Vitality County Championship Round 9, Day 2 - June 24th - Live Cricket Streaming, Latest Scores, Match Reports – All Matches – Division 1 and 2

Paul Walter and Matt Critchley dug Essex out of trouble on day two of their Vitality County Championship run-fest with Durham.

Durham’s fast bowling attack had restricted the hosts to 120 for four in response to 587, but Walter struck 80 not out and Critchley unbeaten 51.

The duo put on 129 for the fifth wicket to close the day on 249 for four.

Earlier, Ollie Robinson had done his England Test hopes no harm with a flawless 198 as Durham secured maximum batting points in their title charge.

Durham, resuming on 445 for four, continued to drown Essex’s attack in runs – as they smashed 142 runs in 26 morning overs before they were bowled out – with maximum batting points pocketed.

Robinson completed his 150 with the third ball of the day – the last four of his nine career centuries have exceeded the milestone.

The former Kent man simply picked up where he had left off on day one, scoring runs at ease and refusing to allow the bowlers to build any pressure.

He past his previous best of 171 – collected against Lancashire in May – and looked set for 200 before trying to force a cut shot, but only edged behind. He was given a generous applause by the crowd on his return to the dressing room.

Otherwise, Critchley and Simon Harmer plugged away with semi-regular wickets amongst the flow of runs.

Harmer and bat-pad Nick Browne combined to dismiss Colin Ackermann and Bas de Leede, with the South African later bowling former team-mate Peter Siddle.

The off-spinner returned four for 188, the most runs he had conceded in a Championship innings.

To go with Robinson, Critchley also snaffled Ben Raine and Matt Potts. Essex’s spinners joining for figures of eight for 346 with Durham bowled out for 587 – the 15th highest score at Chelmsford.

After an energy sapping 122 overs in the field, the hosts were lethargic with the bat.

Browne had already survived being dropped at second slip on 12 when he tickled Potts behind in the sixth over.

Dean Elgar oozed elegance with seven fours in 40, in a 51-run stand with Tom Westley, but edge Siddle to first slip before Westley was leg before to Raine.

Jordan Cox got a start but also fell before making a telling contribution – bowled by a jag backer from the energetic Potts. It left Essex 120 for four and starting to worry about the follow-on target.

But Critchley mimicked Alex Lees’ controlling style, while Walter was closer to Robinson’s aggression, to resuscitate the innings with a century partnership.

Walter was imperious in his decision-making, whether it was slog sweeping for six, clipping off his legs, touching to third or flashing outside off stump.

The maximum took him to 2,000 first class runs before his half-century came up in 63 balls.

Walter and Critchley – whose fifty came in 111 deliveries – were unbreakable in the evening session, as Essex finally found a foothold in the match, but remain 188 runs shy of the follow-on.

Essex all-rounder Matt Critchley:

“You could say I got rewarded with the ball but I think more I burgled a few wickets as they played fantastically well.

“We spoke up there that we felt we could have bowled a bit better but we created plenty of half chances and they still scored at six an over – it was just one of those days.

“When it was our time to bat we knew it was a pretty good wicket. We lost a few wickets earlier than we wanted but to be up to 250 by the end of the day is probably not too bad a day.

“When the ball is harder it does more but when it is softer it is good to bat.

“It was probably a bit boring the way we batted to be honest. We were Boycott compared to their guys going at a run a ball.

“I was looking to score out there but it was one of those days where you haven’t hit the boundaries you want.

“Me and Paul have put hundred on in the best part of a session and a half which was pretty good so hopefully we can continue it on. The big lad was a bit more fluid than I was – it is great to have him back in the team after injury.”

 

Durham wicketkeeper-batter Ollie Robinson:

“We’ve had a pretty good day. We batted well this morning and then got four early wickets.

“It was a nice start to get the 150 milestone early in the day but I knew I wasn’t done there and I needed to continue batting and put as much traffic through that pitch as we could.

“Cambo and Durham have allowed me to play my own game. Having that freedom is pretty nice.

“You have to keep doing what you do and if [and England Test call-up] happens then it happens.

“You can’t look too far ahead. You have to do well at this level before making that jump ahead. I will just keep doing what I’m doing and see what happens.

“We felt we had a really good sniff of getting five or six wickets pretty quickly but Paul and Critch batted really nicely and dug them out of a bit of a hole.

“Hopefully we can come back in the morning with a new ball and knock a few more over and get some early wickets.

“Even if we don’t keep them under the follow-on, I think we have a really good chance of a positive result in this game, whether that is a big strong draw or a win.”

Josh Bohannon and Luke Wells put on a record stand of 312 for Lancashire as they pummelled Kent on day two of their Vitality County Championship game at Canterbury.

Bohannon was unbeaten on 182 while Wells hit exactly 150 as the visitors closed on 402 for four, a first-innings lead of 158.

Lancashire batted through two full sessions without losing a wicket before Kent finally took a mini-cluster after tea. Beyers Swanepoel had their best figures with two for 61.

The crowd for the second day of the Canterbury Festival was swelled to 3,414 by around 1,600 school children from 44 schools, attending as part of a county initiative.

They all witnessed a horrorshow first session, with Wells and Bohannon battering a callow bowling attack.

Lancashire resumed on 38 for one and the closest Kent came to a wicket was when Wells lofted O’Riordan to mid-off and Jas Singh couldn’t reel him in.

Their only international-class bowler, Matt Parkinson, wasn’t used until the final over of the morning and by then the game seemed to have drifted away from the hosts. It was 168 for one at lunch, after which the batters enjoyed a race to three figures, which Bohannon won when he cut George Garrett for four through backward point.

Wells reached the landmark in less satisfying fashion, swishing Parkinson through the vacant slip cordon for two, but they soon overtook the biggest stand for any wicket between these two sides, eclipsing the 229 between Rob Key and Ed Smith at Tunbridge Wells in 2004 and taking Lancashire to 305 for one at tea.

It was tough for the home crowd: temperatures were so hot some of the natives in the supporters’ marquee even removed their blazers and midway through the afternoon a member on the Old Dover Road side of the ground was startled when several male voices went up in unison. “That’s an appeal,” his companion reassured him. “I think we had one this morning as well.”

The CAMRA tent was by now doing some serious business, presumably because it was selling the easiest way for the Kent fans to cope, although the evening session at least offered a sliver of hope. Wells swept his way to 150, steering Parkinson for two, but he finally fell in the 84th over, caught off Marcus O’Riordan at first slip by Charlie Stobo.

Stobo got his maiden championship wicket when George Bell dragged a leg-side delivery on to his off-stump off the back of his bat, and having sat on a balcony for six hours, George Lavelle got a golden duck, edging Beyers Swanepoel to O’Riordan, who took a head-high catch at second slip.

This mini-collapsed stemmed the flow of runs, but Bohannon was dropped off the luckless Singh in the penultimate over and he and Matty Hurst batted through to leave Lancashire in a dominant position at the end of day two.

 

Kent’s Charlie Stobo said: “It was a long day yeah, on an increasingly placid wicket. I thought we actually toiled pretty well on the whole. There were a few periods where the game could have got away from us pretty quickly but again I think we kind of stuck at it and aside from a few loose balls there were good signs.

“Going into the game we realised they were the two (Wells and Bohannon) who are experienced and the two players who were key in the batting line-up. They were batted with beautiful tempo and didn’t really seem to take too many risks. Whatever we threw at them they dealt with really well so yeah, I think they batted beautifully.

“There was a little bit of consolation at the end of the day and hopefully it’ll give us a bit of momentum that we can bring into tomorrow. I think the first hour’s always important on a new day so few wickets in the afternoon was a nice reward for a lot of toil.

“It seemed like there were a few balls throughout he day that did kind of jump through and conversely a lot kind o shot through so there’s a bit of variable bounce there but I think as everyone says on a cricket field one brings to, so being able to break a big partnership like that and get a few back to back was a nice reward.”

 

Lancashire’s Luke Wells said: “It was obviously very pleasing. I think myself and Bosh haven’t really got the runs we wanted to in the red ball campaign so to get out there and make the most of the opportunity on a good surface, with the sun out, putting on a big 300 partnership together was obviously really pleasing. It was a good day.

“T20 is obviously a very different game but it did allow us to free up. You’re less concerned about losing your wicket so there’s less pressure in that regard but having said that spending some quality time in the middle after the smack bang of T20 was really nice as well.

“I was gutted to get out because I wanted to be not out at the end of the day with Boshie there but I think going back to when you haven’t got the runs you wanted, you remember the times when the ball’s been seaming all over the place, you’re playing under lights or you’ve played a poor shot and haven’t made the most of an opportunity so when things are in your favour you you remind yourself that you’ve really got to fill your boots.

“You remind yourself of that when you’re out in the middle. It keeps you honest and keeps you motivated and more disciplined. You’ve really got make hay when the sun shines and luckily we wear able to o that today.”

 

 

Josh Bohannon said: “I’ll just echo what Wellsie said, it’s obviously been a frustrating campaign for ourselves and we expect more than what we’ve done so far but the hard work we’ve put in over the last few means it’s really pleasing to get the results we have today.

“It’s just going back to our basics again. It’s nice to have the freedom to go for sixes (in T20) but it’s going back to trying to hit the ball nice and straight again and you know you can build a massive partnership. I had really good fun today.

“To be fair I’m normally quite laid back in the middle. I’m sort of in my own little zone, I just felt like with the way the red ball campaign’s gone that I had that extra little bit of motivation for this game and we’ve batted together a lot over the last few years and we know each other’s game really well It was great fun just to be out there in the sun and out the partnership on.”

 

A century from Tom Abell led a strong Somerset response on day two of the Vitality County Championship match at Trent Bridge, where the visitors closed on 293 for four in reply to the hosts’ 360 all out as they bid to keep pace with leaders Surrey and Essex at the top of the Division One table.

It is a first hundred for the 30-year-old since he relinquished the Somerset captaincy after struggling for form last year, although he missed the start of the current campaign through injury and this is only his second match in the Championship.

He finished on 105 not out, with Somerset trailing by 67 runs, having shared a 157-run third-wicket partnership with Tom Lammonby (87), adding a further unbroken stand of 67 with James Rew before the close.

At the start of the day, Nottinghamshire had extended their first innings by nine overs from 326 for eight overnight, picking up a third batting point before Somerset’s bowlers could winkle out the last two wickets, seamers Migael Pretorious (four for 96) and Kasey Aldridge (five for 95) finishing the job for figures that reflected their fine contributions on day one.

Nottinghamshire fast bowler Olly Stone, the principal architect of a recovery from 190 for seven on day one, fell just before the 350 was reached, edging Pretorius to second slip for an 83 that was warmly acknowledged by the home crowd, who saw him make 90 against Lancashire last month after beginning the season with a first-class average of 15.38.

Aldridge completed his five-for when Dane Paterson, earlier dropped by wicketkeeper Rew, was caught on the extra cover boundary, with Dillon Pennington, having enjoyed some good fortune in picking up six boundaries, unbeaten on 29.

As Somerset began their reply, Pennington picked up an early scalp with the ball thanks to a fine catch at third slip by Will Young as Andy Umeed departed in the sixth over.

Tom Kohler Cadmore, dropped by Calvin Harrison at second slip before he was off the mark, made 38 in his first Championship action of the season before falling soon after lunch to a superb piece of work on the leg side by Tom Moores as Stone gained his 15th wicket of the Championship campaign.

Thereafter, it was a frustrating afternoon for Nottinghamshire and a profitable one for Somerset, who added 105 runs in the session as Lammonby and Abell patiently built a half-century apiece, in the former’s case for the sixth time this season.

Lammonby’s came from 104 balls with six fours, among them a couple of glorious off-drives. Abell completed his from 101 balls soon afterwards, clipping Harrison crisply to the leg-side boundary for his seventh boundary.

There had been little encouragement for the bowlers in that time.  Nottinghamshire skipper Haseeb Hameed had a number of discussions with the umpires about the condition of the ball, which had already been changed once in the innings. Eventually it was replaced again, although with no discernible change in its behaviour.

The footmarks left by Pennington and Stone gave Harrison something to aim at, and the leg spinner would have been cheered by a delivery soon after tea that turned sharply enough to beat the left-handed Lammonby’s inside edge, even if the end result was four byes.

In the event, it was at the other end, where the four Nottinghamshire seamers had been patiently rotated by Hameed, that the breakthrough came as Lammonby, perhaps letting his concentration drift for a moment, played across a ball from Paterson that held its line and was leg before.

It broke the partnership after 48 overs, after which the wait for the next wicket was considerably shorter - just seven deliveries - as new batter Tom Banton prodded at one from Harrison to be caught behind.

The second new ball raised Nottinghamshire’s hopes of further gains. In the event, none came in the five overs before the close as Abell turned the injection of some pace to his advantage, despatching a couple of leg side deliveries to the boundary to complete a 202-ball hundred containing 12 fours.

Somerset’s Tom Lammonby said:

“It was a bit frustrating to get out when I did but hopefully the partnership with Tom (Abell) has helped put the side in a decent position. It was quite a hard pitch to score on and Nottinghamshire bowled well to good fields.

“It was pretty attritional cricket and they made it hard for us to push up towards their total but hopefully we can add a few in the morning and set up a game by getting a bit of a lead.

“We are so happy for Tom. He took a tough decision to give up the captaincy last year and then missed the first chunk of the red-ball season through injury. It was hard to score out there but watching him it didn’t look like that.

“It is almost like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders a little bit and he can focus on his batting. We all know how much of a mental toll captaincy can take and it must be nice for him not to have that worry, although he’s still the same in the field. He is a Somerset man and will always give 100 per cent to the cause and that shows the calibre of the man.

“It was good also to see Kasey pick up a five-for. He started the season strongly then had a bit of a wobble so to see him come back in and bowl really well on a pretty docile wicket was phenomenal.”

Nottinghamshire assistant coach Kevin Shine said:

“It was a tough day for us but a really good, combined effort. If you look at both bowling attacks, two strong attacks, they’ve both gone at just under three-and-a-half runs per over.

“We’ve performed as we would have hoped. You always want a few more wickets but we made them play and miss, created some pressure, and you have to give credit to Tom Abell for the way he played in what is only his second game of four-day cricket this year.

“Our guys plugged away and I felt the way Calvin and Stoney came out after tea was excellent. They had really good energy and Calvin looked incredibly dangerous, backed up by the rest of the bowling attack.  The match is finely poised and the first session tomorrow is going to set this up one way or the other.

“You couldn’t fault anyone on a pitch that is getting better and on a day which was fresher and hotter and not so conducive to swing. And for quite a while we had a ball that was badly out of shape too.

“And as for Stoney with the bat, he’s turning into a proper all rounder - he just can’t quite get over that hundred mark! But joking aside, what people don’t see is how hard all these guys work on their game and Olly takes his batting very seriously.”

Keith Barker reminded Warwickshire’s fans of the skills they lost in 2018 as he bowled Hampshire into control on the second day of their Vitality County Championship match at Edgbaston.

Barker’s left-arm swing earned him 14 hauls of five wickets or more as a Warwickshire player. He bagged his ninth for Hampshire with six for 74 to give them the upper hand in a gripping contest in the Birmingham sunshine

In reply to 298, Warwickshire were dismissed for 254 by Barker and Kyle Abbott (three for 64) despite impressive resistance from young batters Jake Bethell (69 from 140 balls) and Dan Mousley (57, 89)

A lead of 44 is handy in conditions which have given the seamers some encouragement and Hampshire built on it in the final session to reach 88 for two as Fletcha Middleton (58, 87) struck his second half-century of the match.

After Warwickshire resumed on 51 for two, the ground echoed to perhaps the earliest ever cry of ‘get on with it’ when, at 11.01am, a long delay ensued while the ball was inspected and then changed. Barker wielded the replacement to spectacular effect with a burst of three for 17 in 25 balls. He trapped Danny Briggs lbw, had Sam Hain superbly caught by Ben Brown, standing up, and hit Ed Barnard’s off-stump.

From 83 for five, Mousley and Bethell applied themselves diligently. Destructive batters in the Blast (Bethell smashed 50 from 15 balls last week - this time he scored just two from his first 15), they showed they also have the technique to dig in against good bowling. They added 74 in 22 overs before Mousley was lured into driving away from his body at Barker and edged behind.

Michael Burgess (35, 77) joined Bethell to add 64 in 21 overs before Barker returned to strike twice more. Bethell edged a big drive to first slip where James Vince accepted that catch and another two overs later when Chris Woakes edged a footwork-free waft.

Craig Miles smote three quick fours but then played down the wrong line to Abbott. Mohammad Abbas finally collected a deserved wicket when Burgess chopped on.

With the evening session to enlarge their lead, Hampshire began badly when Toby Albert edged Olly Hannon-Dalby’s second ball to slip, but then advanced meticulously. Middleton continued his good form from the first innings to reach a 60-ball half-century and Nick Gubbins (24 not out in over two hours) unfurled an innings of low entertainment for the spectators but high value to his team as the advantage ticked upwards.

Middleton edged Mousley behind 14 balls before the close and though Hampshire are well on top, Warwickshire are very much still in the game. This intriguing match may have a fascinating second half in wait for those spectators, particularly those who are connoisseurs of threes. With a very long boundary on the Pershore Road side of the ground, this has been a veritable festival of threes - there have been 15 already.

Warwickshire all-rounder Dan Mousley said:

"It's a really good cricket wicket and it feels like the wicket is getting better for batting so if we can nip a few out in the morning, then we are definitely back in the driving seat. We bowled really well in that last session and didn't quite get our rewards. Hopefully tomorrow those rewards will come. 

"It was pleasing for me and Jake to put on some important runs. We have batted a lot together over the years and it feels quite natural batting with him. We complement each other pretty well. I said to him after he'd faced 15 balls and was on two, 'you were on 50 the other night!' He played really well and showed what a good player he is. 

"It is a change of mindset from T20 to championship and there are some things on the technical side to change but at the end of the day it's still a ball and you have still got to hit it."

 

Hampshire all-rounder Keith Barker said:

"It was a nice feeling to be back out there at Edgbaston. It felt good to be back on this ground and wicket where I grew up trying to swing the ball. I think the old habits kicked back in and it felt good to get among the wickets.

"The crowd were very kind to me when I went out to bat and I really do appreciate it. I thought I was going to spend the rest of my career at Warwickshire but certain people thought my best was gone, so to come back and get the ovation I have had at times has been really really nice. I enjoy it every time I come back here.

"The lads have played some good cricket in the last couple of games and again here and I'll just do everything I can to help, whether it's taking wickets or scoring runs. It's been great to be part of the last two games which we have won and the team has clicked a little but the job is never done and we have got to be at our best over the next couple of days if we are going to win this one."

Shoaib Bashir equalled the most expensive over in the history of English first class cricket while on loan to Worcestershire for the Vitality County Championship encounter with Surrey at ‘Visit Worcestershire New Road.’

The England spinner, on loan for a month to Worcestershire from Somerset, conceded 38 runs including five successive sixes to Dan Lawrence.

It was a wake-up call for Bashir who in the winter picked up 17 wickets in three Tests in India.

Lawrence cleared the boundary with the first five deliveries of the over between long off and wide long on.

The next ball went for five wides and then Lawrence took a single off a no ball before last man Dan Worrall failed to score off the eighth delivery.

It equalled the 38 struck by Freddie Flintoff off Alex Tudor for Lancashire against Surrey in a Championship match at Old Trafford in 1998.

Lawrence went onto to make a career best 175 before he was last out with the Surrey first innings total on 490.

Worcestershire then slumped to 147-7 with only Jake Libby, with a 145 ball half century, offering much resistance as Lawrence’s fine day continued with two wickets.

Lawrence surpassed his 161 for Essex - against Surrey in 2015 at the Kia Oval - in only his second first class match.

The only other time more runs have been conceded in an over was a Shell Trophy encounter in New Zealand in 1990 when Lee Germon and Rogert Ford (Canterbury) took advantage of contrived bowling from Robert Vance (Wellington) and hit 77.

Lawrence had a scare in the middle of his sixes blitz when the third was caught by Adam Hose at long on but the Worcestershire batter carried the ball over the boundary rope.

Surrey advanced from their overnight 340-5 in sedate fashion during the morning session, adding 88 in 29 overs for the loss of three wickets before Lawrence cut loose on the resumption.

Worcestershire were without the injured pace bowler, Adam Finch (leg) and Academy player Chris Ellison deputised in the field.

Tom Taylor struck in the first over of the day after Surrey had resumed on 340-5.

Jordan Clark added only a single before he played back and picked out loanee Shoaib Bashir at mid wicket.

Lawrence, who had resumed on 91, completed his 143 ball century in regal style with a cover drive off Taylor for his 14th boundary.

Sean Abbott showed plenty of aggression in the chase for a fourth batting point but he paid the price after giving Taylor the charge and was bowled.

Gus Atkinson tried to work Shoaib Bashir to leg and was bowled to give the on loan England spinner his second wicket.

James Taylor was run out by his brother James after playing Bashir to third man and attempting a second run.

After his six hitting blitz, Lawrence’s fine knock ended when he was caught at deep backward point off Allison. His 223 ball knock contained six sixes and 16 fours.

When Worcestershire batted, Sean Abbott struck with his first delivery after replacing Dan Worrall when Gareth Roderick was caught behind from a delivery which nipped away.

Kashif Ali, back in the side after his break from the game, made 17 before being strangled down the leg side off Atkinson at 59-2.

Rob Jones was undone by a delivery of extra bounce by James Taylor to give Foakes his third catch.

Foakes held onto another chance after Hose (10) aimed a drive at a widish delivery from Taylor.

Debutant Ethan Brookes (5), in his first Championship appearance for five years, then fell to a sharp catch at first slip by Ollie Pope off Clark at 99-5.

Matthew Waite (3) played back to Lawrence and was bowled and Tom Taylor (0) departed in similar fashion.

Jake Libby said: “It was a long, tough day. Dan Lawrence’s innings there was sensational and they kept coming at us with bat and ball.

“I thought we did really well on day one and it was disappointing not to back it up today. The game kind of got away from us if we are being honest.

“Again with the bat there, we’ve got to be disappointed but you’ve got to point out they are a very strong side.

“We controlled them and the rate very nicely this morning but that over (with 38) was like a flick of the switch.

“Some of the ball striking was fantastic and it was hard to keep tabs on him. It was a fantastic innings.

“We were flat in the changing room after that first innings. We got off to a decent start with the bat and started quite positively.

“We were 60-1 and lost a big clump of wickets and the boys are disappointed up there. The pitch is generally a good pitch.”

 

Surrey’s Dan Lawrence said: “We are in a great spot in the game. Batting first on that wicket was quite important and it is breaking up nicely now.

“We’ve got two days to get 13 wickets and hopefully we can get the job done.

“Have I ever had a better day’s cricket? It is right up there. It was fun after lunch. A bit slow going beforehand. I wanted to try and set it up and see what we could do.

“It was more about getting to the break and then having a few discussions about how to play the situation.

“When we lost J.T. at number 10 it was a no brainer for me to then put my foot down and try and score as many runs as quickly as possible.

“After three balls, I was going to try and go for all of them (sixes). It was downwind and a short boundary and I just fancied my chances.

“I tried to hit six every ball. Thankfully I got five away and I couldn’t get the last one. I had some fun and thankfully bowled okay as well.

Marnus Labuschagne top-scored with 93 as Glamorgan took control of their Vitality Championship match against Northamptonshire in Cardiff. Glamorgan reached the close on 390 for eight, 111 runs in front of Northamptonshire’s first innings total. 

Kiran Carlson made 71 and Chris Cooke scored 58 as Glamorgan set about building a match winning lead. 

Northamptonshire had a couple of chances that went begging and a few close LBW shouts that were unsuccessful, but Glamorgan maintained control for most of the day. Luke Procter’s three for 36 was the best return for the visitors. 

Glamorgan will resume tomorrow with two first innings wickets in hand  and will be hoping to continue their push for a second Championship victory of the season. 

Glamorgan began day two on 36 without loss and Billy Root and Eddie Byrom did a good job at blunting what was left of the new ball threat with a stand of 63. It was the introduction of the left arm spin of Liam Patterson-White that brought about the first wicket when Byrom edged his second ball to Privthi Shaw who took a sharp catch at first slip. 

Root was dismissed by Justin Broad when he was trapped LBW by a ball that nipped back into him to leave Glamorgan 85 for two. From there Labuschagne and Kiran Carlson batted brilliantly for a stand of 140 that took Glamorgan towards parity with Northamptonshire’s first innings.

Labuschagne and Carlson were busy throughout their stand and ran well to put pressure on the Northamptonshire fielders, scoring at 4.5 runs an over. Labuschagne looked certain to make it to his 10^thGlamorgan hundred, but he was also trapped by a Broad in swinger that hit him in front of the stumps when he was on 93. 

Sam Northeast hit his first ball to the boundary for four, but he edged Luke Procter behind three balls later. When Carlson fell for 71 Glamorgan had lost three wickets for 42 runs and were in danger of surrendering the strong platform they had built for themselves. With a relatively long tail in this match they needed some lower order support to take them into the lead.

Timm van der Gugten was promoted to seven and his stand with Chris Cooke put on 68 runs and took Glamorgan into the lead. Van der Gugten was the aggressor, making 41 of those runs from 63 balls. His innings came to an end when he edged the new ball to the keeper McManus off the bowling of Procter. 

At the fall of van der Gugten’s wicket Glamorgan were 56 runs in front, a useful lead but not yet a match defining one. Cooke went some way to putting Glamorgan into a winning position with a 120 ball fifty with support from James Harris. 

Cooke fell in the closing stages of the day, but Harris and Mason Crane got Glamorgan to the close with the lead past three figures. Pitches in Cardiff have often flattened out as the match progresses, but Glamorgan are far enough in front to think they can push for victory. 

Raphy Weatherall, who took 2 for 62 for Northamptonshire, said: 

“I think we saw from the first innings bowling back of a length hard into the pitch there was a lot of variation, it was moving around off the seam a lot and I think we took what we saw and tried our best to convert that. Obviously, we have quite a young and inexperienced bowling attack but Luke Procter showed us where we were meant to bowl, bashing away at the top of off stump. If you look at our wickets most of them were genuine edges, bowled and top of off stump deliveries. So, I think we can be pretty happy with how we bowled today.” 

Marnus Labuschagne, who scored 93 for Glamorgan, said: 

“I think I just went out there with a nice clear mind. Worked on a few little technical changes over the week and I am always trying to get better and get my technique into a space where I feel confident. And that is what I felt like today. Went out there and just played and got on top a bit early and was able to ride a bit of the momentum. I am always thinking about my game and thinking about ways to try and get better and working out ways to be a bit more consistent.”  

Derbyshire opener Luis Reece posted a maiden Lord’s hundred to lead his side’s steady response with the bat in their Vitality County Championship game against Middlesex.

The 33-year-old left-hander shook off a patchy start, sharing a third-wicket stand of 111 with Wayne Madsen and bringing up his century from 176 balls to reach stumps unbeaten on 123.

The visitors closed at 308 for four, trailing by 125 after Middlesex had totalled 433 in their first innings, with overnight centurion Ryan Higgins last man out for 163.

Higgins, whose partnership of 71 with Ethan Bamber set a county record for the last wicket against Derbyshire, has now overtaken Northamptonshire’s Emilio Gay to become Division Two’s leading run-scorer this season.

Handily-placed on 342 for seven overnight, Middlesex lost captain Toby Roland-Jones for 52 in the third over, driving to mid-on where opposite number David Lloyd sprang forward to take the catch.

With Henry Brookes soon following, trapped leg before by a ball from Zak Chappell that kept low, it looked as though a fourth batting point might elude the home side – but Higgins and Bamber determined otherwise.

Bamber looked accomplished at the crease, compiling an unbeaten 21 as he chopped Daryn Dupavillon to the fence and Higgins raised the tempo, lifting Sam Conners for three leg-side sixes.

A rare untidy shot by Higgins, top-edging Conners over slip for four, took him beyond 150 and it was Reece who eventually wrapped up the innings as Madsen – narrowly avoiding a collision with Conners – gathered Higgins’ slog-sweep in front of the rope.

That left Derbyshire six pre-lunch overs to negotiate and Lloyd started positively, punching Bamber off the back foot for two boundaries before he was caught at point trying to do it a third time.

Brooke Guest looked in good touch after the interval, having just driven Roland-Jones to the cover boundary when he was undone by the next ball, which nipped back down the slope to strike middle and off.

By contrast, Reece played and missed several times at the start of his innings, surviving close calls when he edged Roland-Jones and Bamber through the slips before eventually settling into his stride.

The left-hander formed a solid alliance with Madsen, whose first six scoring shots all flew to the boundary and ushered the 40-year-old beyond the landmark of 14,000 first-class runs in Derbyshire colours.

Although leg-spinner Luke Hollman caused Madsen problems, with one inside edge flying just past the stumps, he looked poised to emulate Reece’s half-century until Brookes broke the partnership with a fearsome rising delivery in the first over after tea.

Madsen, on 49, attempted to fend the ball off and could only glove it to wicketkeeper Jack Davies – yet his dismissal did little to slow Derbyshire’s scoring rate as Reece and Matt Lamb began to accelerate.

Lamb targeted the short boundary in a breezy 30 before Davies, standing up to the stumps, took a sharp catch off Higgins, but the keeper was unable to hold on to another chance soon afterwards when Bamber found Aneurin Donald’s inside edge.

Donald, who had yet to get off the mark at that stage, took advantage to progress to 43 not out as Derbyshire pocketed their second batting bonus point prior to stumps.

Middlesex bowler HENRY BROOKES, who took one for 64, said:

“I’d say at this stage Derbyshire are slightly ahead, they’ve batted nicely today. Luis Reece put in a good performance out there but we’re only a couple of wickets away from being in a very good position ourselves, so the game is still to play for.

“It’s good to be in a game where all results are still possible, so I’m looking forward to the next two days.

“Ryan batted exceptionally and the captain supported him really well, then Ethan Bamber kept them out there a little bit longer and we put a really good total on the board, so we were happy with the way we batted.

“I struggled for a little bit of rhythm in my first spell but I came back after that and it was nice to pick up the wicket of Wayne (Madsen) as well.

“There was a little bit of pace in there and the pitch did offer something all day long as well. At times it did feel like it flattened out a bit as well, so all in all I think it’s a very good wicket.”

 

Derbyshire batter WAYNE MADSEN, who scored 49 in a partnership of 111 with Luis Reece, said:

“Middlesex had the better of the morning in terms of what they were able to add to their overnight score, but I thought we stuck to it with the bat in the afternoon.

“We were positive, we showed good intent and scored freely, which was crucial in terms of shifting that pressure in the game and, if we have another good session in the morning, it really puts us in a strong position in this game.

“It was amazing for Reecy. I actually didn’t see it because I was running out of the pavilion to attend to something but he’s worked really hard there to get us in a position where we can have a chance to win the game.

“Personally, for him to play like that at a place like Lord’s is really special and I know he’s buzzing. We know how freely Aneurin (Donald) can score and if Reecy can do what he’s done today again tomorrow, it’ll set this game up nicely for us.

“I was happy with how I played, obviously disappointed not to kick on, but the partnership we were able to put on stood us in good stead. It was a pretty decent ball that got me out, there’s no complaints with the shot I played or anything like that.”

Peter Hanscomb continued his fine form with 92 but Leicestershire are up against it against second division leaders Sussex at Hove.

The Australian took his tally to 640 runs in this season’s Vitality County Championship, but the visitors lost their last four wickets for 18 runs after Handscomb was seventh out with the score on 257.

Left-armer Sean Hunt profited handsomely after switching to bowl down the slope at the 1st Central County Ground, picking up Handscomb, Ben Mike, Scott Currie and Josh Hull in 11 deliveries as Leicestershire were bowled out for 275.

It gave Sussex a lead of 167 but they elected not to enforce the follow-on and in 15 overs before stumps they lost Oli Carter – squared up by Ian Holland – and nightwatchman Jack Carson, closing on 66 for 2 – a lead of 233.

The second day had started encouragingly for the Foxes after they took Sussex’s last three first-innings wickets for 11 runs in 23 balls with skipper John Simpson finishing unbeaten on 183, although he was only able to add three runs to his overnight score in a total of 442.

Holland finished with 4 for 64 after claiming last man Hunt but his day took a turn for the worse when Ollie Robinson removed him during a high-class new-ball spell of 3 for 23 from eight overs by the England pace bowler. 

Bowling a fullish length, Robinson found enough movement to find Holland’s edge in his second over. Lewis Hill and Rishi Patel took advantage of some wayward bowling by Hunt before 45 for 1 quickly became 51 for 4. Hill was leg before trying to work Robinson through the leg side and Robinson struck again when he found some extra bounce and Lewis Goldsworthy gave Tom Alsop the first of four catches at slip. In between, McAndrew picked up the important wicket of Patel who lost his off stump shouldering arms to an in-ducker.

Handscomb and Wiaan Mulder rebuilt the innings during a hot afternoon, adding 108 in 20 overs with few alarms although Handscomb had an absorbing battle with fellow Australian McAndrew. Robinson bowled another five-over spell without reward, and it was Fynn Hudson-Prentice who made the breakthrough when Mulder edged the next ball after reaching his fifty low to second slip.

Sussex belatedly introduced off-spinner Jack Carson in the 50th over and he struck with his 11th delivery, an arm ball which Louis Kimber – who dropped down the order after struggling in the opener’s role – fatally played back to.

Simpson dropped a difficult chance offered by Ben Cox on one and he and Handscomb put on 57, including five penalty runs awarded by umpires Paul Baldwin and Neil Pratt when Handscomb was hit by an errant throw from James Coles as he turned his back, having stepped out of his crease.

Handscomb looked untroubled but Hunt, whose first nine overs cost 62 and included eight no balls, was a totally different proposition when he came back on at the Cromwell Road end.

Handscomb made a rare misjudgement playing too far away from his body and giving Alsop an easy catch before Hunt swept away Leicestershire’s tail. Extra bounce defeated Ben Mike’s defensive prod and Simpson took an outstanding one-handed catch diving to his left to remove Scott Currie. In his next over Hunt had Hull leg before and walked off with figures of 4 for 70.

Sussex fast bowler Ollie Robinson, who took 3 for 36, said: “I thought we have been exceptional from the get go. To get 442 on that pitch was a great effort and John Simpson played unbelievably well and then us bowlers have just toiled away.

“It was nice to get three wickets and not have to come back again at the end. It showed we’re bowling well as a team. Throughout the season so far it’s not been the same person standing up when we needed a performance, it shows the depth that we’ve got which is making us into a really good team. 

“We feel like this pitch isn’t going to get better. It’s starting to spin so hopefully we can bat for maybe three-quarters of the day tomorrow and push on and hopefully win another game.” 

 

Wiaan Mulder, who made 53, said: “Sussex bowled pretty well all day, there weren't many bad balls from them. Pete [Handscomb] and I had a good partnership but generally they bowled really well. Pete batted superbly and that's what led him to be successful but there were some proper divots coming up when someone like Ollie Robinson bowled and that keeps you in your shell a little bit as a batter. because your not sure it's going to bounce or nip. Robinson showed why he is a superb bowler - he keeps coming back. We're going to try and stretch this out as much as we can and then chase whatever they set us." 

Gloucestershire fought back impressively with the ball at the start of day two - but Yorkshire maintained the advantage in the ongoing Vitality County Championship clash at Scarborough by striking five times late in the day. 

Yorkshire, who started the day on 348 for three in their first innings, were bowled out for 456 when looking well set for many more. New ball seamer Ajeet Singh Dale claimed two of the seven wickets to fall, finishing with three for 70 from 24 overs. 

Despite their impressive morning’s work - the hosts were bowled out on the cusp of lunch - Gloucestershire were still faced with a daunting total to reply to.

And while their response started encouragingly thanks to opener Ben Charlesworth’s 45 and 47 for Ollie Price, they slipped from 128 for two to 158 for six and later ended the day on 168 for seven from 71 overs.

It was, without doubt, a morale-boosting close to a day which started poorly for a Yorkshire side who did not make the most of an opening partnership of 307 between centurions Adam Lyth and Fin Bean on day one.

This Championship campaign has been one of significant frustration for Yorkshire, who were billed as pre-season title favourites but came into this fixture second-bottom in the Division Two table and without a win in seven.

They have been hurt - pardon the pun - by fast-bowling injuries and have struggled to bowl sides out as a result. In the games they managed to do that, they lost against Middlesex at Lord’s and against leaders Sussex at Hove.

In some matches, weather has played its part in thwarting them.

Should they not get over the line here during the next two days, the weather will almost certainly not be a factor.

But their chances were increased thanks to a superb last hour, including two wickets in two balls for all-rounder Matthew Revis, who had earlier also removed Charlesworth en-route to three for 26 from nine overs. 

Left-handed Charlesworth started the season batting at seven, contributing unbeaten scores of 52 and 43 to the draw against Yorkshire at Bristol in early April.

But he then replaced Chris Dent at the top of the order in early May and has a 126 to his name.

He fell caught behind off Revis’s seam with the final ball of the afternoon, five short of a fifty - 97 for two. Jordan Thompson had earlier removed Cameron Bancroft. 

England Lions man Price continued his good work and twice hit the off-spin of Dom Bess over midwicket and long-on for six. Though he was part of the late collapse.

Bess started it when he bowled an advancing Miles Hammond off an inside-edge shortly after tea before Sri Lankan overseas quick Vishwa Fernando bowled James Bracey - 146 for four in the 60th.

Revis then had Price brilliantly caught behind down leg by Jonny Tattersall off a gloved pull at the end of the 61st over. And when he bowled Australian Beau Webster, via inside-edge, for a golden duck at the start of his next, Gloucestershire were 158 for six in the 63rd. 

Thompson returned to get Graeme van Buuren caught at first slip in the day’s penultimate over - 166 for seven in the 70th. 

Yorkshire were helped by the fact glorious sunshine had been replaced by cloud cover, and there was no doubt this was a bowler’s day. 

Gloucestershire were excellent with the ball before lunch, much improved from day one when they struggled to build sustained pressure.

They claimed seven wickets for 87, Yorkshire falling from 369 for three as new ball seamers Singh Dale and Dom Goodman struck twice apiece. 

Glos pinched a second bowling bonus point just in the nick of time as Webster bowled Revis with a beauty five balls into the 110th over - 390 for six - while all-rounders George Hill and Thompson fell just short of fifties, posting 45 and 44 in contrasting fashion.

Hill was measured, whereas Thompson was meaty. The latter hit four sixes in 28 balls, the best of them coming over cover off Australian Webster’s seamers. 

 

Yorkshire all-rounder Jordan Thompson said 

“We lost a few wickets early on. It’s always tough to get going at Scarborough. It’s a decent pitch, but there’s always something there for the bowlers. To get to 456 - with a nice cameo at the end - we probably wanted a bit more, but they’re 160-7 and we come off pretty happy with ourselves. 

“They bowled a lot better this morning than they did yesterday. We know coming to Scarborough and playing against teams who haven’t played here much, the lines and lengths are massively important. They got it wrong in the first session yesterday but gradually got better. 

“They came back this morning with improved skills, but it was nice to get to 450. We took advantage of it later on.”

 

Gloucestershire seamer Ajeet Singh Dale said 

“We were really happy once we bowled them out. We’d spoken about what could we try and keep them to, and if we go about our skills the right way what looks realistic. We said, ‘Anything under 500’. So to get them for 450-odd, we were really happy with that effort. 

“Yesterday, I felt like we stuck to our task really well and kept the rate in hand. It just wasn’t our day. We bowled some nice stuff and were unlucky. 

“I think there’s been a bit of invariable bounce today. I think that’s natural with the way the longer format goes. Maybe it started to go a bit quicker than we expected, but it still looks like a pretty good deck. 

“They bowled well. We’ve probably lost a few more wickets than we’d like. But a good morning tomorrow and we’ll see what happens.”

 

© Cricket World 2024