After seven rounds of the Championship it is the two London clubs, Surrey and Middlesex, who go into the white-ball break on top. Surrey look down on the rest of Division One, Yorkshire unable to break through Warwickshire’sdefences at Headingley.
Sam Hain and Will Rhodes both made centuries, batting undefeated all day in a partnership of 227 for the fourth wicket. Yorkshire had to settle for a fifth draw in six games. Joe Root hurt his thumb in the slips but soon returned to the field with the offending digit strapped up.
Essex took only 21 balls to winkle out the final wicket at Old Trafford and complete an innings victory, Lancashire’s first home defeat since the 2018 Roses match. Forty-five spectators watched Luke Wood smash three boundaries before parrying Jamie Porter into the gloves of Adam Rossington.
Kent against Northamptonshire drifted to a draw after Northants avoided the follow-on, thanks to some biffing from Gareth Berg and 58 not out from Lewis McManus. Crawley zipped to his second half-century of the game, an innings of easy charm, and Ben Compton made an unbeaten 68 to go with the first-innings century. “It’s always nice being picked for England,” Crawley said. “It fills me with a lot of energy and maybe that’s why I got a couple of runs this week.”
Haseeb Hameed danced to an unbeaten 93 off 96 balls, and Ben Slater 64, as Nottinghamshire made light work of a potentially booby-trapped run-chase at Trent Bridge. Hameed hit the first ball of the day for four through midwicket and had the golden touch from that point on. It was Derbyshire’s first defeat under their new coach, Mickey Arthur.
But it is Middlesex who top Division Two after a 23-point six-wicket win at Lord’s. Durham were dismissed for 188, despite a career-best 45 from the nightwatchman, Matt Salisbury, with Ben Stokes making a two-ball duck. Toby Roland-Jones took six for 35 and John Simpson nine catches in the match, a Lord’s record. Despite a couple of scares Middlesex’s batters then romped to victory.
And that’s it from me Thanks for hanging around over the last seven rounds, it’s been (to coin an upcoming competition) a blast. Wins today for Essex, Notts and Middlesex, and it is the two London clubs that go into the white-ball break in prime position. CCLive! returns on June 12, till then, enjoy the summer!
Ben Compton: find of the spring. Photograph: Andy Kearns/Getty Images
The day has drifted towards writing-up time, to those of you who will have gone by the time I close the blog down this evening, thanks for your company. I’ll bob back later with any results. Have a wonderful summer - the blog will be back on June 12.
From 25 for three to 244 for three: superbly played by Sam Hain and Will Rhodes. They’ve dug Warwickshire out of a hole and will secure a draw when the teams shortly shake hands.
Wan-cheeked Sussex are 190-7 at Hove, after New Zealand declared on 342-3. Orr 59, Haines 41, but ducks from Alsop and Clark. Two wickets each for Henry, Duffy and de Grandhomme.
Respect to Sam Hain and Will Rhodes at Headingley, who have advanced into the seventies together, just 21 behind now. I expected them to slump to defeat: did I underestimate the Warwicks batting, or over-estimate the Yorks’ bowling?
Another wicket at Lord’s - and it is the big one of Matt Salisbury, five short of a maiden fifty. I’d expect Ro-Jo to make quick work of the final three, 133-7, the lead 61.
Watch this time-lapse video of Olicanian CC's pavilion!
A lovely email, from Smylers:
“Hi, Tanya. Thank you as ever for your coverage. Without it the 9-year-old and I would both be far less informed and engaged in County Cricket.” Great to hear!
“An arson attack burnt down the pavilion of Olicanian Cricket Club in Ilkley three summers ago — on the very day that a few hours later, just down the road in Headingley, Ben Stokes batted that innings to win the third Test against Australia. The good news is that a new pavilion has been built, and is being opened today by one of the Ryan Sidebottoms. Our local paper has atime-lapse video of the construction, covering over a year and various weather.”
Wishing everyone at Olicanian CC a fantastic day, and many happy times using the beautiful new pavilion.
As Matt Salisbury makes his highest first-class score at Lord’s, 45, some news from the National Counties T20 competition. Ollie Currill has taken seven for 12 in four overs in the semi-final against Cheshire at Tring Park to lead Oxfordshire to a 20-run victory.
His last five wickets came in just eight balls, dashing Cheshire’s dreams, who had looked as if they had booked their place in the final at 92 for two in the 12th over, chasing 157.
Oxfordshire will meet the winner of Cambridgeshire v Dorset, in the final at Tring Park at 4.30 this afternoon.
And a sixth wicket at Lord’s, this time Ethan Bamber - and that’s lunch with Durham dining uneasily:a lead of 44, with just four wickets left. Lunch scores to follow round the grounds.
My nephews have gone to Lord’s to watch Ben Stokes bat but Scott Borthwick and Matthew Salisbury have cemented their feet to the crease. Durham 111-3, a 39 run lead.
Amazing! Especially when you think they are competing with each other for wickets.
In a season of high scores in the 2022 LV= County Championship so far, can we just appreciate these stats from Hampshire's prolific seam trio: Keith Barker - 27 wickets at 16.74 Mohammad Abbas - 26 wickets at 16.30 Kyle Abbott - 19 wickets at 25.10
Potent is an understatement 🔥
— The County Cricket Podcast (@TheCountyCrick2) May 22, 2022
Essex captain Tom Westley speaks, and it looks like bad news for Dan Lawrence unfortunately: “I’m so pleased for the boys. We’ve played some good cricket this year but to nowhere near the standard we’ve played in the past. We’ve batted well in one game and bowled well in another, but we haven’t been able to piece it together but that was one of the complete Essex performances. Getting just under 400 on that wicket was a great effort and then to bowl them out twice was outstanding.
“Surrey and Hampshire are about 30 points ahead but things do change quickly in this division and when we start winning, we can go on an extended run. We still have to play Surrey and Hampshire and there’s a lot of cricket still to be played this year. We have started worse than this and finished strongly. We know it’s a competitive division but we know that when we start winning, the momentum can carry us on forward.Dan Lawrence has had his scan [on his hamstring injury] but he’s still waiting on the results. It looks fairly similar to what he did a few weeks back and that’s bitterly disappointing because I thought he batted superbly.”
While things potter quietly onwards at Lord’s, the County Ground, Headingley and Trent Bridge, who have people enjoyed watching most in these early rounds? For me, Harry Brook - though that feels like a cheat, Mohammad Abbas, Parky and Saqib Mahmood, Simon Harmer yesterday, and probably more that have temporarily slipped my mind.
The follow on, incidentally, has been avoided by Northants - well played Gareth Berg and Lewis McManus. Congratulations is due to Northants, who, though they haven’t won any of their Div one games, have only lost one, and have saved their bacon in this one About as good as they could have hoped for, fresh from promotion, and considerably better than Gloucestershire have managed.
Amazing stat for the vanquished Lankys: their innings defeat by Essex was only their fifth innings defeat this century and the first since they lost to Yorkshire, also at Old Trafford, in August 2014. It was also their first home defeat since 2018 when they lost the Roses match in July.
I just can’t see Warwickshire batting out today, but as it is Hain and Rhodes are pressing on doggedly. Yorkshire’s Matthew Revis, was optimistic last night: “I think there’s a lot more in this pitch (than Northants away and Kent at home, both draws from winning positions on day four). That was shown tonight with Tommo and Patto getting it to kick. They bowled really well.
“There’s probably a bit more spin in the pitch for Bessy. Hopefully we can use that to our advantage.”
A wicket at The County Ground - Northants are still 15 short of the follow on with two wickets in hand. Taylor the man to go, gobbled up by Zak Crawley at second slip.
I just read the profile of Keith Barker on cricinfo, what a story! To summarise: he turned down Lancs at 16, represented England in football at U-18, U-19 and U-20 level. Signed for Blackburn Rovers, but, by 21, realised he wasn’t going to make it. Signed for Warwicks in 2008, then Hampshire in 2019. Was initially a batter and eligible for either England or West Indies but neither have ever come calling. Is the godson of Clive Lloyd.
An email arrives from Jim Todd: “Dear Tanya. Trying to get my head around Somerset beating Hants by 10 wickets. On Friday night Hants were still behind. I missed the action on Saturday as I was travelling. Wow. “ Er, yes, slight problem there, thanks for pointing it out. It was Hampshire who did the ten wicket beating. Scoreboard duly amended.
Simon Harmer re-oiled his rusty shoulders, and spun Essex towards victory on a day when 14 wickets fell at Old Trafford. Harmer, who has had an uncharacteristically spartan spring, taking six wickets at an average of just under 60 before this game, teased and poked at Lancashire, forced to follow on after a disastrous Friday evening had left them 24 for five.
As Lancashire tried again, Harmer had Josh Bohannon and Steven Croft caught, before a partnership of 55 between Dane Vilas and Phil Salt gave them some breathing space. Salt then got a bottom edge to Matt Critchley and Vilas took a huge step forward to Harmer, but was hit on the back pad. The nightwatchman, Matt Parkinson, followed soon afterwards and Essex took the extra half-hour.
They nearly wrapped it up as Tom Bailey took a fancy to the new ball and hooked Sam Cook to where Paul Walter was waiting, and Hassan Ali followed with a dodgy slog sweep. Jimmy Anderson, who has eye-rolling experience of such situations with England, saw out the final overs with a 15-ball nought. Harmer walked off with five for 85. Earlier, Lancashire had been bowled out for 103 in their first innings. Salt top scored with a valiant 44, Sam Cook finished with four for 18.
Keith Barker was the man of the moment at Taunton, first swiping 36, then running through Somerset as they toppled to a crushing defeat. With a first-innings lead of 69, Hampshire then bowled Somerset out for 69. Barker swung the ball like a yo-yo, rattling through the card, pocketing six for 27, and bowling unchanged for 13 overs.
He had classy support from Mohammad Abbas and Kyle Abbot, but Somerset suffered a rash of unfortunate shots, topped when Josh Davey shouldered arms and was bowled. Felix Organ then nipped the single needed to win the match.
Leicestershire’s first block of County Championship games finished in another thumping defeat, this time by an innings and 259 runs. Their task, made difficult after being bowled out for 148 on the first day, and more difficult again after Azhar Ali made 225, only worsened when Worcestershire scored quickly in the morning session, finally declaring half an hour before lunch. It was the first time they had made more than 500 in nine years.
Rishi Patel was lbw to Dillon Pennington for one and wickets fell then like cherry blossom, with only Lewis Hill, who made fifty, and the debutant Rehan Ahmed, staying at the crease for long enough to frustrate. Pennington grabbed three for 30, loan signing Matthew Waite four for 35. “It hurts and this is the lowest point,” said the Leicestershire head coach, Paul Nixon, “We have to do some soul searching.”
Northamptonshire put in a plucky performance in the face of Kent’s 519 for nine declared, recovering from 20 for two, thanks to seventies from Ricardo Vasconcelos and Luke Procter and late middle-order stoicism from Rob Keogh and Josh Cobb. They need 23 to avoid the follow on.
It was a Saturday of the all-rounders at Headingley, where Matthew Revis jigged to a career-best 53 to help Yorkshire to a hearty lead and Jordan Thompson whisked through the Warwickshire top order. Toby Roland-Jones did the same to Durham at Lord’s, removing Alex Lees, Michael Jones and Keegan Petersen. Middlesex had built a tidy first-innings lead of 72, with 84 from Sam Robson leading the way. Ben Stokes finished with four for 72.
And at Trent Bridge, Nottinghamshire must chase 165 after Derbyshire’s tail wagged. Stuart Broad spoilt Shan Masood’s quest for a thousand runs, fixing him lbw for a duck.
Good morning, for the last time in a while. As the elderflower bursts into all its fuzzy glory, we come to the end of the opening seven rounds of the 2022 County Championship.
Keith Barker: allround giant. Photograph: Harry Trump/Getty Images
Two games were over yesterday - Keith Barker (and Hampshire) thrashed Somerset, and poor Leicestershire slipped to another defeat - this time to Worcestershire. Elsewhere, Lancashire won’t last long - nine wickets down, they still trail Essex by 75 runs. Notts should beat Derbyshire, Yorkshire Warwickshire, Northants need 23 to avoid the follow on and it’ll be tasty at Lord’s,
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