365 Sporting Days

I’m kicking off my writing at the end of Day 2. The 7th week of County Cricket, but the 6th game for all, we we were back to all teams involved in this one, another Friday to Monday set of games. It really is hard for the game to get things right, there was a good crowd again at the County Ground in Chelmsford for Day 1, but those figures then tend to drop over the weekend. We’re still in the rugby and football season and personally I’ll be watching Saracens on Day 2 of these matches, there seeems to be more of a crossover with football than rugby and I imagine many will be watching that game on Day 2. I had a quick chat with a friend who proposed that all matches should start on a Monday, that would be problematical in my mind and count all many who aren’t retired.

Division 1

Essex v Warwickshire – The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford. Alex Davies won the toss for Warwicks and elected to bat. Essex won by 4 Wickets.

Warwicks 397 All Out & 94 All Out, Essex 162 All Out & 331 for 6

It looked like the wrong decision had been taken by Warwicks when they were 104 for 6, 4 of those wickets were catches by Simon Harmer, 3 great slips catches and one from his own bowling, The day ended with Warwicks on 208 for 6 as Ed Barnard and Keeper Michael Burgess stood firm. Barnard made 115* from 237 balls and Burgess 105* from 163 balls. The full 96 overs were bowled. Warwicks carried on where they’d left off on Day 2, Burgess was out for 108 from 170 balls but Barnard went on to score 165 from 285 balls. Warwicks batted a total of 117.4 overs and scored 397.

The Essex reply lasted a mere 51.2 overs, less than half that of the Warwicks innings. They were bowled out for 162, with Jordan Cox top scoring with 47. In common with the first innings the wickets were shared amongst the bowlers.

Warwicks faced 17.3 overs on Day 2 and lost 5 wickets for 43 runs, they went into Day 3 with a lead of 278 runs and 5 wickets intact. Essex bowled out Warwicks in a total of 37.1 overs, there was no middle order rescue mission in this innings. But at 94 they had a lead of 330. Matt Critchley took 4 for 24 in 9 overs.

Essex found themselves on 12 for 2, after losing Feroze Khushi for a Golden Duck, Nick Browne followed him back to the dressing room in the 4th over. He went reluctantly after being caught out, the umpired had a chat and th efinger was raised. They reached 112 for 4 in the 36th over after Dean Elgar made 60 from 113 balls. Then came, A middle order rescue mission, Jordan Cox and Matt Critchley cut the lead to 106 by the end of the day. Cox was 77* from 144 balls and Critchley 46 from 112 balls. I found Alex Davies use of his bowlers a but odd, Oliver Hannon-Dalby bowled 11 overs straight off then didn’t bowl again. He bolwed those overs at 1.73. Essex had faced 74 overs and were 224 for 4 at the end of Day 3. It took Essex 23.4 overs on Day 4 to get this game won and to keep their season on track. Cox made 112 from 192 balls. I was tryomng to keep track and saw Critchley on 99 from 184 balls, then Simon Harmer hit a 4 to win the game! Cox was out and Michael Pepper was bowled for 1 but at a quite remarkable 331 for 6 the game was in the bag. Out of interest Hannon-Dalby bowled another 4 overs.

Lancashire v Durham – Stanley Park, Blackpool. Scott Borthwick won the toss for Durham and put Lancs in to bat. Lancashire won by 60 runs.

Lancashire 357 All Out & 353 for 9 dec, Durham 236 All Out 41 All Out

Keaton Jennings opening scored 115 from 155 balls as Lancs reached 350 for 9 in their 96 overs. England captain Ben Stokes bowled 17 overs and took 2 for 70, good signs for England’s summer of cricket! Lancs were bowled out for 357 having faced 98 overs. 5. of the 6 bowlers shared the wickets.

Durham batted for 68.4 overs and David Bedingham scored his 2nd century in consecutive games making 101 in 151 balls. He and Colin Ackermann put on 94 for the 3rd wicket, but that was the only stand of the innings as Durham were bowled out for 236. Tom Aspinwall ( A new Tom!) took 5 for 41 in his 9.4 overs.

Lancashire faced 21 overs on Day 2 and scored 91 runs, they lost 2 wickets and took a lead of 212 into Day 3. Keaton Jennings scored his 2nd century of the game, this time scoring 155 from 213 balls, his was the 7th wicket to fall as he anchored the innings. He declared on 353 for 9 after Lancs had batted for 83.1 overs, a lead of 474.

Durham faced 33 overs on Day 3 and were 134 for 3 at the close of play. Durham were back to their multi century malarkey and David Bedingham added another to his tally, he scored 103 from 155v balls and Keeper Ollie Robinson scored 171 from 206 balls. The pair put on 216 for the 4th wicket. To make note Ben Stokes scored just 18. Durham made 414 in just 93 overs. George (the 2nd most popular name in cricket?) Balderson took 4 for 52 in 13 overs tp help Lancs register the win.

Nottinghamshire v Hampshire – Trent Bridge, Nottingham. James Vince won the toss for Hants and put Notts in to bat. Hants won by 5 wickets

Notts 235 All Out & 209 All Out, Hants 276 All Out & 171 for 5

Notts were 0 for 2 wickets in the 67th over, then 17 for 3. At the end of Day 1 they were 212 for 9, with their innings saved by Lyndon James, in at 7 he was 92* from 210 balls. Muhammad Abbas had taken 4 for 36 in his 23 overs. James went on to score 106* from 246 balls as he ran out of partners. Notts faced 103.1 overs and scored 235. Abbas was the best of the bowlers with 4 for 49.

Hants were bowled out in 68.1 overs making 276, Liam Dawson scored 95 from 158 balls. Olly Stone took 4 for 62 in his 16 overs.

Notts faced 15 overs on Day 2 and reached 33 for 1. Notts were bowled out for 209 in 79.2 overs, Lyndon Haynes top scored with 127 balls, Keeper Joe Clarke scored 57 from 114 balls.

Hants faced 31 overs on Day 3, and were 84 for 5 at the close of play. They needed 85 runs on Day 4 to get the win. Hants needed anothe r 20 overs on Day 4 to secure the win. James Fuller scored 77* from 97 balls.

Somerset v Kent – The Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton. Daniel Bell-Drummond won the toss for Kent and put Somerset in to bat. Somerset won by 8 Wickets

Somerset 554 All Out & 194 for 2, Kent 178 All Out & 564 All Out

That choice at the toss definitely proved to be the wrong one. 592 runs were scored in Taunton during the last game there in early May. On Day 1 of this match Somerset scored 440 for 7, just 152 runs fewer than in those 4 innings. Matt Renshaw and Tom Lammonby put on 74 for the 2nd wicket after they were 0 for 1. Lammonby made 69 from 114 balls, his was the 4th wicket to fall and Somerset were 172 for 4. Tom Banton and Keeper James Rew put on 205 for the 5th wicket. Banton scored 133 from 174 balls and Rew 114 from 145 balls. Those 2 innings helped Somerset to their 440 in 96 overs. Lewis Gregory in at 7 scored 77 from 95 balls as Somerset reached 554 in 120.1 overs. 5 of the 6 bowlers shared the wickets.

Kent faced 33 overs on Day 2 and were 108 for 5, they were bowled out in just another 15.1 overs for just 178. 4 of the 5 bowlers shared the wickets.

Kent followed on and a big innings from Zak Crawley left them with a lead of 33 at the end of Day 3. He scored 238 from 267 balls, he hit 31 Fours and 4 Sixes, giving the Kent fans some joy! He and Ben Compton put on 194 for the 1st wicket, Compton scored 65 from 110 balls. Crawly and Daniel Bell-Drummond then shared a partnership of 184 for the 2nd wicket, Bell-Drummond contributed 62 from 99 balls. Kent were 409 for 5 at the close of play on Day 3. Joe Denly made 67 from 129 balls as Kent built to 564 in a total of 126 overs. Somerset used 8 bowlers and 5 of them shared the wickets

Surrey v Worcestershire – The Oval, London. Brett D’Oliveira won the toss for Worcs and put Surrey in to bat. Surrey won by 281 runs.

Surrey 213 All Out & 427 All Out , Worcs 128 All Out & 231 All Out

Surrey lost 3 wickets with the score on 9 and then lost a 4th with just 15 runs on the board! Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence shared a 5th wicket partnership of 148 for the 5th wicket. Pope scored 63 from 110 balls and Lawrence 84 from 102 balls. They were both out with the score on 163. Jordan Clark then made 42* from 36 balls, batting for over an hour as wickets fell around him. Surrey were bowled out in 54.1 overs for 213.

Worcs were 112 for 7 after 34 overs at the end of Day 1 after being 49 for 4 then 53 for 5, they start Day 2 trailing by 101 runs. Worcs were bowled out in 42 overs for 128. Dan Worrall took 6 for 22 in his 12 overs.

Surrey’s 2nd innings was somewhat different! They faced 86 overs and were 342 for 5 at the end of Day 2. Rory Burns scored 70 from 101 balls, Jamie Smith made 72 from 109 balls and Dan Lawrence finished the day on 86* from 138 balls, he and Jordan Clark who was on 69* from 66 balls, had put on 108. Lawrence was out for 87 from 143 balls and Clark went on to score 98 from 116 balls. Surrey batted for 103.3 overs and were bowled out for 427.

Worcs were bowled out in 57.3 overs Worrall added another 4 wickets for 35 to take him to 10 for the match. Nathan Smith and Ben Gibbon put on 71 for the 9th wicket, Smith made 60 from 57 balls and Gibbon 75 from 63 balls. In spite of that stand, Surrey had a 3 day win.

Division 2

Derbyshire v Northants – County Ground, Derby. Ricardo Vasconcelos won the toss for Northants and elected to bat. Match Drawn.

Northants 422 All Out & 310 for 3, Derbys 362 All Out & 261 for 9

Vasconcelos and Emilio Gay put on 99 for the 1st wicket, Vasconcelos made 53 from 91 balls. 3 wickets then fell for 22 before George Bartlett and Rob Keogh put on 124 for the 5th wicket. Bartlett made 76 from 127 balls and Keogh was 75* from 156 balls at the end of Day 1. Northants were 297 for 5. Keogh went on to score 102 from 220 balls. Justin Broad made 75 from 143 balls as Northants went on to make 442 in 133.3 overs.

Derbyshire faced 56 overs on Day 2 and were 170 for 2. Keeper Brooke Guest was 76* from 172 balls, Guest was out for 76 in the 1st over of the day. Matt Lamb scored 60 from 57 and Gibbon 75 from 63 balls. Derbys made 362 in 111.2 overs. Ben Sanderson took 5 for 76 in his 27 overs.

Northants were 195 for 2 having faced 40 overs on Day 3, Emilio Gay was 89* from 121 balls he and Karun Nair had put on 76. Gay went on to score 153* from 166 balls, carrying his bat. Nair contributed 55 from 46 balls as Northants declared on 310 for 3.

Derbyshire batted for 83 overs and lost 9 overs, taking it close for Northants. Zak Chappell top scored with 72 from 101 balls.

Glamorgan v Middlesex – Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. Toby Roland-Jones won the toss for Middlesex and put Glamorgan in to bat. Middlesex won by 2 Wickets.

Glamorgan 183 All Out & 371 All Out, Middlesex 343 All Out & 213 for 8

Glamorgan were bowled out in 72.5 overs with Zain il Hassan top scoring with 32. They were bowled out for 183. Tom Helm took 4 for 44 in his 17 overs.

Middlesex faced 101 overs and were 303 for 6 at the end of Day 2. Opener Mark Stoneman scored 129 from 244 balls and Ryan Higgins was 53* from 82 balls at the end of the day. Middlesex were bowled out in 16 overs on Day 3, Higgins was 75* from 112 balls. Having faced a total of 86 overs Middlesex were 294 for 7 at the end of Day 2, they had a lead of 134. Middlesex carried on to reach 343, in 117 overs and Higgins was 75* from 112 balls. They faced 117 overs James Harris took 4 for 84 in 28 overs.

Glamorgan had 2 century makers from theior 2 overseas players. Marnus Labuschagne scored 111 from 200 balls and Colin Ingram 105 from 160 balls. Glamorgan were bowled out in 112.2 overs for 372.

Middlesex made hard work of the chase, falling to 11 4for 4, they made the required runs with 8 wickets down. Mason Crane took 5 for 99 in 27 overs, but 63 from 117 balls from Stoneman helped Middlesex to post the win.

Leicestershire v Gloucestershire – Uptonsteel County Ground, Leicester. Lewis Hill won the toss for Leics and put Gloucs in to bat.

Gloucs 706 for 6! Leics 371 All Out & 377 for 7

Another decision that back fired as Cameron Bancroft and Ben Charlesworth put on 316 for the 1st wicket. Charlesworth scored 126 from 228 balls and Bancroft 160 from 267 balls. there were 55 extras across the day and Gloucs finished Day 1 on 385 for 2. Gloucestershire went on to post the highest score in their 154 years – 706 for 6!! Graeme van Buufren scored 103 from 93 balls and he shared a partnership of 147 with Keeper James Bracey who made 92 from 97 balls. Ollie Price had also contributed 72 from 119 balls. There were a remarkable 78 extras and 2 of the bowlers shipped over 150 runs. The 706 were scored in 148.4 overs.

Leics faced 42 overs on Day 2 and were 133 for 5 at the end of the day. Opener Rishi Patel went on to score 117 from 252 balls. Leics faced 122.3 overs in total and were bowled out for 371. Scott Currie in at 7 scored 72 from 236 balls.

Leics were forced to follow on and faced 13 overs, they were 24 for no wicket at the end of Day 3, still trailing by 311 runs. Leics batted throughout Day 4 facing 92 overs, Patel scored another 51 from 136 balls, Lewis Hill 54 from 111 balls, Peter Handscomb 81 from 135 balls and Rehan Ahmed 55 from 57 balls as they frustrated Gloucs. It’s almost criminal that thsi game ended in a draw!

Sussex v Yorkshire – The 1st Central County Ground, Hove. Shan Masood won the toss for Yorkshire and put Sussex in to bat. Sussex won by 21 runs.

Sussex 150 All Out & 227 All Out , Yorkshire 195 All Out & 161 All Out

Sussex lost wickets steadily and were bowled out for 150 in 44.1 overs. George Hill took 4 for 22 in his 10 overs. James Coles top scored with 38.

Yorkshire faced 49 overs and were 176 for 7 at the end of Day 1. Joe Root will have pleased all present with a score of 67 from 88 balls. Yorks were bowled out for 195 in 56.3 overs. Sean Hunt took 4 for 64 in his 14 overs.

Sussex faced 77.5 overs on Day 2 and were 194 for 7, a lead of 149, Tom Alsop was 77* from 234 balls. Yorkshire bowled Sussex out in another 10 overs Alsop scored 86 from 256 balls. Sussex were bowled out for 227. They had a lead of 182.

I always keep an eye on the other games when I’m watching Essex and was sure Yorkshire would win this one, but no. Ollie Robinson took 4 for 42 in his 17 overs as Sussex bowled Yorks out in 57 over for just 161.

Century Makers and 5 Wicket Takers

• Ed Barnard – Warwicks – 165 from 285 Balls
• Michael Burgess – Warwicks – 108 from 170 Balls
• Jordan Cox – Essex – 112 from 192 Balls
• Keaton Jennings – Lancs – 115 from 155 Balls
• Keaton Jennings – 155 from 213 Balls
• David Bedingham – Durham – 101 from 155 Balls
• David Bedingham – Durham – 103 from 155 Balls
• Ollie Robunson – Durham – 171 from 206 Balls
• Lyndon James – Notts – 106* from 246 Balls
• Tom Banton – Somerset – 133 from 174 Balls
• James Rew – Somerset – 114 from 145 Balls
• Zak Crawley – 238 from 267 Balls
• Rob Keogh – Northants – 102 from 220 Balls
• Emilio Gay – Northants – 1538 from 166 Balls
• Mark Stoneman – Middlesex – 129 from 244 Balls
• Marnus Labuschagne – Glamorgan – 111 from 200 Balls
• Colin Ingram – Glamorgan – 105 from 160 Balls
• Cameron Bancroft – Gloucs – 160 from 267 Balls
• Ben Charlesworth – Gloucs – 126 from 228 Balls
• Graeme van Buuren – Gloucs – 103 from 93 Balls
• Rishi Patel – Leics – 117 from 252 Balls

• Tom Aspinwall – Lancs – 5 for 41 in 9.4 Overs
• Ben Stokes – Durham – 5 for 98 in 20 Overs
• Dan Worrall – Surrey – 6 for 22 in 12 Overs
• Ben Sanderson – Northants – 5 for 76 in 27 Overs
• mason Crane – Glamorgan – 5 for 99 in 27 Overs