Roundup: Capital gains before white-ball break
After seven rounds of the Championship it is the two London clubs, Surrey and Middlesex, who go into the white-ball break on top. Surrey look down on the rest of Division One, Yorkshire unable to break through Warwickshire’s defences at Headingley.
Sam Hain and Will Rhodes both made centuries, batting undefeated all day in a partnership of 227 for the fourth wicket. Yorkshire had to settle for a fifth draw in six games. Joe Root hurt his thumb in the slips but soon returned to the field with the offending digit strapped up.
Essex took only 21 balls to winkle out the final wicket at Old Trafford and complete an innings victory, Lancashire’s first home defeat since the 2018 Roses match. Forty-five spectators watched Luke Wood smash three boundaries before parrying Jamie Porter into the gloves of Adam Rossington.
Kent against Northamptonshire drifted to a draw after Northants avoided the follow-on, thanks to some biffing from Gareth Berg and 58 not out from Lewis McManus. Crawley zipped to his second half-century of the game, an innings of easy charm, and Ben Compton made an unbeaten 68 to go with the first-innings century. “It’s always nice being picked for England,” Crawley said. “It fills me with a lot of energy and maybe that’s why I got a couple of runs this week.”
Haseeb Hameed danced to an unbeaten 93 off 96 balls, and Ben Slater 64, as Nottinghamshire made light work of a potentially booby-trapped run-chase at Trent Bridge. Hameed hit the first ball of the day for four through midwicket and had the golden touch from that point on. It was Derbyshire’s first defeat under their new coach, Mickey Arthur.
But it is Middlesex who top Division Two after a 23-point six-wicket win at Lord’s. Durham were dismissed for 188, despite a career-best 45 from the nightwatchman, Matt Salisbury, with Ben Stokes making a two-ball duck. Toby Roland-Jones took six for 35 and John Simpson nine catches in the match, a Lord’s record. Despite a couple of scares Middlesex’s batters then romped to victory.
And that’s it from me Thanks for hanging around over the last seven rounds, it’s been (to coin an upcoming competition) a blast. Wins today for Essex, Notts and Middlesex, and it is the two London clubs that go into the white-ball break in prime position. CCLive! returns on June 12, till then, enjoy the summer!
