Roundup: Surrey sole winners in rain-hit round
Surrey supercharged their season with the only win of a damp round, thrashing Hampshire by an innings and 11 runs just before lunch. Elsewhere, the remaining six games petered out into draws, undone by the rain and pitches subdued by the wettest 18 months on record. From four rounds of matches, there have only been seven victories – two for Surrey and Essex, who share 71 points at the top of Division One, and one each for Durham, Middlesex and Sussex.
The game at the Oval ended as it began, with a wicket for the Dan Worrall-Ollie Pope combination. The final catch was a double-handed, dandelion-floating swallow dive to his right at second slip which equalled the Surrey record for outfield catches in a first-class match, matching Tony Lock’s eight against Warwickshire in 1957. And all with his sunglasses stuck firmly to his cap. Worrall grabbed five wickets in Hampshire’s second innings and led the players off with eight for 91 in the match.
Adi Birrell, Hampshire’s first-team coach, admitted afterwards that, having lost four early-season games at the Oval in succession, it was “a mental thing … it’s certainly been a struggle for us coming to the Oval in recent years”. He added: “We knew what we were going to come up against here but we have to try to find a way to deal with it.”
At Chester-le-Street, Callum Parkinson picked up his first five-fer since joining Durham, while Essex’s Nick Browne collected his first Championship hundred of the year. A draw was ensured once Warwickshire had avoided the follow-on against Nottinghamshire, with Jacob Bethell winkled out by Olly Stone seven short off what would have been a maiden first-class century. Half-centuries by Tom Lammonby and Andy Umeed ensured Somerset were safe against Worcestershire.
In Division Two, Peter Handscomb was run out for 99 and Rehan Ahmed hit 85 as Leicestershire collected maximum batting points. George Scrimshaw took his first two wickets since joining Northamptonshire and Ben Sanderson pocketed his 500th wicket for the club, after a mammoth mopping-up job at Grace Road allowed the game to start on time
On a hybrid pitch at Bristol, Gloucestershire were set 331. They lost early wickets but Ollie Price’s 52 not out steadied the ship against Middlesex. Derbyshire ensured a draw against Yorkshire at Headingley thanks to a hundred from Wayne Madsen and 97 from Aneurin Donald.
Updated
And that is that! One win from seven games this round – and seven wins from four completed rounds. Thanks for your company, as ever, despite the rain.
Leicestershire go into May top of Division Two, Surrey top of Division One. I’ll be Old Trafford on Friday, let’s hope the weather plays ball. Good night!
Updated
Leicestershire draw with Northamptonshire
Grace Road: Leicestershire 452-8 DRAW WITH Northampton 453-7dec
Leicestershire 15 points, Northamptonshire 15
Gloucestershire DRAW with Middlesex
Bristol: Gloucestershire 322 and 127-3 DRAW WITH Middlesex 203 and 449-7dec
Gloucs 13 points; Middlesex 11
Which leaves us with two, Leicester chasing a final batting point at Grace Road – currently 418-8 off 96 overs; and Middlesex just waiting to see if Gloucs will collapse – assuming Gloucs – 106-3 – aren’t going to light the blasters.
And with that, time for me to write up for the paper.
Worcestershire draw with Somerset
Kidderminster: Worcestershire 451-9dec DRAW WITH Somerset 309-9dec and 190-4
Worcestershire 15 pts, Somerset 12
Updated
Yorkshire DRAW with Derbyshire
Headingley: Yorkshire 450-5dec and 59-1 DRAW WITH Derbyshire 447
Yorkshire 16 pts, Derbyshire 13
And that leaves Essex and Surrey level on points at the top of the Division one table.
Durham draw with Essex
Chester le Street: Durham 358 and 131-2 DRAW WITH Essex 488
Essex 14 pts, Durham 12
They’re off at Chester le Street too.
Warwickshire draw with Nottinghamshire
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 361 DRAW WITH Nottinghamshire 400 and 75-1
Notts 15 pts, Warwicks 14 pts
A first Somerset fifty for Andy Umeed – and out. Somerset 188-4, lead Worcestershire by 46.
And the match has temporarily been put out of its misery at Edgbaston – off for bad light at 75-1, HH 41 not out.
A wicket at CLS -and it is Critchley, not Harmer, who makes the breakthrough -Ackermann for 32. But this match, as elsewhere, seems to be peetering towards a draw.
New Zealand’s T20 World Cup squad, just two changes from 2022:
A potential #T20WorldCup debut awaits for Matt Henry and Rachin Ravindra as New Zealand named their squad for the marquee event.
— ICC (@ICC) April 29, 2024
Details ➡️ https://t.co/x9Zl6cHYdz pic.twitter.com/cjqa08IkwX
England name theirs tomorrow. Hope they do it like this.
New Zealand announced their Squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 in great way.
— Tanuj Singh (@ImTanujSingh) April 29, 2024
- Yet another time new fashion way in New Zealand cricket. 😀❤️ pic.twitter.com/bhgIUVbrQa
Updated
Tea time scores
DIVISION ONE
Chester le Street: Durham 358 and 84-1 v Essex 488
The Oval: Surrey 359 BEAT Hampshire 151 and 197 BY AN INNINGS AND 11 RUNS
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 361 v Nottinghamshire 400 and 40-1
Kidderminster: Worcestershire 451-9dec v Somerset 309-9dec and 141-3
DIVISION TWO
Bristol: Gloucestershire 322 and 69-1 v Middlesex 203 and 449-7dec
Grace Road: Leicestershire 360-8v Northampton 453-7dec
Headingley: Yorkshire 450-5dec and 13-0 v Derbyshire 447
As Peter Hanscomb runs himself out for 99, a great spot by Mark Hooper. “Only one match this round has failed to deliver a 400-run innings . What’s going on!”
I think, I think, it must be to do with the weather and the rain. The pitches aren’t as hard and fast as they could be, therefore not helping bowlers in the usual way. Any other answers greatly received!
76.2 | Great work from Karun! 💥
— Northamptonshire CCC (@NorthantsCCC) April 29, 2024
Handscomb tries to take on Karun on 99 but Karun gets a direct hit and the Australian has to go!
Leicestershire 335/7.
Watch live 👉 https://t.co/CU8uwteMyd pic.twitter.com/fMu8wem5Dc
Updated
Tom Lammonby (41) and Andy Umeed (26) look as if they’re batting Somerset to safety: 115- trail Worcs by 27 runs.
Derbyshire all out, just three short of Yorkshire’ 450. Four wickets for Matt Fisher.
Durham currently seeing off Simon Harmer: 32-1.
At Edgbaston, three wickets each for Dillon Pennington and Lyndon James in Warwickshire’s 361. Notts batting again – an early wicket, and it’s not HH…from pounds to pennies for Ben Duckett, lbw OHD for seven. Notts 12-1.
While I wasn’t looking, Rehan Ahmed and Peter Handscomb have been going great guns at Grace Road. Ahmed now out for 85, a third wicket for Sanderson. Handscomb hovers on 94. Leics 317-6, follow-on avoided.
While at Yorkshire, Donald (97) and Zak Chappell (78) have batted Derbyhire to near parity. At 231-9, a spectacular recovery from 23-3.
"It's a mental thing"
Adi Birrell, Hampshire’s first team coach on coming to The Oval:
“Yes, I think you can say it is a mental thing for us coming here to Surrey, having lost heavily now in our last four visits. Last year, actually, I thought we played well and were still in contention to win ourselves on the last day before Pope took it away from us with an unbeaten hundred.”
“But in this game we got behind early and stayed behind and it’s certainly been a struggle for us coming to the Oval in recent years. We knew what we were going to come up against here but we have to try to find a way to deal with it. Surrey’s faster bowlers know the conditions here at the Oval, with the extra carry and swing they get, and they really exploit that.”
Middlesex have set Gloucestershire 331 in 58 overs. But Chris Dent is caught in the second over off Tom Helm. 0-1 not an idea launch pad.
And so it begins. Borthwick, head down, trudges off, using his bat as a walking stick. Porter picks up a wicket with his seventh ball. Durham 13-1.
Those Pope catches in full:
This is just beautiful 😍
— James (@Surreycricfan) April 29, 2024
Ollie Pope taking 8 slip catches in the match 🏏 pic.twitter.com/e2YZD4wRQh
Here come Lees and Bothwick. Looks a bit warmer, can’t see any snoods today at CLS. My dear intelligent dog leaves the sofa in disappointment after realising that my apple isn’t a ball. Jamie Porter holds the new ball.
From slumbers, action! Essex all out for 488. Two run outs in three balls,(including Browne for 184) then two wickets in one over for Parkinson. Essex lose four for 11 and lead by 130. Now this is interesting.
Updated
Lunchtime scores
DIVISION ONE
Chester le Street: Durham 358 v Essex 450-6
The Oval: Surrey 359 BEAT Hampshire 151 and 197 BY AN INNINGS AND 11 RUNS
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 293-7 v Nottinghamshire 400
Kidderminster: Worcestershire 451-9dec v Somerset 309-9dec and 68-3
DIVISION TWO
Bristol: Gloucestershire 322 v Middlesex 203 and 406-6
Grace Road: Leicestershire 247-4 v Northampton 453-7dec
Headingley: Yorkshire 450-5dec v Derbyshire 297-7
Surrey beat Hampshire by an innings and 11 runs!
And it ends as it began, with a wicket for the Pope-Worrall combination. This time a double handed, dandelion-floating, swallow dive at second slip. Thanks to Andrew Sampson, we know that Pope equals the Surrey record, matching Tony Lock’s eight in the match. The Worrall-Pope deadly duo of six in match is a Surrey record. And all with his sunglasses stuck firmly to his cap. Five wickets for Dan Worrall, who leads the players off with 8-91. Surrey stride top-of-the-table-wards.
Lunchtime round the grounds, but they’re taking the extra half hour at The Oval, with Hampshire nine down. Brown gone attempting a boundary too many.
Alas, no century for poor Jacob Bethell, but a first wicket of the season for Olly Stone, who, according to the commentators, has been bowling with threat. He looks a bit less twig and a bit more oak tree than he used to. Hopefully that means an end to his nightmareish run of injuries.
😍 #BowlingStone with the new ball in hand.
— Nottinghamshire CCC (@TrentBridge) April 29, 2024
...and how about the mayo on the catch 🤌#WARNOT | 📺 https://t.co/mNWEr5bYYR pic.twitter.com/LF4zegIkQu
Renshaw and Lammonby digging in for Somerset at Kidderminster. Pitch looks a bit flat and Worcestershire have only got rid of nightwatch Jake Ball this morning. Somerset 62-2, trail by 80.
Ben Brown changes the mood by taking a huge side step and rocket-launching Worrall over extra cover for four. Rory Burns harrumphs and brings on Cam Steel.
Over at Edgbaston, Warwickshire have avoided the follow on. 20-year-old Jason Bethell, on 91, his highest first-class score, eyes up a maiden century. Just one wicket for Notts this morning, to Calvin Harrison.
A seventh for Pope! He collects low and to his left at second slip as Abbott thinks why not and tries to drive Worrall down the ground . A fourth for the smiling assassin. The sun is out at The Oval, and Surrey need just two more Hampshire wickets.
Looking at Gus Atkinson’s peg-leg cricket whites and saw some golfers in ridiculously tight trousers the other day. Thinking this guy should have a look at sports wear.
for classically cut suits and sports coats, your trousers should have some relationship to your jacket so there is a coherent silhouette. here is what i mean pic.twitter.com/rNftHkhnbM
— derek guy (@dieworkwear) April 28, 2024
I know absolutely nothing about clothes, but he makes things like trouser width genuinely interesting. Dennis Lillee’s flares must have brought their own issues though. Anyway, Ben Brown giving this game his best shot, as Atkinson sends a snorter towards Abbott’s nose. Hants 159-7, trail by 49.
At Chester le Street, Essex have taken the lead, Ben Browne has his hundred, but Callum Parkinson has grabbed another two wickets. Essex 379-5. Young Thain in – reckon he can slam it around a bit.
A second wicket for the rapid, tiptoeing, Atkinson – this time Dan Lawrence is the catcher, in the gully, the ball thudding into the bread basket before he clings onto the rebound. Fuller gone cheaply. Hampshire 139-7.
In the other two games in Division Two, Lewis Hill has been lbw to George Scrimshaw (hope he gets another go with England this year), Leicestershire 142-3, while at Bristol Ajeet Singh Dale has prized out Max Holden for 111, closing the lid on a fourth-wicket partnership of 201. Higgins still there on 137. Middx 325-4, lead by 206.
Fisher makes the breakthrough at Headingley, Brooke Guest losing his off stump. Madsen still there though, on 92. Derbys 209-4, still 90 short of the follow on.
Fish on 🔥 https://t.co/jN3aiLNgnZ pic.twitter.com/EO6I60wR0F
— Yorkshire CCC (@YorkshireCCC) April 29, 2024
And there goes Dawson! A sixth catch for Pope who grins and promptly shoves his hands back in his pocket. A third wicket for the irrepressible Worrall. Hampshire 117-6.
Switch on the Surrey stream and see Ben Brown get a snorter from Kemar Roach, that just bounces before Ollie Pope at slip. Not sure this is going to last long.
I’ve just been flicking through a little book on Peter Eckersley, by Malcolm Lorimer. Before he was 32, he’d captained Lancashire for seven summers, won two County Championships, become a skilled pilot and been elected to parliament. In the early days of flight, he once flew Lancashire to an away game (which would not be approved of now!) A fascinating guy, died too soon in a plane crash, aged 36. Anyway, we’re about to get going around the grounds, with all eyes, first, to The Oval.
Updated
Starting at 11 at Headingley, and looking good at Chester le Street too.
Unbelievably, they’re starting on time at Grace Road. Bravo all round.
𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 ⏰
— Leicestershire CCC 🏏 (@leicsccc) April 29, 2024
Head Groundsman, Andy Ward, credits the extraordinary efforts of his team to get the ground fit for play after yesterday’s heavy rainfall. 👏
🦊#LEIvNOR pic.twitter.com/lwt7wgk1f5
Weather watch
Better. Breezy. Showery over Cumbria, otherwise mostly dry with scattered showers. The heady heights of 14C.
Sunday's round-up
Heavy rain stalked the country but, despite not getting onto the field until 4.30pm, Surrey marched inevitably towards their second win of the season.
Hampshire, starting 177 runs behind and two wickets down, lost most of their middle-order ballast during the evening session: Ollie Pope taking two dramatic catches at slip to dismiss Nick Gubbins and Tom Prest, and James Vince, cracked on the shoulder by a Gus Atkinson bouncer, then lbw to a Kemar Roach in swinger after a 95-ball vigil of 26. Hampshire still trail Surrey by 92, with five wickets remaining, and Monday’s forecast in London offers them little chance of succour.
Ed Barnard’s determined 69 helped hold off the Notts dogs at Edgbaston on a day when only 35 overs were possible. He was also helped by thirties from Dan Mousley and Jacob Bethell. Warwickshire need another 76 runs to avoid the follow on.
A century from Gareth Roderick gave Worcestershire the upper hand at Kidderminster, four batting points and a first-innings lead of 142 before Jason Holder removed Sean Dickson for a duck in Somerset’s three over batting test in the evening light. Shoaib Bashir bowled with aplomb, settling into a good rhythm and keeping his head despite being dispatched for sixes over the railway line, removing both Jake Libby, for a sterling 97, and the boundary-happy Kashif Ali.
Max Holden and Ryan Higgins both made classy unbeaten hundreds to set up what could be a thrilling final day at Bristol. From the dregs of 9-2, Holden and Higgins, with help from Leus du Plooy, helped Middlesex build a second innings lead of 143 – with seven wickets still in hand. Earlier, Henry Brookes had finished off the Gloucestershire innings with three wickets in an over. At Grace Road, Chester-le-Street and Headingley, no play was possible.
Scores on the doors
DIVISION ONE
Chester le Street: Durham 358 v Essex 314-3 no play yesterday
The Oval: Surrey 359 v Hampshire 151 and 116-5
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 175-5 v Nottinghamshire 400
Kidderminster: Worcestershire 451-9dec v Somerset 309-9dec and 5-1
DIVISION TWO
Bristol: Gloucestershire 322 v Middlesex 203 and 262-3
Grace Road: Leicestershire 97-2 v Northampton 453-7dec no play yesterday
Headingley: Yorkshire 450-5 v Derbyshire 190-3 no play yesterday
Updated
Preamble
Good morning! Spring has shaken a leg at last, but will it be enough to get results after yesterday’s washouts? Join us at 11am to find out.
