Roundup: Wells leads Lancashire reply after Sibley carries his bat
While Ben Stokes was causing carnage at New Road, rain brought proceedings to an early close at Old Trafford, but there was time enough for Keaton Jennings, with a tattooist’s eye, and Luke Wells, with a whitewasher’s, to put on an unbeaten 127 for Lancashire. Earlier Hasan Ali had picked up two wickets – without his punch down, fists-up celebration – and Matt Parkinson one, to bowl Warwickshire out for 315. Dom Sibley carried his bat for 142.
Essex’s long-drawn out 403 on a moribund Chelmsford pitch burst into life when Simon Harmer appeared, biffing 54 in haste. Paul Walter made his maiden first-class century, despite a spell in the nervous nineties, eventually falling for 141.
Yorkshire wobbled to 81 for three in reply, a nightwatchman sparing Joe Root from facing the tricky final overs in his first county appearance since he resigned the England captaincy.
A last-wicket stand of 55 saved face for Gloucestershire’s batters, Ajeet Singh-Dale and Jared Warner seeing opportunity where others saw only devil. Otherwise, it was the Mohammad Abbas show: line and length perfect, six for 45 in his purse. Hampshire’s second innings then hit the rocks, 28 for four at stumps, as Mohammad Amir (three for 22) and Ryan Higgins (one for six, after top-scoring for Gloucestershire with 46) swarmed.
Northamptonshire were in similar strife at the Oval, though the steady hand of Luke Procter (61 not out) squeezed them past 150 – they closed on 154 for eight. Surrey had earlier limbered past 400 thanks to the pummelling efforts of Jamie Overton (59) and Gus Atkinson (an unbeaten 66).
In Division Two, Ollie Robinson got back into the groove in his first run-out for Sussex since he returned from West Indies with a back spasm and a flea in his ear from the England management. He bowled Sam Robson for a duck before plucking the leg stump of Middlesex captain Peter Handscomb, whose County Championship life continues to be tricky, and then removed John Simpson’s middle stump after a well-made 71. Luke Hollman (52) and Martin Andersson (41) then frustrated Sussex with a fruitful seventh-wicket stand.
At Sophia Gardens, Kiran Carlson (91) and Sam Northeast (84) sailed Glamorgan to near parity with Leicestershire from the doldrums of 63 for three, with Marnus Labuschagne hooking fatefully for 17 just before lunch.
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The last word today, should go to Ben Stokes, after that epic episode of I’m-up-for-the job-hitting: “It was good fun. I think the game got set up very nicely by our top five. I just had to play the situation and then, once we got our last batting point, it was about trying to get as many runs as we could.
“Nearly hit six sixes in an over off Josh Baker? I knew as I hit the final delivery that it didn’t quite have the legs!
“Hopefully he (Baker) can use the experience. I know Richo (Alan Richardson, Worcestershire Bowling Coach) quite well so I’m sure he will get around him and make sure it doesn’t knock his confidence.
“It is an experience for everyone, and personally, I know what it is like, and just hope he doesn’t look into it too much.
“Do I know the records I’ve broken? Funny enough, Franky ((James Franklin) likes his records up in the dressing room when people achieve them so he just read them out.
“There are records you don’t know and people bring them up. You don’t play the game for stuff like that.”
Not a bad way to start! And with that, good night from me, and see you back here tomorrow.
