Opening day roundup
This round of Championship cricket, squeezed between the T20 Blast, has the novelty of being the first of two this summer which will use the Kookaburra ball. They were prescribed by the Strauss report, in an attempt to reduce reliance on the swing and seam of the Dukes and encourage fast and spin bowling.
One day in, with seven centuries on the board but five teams bowled out in less than a day, it seems too early to make a call. Finlay Bean and George Hill made the most of a good Headingley pitch, a swift outfield, and some wayward Gloucestershire bowling, to rock to sparkling centuries and put Yorkshire in a dominant position.
At Chelmsford, Dan Lawrence made his second hundred of the season for Essex, in a partnership of 227 with Tom Westley, who was finally out for a sparkling 114. Dom Bess grabbed two consolation wickets for Warwickshire.
A humdinger of a game is developing at The Oval, where Lancashire were dismissed for 274 only to have Surrey 70 for four at stumps. A Brett Hutton five‑fer took the shine off Somerset’s day against Nottinghamshire, dismissed for 163.
Hampshire finished the day on 284 for four against Middlesex. Spinner Liam Dawson, overlooked by England, was 111 not out overnight and, along with Nick Gubbins, shimmied Hampshire into a dominant position. At the County Ground, Rob Keogh’s 97 propped up Northamptonshire in the Division One basement battle against Kent.
Durham raced along at now familiar lick, with centuries from Alex Lees and Ollie Robinson putting pressure on a Leicestershire side already reeling from the news that Paul Nixon had been put on gardening leave. Nathan McAndrew and Jack Carson kept Glamorgan firmly tethered at Sophia Gardens against Sussex, while Anuj Dal’s five wickets ensured the bottom club Derbyshire had some skin in the game at New Road, Worcestershire all out for 237 after a stonking opening stand.
That’s all from us. Thanks for hanging around on a roasting Sunday, congratulations to centurions all: Lawrence, Westley, Dawson, Bean, Hill, Lees and Robinson and five-wicketers Anuj Dal and Brett Hutton. We’ll be back tomorrow – good night!
