On a day when there was more speculation about Middlesex leaving Lord’s, the club got their first win since relegation, turning over Yorkshire by six wickets. George Hill gathered a stoical 75 as Middlesex were set 158 to win. Despite Ben Coad zoning in on Mark Stoneman’s pads in the first over, the middle order reached the target painstakingly.
At Kidderminster, Durham hurried to their first Division One victory since 2016. Set 458 to win, Worcestershire’s hopes floated away when Jake Libby was caught off Ben Raine, leaving the Pears 135 for six. Paul Coughlin finished with four for 45. Ollie Robinson again caught the eye as he and Graham Clark set up the declaration.
Essex polished their position at the top of Division One with a second win of the season, whistling through Lancashire before lunch to win by an innings. The attack made the most of a pitch that skittled low sometimes, and Lancashire had no reply after losing four top order batters in 16 balls. Jamie Porter took home three for 24, Shane Snater pocketed seven in the match.
Surrey are eyeing victory at Canterbury, after centuries for Dan Lawrence and Dom Sibley were followed by Dan Worrall scything through Kent, his three for 18 including Zak Crawley for four.
A record-breaking stand of 370 between Will Young (156) and Joe Clarke (209) led to a glut of runs at Taunton.
Somerset only took one wicket all day and applauded Clarke and Young off at stumps, new owners of Nottinghamshire’s record for the third wicket, one that had been on the books since 1903.
Glamorgan were pummelled at Wantage Road by an unbeaten double hundred from Northamptonshire’s Indian international Karun Nair, who has found the County Championship very much to his liking.
Sussex’s Ollie Robinson grabbed two wickets in three balls to send Gloucestershire into a spin. Hampshire’s Nick Gubbins and Fletcha Middleton both made hundreds against Warwickshire on a flat pitch at the Rose Bowl.
Hampshire have reduced the deficit to two figures, 357-8, Brown 47 not out; Dan Worrall has taken out both Bell Drummond and Crawley, Kent looking weary at 38-2.
Young and Clarke power on at Taunton; Notts 335-2, and Durham are nearly there, having broken Worcestershire’s seventh wicket partnership of 103. Worcs 239-7 need an implausible 219 to win.
Glamorgan 41-0, a tentatively decent first 17 overs. Better than Gloucestershire first 17 anyway (35-4). At Derby, Madsen has lost his ship-steadying partner Donald, Derby now 135-5.
From Notts-up to Notts-glut: a painstaking century for Young off 234 balls. Notts 328-2 and Somerset a bit short of ideas. At the other end, Clarke ticks over to 170.
Things have perked up a little at The County Ground from hellish to woebogotten thanks to a stand of 33 between Madsen and Donald. Derby currently a pleasing 123-4, still 284 runs behind. Three wickets for Scott Currie.
That thing I said about Ollie Robinson not getting any wickets in the first innings – he’s putting things to rights, with two for 20. Jayden Seales, who started the fire, has two for five. Gloucestershire in a pretty mess at 26 for four and still 36 runs behind Sussex. How are Derby doing?
A mixed day for Matt Parkinson, 35 long overs, four wickets, but for 167, including two big biffing sixes from beefy Jordan Clark. Surrey seem to be eyeing up 600.
Oh! Warwickshire chipping away at Hampshire and now Yates has got rid of the obstinate Dawson. Hants 318-7, still trail by 137 and a much more interesting last day now in prospect at Southampton.
Glamorgan must have done something very naughty last night. Nair adds a double century to 41, 57, 3 this season and his 2023 run of 21, 78 and that impressive 150 against Surrey at The Oval. Northants 605-6 – and that’s the declaration! A lead of 334.
Surrey tuck maximum batting points into their apron pocket, and think about attending to the fatted calf. Jamie Smith hurried things along with 58 before being Parkinson’s third wicket. Surrey 464-5 lead Kent by 220.
In Division Two, Middlesex have hit a go-slow against the Yorkies, 82-3; Derbyshire making a much better go of their second innings, though Harry Came has just been lbw to Currie. 69-1, with four and a half session left to bat.
A second wicket for the handy Crane at Wantage Road, Northants lead Glamorgab by nearly 300, Nair 179. not out. And Sussex have managed to compile 463 without anyone making three figures.
Nair (165 not out) enjoying the maroon badge as Northants build an imposing lead over Glamorgan of 274 and counting; Joe Clarke continues his good early season form with an unbeaten 109. The unbroken partnership of 178 with Will Young bringing parity in sight. Notts still trail Somerset, but by just 36.
News from Canterbury. Dom Sibley made 150 before being caught and bowled by Parky M. Foakes has just followed, for a perky 24. Surrey five down but have passed 400 and Jamie Smith is in party mood.
Gets a friendly high five from captain Vince, a and huge round of applause from the dressing room. At 22, there’s room for lots more. Hants 260-5, a wobble after 229-1.
“The guys are hurting. It’s an incredibly quiet room. It’s part and parcel of sport: you have to have a winner and a loser and we haven’t done enough, therefore we’ve lost this one.
“You do have to keep some perspective. We do have some young pups and consistency won’t be there as often, but that’s the joy of it. We have guys at completely different ends of their careers. The one big thing we’ve had is a feedback cycle and we’ve had some really tough, open conversations, even coming into this game and that doesn’t change if we win or lose. We want to do better as a team, as a squad, and we’ll sit down and do that together.”
Good soup, even better was absorbing some sunshine in the garden. Worcestershire in trouble at Kidderminster, after Rob Jones smashed 39 but was caught off Coughlin after lunch. And Hose joins him two overs later. Worcs 103-4.
“We continue to explore numerous options, but to put minds at rest Middlesex cricket is not about to end its long-term relationship with MCC and is not about to leave Lord’s.”
🗞️ | CLUB STATEMENT FOLLOWING ARTICLE IN SUNDAY TIMES TODAY The Club wishes to issue this statement to offer some clarity and context to the content of the article, which was first published online yesterday evening.
With ten minutes till lunch, Lancashire lose their eighth…Bailey caught and bowled Simon Harmer, snood off. The umpire’s collar though is resolutely high against the chilly wind.
One England hopeful bowled by another as Parky slips one through the gap. A cracking century by Lawrence, who played himself in and accelerated, at a strike rate of 78.32. Surrey 241-2, the lead 97 and if they carry on at this rate Kent’s Monday looks tough going.
Hampshire a lot for not very many, Gubbins enjoying this early season.
This was Gubbins on the Rose Bowl pitch last night:
“It is the nature of these flat wickets, the game becomes quite attritional. We have seen enough cricket to know that things can happen on days three and four though.
“There are cracks in this pitch, and they are wider than last week, so we still think things can still happen. We just have to make sure we are the ones driving the game.
“It has been more batting friendly conditions for this time of year. I try and do a good job for the boys. I know the seamers and spinners have put in a lot of hard effort, so getting them time off their feet is rewarding.
Tom Bailey joins George Bell (25 not out) after Snater picks up a third with Matty Hurst. Bailey is quite capable of irritating hanging around or bombastic biffing about. Lancs 92-7, trail by 139.
The ICC shouldn’t need any reminder of the threat that the Climate Emergency holds for cricket, after the floods in Dubai, where their HQ is based. Aneesha Ghosh on the temperatures in Kolkata.
Kolkata has consistently experienced temperatures around 40°C this week. As the overlap b/w sport & climate change widens, cricket needs to reflect on afternoon start times such as in the ongoing #KKRvRCB#IPL game in the city. World Rugby recently reviewed their heat guidelines.
With half an hour till lunch, let’s trot round the Division Two grounds:
A sparkling 45 from Nye Donald can’t hold back the Leicestershire tide: Derbyshire 147-7, trail by just the 427. Three wickets for Scriven, two for Mike.
Young Fernandes, impressive under pressure, and Holden keeping Yorkshire at bay, Middx 22-1 need 136 to win.
Karun Nair closing in on a hundred as Northants take command against Glamorgan, 394-5 lead by 123.
And three wickets for Zafar at Hove, John Simpson coaxing Sussex towards parity, 333-7, trail Gloucs by 84.
Middlesex successfully reach double figures with the loss of only one wicket.
Elsewhere, Dan Lawrence has his second consecutive fifty, and is starting to put his foot down. What with his rebirth as a spinner, the Surrey move is looking a golden one.
A 67 thick with boundaries from the impressive Ollie Robinson and fifty from Graham Clark. I don’t fancy Worcestershire’s chances of surviving the day.
Meanwhile Northant’s Ricardo Vasconcelos has finally been out for 182 – his first hundred for two years a nice big one. Northants 344-3, a lead of 73 over Glamorgan
Lancashire slip to 39-3, a big one as Josh Bohannon is sent on his way by Sam Cook.
Only one of Dan Lawrence and Dom Sibley has hit a six at Canterbury, and it isn’t the one you think. Sibley hovering on 99, Lawrence, getting his eye in, 39. Surrey 213-1.
HH loses his stumps. Craig Overton taking out his fury on Notts. My pile of matches on Somerset to win the first match of the day. Notts 48-2, still trail by 213.
Paul Newman of The Mail announced his retirement from cricket writing this week. A lovely man, who loves the game, from grass roots to international, and retained an interest in the county scene, often found in cold tents with his laptop when he could escape the England circus
What do they say? Personal news? My time at @MailSport is coming to an end. It has been an absolute privilege following @englandcricket around the world for so long. Huge thanks to all, particularly Lee Clayton and Colin Gibson who made all my dreams come true.. pic.twitter.com/iOVNt2zmpL
Prospects look pretty good. The Met Office: Dry for many with sunny spells, but isolated showers in East Anglia. Cloudy across Scotland with outbreaks of light rain spreading into northern England and north Wales. Brisk winds in the southeast, but light elsewhere. Feeling warm in the sunshine.
More unsettled tomorrow so those in with a chance of polishing things off would be wise to get a move on.
There must be something in the water at the moment, first Gloucestershire, then Worcestershire, now Middlesex.
The BBC piece quotes chief exec Andrew Cornish: “If you look at the Harlequins model, they play most of their games at the Stoop, but for big games go to Twickenham.
“When Arsenal women go to the Emirates they fill it out, but most of the time they’re not playing there. There’s definitely a model there to be considered.”
“Things [potential sites] do become available and there are a couple of potential opportunities now. There are a lot of people looking at cricket as an investment opportunity right now. Our global reach is enormous.”
Dukes balls seemed to have lost much of their power overnight, with batters finding yesterday far more palatable than day one.
Essex built up an imposing lead against Lancashire at Chelmsford, led by Tom Westley, who played himself into form with 81. Chief irritant, though, was Sam Cook, who came in on Friday night as the nightwatcher, was dropped twice, and made his highest first-class score of 49. Lancashire’s bowlers plugged away, Nathan Lyon wheeling through 24 overs for his two wickets, but Essex closed with a 231-run first innings lead. Lancashire then lost Keaton Jennings, lbw to Jamie Porter, as they crawled along at one an over.
It was a slow-go day at the pastry-flat Rose Bowl, where the ball repeatedly went out of shape, and Warwickshire were finally dismissed for 455, with Liam Dawson collecting his 10th first-class five-wicket haul. In reply Hampshire’s Fletcha Middleton and Nick Gubbins dawdled to half centuries apiece.
It was another dog day for Harry Brook and Joe Root as Yorkshire wobbled at Lord’s. Brook came in immediately after tea and was out first ball to Middlesex’s Ryan Higgins while Root, who had become becalmed in the 20s, was a third salmon in the net for Toby Roland-Jones. He grinned merrily as Root trudged away and a man in the stands in a woolly hat slowly chewed on his frozen crisps. Yorkshire gave themselves something to bowl at thanks to a half century from George Hill and some late biffing by the tail.
Nottinghamshire’s season continued to get stuck in the machinery of the blocks as Somerset ran up 454, a lead of 261, at Taunton. Tom Banton looked in sparkling form with his 83, helped by a useful forty from nightwatcher Josh Davey. But the final blows came from a blockbuster ninth-wicket partnership between Craig Overton and Migael Pretorius (77). Overton was stranded on 95 when the No 11, Shoaib Bashir, took a meaty and ill-advised slog on nought. Overton was so incensed, he charged off the field without acknowledging the crowd. As the sun started to drop, Notts then lost an early wicket.
A bubblegum century from David Bedingham, five sixes and 11 fours, powered Durham towards their first win of Division One. He and Scott Borthwick dealt runs as if they were buttons in a third-wicket partnership of 195 as Worcestershire’s bowlers searched for a breakthrough. By stumps the Durham lead was already 379, with five wickets remaining. Earlier, a half century from Jake Libby and 33 not out from Nathan Smith ensured Worcestershire avoided ignominy. There were three wickets each for Matthew Potts, Ben Raine and Paul Coughlin.
The Australian opening batter Marcus Harris danced to a double century at Derby, celebrating by splatting six down the ground. With power to add from the late middle order, Leicestershire finally declared on 574 for seven. Needing 425 to avoid the follow on, Derbyshire then collapsed in the early evening, losing four quick wickets. And Northamptonshire’s Ricardo Vasconcelos hit his first century for two years, tucking into Glamorgan’s bowlers with a dazzling 166. Earlier Mason Crane had celebrated his maiden first-class fifty to inch Glamorgan to a batting point.
Cheteshwar Pujara (75 not out) and Tom Alsop (84) ensured that Sussex didn’t falter in the face of Gloucestershire’s 417, on a pudding of a pitch at Hove, where both teams found it tricky to up the scoring rate. Gloucestershire’s last two wickets added 109 in the morning, as Ollie Robinson went wicketless from his 21 overs. And it was a long day for Kent who were bowled out for 244, then had to watch Surrey shimmy to 185 for one, Dom Sibley unbeaten, 13 short of his century.
Hello! And welcome to day three of the Championship, the lovable slow burner on a bumper day of sport. Huge luck to everyone running the London marathon today, and all the spectators too. If you’re cheering from the sidelines, or lacing up your boots, we’d love to hear from you.
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