Roundup: McKerr takes four to help Surrey increase lead at top
Surrey stretched their lead at the top of Division One to 35 points, with four rounds of the Championship left– a third consecutive title tantalisingly in sight. They polished off Lancashire before tea at The Oval, with Conor McKerr collecting four for 27 and Jordan Clark and Dan Worrall adding another three each to their burgeoning collections. Two early wickets – Keaton Jennings and young Rocky Flintoff, for a first-ball duck –made a draw look unlikely, and so it proved – though Matty Hurst again had the pundits purring with a perfectly paced 64.
On a bitterly cold morning at the County Ground, Derbyshire at last grabbed the Championship win at home which had eluded them since August 2019. With rain chasing in the back mirror, they took the last three Glamorgan wickets and then secured the 27 runs needed when Luis Reece swept Sam Northeast into the shivering stands.
Durham’s Daniel Hogg had a magical day, pocketing seven for 66 in the second innings of his debut match to send Nottinghamshire to an innings defeat. After Worcestershire duly beat Kent by eight wickets, both Notts and Lancashire slip into the relegation reckoning. There were rain-affected draws at Edgbaston – where Warwickshire hosted Somerset – and Southampton, where Hampshire’s Toby Albert and Tom Prest both made centuries against Essex.
Yorkshire made things interesting at the top of Division Two by beating Sussex by four wickets, despite a last-gasp collapse which included Jonny Bairstow for a two-ball duck. Sussex’s Jack Carson finished with career-best match figures of nine for 120. At Merchant Taylor’s School, Toby Roland-Jones hauled Middlesex over the line , and into second place, with 11 wickets against Northamptonshire.
Rain drew the curtains on a placid Bristol pitch, where Gloucestershire and Leicestershire shook hands at 4.30pm. Visiting head coach Alfonso Thomas mused afterwards on the England call-up of 20-year-old Josh Hull: “He is by no means the finished article as he very well knows. But he has all the attributes and potential to be a top international bowler.”
Close of play scores
Division One
New Road: Worcestershire 447 and 102-2 beat Kent 171 and 376 by eight wickets
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 337 and 270 v Somerset 239 and 206-4 Match drawn
The Oval: Surrey 444-9 dec beat Lancashire 204 and 177 by an innings and 63 runs
Southampton: Hampshire 424-8 dec v Essex 438-8dec Match drawn
Chester-le-Street: Durham 531-7 dec beat Nottinghamshire 229 and 285 by an innings and 17 runs
Division Two
Merchant Taylor’s School: Middlesex 264 and 114-2 beat Northamptonshire 207 and 167 by eight wickets
North Marine Road: Yorkshire 326 and 103-6 beat Sussex 189 and 239 by four wickets
County Ground: Derbyshire 429 and 27-0 beat Glamorgan 168 and 287 by 10 wickets
Bristol: Gloucestershire 544-4dec v Leicestershire 402 and 304-5 Match drawn
