County cricket: Northants make history with four hundreds as Leics frustrate Surrey – as it happened
Leicestershire gave Surrey a shock at the Oval, defying, not collapsing in the face of 520.Rishi Patel’s 133 not out, his first century in Division One, was a Midlands masterpiece, careful and distinguished, while Jake Weatherald whizz-banged at the other end for 96.Lewis Hill, dropped on five, finished 60 not out as Surrey’s attack toiled away.Northants squashed Kent under a mighty Doctor Martens, amassing 684 for two, thanks to career-bests 261 from Luke Procter and 153 from Calvin Harrison.The second ball of the morning was four wides, and so it went on, the attack flayed to all four corners of the wind.
Nathan McSweeney reached his hundred with a six and Northants’ top four all had hundreds for the first time in history.Kent then subsided to 119 for six, including Zak Crawley for 26.Ollie Robinson and Jack Carson inched Sussex towards 200 at Hove after they were in deep trouble at 130 for eight.Fynn Hudson-Prentice then ruined the start of Warwickshire’s second innings with three wickets in nine balls, but Rob Yates added an unbeaten, and vital, 75 in a low-scoring game.Stand-in captain Craig Overton used flair and fortitude to put Somerset in a dominant position at Chelmsford with his highest first-class score of 141.
He and Will Smeed (39), who made his first-class debut as an injury substitute three years after retiring from first-class cricket (before having played a game) added 118.Paul Walter and Matt Critchley then both hit half-centuries to move Essex towards parity.Glamorgan felt the might of the county champions at Trent Bridge, where Fergus O’Neill and Brett Hutton rattled through their remaining six wickets in just over an hour, to leave them naked for 113.Ben Duckett was run out for one, charging down the pitch for a hasty single, but Joe Clarke and Ben Slater batted Nottinghamshire to safety and beyond, a lead of 450 at stumps.At Chester le Street, Ben McKinney was finally out for 244, the seventh highest score by a Durham player.
There was a century too for David Bedingham before the declaration came at 605 for five.Kemar Roach and Ben Raine grabbed three wickets each as Gloucestershire struggled to 168 for eight.The covers were on and off at Old Trafford, where Derbyshire’s Brooke Guest reached his fifty in sudden sunshine, five overs left in the day, a handful of hardy supporters still buttoned into their seats.Lancashire took only took two wickets all day, and dropped a few catches, but Mitch Stanley thrilled with an aggressive spell after lunch, removing Matthew Montgomery for 46.Captain Harry Came finally fell for 83, bowled by Jimmy Anderson, whose ire had been raised the ball before by four wanton overthrows.
Middlesex’s last four batters hauled them towards 200 at Lord’s.Jake Libby (79) and the 19-year-old Dan Lategan, with a sparky 65, then made batting look easy, before Worcestershire collapsed, losing six for 19 before stumps.Ryan Higgins took four for 53.Hampshire finished on top of a rainy day at Headingley where Yorkshire lost six for 40, as Kyle Abbott (four for 49) charged through them after lunch.Time for Kent and Gloucestershire to hunker down.
It may be better in the morning.And time for us to go too, thanks for your company, see you tomorrow!DIVISION ONEChelmsford: Essex 149 and 131-3 v Somerset 348Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 279 and 284-9 v Glamorgan 113The Oval: Surrey 520 v Leicestershire 350-3Hove: Sussex 204 v Warwickshire 267 and 154-5Headingley: Yorkshire 177 v Hampshire 251 and 93-2DIVISION TWOBristol: Gloucestershire 168-8 v Durham 605-5decCanterbury: Kent 119-6 v Northamptonshire 684-2decOld Trafford: Lancashire 351 v Derbyshire 235-3Lord’s: Middlesex 183 v Worcestershire 191 and 200-7As the groundstaff pull off the covers at OT, time for me to write up.Fourteen overs left here, restart at 5.45pm.Do keep chatting BTL and keep an eye on Kent – Crawley in the welly boot role, Muyeye the fireworks.
Rain is spoiling things in Div 2.In Div 1:Paul Walter is glueing Essex back together, 52 not out, in Essex’s 85-3.Things are ticking along nicely for Notts at Trent Bridge- Clarke 119 not out, Notts 217-3.Don’t jinx him but Rishi Patel is a boundary away from a hundred at The Oval, Leics 239-2.Three wickets for Hudson-Prentice at Hove, Warwicks 71-4, lead by 134.
Rain at Headingley, with Hampshire 46-0, lead Yorks by 120.Covers back on at OT.Not an ideal start for Kent.Zak Crawley is still there, but he’s lost Ben Compton (6) and Sam Northeast for a duck in his first game back at Canterbury.Kent 27-2, 657 behind.
Off just 122 balls.Notts lead already 374 over Glamorgan.While at The Oval, Jake Weatherald was cut off four short of three figures, caught behind off Topley for 96.Leicestershire 213-1.Rishi Patel 75 not out.
Twenty-three overs from 5.10, say the umps, as the groundstaff pull the covers off at OT.As the press box twiddle their thumbs waiting for the restart, conversation turns to Red Rum and it turns out he did his first turn as a retired horse with a celebrity appearance at Leigh Cricket Club.Start the video at about 16 mins.It’s throwing it down here at OT but there’s a patch of blue up there somewhere.
Think they’ll probably get back on.Meanwhile, Essex are faltering, Benkenstein and Allison following Elgar back into the pavilion.Essex 53-3, trail Somerset by 144.Skies are filthy at OT and the groundstaff are pulling on extra covers.DIVISION ONEChelmsford: Essex 149 and 36-1 v Somerset 348Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 279 and 189-3 v Glamorgan 113The Oval: Surrey 520 v Leicestershire 194-1Hove: Sussex 204 v Warwickshire 267 and 25-3Headingley: Yorkshire 177 v Hampshire 251 and 13-0DIVISION TWOBristol: Gloucestershire 39-2 v Durham 605-5decCanterbury: Kent 10-0 v Northamptonshire 684-2decOld Trafford: Lancashire 351 v Derbyshire 187-3Lord’s: Middlesex 183 v Worcestershire 191 and 134-1Philip from the office nudges me to report that with McSweeney’s 101, Northants’ top four all make hundreds for the first time in history: Vasconcelos 127, Procter 261 not out, Harrison 153, McSweeney 101 not out.
Kent are 7-0 afer three overs.In Division One:At The Oval: Jake Weatherald continues to have fun with CC bowlers as Leicestershire put Surrey to the sword – 151-0 from 35 overs.Yorkshire are all out at Headingley for 177 – four wickets each for Abbott and Baker.Not much to shout about for Yorkshire other than 76 for Lyth and 40 for Revis.Hampshire’s first-innings lead 76.
Somerset are finally out for 348, COverton 141.Three wickets each for Porter, Cook and Snater.And Jack Leach is making mischief in Essex’s second innings, Elgar caught in his first over.Essex 29-1.At Hove, Sussex all out 204, pumped up by 39 each from Carson and Robinson.
Warwicks lead was 263, now a bit more with Warwicks 19-1, Davies c and b Hudson-Prentice 7.Notts are crushing Glamorgan at Trent Bridge, Slater 64 not out, Joe Clarke 94 not out.Notts 172-2, lead by 338.A double teapot from Jimmy Anderson after some pantomime fielding brings four overthrows– but next ball he nips out Came for 83.Derbys 152-3.
A quick dart around the grounds: Division Two.Luke Procter still going at Canterbury, a whopping 240 not out, Nathan McSweeney 78 not out in 643-2.Rain at Bristol: Gloucestershire 10-1 and a mountain (595) to climb.Back on at OT: Derbyshrie 138-s, trail by 213.Lord’s: Worcestershire making a much better fist of their second innings, 102-0, Dan Lategan 64 not out.
Beat this, Derbyshire’s David Griffin has missed three days of cricket this century and nothing since went to see Bruce Springsteen at Wembley at 28 June 2009.And here comes the rain and the covers.Flood lights on at OT and the skies menacing.Paul Edwards tells me that Mitch Stanley bowled a superb spell from the James Anderson End this morning.Derbyshire 136-2, Harry Came 71 not out.
With Yorks 157-7.In other news, I’ve finally found my press pass (under the newspaper) so heading to Old Trafford now, back in ten mins.Craig Overton is finally out for 141, what a cracking (stand in) captain’s innings.He gets a bottom pat from Will Smeed and a standing ovation from the crowd.Somerset 330-7 and quickly 330-8 as Smeed helps Sam Cook round the corner and into Pepper’s gloves.
Trouble at’ mill, Kyle Abbott slicing through Yorkshire.He’s sent back Lyth (76), Revis and Hill since lunch.Yorks 153-7.Time to poke our head in at Canterbury, where Northampton continue to pile on the pain.Calvin Harrison was finally out for 153, but Procter is unbeaten on 175.
Some painful-looking bowling figures, though Muyeye has a respectable 12-2-33-0.Northants 503-2.Interesting musing on the Australian women’s team captaincy with the World Cup fast approaching.It seems unlikely that the game at Lord’s will stretch into day four.Middlesex were all out in a hurry for 183, eight runs short of Worcestershire’s total (Hannon-Dalby 4-45).
Worcs are now 21-0 in their second innings.Gloucestershire’s Nos two and three take welcome shelter from the storm, Glos a mere 595 behind Durham.Jake Weatherald said during the last round that he was finding the lower bounce of English wickets, or at least Grace Road, a tricky adjustment: “It doesn’t suit my square drives and cuts as much.It’s about trying to find different ways to score and put pressure back on the bowlers, which is what I’m probably good at.”He’s finding The Oval quite kind, at least at the moment – five fours in his 25 not out.
Leics 49-0.Adam Lyth (64) and Matthew Revis (40) have been rebuilding at Southampton after Baker’s burst last night.Yorks, between the showers, 129-4.Jack Carson batted really well at Grace Road last week and Sussex need him, and Robinson, to graft another hundred or so runs at Hove.Sussex 135-8, still 132 behind Warwicks, who have shared the wickets around.
Bamber the pick, 3-32.Overton celebrates yesterday’s birthday with a century – his second for Somerset in the CC and very happy he look too.Somerset 270-6.Belatedly, Ben McKinney’s post-match thoughts from last night, courtesy of the reporter’s network:“It’s a very special day for me and my family.My dad will be on the phone soon, saying it’s all because of him!“There was a lot of moisture in the wicket from the readings and we were actually going to bowl first too.
It looked as though that would be the right decision.“You never know until play starts.Getting off to a quick start with the short boundary on one side was good and from their it was pretty much plain sailing.“Alex Lees is great to bat with.He keeps me grounded and looking to go big, while later ‘Bedders’ came in and made batting look ridiculously easy.
“There is plenty of experience around me and I am still learning.In terms of maintaining concentration throughout a day, it was the best I have played.“I didn’t know I was the youngest player to make a double hundred for Durham, but if that’s right it’s a great stat and I’ll take it.”DIVISION ONEChelmsford: Essex 149 v Somerset 264-6Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 279 and 25-2 v Glamorgan 113The Oval: Surrey 520 v Leicestershire 28-0Hove: Sussex 130-7 v Warwickshire 267Headingley: Yorkshire 125-4 v Hampshire 251 still in playDIVISION TWOBristol: Gloucestershire 4-1 v Durham 605-5decCanterbury: Kent v Northamptonshire474-2 still in playOld Trafford: Lancashire 351 v Derbyshire 65-1Lord’s: Middlesex 179-9 v Worcestershire 191 still in playOverton doesn’t get to his second f-c century, and must lunch on 98 not out.Companion Smeed 17 not out
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