365 Sporting Days

A second Bank Holiday weekend in May saw a full round of games this time. My team, Essex were playing at one of my favourite places to watch cricket, The Spitfire Ground in Canterbury, I’d booked a long weekend in Clacton with my 3 Grandsons before the fixture list came out, so I’d be keeping track from afar! The first match up alphabetically was Durham and as I start writing on the morning of Day 1, I spot one Ben Stokes, how many overs would he bowl? How many runs would he score, well, he was a bg part of me writing about a Day 2 win for Durham!

Division 1

Durham v Somerset – Seat Unique Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street. Scott Borthwick won the toss for Durham and put Somerset in to bat. Durham won by an innings and 6 runs.

Somerset – 171 All Out & 88 All Out, Durham 265 All Out

Borthwick’s decision at the toss proved to be a good one as Somerset were bowled out for 171 in 52.1 overs. They fell to 46 for 4 as Ben Stokes took 2 of those 4 wickets, he then took another 2 to end with figures of 4 for 54 in his 15.1 overs. Migael Pretorius top scored with 53 from 63 balls.

Durham batted for 43 overs on Day 1 and were 177 for 6 at the end of the day, David Bedingham was 100* from 109 balls, that took him to 794 for the season so far! Some going that! Ollie Robinson scored 46 from 77 balls taking him to 542. Jake Ball – always a surprising name to see at Somerset took 3 for 41 on Day 1. Bedingham added just 1 run and Durham were bowled out in a total of 61.5 overs for 265. Jake Ball took 5 for 62 in his 20 overs.

There really is just one word for Somerset’s 2nd innings, woeful! They were bowled out in 33.4 overs for just 88 runs falling short of Durham’s total by 6. Ben Stokes took another 4 wicket. Giving him a total of 8 for 77 in 25.1 overs, promising signs for his England Summer.

Hampshire v Surrey – Utilita Bowl, Southampton. Rory Burns won the toss for Surrey and elected to bat. Hants won by an innings and 278 runs.

Surrey 127 All Out & 203 All Out, Hampshire 6087 for 6 dec

This was a decision at the toss that didn’t go the way for the Surrey captain, his team were bowled out in 46.3 overs, Rory Burns top scored with 33. Kyle Abbot took 5 for 25 in his 11 overs.

Hants faced 47 overs on Day 1 and were 102 for 1. Dan Lawrence took the sole wicket of Fletcha Middleton. Hants went on to score 495 for 4 in 143 overs, Opener Toby Albert and Nick Gubbins put on 201 for the 2nd wicket, Albert scored 114 from 305 balls and Gubbins went on to score 103 from 227 balls. Every batter on Day 2 gets mention, James Vince made 52 from 52 balls and Keeper Ben Brown was 99* from 113 balls and Liam Dawson 74* from 82 balls. It must be nightmarish going in on 99 having to go overnight to try to reach that 100 mark! Brown went way past the 100 making 165* from 178 balls. Dawson was out for 81 from 93 balls. Hants batted for 161 overs and declared on 608 for 6.

Surrey were bowled out in 80.1 overs, with Dan Worrall (Bowler) being the highest scorer with 48 from 57 balls. Felix Organ took his 3rd career 5fer with 5 for 104 in 31 overs to see the league leaders well beaten.

Kent v Essex – The Spitfire Ground, Canterbury. Tom Westley won the toss for Essex and elected to bat. Essex won by an innings and 96 runs.

Essex 591 for 7 dec, Kent 394 All Out & 101 All Out

Essex openers Dean Elgar and Nick Browne put on 146 for the 1st wicket, with Elgar making 65 from 159 balls and Browne going on to make 77 from 140 balls. Jordan Cox who scored a match defining century in the last round finished the day on 51* from 116 balls as Essex made 287 for 4 in their 96 overs. Cox went big on Day 2 making his double century, he scored 207 from 225 balls he and Michael Pepper put on 166 for the 5th wicket, Pepper made 82 from 101 balls, Cox and Shane Snater then put on 193 for the 7th wicket, I managed to catch Cox going to 200 and see Snater get to his 50, he went on to score 83 from 84 balls before Westley declared on 591. Essex batted for 142,4 overs.

That left Essex just under 2.5 days to take 20 wickets, they bowled 47 overs on Day 2 and took 4 of them, Sam Cook dismissed Zak Crawley for 16 but I believe he then left the field with an injury, that’s likely to make the task hard. Kent were 118 for 4 at the end of Day 2. Kent batted all day on Day 3 with an old foe, Joe Denly and Matt Parkinson adding 112 for the 5th wicket. Denly made 87 from 179 balls, batting for over 4 hours. Keeper Harry Finch scored 85 from 124 balls as the Kent batters made the Essex bowlers work hard. With Sam Cook missing captain Tom Westley bowled 11 overs taking 2 for 25. Matt Critchley took 5 for 88 in his 40.1 overs. Simon Harmer, so often Essex’s saviour bowled 31 overs conceding 111 runs for no wickets. Kent batted for 143.1 overs.

I was again watching from afar, and could see wickets falling steadily as Kent followed on, I also saw a rain delay, but, happily that was just a short spell. Essex bowled Kent out in 57.2 overs for just 101 securing an important win that leaves Essex just 2 points behind Surrey! Simon Harmer took 4 for 32 in his 23 overs. It was no mean feat for Essex to take 20 wickets with Sam Cook missing for the majority of Kent’s 1st and all of Kent’s 2nd innings.

Lancashire v Warwickshire – Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester. Alex Davies won the toss for Warwicks and elected to bat. Match Drawn.

Warwicks 284 All Out & 96 for 3 dec, Lancashire 149 All Out & 89 for 4.

The start was delayed

A question for Lancs supporters, does the weather in Manchester make it harder for Lancs to contemplate a Championship win? There were only 39 overs bowled on Day 1. Warwicks were 89 for 3, Tom Bailey took all 3 wickets for 25 in his 13 overs. Alex Davies who’d opened scored 127* from 296 balls as Warwicks batted for 110.5 overs. They were bowled out for 284, with 4 of the other bowlers sharing the next 7 wickets.

Lancs batted for 29.1 overs on Day 2 and were 66 for 3. Lancs were bowled out in 65.5 overs for 149. George Bell was the top scorer with 40. Jacob Bethell took 4 for 20 in his 16 overs.

Warwicks faced 24 overs on Day 3 and were 96 for 3 a lead of 231 runs. Alex Davies declared with that lead.

Lancashire faced just 15 overs on Day 4 and lost 4 wickets for 89 before the match was declared a draw. Just over 215 overs worth bowled in the game.

Worcestershire v Nottinghamshire – New Road, Worcester. Haseeb Hameed won the toss for Notts and put Worcs in to bat. Match Drawn.

Worcs 80 All Out. Notts 234 for 3

The start was delayed

A first match at New Road this season and there was no play on Day 1. Worcs may well have wished there was no play on Day 2 as they were demolished for 80, they get a woeful, alongside Somerset! Their inning lasted just 31.1 overs.the 4 bowlers used shared the wickets.

Notts faced 72 overs and Hameed repaid his bowlers with a century , he made 100 from 219 balls. Joe Clarke and Hameed put on 147 for the 3rd wicket and Clarke was on 73* from 126 balls and Notts were 234 for 3 a lead of 154. There was no play on Day 3.

There was also no play on Day 4 – just 103.1 overs were bowled in the game

Division 2

Gloucestershire v Derbyshire – Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol. David Lloyd won the toss for Derbyshire and elected to bat. Match Drawn.

Derbyshire 526 All Out & 166 for 4, Gloucs 530 All Out

David Lloyd definitely made the right choice at the toss, in spite of being 60 for 2 they went on to be 434 for 5 at the end of play. Keeper Brooke Guest scored 95 from 178 balls, he and Matt Lamb put on 227 for the 4th wicket, Lamb then shared 113 with Aneurin Donald. Donald scored 67 from 59 balls. Lamb was on 186* from 228 balls at the end of Day 1, Derbyshire were 434 for 5 in their 96 overs. Lamb went on to score 207 from 278 balls. Anuj Dal joined Lamb and scored 62 from 134 balls. Derbys made their 526 in 125.4 overs. Beau Webster who played for Essex in the One Day Cup in 2023 and bowled with both hands, took 6 for 100 in 25 overs.

Gloucs faced 66 overs on Day 2 and were 243 for 4. James Bracey in at 5 and Graeme van Buuren had out on 132 with Bracey on 87* from 131 balls and van Buuren on 61 from 93 balls. Bracey ended Day 3 on 137* from 175 balls and van Buuren 156* from 176 balls. There were only 21 overs bowled on Day 3. Bracey was out for 144 from 190 balls and van Buuren 187 from 236 balls. Beau Webster scored 76 from 79 balls. Gloucs batted for 117.1 overs and were all out for 530. Zak Chappell took 5 for 58 in his 19 overs.

Derby face 45.5 overs on Day 4 and were 166 for 4 before the match was declared a draw. Guest scored 57 from 129 balls.

Leicestershire v Glamorgan – Uptonsteel County Ground, Leicester. Lewis Hill won the toss for Leicestershire and put Glamorgan in to bat. Match Drawn.

Glamorgan 387 All Out & 157 for 4, Leics 343 for 9 dec

Openers Billy Root and Eddie Byrom put on 60 for the 1st wicket, Root was out for 40. Byrom and Kiran Carlson put 83 on for the 3rd wicket as Byrom was out for 86 from 135 balls.Carlson and Sam Northeast then put on 56 for the 4th wicket. Carlson made 61 from 127 balls. Northeast was 61* from 127 balls at the end of Day 1. Glamorgan were 352 for 8. Northeast didn’t add to his score and Carlson was out for 80 from 81 balls. Glamorgan were bowled out in 104.5 overs for 387. Scott Currie took 5 for 64 in his 26 overs.

Leics faced 85 overs on Day 2 they fell to 38 for 2 then 65 for 3 before Peter Handscomb and Lewis Hill put on 141 for the 4th wicket, Hill contributed 93 from 188 balls and Handscomb was 102* from 168 balls. Leics were 280 for 5 at the end of Day 2. Handscomb scored just one more run on Day 3 and was out for 103 from 178 balls. Lewis Hill declared after 119 overs when Leics were 343 for 9. Timm van Der Gugten took 5 for 65 in his 26 overs.

Glamorgan faced 9 overs on Day 3 and were 14 for 1, a lead of 58. They then faced 50.3 overs on Day 4 and reached 157 for 4 before the match was declared a draw.

Middlesex v Sussex – Lord’s London. Leus du Plooy won the toss for Middlesex and put Sussex in to bat. Match Drawn.

Sussex 554 for 9 dec, Middlesex 613 for 9

There were 90 overs bowled on Day 1 and Sussex were 295 for 4 at the end of play. Cheteshwar Pujara was 91* from 210 balls. Pujara went on to score 129 from 302 balls, he and John Simpson put on 223 for the 5th wicket. Simpson who must have been scoring on Day 1 went on to score 167 from 336 balls, he’s been a very good signing for Sussex! Sussex batted for 164.3 overs and put on 554 for 9 dec.

Middlesex batted for 19 overs on Day 2 and were 62 for 1 at the end of the day. Opener Sam Robson scored 136 from 236 balls he and Max Holden put on 135 for the 2nd wicket. Holden scored 61 from 143 balls. Robson and Ryan Higgins put on 90 for the 3rd wicket and Higgins and Nathan Fernandes put on 88 for the 5th wicket. Robson scored 136 from 236 balls and Higgins made 106 from 126 balls and Fernandes was 54* from 89 balls at the end of Day 3. Middlesex batted for 115 overs and were 403 for 6. They faced another 81 overs on Day 4 as a draw beckoned. Keeper Jack Davies scored 68 from 117 balls and Henry Brookes made 52 from 159 balls, they put on 119 for the 7th wicket. Sussex used 9 bowlers and I believe Ollie Robinson was bowling spin at one point!

Northamptonshire v Yorkshire – County Ground, Northampton. Luke Proctor won the toss for Northants and put Yorkshire in to bat. Match Drawn.

Yorkshire 362 All Out & 264 for 6 , Northants 301 All Out & 250 for 8

Finlay Bean and Adam Lyth put in 87 for the 1st wicket, Bean only contributing 18 of those runs. Lyth and Shan MAsood put on 116 for the 2nd wicket. Lyth scored 109 from 205 balls and Masood scored 60 from 128 balls. Yorkshire were 312 for 7 at the end of Day 1. Yorkshire scored another 50 runs and were bowled out in a total of 104.1 overs for 362.

Northants lost wickets steadily but captain Luke Proctor was 116* from 201 balls as he ran out of partners. Northants were bowled out in 82 overs for 301. Vishwa Fernando took 4 for 48 in his 19 overs.

Yorkshire batted for 38.5 overs on Day 3 and were 156 for 5, Shan Masood was 82* from 108 balls. Masood finished the innings on 131* from 152 balls. Masood Declared in the vain hope of a positive result after 59 overs.

Ricardo Vasconcelos opening for Northants scored 129* from 183 balls, carrying his bat while the wickets fell around him. Adam Lyth took 4 for 56 in his 14 overs, a memorable game for him. Northants scored 250 for 8 in the 56.5 overs they faced before the game was declared a draw.

Century Makers and 5 Wicket Takers

• David Bedingham – Durham – 101 from 114 Balls
• Jordan Cox – Essex – 207 from 255 Balls
• Toby Albert – Hants – 114 from 305 Balls
• Nick Gubbins – Hants 103 from 207 Balls
• Ben Brown – Hants – 165 from 178 Balls
• Haseeb Hameed – Notts – 100 from 219 Balls
• Matt Lamb – Derbys – 207 from 278 Balls
• James Bracey – Gloucs – 144 from 190 Balls
• Graeme van Buuren – 187 from 236 Balls
• Peter Handscomb – Leics – 103 from 178 Balls
• Cheteshwar Pujara – Sussex – 129 from 302 Balls
• John Simpson – Sussex – 167 from 336 Balls
• Sam Robson – Middlesex – 136 from 236 Balls
• Ryan Higgins – Middlesex – 106 from 136 Balls
• Adam Lyth – Yorkshire – 109 from 205 Balls
• Luke Proctor – Northants – 116 * from 201 Balls
• Shan Masood – Yorkshire – 131* from 152 Balls

• Jake Ball – Somerset – 5 for 62 in 20 Overs
• Kyle Abbot – Hants – 5 for 25 in 11 Overs
• Felix Organ – Hants – 5 for 104 in 31 overs
• Matt Critchley – Essex – 5 for 88 in 40.1 Overs
• Beau Webster – Gloucs – 6 for 100 in 26 Overs
• Zak Chappell – Derbys – 5 for 58 in 19 Overs
• Scott Currie – Leics – 5 for 64 in 26 Overs
• Timm van der Guten – Glamorgan – 5 for 65 in 26 Overs