County Championship Latest

A look at the latest round of county championship fixtures, now approaching a conclusion, and a large photo gallery.

Another round of county championship fixtures approaches a conclusion (indeed a number of matches have already ended), and this week marks a transition point – The T20 cup gets underway on Friday which will mean a break in the championship programme.

A WAKE UP CALL FOR SURREY

The first match I followed in this round saw the most successful of all cricketing counties, Yorkshire, taking on number two in that list Surrey. Surrey have been formidable in recent years, and in theory they have a very strong squad this year. However their results have been patchy, and this match was a horror show for them. They won the toss on the first morning, and that was about the last thing that went right for them. First they threw away the advantage winning the toss should have given them by opting bowl first in conditions that were not suitable for doing so, then a catch offered by Adam Lyth was dropped, which set the stage for a huge partnership between him and Jonathan Bairstow. Day two was heavily weather affected but Yorkshire racked up 486. It was day three (yesterday) that was the real killer for Surrey. It was only 56 from Sean Abbott, selected for his bowling, that even got them to 200, and with an advantage of 282 and just over a day and half to go Yorkshire did not hesitate to send Surrey in again. By the end of the day Surrey were 83-5 in their second innings, and any hope they might have of escape appeared to rest on the shoulders of Sibley (33 not out overnight). Just five runs had been added in the morning, and not a lot of time had elapsed when Sibley edged one from Aussie seamer Jhye Richardson into the slips and Harry Brook pouched the chance to make it 88-6. It was now a question of ‘when’, not ‘if’, with there being no one else left who could dig in for the long haul. At 90 Jack White pinned the other overnight batter Josh Blake plumb in front, and at 95 the same bowler ripped one through the defences of Jordan Clark. Sean Abbott and Matthew Fisher resisted a while, adding 25 together before Matthew Revis had Fisher caught by Root. That brought Dan Worrall, a member of the increasingly endangered species known as the ‘genuine tailender’ to the crease. The Aussie veteran, as per his usual custom, did not even bother to mark a guard. On this occasion he connected with a few lusty blows, amassing 18 before George Hill bowled him to give Yorkshire a win by an innings and 127 runs. Abbott was unbeaten on 33, giving him 89 for once out in the match, and the decidedly unusual record for a number nine of having top scored in one innings and second top scored in the other.

SOMERSET SET FOR SUCCESS

At Taunton Somerset are taking on Sussex. The weather is more likely to baulk the home side than their visitors, though it is holding good for the present. The two sides have just broken for tea with Sussex 111-7 in their second innings, after being made to follow on, a mere 162 runs short of avoiding the innings defeat (even in the most absurd of all ‘won after following-on’ matches, at Headingley in 1981, England were only the equivalent of minus 92-7 at their low water mark, when Graham Dilley joined Ian Botham at the crease). The Taunton floodlights have failed on two occasions in this match, though both times they have not been off for long. If Somerset win this, they will go second in the table, four points behind Nottinghamshire, who will soon be recording a draw against Hampshire. Somerset being behind Nottinghamshire will help to highlight the absurdity of awarding eight points for a draw – Somerst will gave won three matches, Nottinghamshire only two, but Nottinghamshire record will also include four draws, whereas Somerset have lost one match and drawn two to go with their three wins. While I have been preparing this for publication it has started raining in Taunton, so Somerset may yet be denied their win.

PHOTO GALLERY

Before sharing the gallery for this post, I have created a page containing links to all my ‘Pensthorpe 2026‘ posts. Now for my usual sign off…

WNAG Pensthorpe Trip 2026 7: The Waders Aviary

The final instalment in my series about the WNAG excursion to Pensthorpe, featuring the Waders Aviary.

Welcome to the final instalment in my little series of posts about the annual WNAG excursion to Pensthorpe which took place a week ago yesterday.

A PLACE TO DIP IN AND OUT OF

The Waders Aviary at Pensthorpe is well placed for starting your explorations, or for ending them, or for filling in a few minutes, or for many other purposes. It does not have space for a vast number of people, so it is best not to spend too long in there on any one visit, but there is nothing to stop one from visiting several times in the course of the day, as indeed I did. There are a number of bird species to be observed there, not all of them waders, and a visit never disappoints.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Before I do the full gallery, here are a couple of pictures to help you identify the rest:

Now for the gallery proper…

Two avocet chicks – even at this stage the slight curvature of the beak is noticeable.
A black winged stilt – both parts of the name are obvious in this shot.

WNAG Pensthorpe Trip 2026 6: Artwork and Insects

Continuing my series about The WNAG outing to Pensthorpe last weekend. This one deals with artworks and insects.

Welcome to the sixth post in my little series about the annual WNAG excursion to Pensthorpe which took place a week ago today. Still to come after today are a post about the Waders Aviary and a page linking to each article in the series.

ARTWORK AT PENSTHORPE

There are many pieces of art dotted around Pensthorpe, and there is also a bridge inspired by a very famous artist. Flowers, birds and insects all feature, as does a fairy standing on a feather, and a heron sculpture in a stream. I also deemed one of the pieces worthy of a very short video:

GALLERY 1: ARTWORK

INSECTS

Pensthorpe do not particularly emphasize the insect species that can be seen there, but it is no surprise that there are some fine specimens. I actually saw a damselfly flutter past while on the trailer ride, but not even I could attempt to photograph that one – a small moving target when one is oneself on the move is simply not doable. However I did get some remarkable sightings.

INSECT PHOTOGRAPHS

Two damselflies in one shot – which at that time was a first for me…
…but I later managed to top it by getting three in a single shot.

WNAG Pensthorpe Trip 2026 5: More General Pictures

Some general pictures from around Pensthorpe, as I continue my series about the WNAG trip there on Saturday.

Welcome to the fifth post in my series about the West Norfolk Autism Group annual excursion to Pensthorpe which took place on Saturday.

GENERAL PENSTHORPE PICTURES

This is the second post I have devoted to the general Pensthorpe experience rather than specific elements of the site, and it is the pictures that will do all the work today…

WNAG Pensthorpe Trip 2026 4: Cranes and Flamingoes

The fourth post in my series about Pensthorpe, giving the cranes and flamingoes (plus a few other species who were in the same area) their time in the sun.

Welcome to part four of my series about the annual WNAG excursion to Pensthorpe which took place on Saturday

THE CRANE AND FLAMINGO AREA

The Crane and Flamingo enclosure at Pensthorpe is close to the Monet inspired bridge, and can be approached initially by way of the Millennium Garden. Once inside the enclosure there is then a split, with Crane Hide one way and the Flamingo pond the other way. These giants of the bird world are not the only species to be seen here – I also observed a pair of shelducks, a pair of Egyptian geese, a pair of oystercatchers, and in the Crane Hide swallows had built nests in the roof and were visiting periodically. I made several visits at different times hoping to ensure that I did not miss anything.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Here is the photo gallery for this area, including every species mentioned above…

An adult swallow visits one of the nests.
More from the swallow nesting area. The chicks were periodically poking their heads up and I tried to photograph this happening.

WNAG Pensthorpe Trip 2026 3: The Trailer Ride

Covering the trailer ride at Pensthorpe, my third post in this series about the annual WNAG outing there.

Welcome to the third post in my series about this year’s annual WNAG outing to Pensthorpe which took place on Saturday.

THE NEW TRAILER RIDE

This year the old set up of a converted Landrover and trailer was out of action, and instead we had tractor-drawn trailer, which meant less capacity, and three trailer slots instead of two. The route was slightly different as well, being a bit shorter. The experience was as enjoyable as ever.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Here are the pictures…

WNAG Pensthorpe Trip 2026 2: Around and About

A general post about Pensthorpe, with photographs from around the site that do not fit into any particular category, the second post in my mini-series about the WNAG excursion there on Saturday.

This is the second post in my mini-series about the West Norfolk Autism Group trip to Pensthorpe on Saturday.

EXPLORING PENSTHORPE

The main parts of Pensthorpe are accessed by way of the gift shop, and you have to be wearing a wristband of that day’s colour to prove that you are entitled to be there. Once through the gift shop there are three distinct options:

  1. The Waders Aviary which I will say no more about for now since I am giving it a post to itself.
  2. An exit towards the Millennium Garden and other stuff which is right near the door to the aviary…
  3. A viewing gallery at the far end of which is an exit that takes you out at the edge of a large lake with a wooden bridge across part of it. This is the way that leads ultimately to most of the really interesting stuff in the site, most of which is accessed from the far side of the wooden bridge.

There are several marked walks that one can take, and the site is generally very well signed (there are a couple of exceptions when you get to the further reaches of it) so you can simply follow your own instincts if you so choose, which is generally my approach.

The lake is full of water birds of various types. There is further water beyond, including of course the river Wensum without which Pensthorpe could not exist.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Here are the photographs for this post…

An information board about the Wensum.
Pictures of the room set aside for WNAG members to eat in.

WNAG Pensthorpe Trip 2026 1: Setting the Scene

An introduction to yesterday’s excursion to Pensthorpe with the West Norfolk Autism Group, setting the scene for several more posts, with a selection of photographs.

Yesterday was the day of the annual West Norfolk Autism Group excursion to Pensthorpe, and we benefitted from excellent weather for the occasion. This post provides a rough outline of the day and a selection of photographs, while I will look more closely at various aspects of the site in future posts.

THE TRIP

I was one of those booked on the coach, which departed from its usual slot near Gaywood Library. We had asked people to arrive promptly so that we could set off at 9:30 sharp, and as it happened everyone was on the coach in time for us to set off a few minutes earlier than that. We arrived at Pensthorpe not long after 10, and once we had our wristbands in place there were only two fixed points to the day – the trailer rides for those who were booked on one of these, in my case at 11:15AM and lunch, which in my case was to be at about 1PM. Other than that, up until departure at 4:30PM the day was to be what we chose to make of it. We arrived back at Gaywood at about 5:15PM, and I walked home.

MY DAY AS IT HAPPENED

With limited time between our arrival and my slot on the trailer ride I deliberately did not venture too far afield at first, starting with a visit to the Waders Aviary, then a walk round some of the closer parts of the site, including the crane and flamingo enclosure and the Monet inspired bridge. Then it was the trailer ride, in a new trailer pulled by a tractor, with a reduced capacity meaning that we had three rides scheduled rather than two as in previous years. Between the trailer ride and lunch I ventured further, getting as far as Kingfisher Reach, where the path meets the route followed by the trailer, before heading back towards the restaurant for lunch. After lunch, which was excellent, I spent the afternoon engaged in further explorations, as well as revisits to some favourite spots. I was back at the coach in good time.

PHOTOGRAPHS

This gallery is just a small selection of the photographs I have from yesterday, designed to give you a hint of what is to come…

An adult avocet in the Waders Aviary
A pair of black winged stilt – there is not much between these and the avocets in terms of leg length but the latter have bigger bodies, which makes the stilt legs look longer.
The gate to the Millennium Garden
Two sculptures – three giant dandelion clocks and a fairy standing on a feather, all in silvery metal.
The Monet inspired bridge
The trailer returning from its first outing.
An old growth oak, one of only three at Pensthorpe to have survived the great storm of 1987.
An oystercatcher loose in a field.
sheep in the shadow of a tree.
A stretch of the Wensum.
A platform with a gull on it.
Another stretch of the Wensum.
bird sculptures
A shepherd’s hut.
A bee visits its part of the bug hotel.
A tufted duck.
Eurasian Crane
Grey Crowned Crane (two pics)
A goose of some description.
Flamingos
An oystercatcher in the flamingo pond,.
Greylag goslings
An avocet chick (one of two I observed in the Waders Aviary)
A bearded tit, another resident of the Waders Aviary.
Three damselflies of different varieties in one picture (until yesterday I have never even managed to get two in one picture).
Swallows nest in the crane hide.
This pic which appears out of position in this gallery was the first time I had got multiple damselflies in one picture.

A Hard Fought Opening Day

A look at day one at Trent Bridge where Nottinghamshire and Surrey are playing and a large photo gallery.

Another round of County Championship matches got underway today. My focus is on Trent Bridge, where one of the oldest and strongest of all county rivalries is happening – Nottinghamshire v Surrey.

THE STORY SO FAR

Around the time the County Championship was put on a properly organized footing these two sides were the strongest in the country. The first properly organized championship happened in 1891, at which point Surrey were dominating things after Nottinghamshire had dominated the first half of the 1880s. This then is a rivalry with a lot of history. Last season Nottinghamshire won the title, after Surrey had won in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Surrey won the toss this morning and opted to bowl. They took two early wickets, before Joe Clarke and Ben Duckett had a good partnership, ended by the dismissal of Duckett on the stroke of lunch. The afternoon belonged to Nottinghamshire, with Clarke and Jack Haynes building a substantial partnership. Post tea Surrey have come back into things with Dan Worrall bowling superbly and Sean Abbott nabbing a couple of wickets, but Clarke has found another good partner in Fergus O’Neill, and with bad light having just ended play for the day this pair are still in occupation with the score now 317-7, Clarke 129 not out and O’Neill 31 not out, Worrall 5-61, Abbott 2-63.

Nottinghamshire have probably had the better of the day given that Surrey chose to bowl, but we are all set for a cracking contest just so long as the weather doesn’t behave too badly (it is fine here in Norfolk, which I hope will hold tomorrow since that is the day of the annual WNAG trip to Pensthorpe).

PHOTOGRAPHS

The first two pictures in this gallery are from the sale I am currently putting together at work, the rest my usual sort of stuff…

This is lot 155 in the auction I am currently working on, and the full gallery for it runs to six images, but I sharing just two, this full picture…
…and this close up of a 2d blue with a GWR perfin.

Surrey Ruthless Against Sussex

A look at the final stage of Surrey’s ruthless disposal of Sussex in the county championship and a photo gallery.

This post looks back at the last stages of the match between Surrey and Sussex in the county championship which ended on Monday evening.

THE VICTORY PUSH

Although Surrey lost their last three wickets quite quickly they had piled up a lead of 264 by the time the last one fell – 622 against 358-9 declared. First class debutant Adam Thomas scored 120 of those runs from number seven, and I suspect we will be seeing plenty more of him, and higher in the order. Sussex started their second innings with the most obvious requirement being to reach the close of day three with little damage done. The very first ball of the innings, from Matt Fisher, hit and injured Tom Haines, and Sussex limped to 76-4 by the end of the day. They fared a bit better on day four, but for much of it an innings defeat looked more likely than not. They eventually avoided that, but were only able to establish a lead of 13, one run less than the lowest total Surrey have ever been dismissed for (against Essex in 1983, Neil Foster and Norbert Philip doing the damage with the ball). Surrey did lose two wickets while scoring these runs, making the final margin eight wickets, which decidedly flattered Sussex.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…