Vitality County Championship 2024, Round 14, Day 4, 17th - 20th Sept, Live Streaming, Latest Scores, Match Reports All Matches Division 1 and 2

Here are all the latest scores, match reports and news for the Vitality County Championship 2024, Division 1 and 2 - Round 14, Day 4, 17th - 20th Sept.

Day 4 - Thursday, 20th September

Division One

Hampshire vs Worcestershire, 61st Match, Vitality County Championship Division One

Kyle Abbott put Hampshire in pole position to secure their best Vitality County Championship since 2005 after beating Worcestershire by 235 runs.

Abbott took four of the five remaining Worcestershire wickets to return five for 36 and his fourth five-wicket haul of the season.

Hampshire collected maximum points to move above Somerset and into second ahead of a trip to Taunton to conclude the season next week, with James Vince’s side last finishing as runners-up under Shane Warne’s captaincy.

Worcestershire needed 277 more runs to win on the final day, but only lasted until 11:30 BST as Abbott ran rampant.

Abbott broke through in the sixth over of the day as he skidded a short delivery into Ethan Brookes’ ribs.

The first innings centurion attempted to pull, but it dragged off his glove and to Toby Albert at leg slip – who took a stunning diving catch.

Jake Libby scored a patient half-century the previous evening but only added a further two runs before he became Abbott’s second scalp in two overs.

The South African found significant inwards movement to take an inside edge onto pad and to James Vince at first slip.

Albert produced a second brilliant piece of fielding of the morning as Joe Leach’s penultimate Championship appearance ended in a run out – after Logan van Beek had turned down a single.

Tom Taylor came out to bat at No.11 with a runner, but either side of some Amar Virdi swinging, but only lasted six balls before he edged Abbott behind.

Abbott now has 46 scalps in the Championship this season, having completed the game an hour into day four with the hosts bowled out for 158.

Lancashire vs Somerset, 63rd Match, Vitality County Championship Division One

Surrey’s third successive Vitality County Championship title was confirmed when Lancashire took just 32 minutes and 7.1 overs on the fourth morning to complete their 168-run victory over Somerset at Emirates Old Trafford.

Resuming on 204 for six, Somerset were dismissed for 224 with Luke Wells taking two of the wickets to finish with four for 36 and Anderson Phillip the other two to finish with three for 81.

While the result ends Somerset’s hopes of winning a third successive County Championship, it still means that Lancashire are favourites to be relegated after next week’s round of matches.

Keaton Jennings’ side will be playing Division Two cricket next season regardless of the result of their game against Worcestershire if Nottinghamshire take ten points from their final match at home to Warwickshire, who would also need five points from that game. 

Somerset lost a wicket to the first ball of the day when Lewis Gregory was deceived by Luke Wells’ googly and bowled for a golden duck

Next over, Lancashire enjoyed more success when Craig Overton was leg before wicket to Anderson Phillip for four and after pulling Wells for two fours, Brett Randell was bowled for nine when trying to repeat the feat. The game ended and Somerset’s title was confirmed when James Rew was bowled by Phillip for 31

Collectors of statistical oddities might wish to note that this is the first match in the history of the County Championship in which 21 wickets have fallen on the first day and the game has lasted until the fourth morning without weather interruption.

Jason Kerr, Somerset’s head coach, said:

If you don’t believe you can win a game, there’s no point turning up. We thought there was a chance today but obviously it hasn’t turned out that way.

I take a huge amount from this season. Every county wants to be in a position in which you are competing to win trophies and there’s also been young players emerging. There’ll be a huge number of positives but it’s probably slightly early to be in a position where we can reflect on it all. 

I think we’ve progressed massively since last year. We finished seventh last year and this year we’ve been more disjointed with our overseas signings and the continuity of the side’s been different as well but I think we’ve grown massively.

Keaton Jennings, Lancashire skipper, said:

“It’s been a really good game of cricket. A good surface, two teams competing over the course of four days. It’s been good fun.

“I’m really chuffed the lads have put in what I think is our best team performance over the course of this campaign. It’s really pleasing. It’s down to guys putting their hands up. Luke Wells getting 130 and putting in a performance that the team required to try and get us into a winning position and then taking poles this morning.

“Guys chipped in with the new ball; Anderson, Bails, Will,  Baldy. The bowlers had to take 20 wickets to win the game and they’ve done that. It’s been an entertaining three and a bit days, so it just shows you cricket at Old Trafford has been really good.

“It’s awesome what the guys have produced over the last three days. I thought both sides were under par first innings, it wasn’t a 140 surface. I also didn’t think it was a 400 surface either which we got.

“All in all, both sides competed and made errors to let each other back into the game. We could have disintegrated, but didn’t. We continued to fight like we have over the whole campaign. The guys have tried really hard, they just haven’t quite got it right like we did this game.  “

Division Two

Glamorgan vs Yorkshire, 50th Match, Vitality County Championship Division Two

Yorkshire bowled Glamorgan out for 209 to win by 186 runs and put themselves on the verge of a return to Division One with one round of matches to go.

A draw and a couple of bonus points in their final game home to Northamptonshire would clinch promotion, as they lead third placed Middlesex by 15 points, 20 behind leaders Sussex, after taking the final three Glamorgan wickets in an hour.

They were relegated by a single point two years ago and were handicapped by a points deduction last season, so there is an air of determination about Yorkshire as they target a return to the top level.

Glamorgan’s focus turns to the Royal London One Day Cup Final against Somerset on Trent Bridge on Sunday as they try to bring silverware back to Sophia Gardens this season despite their Championship disappointments.

James Harris and Asa Tribe started the morning knowing they had a mountain to climb, even if the target was to survive until forecast bad weather later in the day.

Yorkshire opening bowlers Ben Coad and Matthew Fisher started the day with 13 wickets between them so no surprise they continued their partnership looking for the breakthrough.

They had to be patient for half an hour before Fisher was able to get one to cut away and bowl Asa Tribe for a patient 58, a significant step forward for the 20-year-old opener as he tries to establish a place in the Glamorgan line-up.

Fisher was buoyed by his success and pinned Andy Gorvin LBW a few balls later to put his team close to the finish.

Harris kept plugging away at the other end as he did his best to delay the inevitable, getting more aggressive in the final wicket partnership with Ben Morris which put on 41.

Inevitably the fun came to an end as Harris was clean bowled by Jordan Thompson one short of a half century.

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