so few people have been embracing the McCullum mantra, with test selection coming up.
”BTW, as I believe the kids say, is Smith any kind of chance for a test call-up this summer?”
I’ve asked Ali who says, “He’s definitely one they’re very keen on, very Bazball; question is where he’d slot in, with Brook at 5, Stokes 6 … the keeper spot is one area, but he doesn’t do it for Surrey in the Championship. Jonny B in the mix too.”
As for the lack of Bazball, I wonder if it is to do with the pitches. Groundstaff haven’t been able to get the bounce they are looking for because of the weather. So less easy to play attacking shots?
Updated
A super stat from Dave Bracegirdle: Notts have taken 11 slip catches plus two by the keeper. Some brilliant efforts here.
📽 The latest 4️⃣ to fall...#NOTLAN | 📺 https://t.co/rPdMkT9eYx pic.twitter.com/s8Xp9FI0td
— Nottinghamshire CCC (@TrentBridge) May 12, 2024
And here we go!
Weather watch
The Met office is optimistic-ish: A band of rain gradually spreads into southern and western parts of the UK, with some showers across northern Scotland. Elsewhere will be largely dry with spells of sunshine. Cooler under the rain but staying warm in the sunshine.
At the moment it seems to be gloomy in Hampshire and London, sunny in Canterbury and Nottingham and cloudy at Northants. Do let me know if I’m way off!
Scores on the doors
Division One
Southampton: Hampshire 503 v Durham 410-8
Canterbury: Kent 262-8 v Worcestershire 618-7 dec
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 503 v Lancashire 331 and 100-6
The Oval: Surrey 464 and 31-0 v Warwickshire 343 and 209 Surrey need 58
Division Two
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 411 and 58-2 BEAT Sussex 278 and 188 BY NINE WICKETS
The County Ground: Northants 171 and 144-2 v Gloucestershire 409 and 319-5dec
Sunday's round-up
Lancashire’s batters suffered yet another bad day at the office, but not before their ex-wunderkind had twirled in his swivel chair and smoked a couple of cheroots. Nottinghamshire’s Haseeb Hameed rocked to the first double century of his career, carrying his bat for 247.
Olly Stone helped with a career-best 90. Lancashire then subsided as Dillon Pennington, who must be in England notebooks, sawed through the top order, and Dane Paterson and Lydon James did the rest. Tom Hartley and Matty Hurst swung the bat at the end, but at six wickets down, Lancashire still need another 72 to avoid an innings defeat.
Glamorgan handed top of the table Sussex a three-day spanking by nine wickets at Cardiff. Andy Gorvin grabbed a career-best five for 40, and, with help from Mir Hamza and Mason Crane, Sussex subsided for 188 in their second innings, leaving Glamorgan 56 to win. They knocked that off in less than eight overs for their first Championship victory since May last year.
Kemar Roach’s six for 46 put Surrey in sight of a third Championship win on the bounce against Warwickshire at The Oval. With Rory Burns and Dom Sibley at the crease, Surrey need only another 58. Jamie Smith’s magical 155, and a partnership of 115 with the big-hitting Sean Abbot, tonked Surrey to maximum batting points.
A high-scoring draw looks on the cards on the docile pitch at Hampshire’s Rose Bowl, where David Bedingham took Durham past the follow-on target and to safety with 140, his second century of the summer. Liam Dawson toiled through a personal record 62 overs, and was rewarded with a five-fer
Cameron Bancroft clipped an unbeaten 130 to put Gloucestershire in an excellent position against Northamptonshire. Set 558 to win, Emilio Gay went on the offensive, his 74 an exciting mix of luck and finesse.
At Canterbury, Jack Leaning batted all day for a tenacious 152 not out, giving Kent the ghost of a chance of survival against Worcestershire. Kent are still 256 behind, but the pitch is a welcoming doormat. Beyers Swanepoel hit 54 on his debut
Preamble
Good gorgeous May morning! And the very best of luck to anyone doing SATS, or starting GCSEs or A levels this week – may the force be with you (or your offspring). In the Championship, we roll into day four of round six – at the end of today, we will be a third of the way through the season.
Around the grounds, Glamorgan have already polished off Sussex and Warwickshire and Lancashire are fading fast. It looks to be a draw at the Rose Bowl, so the main interest may lie in whether Northants and Kent can bat themselves out of trouble.
