365 Sporting Days

This round was likely to be key for Division 1 as Essex in 2nd place travelled uo to London to face Surrey at the Oval. Having booked a couple of days away without the benefit of the fixture list I found myself marvelling at Bonobos at Twycross Zoo, an ape with 98% matching DNA to humans, they are a delight, but….. My round up starts after Day 1 as the rest of th family have gone home, that also means my Day 2 will be spent at Grace Road! To the delight of a sell out crowd at Southport one James Anderson was in the Lancs XI! As I write up Day 1 I feel quite envious of all those attending Out Ground cricket.

Division 1

Durham v Worcestershire – Seat Unique Stadium, Chester-le-Street, Jake Libby win the toss for Worcs and put Durham in to bat. Worcestershire won by 6 wickets

Durham 190 All Out & 152 All Out, Worcs 112 All Out & 231 for 4

23 wickets fell on Day 1 at Chester-le-Street! With the first 10 obviously being those of Durham. Ben Stokes who didn’t play at Essex in Round 8 was the top scored with 56 from 79 balls s Durham were bowled out in 48.3 overs. Nathan Smith was the best of the bowlers with 4 for 36.

Worcs lasted for just 33 overs with Kashif Ali scoring 55 from 81 balls in a score of 112. Matty Potts who looked a bit special at Essex took 4 for 29.

Durham faced another 12 overs on Day 1 and managed to lose another 3 wickets, will I be writing about a finish on Day 2? Day 2 was a rain affected one and just 35.2 overs were bowled. New man Colin Ackermann scored 40 from 87 balls and Durham finished the day on 148 for 9. Durham added just another 4 runs to be bowled out for 152.

I know Day 3 was rain affected but there was enough play on the day for Worcs to record a win! Kashif Ali and Adam Hose put on 129 for the 4th and final wicket of the day. Hose scored 50 from 89 balls and Ali finished the day on 76* from 118 balls. Ben Stokes took 2 of the 4 wickets to add to the 1 from the first innings.

Hampshire v Kent – Utilita Bowl, Southampton – Daniel Bell-Drummond won the toss for Kent and put Hants in to bat.

Hants 505 for 8 & 180 for 4, Kent 343 All Out & 340 All Out

Things were very different on the South Coast as Hants reached 301 for 3 by the end of Day 1 they’d fallen to 56 for 3 but captain James Vince with 149* from 201 balls and Keeper Ben Brown with 106 from 201 balls put on 245, they go again on Day 2. Hants most certainly did go again! Vince went on to score 211 from 279 balls and Brown 110 from 216 balls as their partnership grew to 259. Hants batted for a total of 130 overs and they scored 505 for 8, a toss decision to regret!

Kent faced 54.5 overs on Day 2 and made 206 for 6, Feroze Khushi, on loan from Essex, scored 53 from 39 balls and Jack Leaning 73 from 136 balls. Kent started Day 3 trailing by 299 runs, a long way to go to avoid the follow on. Jack Leaning was out for 118 from 228 balls. Kent were bowled out in a total of 99.3 overs for 343.

Kent followed on and lost early wickets but Ben Compton and Jack Leaning put on 106 for the 3rd wicket. Leaning made 43 and Compton went on to make 92 from 219 balls. Keeper Harry Finch had a good knock with 84 from 133 balls. Kent batted for 118.2 overs and scored 340, , meaning Hants had to bat again. Kyle Abbot took 5 for 89 in his 25.2 overs.

Hants needed 22.1 overs to get the required runs, Liam Dawson was 56* from 28 balls at the end of the day.

Lancashire v Nottinghamshire – Trafalgar Road, Southport, Haseeb Hameed won the toss for Notts and put Lancs in to bat. Match Drawn.

Lancs 353 for 9 dec, Notts 126 All Out & 270 for 4

Lancs captain Keaton Jennings stood firm all day, opening as he saw wickets fall around him. All 96 overs were bowled and he was there for the duration with 183* runs from 258 balls. He re-starts on Day 2 with Nathan Lyon keeping him company as Lancs finished the day on 348 for 8. There was no play on Day 2. Jennings was out for 187 from 259 balls and Lancs declared on 353 for 9

Notts batted for 44.4 overs and were Jimmy’d! What a treat of those at Southport, Jimmy Anderson took 7 for 35 in his 16 overs as Notts were bowled out for 126. Ben Slater scored a creditable 64 from 126 balls as all fell around him.

Notts followed on and were 134 for 4, but Keeper Joe Clarke scored 115* from 193 balls to help see the day out, the match was declared a draw with Notts on 270 for 4. Jimmy added another wicket to his tally for the game.

Somerset v Warwickshire – The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton. Craig Overton won the toss for Somerset and put Warwicks in to bat. Somerset won by 5 wickets.

Warwicks 412 All Out & 281 for 8 dec, Somerset 284 All Out & 413 for 5

The decision at the toss seemed a good one with Warwicks on 40 for 4, before Will Rhodes with 63 from 106 balls and Ed Barnard put on 104 for the 5th. Barnard who was out for 92 from 159 balls then shared 99 runs with keeper Michael Burgess who finished the day on 126* Warwicks finished the day on 373 for 8, Migael Pretorius took 4 for 72 as all 96 overs were bowled. Burgess went on to score 147 from 208 balls as Warwicks faced a further 13.1 overs. They were bowled out for 412. Pretorius added the extra wicket and finished on 5 for 104 in his 27 overs.

Somerset batted for 66 overs on Day 2 and were 208 for 6 at the end of the day. In the team with 4 Toms, 2 of them, Abell and Banton put on 139 for the 4th wicket. Banton made 78 from 143 balls and Abell 61 from 152. Oliver Hannon-Dalby took 4 for 45 in his 14 overs on Day 2. Somerset were bowled out in a total of 83.2 overs for 284. Hannon- Dalby finished with 6 for 56 in his 18.2 overs.

Alex Davies declared with a win in mind, when his team were 281 for 8 after 83.2 overs. Rob Yates with 57 from 114 balls and Davies with 50 from 88 balls shared a 1st wicket partnership of 106. Jacob Bethell scored 66 from 83 balls. Craig Overton took 4 for 57.

There was some symmetry in this game as Somerset scored the runs required to win the game. They scored 413 for 5 in just 91.4 overs. Tom Abell scored 152 from 207 balls and Tom Banton 81 from 109 balls, the pair enjoyed batting together in this game! They put on 138 for the 4th wicket. Keeper James Rew scored 57* from 54 balls.

Surrey v Essex – The Oval, London. Tom Westley won the toss for Essex and put Surrey in to bat. Surrey won by 145 runs

Surrey 262 All Out & 278 All Out, Essex 180 All Out & 215 All Out

Day1 of this round in Division 1 was a good one for Keepers, not that Surrey’s Jamie Smith will keep in this particular game, he is however likely to keep for England this Summer. Harsh on Ollie Robinson of Durham but…. Surrey were 100 for 4 before Smith and short term signing Saw Sudharsan out in 70 for the 5th wicket. Sudharsan scored only 14 of thise runs as Smith went on to score 100 from 133 balls. Only 79 overs were bowled on a rain affected day, on June 30th!! Surrey were 248 for 8 at the end of Day 1. Essex took the final wickets in 4.2 overs, I learnt overnight that Jamie Porter had dislocated his finger which is why he only bowled 17.3 overs.

Also overnight poor Jordan Cox was rushed to hospital for an emergency appendectomy, I do have to say that sort of scenario which just cannot be made up should see an allowed substitution in common with the new concussion law. However it doesn’t.t and Essex as a batting unit didn’t fate too well on Day 2. In spite of 48 from Matt Cricthely and 64 from 104 balls for Paul Walter they were bowled out in 51.3 overs for 180. The wickets were shared between 4 of the 5 bowlers.

There was some weather disruption and Surrey faced 18 overs on Day 2, they lost 3 wickets for 44 and Porter took one of those. I was at the Oval for Day 3 in my Essex top and with my Surrey membership, all a bit confusing. As a cricket lover I enjoyed the 2 good Surrey innings I saw: Jamie Smith contributed another 70 runs from 91 balls. Ryan Patel who has been messed around at times by Surrey scored 107 from 125 balls as the Essex seamers toiled for most of the day. I had a show booked so let after Patel’s was the last wicket to fall. Surrey had scored 278 in 75 overs giving them a lead of 360. Nathan Bosch took 3 wickets and the rest were shared between the other 5 bowlers.

361 to win with 10 batters would have been a big ask for Essex, doing it with 9 proved a task too far. Nick Browne was out early as was Night Watch Eathan Bosch. That left Surrey with 7 wickets to take on Day 4. Day 3 had been stop start and 21 overs were lost to rain on Day 4. Dean Elgar scored 60 from 95 balls but was tempted by a Worrall ball and caught. Paul Walter had another good innings with 56 from 87 balls but Surrey bowled Essex out in a total of 61.1 overs, Tom Lawes took 4 for 26. Essex will now need to rely on others if their title chances are to stay alive.

Division 2

Derbyshire v Yorkshire – Queens Park, Chesterfield. David Lloyd won the toss for Derbys and elected to bat. Yorkshire won by an innings and 204 runs.

Derbys ,76 All Out & 171 All Out, Yorkshire 451 for 9 dec

Well, this decision at the toss did not go well! Derby were bowled out in just 27.4 overs! VSihwa Fernando took 5 for 30 in 10 overs as the home team made just 76.

In reply by the end of Day 1 Yorks were 283 for 5 from 58 overs. James Wharton starts Day 2 on 116* from 125 balls. Weather was a factor on Day 2 and Yorkshire only faced another 35.1 overs, they finished the day on 416 for 6. Wharton’s was the 6th wicket to fall, he’d made 188 from 241 balls. Keeper Jonathan Tattersall scored 107 from 178 balls. the Yorkshire fans were treated to some great batting from their team! Shan Masood declared after 101.5 overs with the score on 451 for 9.

Derbyshire were bowled out in 42.5 overs for 171, Captain David Lloyd scored 57 from 84 balls and Ross Whiteley made 52 from 40 balls. Ben Coad took 6 for 30 in his 15 overs.

Gloucestershire v Glamorgan – College Ground, Cheltenham. Sam Northeast won the toss for Glamorgan and put Gloucs in to bat. MATCH TIED!!

Gloucs 179 All Out & 610 for 5 dec , Glamorgan 197 All Out & 592 All Out

Wickets tumbled at Cheltenham and Gloucs were 104 for 9, a last wicket stand of 75 could prove to be valuable. That was between Marchant de Lange with 46 and Ajeet Singh Dale with 32. Time van Der Gugten took 5 for 59 in his 15 overs as Gloucs were bowled out in 44.4 Overs.

Things didn’t go too well for Glamorgan with the bat and at the end of Day 1 they were 133 for 7 from 45.1 overs. Glamorgan were bowled out in a total of 61.1 overs for 197. Beau Webster took 5 for 17 in 10.1 overs. A man who bowls both spin and seam, he’s fascinating to watch!

Gloucs fell to 17 for 2 in their second innings, before opener Cameron Bancroft and Miles Hammond put on 201 for the 3rd wicket. Hammond made 121 from 110 balls and Bancroft finished the day on 159* from 221 balls. Gloucs made 388 in 78 overs and continue on Day 3. As I was checking out the scores from The Oval I and several around me were we thinking why on earth wasn’t cn Buuren declaring?? But WOW! What did we know?? Bancroft made 184 from 266 balls after he and Keeper James Bracey had put on 253 for the 4th wicket. Bracey reached his double century and was 204* from 231 balls when the declaration came. Beau Webster scored 65 from 68 balls as Gloucs reached 610 for 5 in 116 overs.

Glamorgan required 593 runs to win, they made 592! Remarkably the match was a TIE! Marnus Labuschagne and Sam Northeast put on 153 for the 4th wicket, Labuschagne scored 119 from 165 balls and Northeast shared a couple of good partnerships before he was out for 187 from 277 balls. This was a brilliant effort from Glamorgan – oh to have been there at this beautiful outground!

Leicestershire v Middlesex – Uptonsteel County Ground, Leicester. Lewis Hill won the toss for Leics and elected to bat. Leics won by 123 runs.

Leics 179 All Out & 372 All Out , Middlesex 86 All Out & 342 All Out

Well crikey! Another match with wickets galore on Day 1, 21 this time. Leics were 17 fro 2 before a 3rd wicket partnership of 65 between Lewis Hill with 36 and Lewis Goldsworthy who went on to score 41. In spite of that stand Leics were bowled out for 179 in 49.3 overs. Ryan Higgins and Toby Roland_Jones took 4 each.

Middlesex nearly surpassed Derbyshire for the speed of their dismissal in their first innings as they were bowled out for 86 in 32.3 overs. Ben Mike took 5 for 22 in his 11 overs.

Leics were 49 for 1 at the end of Day 2 a lead of 133. I headed to the Uptonsteel County Ground fo rtes first session on Day 2 and although disappointed to see Rishi Patel out early in the day I enjoyed the partnership between Lewis Goldsworthy and Harry Swindells who put on 101 for the 5th wicket. Goldsworthy scored 75 from 97 balls and Leics finished the day on 311 for 8 a lead of 404. Toby Roland Jones finished Day 2 with 5 for 76 from his 22 overs. Leics were bowled out for 372 in a total of 79.5 overs. Ben Green scored 77 from 86 balls.

Middlesex batted for 88.3 overs but fell short, Leus du Plooy scored 60 from 133 balls and Toby Roland-Jones 59 from 33 balls. the wickets were shared between 5 of the 6 bowlers.

Northamptonshire v Sussex – County Ground, Northampton. Luke Proctor won the toss for Northants and put Sussex in to bat. Sussex won by 63 runs.

Sussex 143 All Out & 237 All Out, Northants 97 All Out & 220 All Out

Getting to the last game alphabetically and it’s felt like there ‘s been a bit of a competition of who can finish their innings on the fewest overs! Sussex did bat for 47.2 overs but were dismissed for 143. Daniel Hughes top scored with 35, Jack White took 4 for 23.

And amazingly it was Northants who were in and out in just 20.1 overs who took that particular, unnamed prize! 20.1 overs, the top score was 31 for opened Ricardo Vasconcelos . Ollie Robinson who conceded 43 runs from 1 over last week took 4 for 432 in his 9 overs.

Sussex finished Day 1 on 83 for 2, a lead of 129, they went on to score 237 in 73.1 overs. Luke Proctor took 4 for 45 in his 15.1 overs.

Northants faced 43 overs on Day 2 and were 137 for 4 at the end of the day. Emilio Gay scored 67 from 111 balls. They require 147 runs to win this game. That, would be amazing! The amazing thing didn’t happen in this game as Northants were bowled out in 69,2 overs for 220. Nathan McAndrew took 5 for 73 in his 21.2 overs.

Century Makers and 5 Wicket Takers

• Keaton Jennings – Lancs – 187 from 259 Balls
• Joe Clarke – Notts – 115 from 193 Balls
• Michael Burgess – Warwicks – 147 from 208 Balls
• Jack Leaning – Kent – 118 from 228 Balls
• Jamie Smith – Surrey – 100 from 133 Balls
• Ryan Patel – Surrey – 107 from 125 Balls
• Michael Burgess – Warwicks – 147 from 208 Balls
• James Vince – Hants – 211 from 279 Balls
• Ben Brown – Hants – 110 from 215 Balls
• Jack Leaning – Kent – 118 from 228 Balls
• James Wharton – Yorkshire – 188 from 241 Balls
• Jonathan Tattersall – Yorkshire – 107 from 178 Balls
• Cameron Bancroft – Gloucs – 184 from 266 Balls
• Miles Hammond – Gloucs – 121 from 110 Balls
• James Bracey – Gloucs – 204 from 231 Balls
• Marnus Labuschagne – Glamorgan – 119 from 165 Balls
• Sam Northeast – Glamorgan – 187 from 277 Balls

• James Anderson – Lancashire – 7 for 35 in 16 Overs
• Migael Pretorius – Somerset – 5 for 104 in 27 Overs
• Kyle Abbot – Hants – 5 for 89 in 25.2 Overs
• Oliver Hannon-Dalby – Warwicks – 6 for 56 in 18.2 Overs
• Timm van der Gugten – Glamorgan – 5 for 59 from 15 Overs
• Beau Webster – Gloucs – 5 for 17 in 10.1 Overs
• Vishwa Fernando – Yorks – 5 for 30 in 10 Overs
• Ben Coad – Yorks – 6 for 30 in 15 Overs
• Timm van der Gugten – Glamorgan – 5 for 59 in 15 Overs
• Beau Webster – Gloucs – 5 for 17 in 10.1 overs
• Ben Mike – Leics – 5 for 22 in 11 Overs
• Toby Roland-Jones – Middx – 5 for 76 in 22 Overs
• Nathan McAndrew – Northants – 5 for 73 in 21.2 Overs