Tanya Aldred's county roundup
With rain feeling their collars, Hampshire snatched a last-gasp victory over Northamptonshire by an innings and four runs, leapfrogging Surrey to the top of the Division One table. Mohammad Abbas proved a skitty handful, scooping four for 32, supported by three for 63 by Keith Barker, but the last wicket went to James Fuller, who pruned Jack White’s stumps to put Hampshire eight points clear.
Lancashire are effectively out of the Championship race after they failed to bowl out Yorkshire at Old Trafford. Lancs biffed a quick 77 before setting Yorkshire 302 in 84 overs. Two quick wickets left Yorkshire squiffy but defiant stonewalling by debutant Finlay Bean, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Will Fraine saw Yorkshire through to the close. “I don’t know what more you can do,” said a disgruntled Glenn Chapple, Lancashire coach, afterwards, “It was flat enough to block if you want to, but that was a fair target. We’d have got 300 on that no problem.”
Sam Cook picked up 10 wickets in the match as Essex defied biblical downpours to beat Kent by an innings and 260 runs. They grabbed the two wickets they needed in 4.4 overs, top scorer Jordan Cox the last man out. Kent drop deep into the relegation zone.
Gloucestershire look doomed to spend 2023 in Division Two after rain ruined their chances of beating Somerset. To make matters worse, they were docked two points for a slow over rate.
In Division Two, only 55 minutes were possible in Glamorgan’s game against Worcestershire, the draw taking Glamorgan to second place in the table, while a sixth-wicket 17-over stand between Liam Trevaskis and Paul Coughlin thwarted Derbyshire’s push for victory over Durham at The County Ground.
Well, that’s that for another round, leaving Hampshire surveying the field from the heady heights of Division One and Surrey with work to do (though they have a match in hand).
Gloucestershire look doomed and Nottinghamshire promoted, with a fair scrap in play for the other promotion and relegation spots.
And with the news that the Queen died peacefully this afternoon, they’ve lowered the flags at The Oval.
Till Monday, good night.
Flag at half mast at the Oval pic.twitter.com/1VCcjImza3
— Elizabeth Ammon (@legsidelizzy) September 8, 2022
