Nottinghamshire stun Surrey, Glamorgan promoted and more: county cricket, day four – as it happened
Josh Tongue, thundering in on his great long legs, bowled Nottinghamshire to victory in an electric Championship slug-fest at the Oval, giving Notts a 14-point advantage over Surrey going into the final round, and putting one East Midlands hand on the trophy.It was a game full of unexpected twists with Surrey often on top in their chase of 315.Ollie Pope made 41 until he was caught off Lyndon James then Dan Lawrence and Tom Curran attacked with a bravado that had Surrey members purring.In an inspired bit of captaincy, Haseeb Hameed then called up Liam Patterson-White for one over, Curran charged him and was stumped for 33.Lawrence was lbw for 50 to Dillon Pennington but some clean ball striking from Tom Lawes once more tipped the scales.
Hameed switched Tongue to the pavilion end and, bowling with venom, he had Gus Atkinson snaffled at slip, removed Matt Fisher’s middle stump and finally Lawes was caught on the boundary with 20 runs to spare.It was Surrey’s first defeat of the season and Notts’ first win at the Oval since 2008.“I don’t think I have ever played in a Championship match as good as that,” Tongue said after play, five wickets in his pocket, though whether England allow him to play in the final match is yet to be seen.Surrey have the more difficult challenge, travelling to play a Hampshire side desperate to avoid relegation, while Notts entertain Warwickshire at Trent Bridge.Glamorgan grabbed the second promotion place to end 20 years in the Division Two wilderness after their soggy game at Derby ended in a draw.
They join Leicestershire who were crowned Division Two champions with one match to play.Elsewhere, Somerset were unable to unpick Hampshire, despite six wickets for Archie Vaughan, which ends their Championship hopes for another year.Yorkshire batted out a draw at Hove and will play a relegation ding-dong against Durham, who gained valuable batting points thanks to Emilio Gay and Will Rhodes but remain in a precarious position.Time to say goodbye from a darkening Oval.It’s been a wet week but worth it for a thrilling last day – Nottinghamshire pipped the Champions to go into the final week with a 14 point buffer.
Meanwhile Leicestershire are crowned Party Division Champions and Glamorgan will join them in Div One next year.Worcestershire make the return journey.We’ll be back next week for one final week of Championship cricket.To you all, thank you and good night!1 Leicestershire 2182 Glamorgan 1893 Derbyshire 1644 Gloucestershire 1635 Middlesex 1596 Lancashire 1537 Northamptonshire 1408 Kent 113Riverside: Durham 450-6 DRAW with Worcestershire 591-9decTaunton: Somerset 454-8dec DRAW with Hampshire 172 and 201-8The Oval: Nottinghamshire 231 and 256 BEAT Surrey 173 and 294 by 20 runsHove: Sussex 250 DRAW with Yorkshire 194 and 109-3Edgbaston: Warwickshire DRAW with Essex 325-5The County Ground: Derbyshire 17-0 DRAW with Glamorgan 259Bristol: Gloucestershire 241 and 158-3 BEAT Northamptonshire 206 and 192 by seven wicketsOld Trafford: Lancashire 375-5dec DRAW with Middlesex 211 and 99-4Grace Road: Leicestershire 459-7 DRAW with Kent 17-0Bristol: Gloucestershire 241 and 158-3 BEAT Northamptonshire 206 and 192 by seven wicketsGloucestershire 19 points; Northants 3 pointsOne game left, at Bristol, where Gloucestershire are chasing another 78 from 14 overs against Northamptonshire.Eight wickets left.
1 Nottinghamshire 2032 Surrey 1893 Somerset 1794 Warwickshire 1685 Sussex 1506 Essex 1507 Yorkshire 1468 Hampshire 1429 Durham 14010 Worcestershire 100 relegatedTaunton: Somerset 454-8dec DRAW with Hampshire 172 and 201-8Well batted Hampshire, especially anchor Nick Gubbins, I didn’t think they’d last the day.And smashing bowling from Archie Vaughan 6-96.Somerset 16 points; Hampshire 10 pointsAfter twenty years in the doldrums, Glamorgan accompany Leicestershire into the top tier next year!Old Trafford: Lancashire 375-5dec DRAW with Middlesex 211 and 99-4Lancashire 14 points; Middlesex 9 pointsRiverside: Durham 450-6 DRAW with Worcestershire 591-9decDurham 14 points; Worcestershire 12I’m going to write up now for the paper but do chat on BTL.There are four matches in play:In Division TwoGloucestershire are 11-1, and need 147 to beat Northants at Bristol.You’d expect handshakes at Old Trafford soon, where Middlesex are 86 behind but still have seven wickets left.
This will, I think, send Glamorgan up,In Division OneDurham need 24 more runs for maximum batting points against Worcestershire,And Somerset need four more wickets to defeat Hampshire,Surrey’s head coach Gareth Batty looked as if he had been through the wringer when he spoke after the match,“I think that throughout this season we have missed a beat now and again in our Championship cricket but, as always, we will be going to Hampshire next week and trying everything to win that match and see where a result gets us.
“All credit to Nottinghamshire for coming here and beating us on our own patch, and I thought Josh Tongue was very very good in this game,We have some work to do now as we learn from this defeat,”A jubilant Josh Tongue after Nottinghamshire’s victory against Surrey: “I don’t think I have ever played in a Championship match as good as that, but we really stuck at it out there in the field and we eventually got the victory,“We have always spoken in the dressing room about staying in the present when we are bowling and staying patient, and that’s exactly what we did today,“I knew that I could keep coming back and bowling new spells.
I’ve done it a few times before this season and feel good about my bowling,I knew that if I was asked to come back at the end that I could give it 100 per cent,“Haseeb (Hameed) was brilliant today – so chilled,Even when I was hit for a four he was so good about it, kept on encouraging me and talking to me from mid off,“The key wicket was when Liam Patterson-White got Tom Curran, with a very good stumping by Kyle Verreynne, because he and Dan Lawrence had batted so well in their partnership.
”YJB and James Wharton bat Sussex home.Next week, Sussex need just five points against Worcestershire to stay up while Yorkshire, who entertain Durham, need to avoid defeat to ensure Division One status.Hove: Sussex 250 DRAW with Yorkshire 194 and 109-3Sussex 12 points; Yorkshire 11 pointsNotts have been deducted one point for a slow over rate – which means they are 14 points ahead of Surrey with one game to go.They will need ten points from the next game to secure the Championship.Riverside: Durham 277-3 v Worcestershire 591-9decTaunton: Somerset 454-8dec v Hampshire 172 and 129-5The Oval: Nottinghamshire 231 and 256 BEAT Surrey 173 and 294 by 20 runsHove: Sussex 250 v Yorkshire 194 and 85-3Edgbaston: Warwickshire DRAW with Essex 325-5 The County Ground: Derbyshire 17-0 DRAW with Glamorgan 259Bristol: Gloucestershire 241 v Northamptonshire 206 and 171-5Old Trafford: Lancashire 375-5dec v Middlesex 211 and 26-1Grace Road: Leicestershire 459-7 DRAW with Kent 17-0 What a magnificent afternoon, and an unreal bowling performance by Tongue, who dragged Notts back into that by the toenails.
Notts win at The Oval for the first time since 2008, Surrey’s first defeat of the year, leaving Notts going into the final round with a 14 point lead,Lawes throws the bat at Tongue, it flies… but only to Slater at the point boundary!! Five for Tongue – who leads the players off,Incredible!71st over: Surrey 294-9 (Worrall 1, Lawes 33) Surrey need 21 to win Worrall survives two balls and they steal the leg bye on Hutton’s lbw appeal,Another single, and another, to huge applause from the crowd,A consultation at the top of Hutton’s mark, and another, Hameed’s long arms wave the fielders around.
We’re not going to take tea at the usual time, the session will continue to 3.30.70th over: Surrey 290-9 (Worrall 0, Lawes 31) Surrey need 25 to win Encouragement from the stands between balls, silence as Tongue thunders in, long, long legs, elbows out.Lawes wants to win this on his own: swings – an inside edge to the rope.Then an outside edge to the third man boundary.
Tongue, unimpressed, hits Lawes on the body.69th over: Surrey 282-9 (Worrall 0, Lawes 23) Surrey need 34 to win One from Hutton’s over which gives Lawes the booby prize of facing Tongue.68th over: Surrey 281-9 (Worrall 0, Lawes 22) Surrey need 34 to win What an over! First Atkinson’s wicket, then a huge lbw appeal against Fisher first ball, Tongue has his hands on his head in anguish, be can’t believe it isn’t out.Suitably furious, he throws down a bouncer which booms off Fisher’s arm guard to the rope.And then the second wicket from a ball too fast, too good.
Middle stump flat on its back! An awesome delivery nips back.Fisher hangs his head.Two in the over.Jubilation for Notts! A birdsnest of handslapping and leaps as Atkinson slopes off.Quick and on target from Tongue, Atkinson gives slip some catching practise.
67th over: Surrey 277-7 (Atkinson 11, Lawes 22) Surrey need 38 to win At mid-on Hameed folds his arms – is there anything else up his sleeve? Hutton continues, Atkinson nearly drags him back into his stumps.The sun comes out.66th over: Surrey 275-7 (Atkinson 10, Lawes 21) Surrey need 40 to win Josh Tongue changes ends, running in now from just in front of the pavilion.He rubs his foot in the footmarks, falls into deep conversation with his captain.After one run from four deliveries, Lawes unfurls another four, a wristy cover drive on the up.
65th over: Surrey 269-7 (Atkinson 9, Lawes 16) Surrey need 46 to win Hutton trundles in, Surrey take a quick single but Hameed’s throw is wild from mid-on.I think he was safe anyway.Another quiet over, just two from it.64th over: Surrey 267-7 (Atkinson 8, Lawes 15) Surrey need 48 to win Nos 8 and 9 are playing with real confidence, you’d never guess what was on the.The slips fold their arms, the fielders bite their nails.
Just two from the over.63rd over: Surrey 265-7 (Atkinson 7, Lawes 14) Surrey need 50 to win Hutton replaces Tongue after that unsuccessful two-over spell.He beats Lawes with his second ball, but is tonked square for four from the third – lovely shot.And another, down the ground, beating a desperate, sprinting Hameed and Clarke to the rope.62nd over: Surrey 256-7 (Atkinson 6, Lawes 6) Surrey need 59 to win The floodlights wink bright in the gloom, the flags gusting into the wind.
Pennington pounds once more from the pavilion end,Surrey milk some singles and Lawes is hit, winces but presses on,61st over: Surrey 253-7 (Atkinson 4, Lawes 5) Surrey need 62 to win Tongue, back, 12 big steps to the crease,HH polishes the ball on his long sleeves,Some tight Notts fielding saves boundaries, but Lawes off-drives the penultimate ball furiously for four.
60th over: Surrey 246-7 (Atkinson 2, Lawes 0) Surrey need 69 to win Pennington rushes in from the pavilion end, running away from the Surrey members increasingly packing the decks,Lawrences trudges off after that lbw and I can see Tongue taking his jumper off for the next over,Lawrence is not happy, hit as he shuffles across his stumps but the umpire has no hesitation,Two wickets in two overs and the equation changes again,59th over: Surrey 244-6 (Lawrence 50, Atkinson 2) Surrey need 69 to win HH gambles on Patterson-White for the first spin of the innings.
Applause for the fifty partnership, applause for Lawrence’s 50 off just 53 balls,And then Curran has a rush of blood to bring Notts back into the game,Great little innings though,Spin does the job! A pumped up Curran decides to charge the ball, misses and pays the price,Elsewhere, at a gallop.
Hampshire are successfully stonewalling at Taunton.Hants 90 for three.Emilio Gay and David Bedingham both in the runs as Durham go for batting points at CLS.Durham– 173 for three.Yorkshire – ?! – are 18 for three at Hove, still 38 behind.
Lyth, Bean and Agarwal all back in the pavilion,Yorks 18 for three, all the wickets to Coles,Singh Dale has two wickets in his penultimate game for Gloucestershire, Northants 97 for four, a lead of 62,Expect Saif Zaib (18 not out) to save the day,And Lancashire’s batters are making merry, 344 for five.
Hurst 57 not out.The floodlights are on; Tongue pounds in.Anticipation in the stands.HH and Tongue in discussion and fiddle with the field.Lawrence bangs four to finish the over.
86 needed.Make that a target of 92 – three fearless fours off Pennington’s over, which goes for 17.Notts need wickets, Surrey aren’t hanging around.Surrey are not taking the Hampshire approach, Tom Curran picks up Tongue and heaves him to the rope, then Lawrence sledge-hammers Pennington to the deep midwicket rope.The target now only 105.
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