Vitality County Championship Round 8, Day 3 - 26th May - Live Cricket 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 Round 8, Day 3, May 24th – 27th 2024.

Sunday 26th Day 3

DIVISION ONE

Hampshire vs Surrey, Vitality County Championship Division One

Spinners Felix Organ and Liam Dawson tore through Surrey to hand the champions their largest-ever Vitality County Championship innings defeat and open up the title race.

Off-spinner Organ claimed his third career five-for with leg-armer Dawson picking up four for 45 to give Hampshire an innings and 277 run victory, their first home win of the campaign, and their largest-ever victory.

Surrey's only heavier defeats in first-class cricket came in 1866 against England - a match in which WG Grace scored a double century - and in 1948 versus Don Bradman's Australians - both an innings and 296 runs.

It was Surrey’s fourth defeat since the start of 2022 – with two of those coming after they had already secured their back-to-back crowns – with Essex and Somerset hot on their heels at the summit of Division One.

Surrey were given a minimum of 172 overs to avoid an innings defeat, and got through to the 17th over unscathed but from then on wickets fell regularly.

For the spin-fest that followed, the first man to fall, Rory Burns, departed to pace as Keith Barker found the Surrey captain edging to first slip.

From then on, it was Dawson piling in the pressure and Organ celebrating with his usual exuberance.

Serial blocker Dom Sibley had navigated 85 deliveries before an inside edge onto his pad ballooned to silly mid-off, before Organ produced a wicked off-spinner to pin back Ollie Pope’s middle stump.

Organ has history with Surrey. In 2019, on his fifth first-class appearance, he was forced into the attack due to unsuitable conditions for fast bowlers. The then-predominantly batter claimed five for 25 to secure a three-day victory.

It began his mythologised bowling strike-rate for Hampshire, which currently stands at 46 and is the best of any other spinner in the club’s history – Shane Warne included.

Jamie Smith was his next victim as a change-up delivery slid into middle and off stumps.

Dan Lawrence took a different approach from his defence-minded team-mates as he reverse swept his first ball to the boundary before switching to the opposite rope with a conventional sweep next delivery.

His attacking got him up to 42, but saw his downfall when he chopped Organ onto his stumps.

Having spent the best part of two days laying on the physio’s table with back spasms, Ben Foakes’ innings was heroic in his resolve. The England wicket-keeper faced 107 balls for his unbeaten 19.

But wickets continued to clatter, with Dawson now taking the limelight. Cam Steel was brilliantly caught at first slip by Vince after a deflection off Ben Brown’s gloves before Jordan Clark was yorked.

Organ got his five-for when Sean Abbott chipped to mid on, before Dawson closed out Hampshire’s second win in a row by bowling Gus Atkinson around his legs and, after some slapping around, Dan Worrall skied for 48 - Surrey's highest score of the match. The visitors bowled out for 127 and 203.

Earlier, Ben Brown, on 99 overnight, carted the first ball of the day to the boundary to reach his 24th first-class century, and second since arriving from Sussex.

It meant that Hampshire had three centurions in a single innings for the 14th time in their history, and first and Utilita Bowl.

Hampshire were all-out attack to send their lead sky-high but it meant Liam Dawson tickled a ramp behind to end a 183-run stand with Brown – a county record for the fifth wicket against Surrey, to go alongside a record second wicket partnership earlier in the innings.

Michael Neser hoicked to deep square but James Fuller joined up with Brown to put on 66 – the fifth 50-plus stand of the innings – with the pair dragging weary boundary riders at their will.

Brown – who had played a number of outrageous short-arm jabs on the off and on sides, to and over the boundary – passed his highest first-class score to end 165 not out before James Vince declared with his side 481 runs ahead.

Hampshire’s 608 for six declared was their 13th-largest total of all-time and the third-highest Championship score at the ground.

Kent vs Essex, Vitality County Championship Division One

Kent fought back on day three of their Vitality County Championship derby with Essex on Canterbury, surviving till the final over of the day before they were after being bowled out for 349 in the final over.

Joe Denly 87 hit and Harry Finch 85 to boost the hosts’ chances of batting out a draw after they were dominated on the first two days.

Matt Critchley took five for 88, but Essex laboured without Sam Cook, who’d pulled up injured on day two.

The hosts’ morale had taken a battering on day two and they’d closed on 118 for four, still 473 in arrears, but they weren’t about to surrender without a fight.

Conditions were blustery and overcast at 11 am but the forecast rain failed to materialise and Denly and nightwatcher Matt Parkinson batted through the entire morning session.

There were occasional alarms, such as when Dean Elgar couldn’t cling on to a violently drive from Parkinson when he was on 31, but the spinner passed his previous first-class best of 39 with a single off Harmer and had made it to 45 at lunch, at which point Kent were 203 for four.

Denly then drove Snater for four to bring up his fifty, but Parkinson was denied a maiden red-ball 50 when Jamie Porter trapped him lbw.

Finch was on four when he pulled Beard to the boundary, but Critchley couldn’t pull off a tumbling catch and the drop proved expensive.

The only other wicket to fall in the session came when Denly, who looked destined for a century, misjudged a Critchley delivery and was caught by Aaron Beard at long on.

Successive byes from Critchley allowed Kent to get a third bonus point with four balls to spare in the 110^th over and it was 302 for six at tea.

Finch glanced Beard for four to bring up his half-century and as the evening session dragged on Essex’s increasing frustration started to show with an embarrassing appeal for a catch against Joey Evison from a ball that had clearly been driven into the ground.

They finally broke through when Evison tried to sweep Tom Westley and was bowled for 29. Westley then had Finch lbw and with Wes Agar hurt after injuring his shoulder on day one Arafat Bhuiyan was sent out with Kent still 78 runs short of the follow on target and six overs remaining.

Grant Stewart played conservatively by his standards, but still managed to dump Westley for six over cow corner, only for Critchley to bowl Bhuiyan at 5.45pm, with two scheduled overs remaining.

Agar duly walked out needing to survive for three minutes to spare Kent an awkward over following on and he duly blocked out five balls to at least spare the hosts the dilemma of weather or not to send in a nightwatcher to open.

With the field in, Stewart then blasted Harmer for six in the day’s penultimate over, but Critchley pinned Agar lbw with the first ball of the last over, to set up a potentially fascinating final day.

Lancashire vs Warwickshire, Vitality County Championship Division One

CAREER best figures of four for 20 from Warwickshire slow left armer Jacob Bethall ensured Lancashire’s first innings collapsed from 66 for three overnight to 149 all out before the visitors built a lead of 231 runs with seven wickets in hand  after closing on 96 for thee going into the last day of this Vitality County Championship Division One clash at Emirates Old Trafford.

Once Olly Hannon-Dalby had clean bowled Tom Bruce for three early on, it was Bethall and fellow tweaker Jake Lintott, who took over, with the latter also producing career best figures of three for ten, as the hosts lost their last six wickets for 36 runs in 19.2 overs.

It was a familiar story for Lancashire, who have been dismissed for under 150 in their first innings, three times this season, with Bruce’s dismissal followed by George Balderson’s, although the all-rounder was unlucky after he was given out for 20 after seemingly not connecting with a Bethall delivery which deflected off the wicket keeper’s thigh to Will Rhodes at slip.

Keaton Jennings could also claim bad luck after he was adjudged lbw to Bethell for 36 to a delivery that looked to be sliding down leg but Lancashire’s brittle tail could have little complaint as Tom Aspinwall, Tom Bailey, Nathan Lyon and Jack Morley all went cheaply with only Matty Hurst showing any kind of resistance to finish unbeaten on 20.

Warwickshire commenced their second innings with an unlikely lead of 135 runs meaning the hosts needed quick wickets and Balderston obliged with a beauty to remove Rob Yates for five edging behind.

Lyon, who took just one wicket in the first innings, struck next with a turning delivery that was helped on its way by an inside edge from the Warwickshire skipper and first innings centurion, Alex Davies, who departed for 17.

When Hartley trapped Will Rhodes in front for five, home hopes were raised once again with the score 34 for three but a counter attack from Ed Barnard, who hit 40 from 46 balls and Dan Mousey, who struck 18 from 20, eased Warwickshire’s worries and took them to 96 for three when the much-forecast heavy rain came just after 5pm accompanied by some rumbles of thunder which even when the showers stopped prevented any further play.

Worcestershire vs Nottinghamshire, Vitality County Championship Division One

Nottinghamshire batter Joe Clarke’s hopes of celebrating his 28^th birthday with a century were frustrated by the weather on day three of the Vitality County Championship encounter with Worcestershire at Visit Worcestershire New Road.

Former Worcestershire player Clarke was unbeaten on 73 overnight with Nottinghamshire 234 for three – a lead of 154.

But heavy overnight rain left parts of the ground saturated and umpires Nigel Llong and Suri Shanmugam ruled out any play before lunch.

A further inspection was planned for 3pm but another significant downpour as they were out in the middle ended hopes of play.

Nottinghamshire now have to decide whether to play for batting bonus points if and when play gets underway on day four or to push for victory.

They needed only 31.1 overs to dismiss Worcestershire for 80 on day two after a first day washout on Friday.

 

DIVISION TWO

Gloucestershire vs Derbyshire, Vitality County Championship Division Two

Gloucestershire’s James Bracey and Graeme van Buuren blasted their side out of trouble with swashbuckling centuries before rain took a hand on the third day of the Vitality County Championship Division Two match with Derbyshire at Bristol.

The fifth-wicket pair launched a savage attack on the second new ball, producing a boundary blitz and adding 156 runs to their team’s overnight first innings total of 243 for four in just 21 overs before the heavens opened, with Bracey unbeaten on 137 and van Buuren having raced to 156 not out.

No play was possible after lunch. At 399 for four, Gloucestershire were still 127 short of Derbyshire’s first innings total of 526, but on the most benign of batting surfaces, with two players in top form, they can feel optimistic of avoiding defeat on the final day.

Bracey was on 87 and van Buuren 61 when play began, with 14 overs to bat before Derbyshire could take a second new ball both sides knew could be central to the outcome. Bracey moved comfortably to his second hundred of the season, reaching the milestone with his 15th four, a cut off Luis Reece, having faced 151 balls.

Gloucestershire had just claimed a second batting bonus point when van Buuren elected to cut loose, moving from 88 to his 15th first class century with 3 fours off successive deliveries from off-spinner Alex Thomson in the over before the new ball became due.

Derbyshire took it immediately, but suffered as a result when both Daryn Dupavillon and Sam Connors strayed in line and length, producing a plethora of short deliveries, while others were overpitched. The first five overs with the harder ball went for 65 runs.

Bracey and van Buuren attacked at every opportunity, the latter pulling Connors over mid-wicket for six and clearing the ropes again off the same bowler with a sweetly-timed flick over fine leg. The diminutive Gloucestershire skipper needed only 28 deliveries to move from 100 to 150, sending the ball to all parts of the Seat Unique Stadium.

From 318 for four when the new ball was taken, Gloucestershire had posted 383 for four by the end of the 85th over. Derbyshire captain David Lloyd had little option but to remove Dupavillon and Connors from the attack, bringing on Anuj Dal and Reece.

Play had already been interrupted by a short shower when heavier rain arrived and lunch was taken. Bracey had faced 175 balls, striking 19 fours and a six, while the inspired van Buuren had clocked up 22 fours and 2 sixes in facing 172 deliveries.

The partnership was worth 268 in 48.3 overs when the weather set in. Umpires Paul Pollard and Naeem Ashraf made a 3pm pitch inspection, ordered tea to be taken at 3.10pm, and looked again at 4pm, by which time more rain had fallen.

They abandoned play for the day at 4.15pm.

NB: The stand of 268 between van Buuren and Bracey is a Gloucestershire record for the fifth wicket, beating the 261 put together by W.G.Grace and William Moberly against Yorkshire at Cheltenham in 1876.

 

Gloucestershire skipper Graeme van Buuren said: “Despite the rain, it was a great day for us. We were behind the eight ball at the start and I’m delighted with the way James Bracey and I were able to develop our stand.

“There no set plan against the second new ball. Everything was by instinct and it certainly wasn’t the case that I felt I was seeing the ball like a balloon. James and I just took what opportunities came our way and suddenly momentum was with us.

“James is having a great season. He has discovered the right balance between working hard at his game, but also realising that cricket isn’t everything and it is important to spend time away from it now and again.

“Tomorrow the aim will be to collect two more batting points and take things from there. With the rain having taken so much time out of the match today, it’s hard to think beyond that.”

 

Derbyshire skipper David Lloyd said: “We still have a chance of going bang, bang tomorrow and taking the last six Gloucestershire first innings wickets quickly. That is the way we have to approach it because we still have runs in the bank.

“We felt that batting first in this game was a positive and confident move, given that conditions were probably better for bowling, and it was great to see Matt Lamb get his double century.

“Today has been disappointing in the way the new ball went for us, but the two Gloucestershire lads batted really well and all credit to them.”

Leicestershire vs Glamorgan, Vitality County Championship Division Two

Glamorgan take a lead of 58 with nine wickets in hand into the final day of their Vitality County Championship match against Leicestershire after the home side declared in arrears on a rain-restricted third day at the Uptonsteel County Ground.

Having been 280 for five from 85 overs overnight, Leicestershire lost not out centurion Peter Handscomb in the second over after a delayed start, and then puzzled spectators by showing little inclination to chase more than one extra batting bonus point before declaring at 343 for nine in reply to Glamorgan’s 387 all out.

Handscomb made 103, his second hundred of the season. Nightwatchman Scott Currie was out five short of following last week’s career-best 72 against Gloucestershire with the second first-class fifty of his career.

Timm van der Gugten, in his first match of the season after injury, finished with five for 65.

Glamorgan lost opener Billy Root for one and were 14 for one when a very heavy shower at around 4.30pm left parts of the playing area underwater, forcing the umpires to abandon play for the day.

The morning session was limited to just eight overs after rain delayed the start until noon and then forced an early lunch, with a 10-minute stoppage along the way for some extra mopping up in parts of the field still wet from the earlier downpour.

Australian Test batter Handscomb could add only one to his unbeaten 102 overnight before he was leg before to a ball from Van der Gugten that kept more than a touch low from the Bennett End.

New batter Ben Cox picked up three boundaries off Zain-ul-Hassan and Leicestershire emerged from the interval needing exactly 50 to claim a third batting point and, with 17 overs left of the 110, the possibility even of going for a fourth, mindful of the value of a high-scoring draw in this summer’s points structure.

Yet those 17 overs yielded just 26 runs, with scarcely a shot struck in anger by either Cox or the nightwatchman, Currie, who had proved on the second evening that he is no mug with bat in hand.  Glamorgan’s bowling remained tight and tidy but the absence of aggression in Leicestershire’s approach was difficult to fathom.

To make matters worse, Leicestershire then lost two wickets in the space of five deliveries as Van der Gugten executed a brilliant caught and bowled to remove Cox and followed it up by bowling Ben Mike off an inside edge on to pad, the Australian-born Netherlands international celebrating the 14th first-class five-for of his career.

The general sense of bafflement with what was happening then only increased.

Currie, who had been joined by the injured Tom Scriven and his runner, was leg before to James Harris, and when Matt Salisbury walked out at number eleven, one assumed his role was to give Scriven the chance to swing the bat, even on one leg.

Yet after just eight more deliveries, only one of which Scriven actually faced, Leicestershire declared, conceding a lead of 44.

Glamorgan lost Root early in the sixth over of their second innings when he was bowled by Matt Salisbury, another ball that kept low, before the heavens opened.

Middlesex vs Sussex, Vitality County Championship Division Two

Sam Robson and Ryan Higgins continued their fine form with centuries as Middlesex’s run-fest of a game with visitors Sussex continued on day three at Lord’s.

Robson underpinned the hosts response to Sussex’s mammoth 554-9 with 136, the 35^th first-class hundred of his career, while Higgins added the flair his third century of the campaign – an effort of 106 in Middlesex’s total of 403-6.

Sussex, for whom Jack Carson returned figures of 3-89 will rue dropping Robson twice on 51 and 129, while Higgins was also given a life on 67, England seamer Ollie Robinson the unlucky bowler on each occasion.

Given Robson’s heroics it’s important to reflect he may have departed the scene in the opening over of the day. Responding to a call from partner Holden for an injudicious single, the right-hander running to the striker’s end would have been gone for all money given a direct hit. It set the tone for some sketchy running by the opener who suffered at least two other close calls.

Robson’s driving however, whether square or through the covers was exquisite, one such stroke taking him to his half-century. The landmark came amid a testing morning burst from Robinson, Robson surviving a confident lbw shout from one which was just going over the top before Clark grassed the first of the two chances offered a slip, a tough one, but an expensive miss nonetheless.

At the other end, Max Holden, a man revitalised this season moved to 50 with a minimum of fuss, helped by five boundaries, allowing the pair to steer the hosts to lunch at 140-1.

Holden however, as on a few occasions this year fell soon after a resumption when the ball after dancing down the pitch to strike Jack Carson back over his head for four, he flashed at a wide one from the spinner to be caught at slip for 61.

Leus Du Plooy’s contribution was brisk but brief, the acting captain paddling an innocuous ball wide of leg stump from Jaden Seales straight down the throat of long leg.

Robson though found another ally in the form of all-rounder Higgins who came out as ever bristling aggression, reverse sweeping Carson for four before playing the shot in the more orthodox fashion for the first six of the innings into the Grandstand.

Robson meanwhile crunched his 14^th four through cover to raise his hundred as the stand realised 79 by tea. The opener was given a second life shortly after the restart, Clark again the culprit at slip, Robinson again the unlucky bowler. Clark beat the ground in frustration, but the second top at least didn’t prove costly as Robson fell to the new ball, chipping a tired shot straight to mid-wicket.

Higgins continued to be aggressive while Robinson continued to curse his luck. The seamer first found the inside edge of the Zimbabwean’s bat only for the ball to trickle onto the stumps without dislodging the bails, before Higgins flashed hard at a wide one on 67 to be reprieved again as James Coles failed to cling on at third slip.

That scare survived and with the luckless Robinson finally retreating into the outfield Higgins forged on, striking Coles for successive boundaries to reach his hundred, before dancing down the pitch to Carson and missing the ball to be stumped by John Simpson.

Tom Helm promoted to seven fell only two balls later in identical fashion to cause a few nerves, but 20-year-old Nathan Fernandes underlined his promise with a composed unbeaten 50 to leave the hosts just two short of thew follow-on figure of 405 at stumps.

 

Northamptonshire vs Yorkshire, Vitality County Championship Division Two

Yorkshire captain Shan Masood struck a combative, unbeaten 82 to put Yorkshire firmly in the driving seat at the end of a frustrating, rain-shortened third day of this Vitality County Championship match at Wantage Road.

Pressing the accelerator, the Yorkshire captain helped the White Rose extend their advantage over Northamptonshire to 217 runs as they closed on 156 for five in their second innings when play was finally called off for the day.

With rain clouds circling throughout the day, Masood seemed intent on building a sizable lead as quickly as possible, clubbing three sixes and eight boundaries to set up an intriguing final day tomorrow.

For Northamptonshire, while overseas bowler Siddharth Kaul (2-71) was punished when he erred in width, Masood cutting him crisply for three fours, he claimed two scalps including the key wicket of first innings centurion Adam Lyth, lbw for 33.

Earlier when play got under way 15 minutes late after overnight rain, Ben Sanderson (2-29) took no time to pick up his second wicket of the innings after removing nightwatchman Dominic Leech late last evening. In just the second over of the morning today he enticed Finlay Bean to edge behind without scoring.

Masood though was quickly into his work against Kaul before the wet weather returned to force an early lunch.

After Lyth fell after the interval, Masood on drove Kaul through midwicket and then targeted the spin of Rob Keogh, pulling a short one for six and smashing him down the ground for another maximum before reaching his half-century off 72 deliveries.

Masood was gifted a life on 50 when Ricardo Vasconelos missed a tough chance at third slip, diving in front of Emilio Gay at second.

Yorkshire had to call for the physio when Masood was squared up by a delivery from Sanderson and sustained a freak wrist injury as he attempted to play a shot. After treatment though, Masood was soon back into his stride. He dispatched Keogh for another six over long-off and pulled Kaul for a four and six off consecutive deliveries.

His partnership of 67 in 17 overs with James Wharton (20) came to an end when Wharton was adjudged lbw to one from Justin Broad which might just have been missing leg stump. Yorkshire then lost another wicket in the next over when George Hill (4) edged behind off Kaul.

Yorkshire brought up the 150 before heavy rain, accompanied by rumbles of thunder, forced the players from the field with just 38.2 overs possible in the day.

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