Today is day four of the third round of the 2024 County Championship (except for the two matches that ended yesterday due to the pathetic weakness of Lancashire and Yorkshire respectively). The weather has consigned some games to draws, including Somerset v Nottinghamshire. However a potentially interesting finish is brewing at Hove where Sussex are taking on Gloucestershire, and there has been on major result in division one today.
SURREY MOVE INTO SECOND
Surrey started today needing five wickets to polish off Kent. When Ben Compton fell early leaving Joey Evison to shepherd the tail (and it looked a positively diplodocan tail with Matt Parkinson coming in at number eight) it looked be ending quickly. However Parkinson batted surprisingly well, and at the lunch interval he and Evison were still there. I had missed the start due to doing a few things in the town centre, and my lunch time walk, testing out a new pair of shoes caused to me to miss the start of the afternoon session as well – this time two wickets fell while I was out. I was tuned in by the time Cam Steel dismissed Jaskaran Singh to take his tally of wickets for the season to 20 (three in each innings this match). Parkinson’s resistance ended not long later for a new career best of 39, becoming Kemar Roach’s first victim of the innings, and Surrey had won by an innings and 37 runs, taking a full 24 points (16 for the win, five batting points and three bowling points) to move into second place in the table behind early pace setters Essex. Surrey, bidding for a third straight title, have demonstrated a capacity to dismiss their opponents – in such cricket as was possible in round one they had Lancashire out for 202, they took all 20 Somerset wickets in round two, and here, on a wicket that their own 543-7 declared indicated to be well suited to batting they dealt with Kent for 244 and 262. A side that has the bowling can win even if their batting is less than stellar (Yorkshire 1900s and 1930s, Surrey 1950s to give three major examples) but it is rare for sides with deep batting but little bowling to fare well, which is why I choose to emphasize Surrey’s bowling success. Last season they had seven bowlers take between 14 and 45 wickets at averages between 19 and 26 a piece. This season they are demonstrating similar bowling depth, although Steel has a commanding advantage in numbers of wickets taken.
SUSSEX V GLOUCESTERSHIRE
The first two innings in this match were both heavy scoring, but Gloucestershire had a nightmare yesterday evening, losing six wickets cheaply in their second innings. They fought back today to give themselves 144 to defend. At the moment Sussex remain heavy favourites, but they have lost four wickets, and collapses can happen.
PHOTOGRAPHS
My usual sign off…
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