Bees – Page 7 – aspiblog

County Championship Current Round

A look at the current round of county championship fixtures, with the focus on the battle of the behemoths – Surrey v Yorkshire. Also a photo gallery.

Another round of fixtures in this year’s county championship got underway on Friday (there is one more round, some of which I will unavoidably miss) before the Vitality Blast, One Day Cup and Hundred are played, with the second half of the championship season happening after these competitions are done. This post looks at events on the first two and a half days of the current round.

SURREY v YORKSHIRE

These are the two most successful clubs in the county championship’s long history, with Surrey dominating the current era. Surrey won the toss and opted to bowl first. Yorkshire had somewhat the better of the morning session, Surrey definitely the better of the afternoon session, but what still looks getting on for two full days later like the decisive tipping point of the contest occurred midway through the evening session. Yorkshire at 237-6 were still holding their own when Bairstow, previously majestic, played a very poor shot at Dan Lawrence’s part time off spin to be caught by Tom Lawes for 89. The Yorkshire first innings folded rapidly thereafter, with only a further 18 runs accruing. Burns and Sibley made it through to the close without loss, making it definitively Surrey’s opening day.

Day two went meltingly in Surrey’s favour, and by end of it they were 384-7. There were no centuries, but both Aussie recruit Kurtis Patterson, batting at number three, and Ben Foakes at number five topped 80. Foakes was 7th out for 86, with the score at 351, but unlike Yorkshire who folded from the point their seventh wicket fell, Surrey were far from done. Jordan Clark, far better with the bat than most county number eights, now assumed control of the innings, and New Zealander Nathan Smith also played competently.

The Surrey innings lasted for slightly more than a standard length morning session on day three (as they were nine down at the scheduled interval time an extra half hour was playable in the session, and about 10 minutes thereof were actually needed. Surrey scored 512 in total, for a first innings lead of 257. They were already well ahead when their seventh wicket fell, but whereas Yorkshire had added only 18 more from that point Surrey’s last three wickets piled on 161 between them. Bean fell early in the Yorkshire innings, to the bowling of Nathan Smith. Jordan Clark, scorer of 69 in the Surrey innings, made the big breakthrough when he had Adam Lyth caught by Patterson. Since then James Wharton and Jonathan Tattersall have batted well together, and at the moment Yorkshire are 81-2, 176 runs short of avoiding the innings defeat. Given how far adrift they still are Yorkshire probably need to bat until tea time tomorrow before they can even begin to feel safe. Tattersall has just lost patience and played a loose drive at Clark resulting in a catch to Sibley. Tattersall batted 82 balls for his 12. Yorkshire are 83-3, still 174 short of avoiding the innings defeat. Bairstow, the first innings top scorer is now at the crease.

ELSEWHERE

Somerset are playing Sussex, and it is just possible that a decision to enforce the follow on when they could reasonably have gone in again (it was the afternoon of day two, and their advantage was 186, so they could justifiably have opted to bat till lunch on day three, and have five sessions in which to wrap up the Sussex second innings). As I type they need another 109 with seven second innings wickets standing. I will not condemn them even if their decision to enforce does end up backfiring, because I think too many sides have a knee-jerk aversion to going for the quick kill in these situations, often citing a need to rest the bowlers. Lancashire are in action against Derbyshire, and Lancashire’s Sir James Anderson collected three cheap wickets in his first first class bowl since being accorded that status.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Yesterday, I included a picture of a pair of butterflies that I had not been able to identify on a flower head. I have been given what I believe after checking online to be a correct identification: Large Blue or Phengaris arion. As you will see today yielded another new butterfly find…

Excitement at Exmouth

A look back at the T20 match that took place between the Somerset and Durham women’s teams and a photo gallery.

Last night in the Vitality Women’s T20 Cup Somerset Women entertained Durham Women at Exmouth. This post looks back at the second half of that match (I missed the first half, joining the action after the county championship match I was following had ended for the day).

MORE UPS AND DOWNS THAN A YO-YO

Durham Women had been restricted to 124-9 from their 20 overs with England off spinner Charlie Dean underlining her class by taking 4-12 from her four overs. This did not seem likely to test Somerset unduly, especially when Bex Odgers started like a train. Odgers scored 39 off 18 balls, of which she hit nine for fours, in an opening stand of 54 that Somerset well ahead of the rate. Odgers’ innings would prove to be the only 30+ score of the match. Once Odgers was out Somerset hit the buffers, and at low water mark were 107-9, needing 18 from two overs, with Alex Griffiths batting in company with the Somerset number 11, 19 year old Croatian Erin Vukusic. Vukusic had not a good evening, leaking 24 from two overs in a low scoring affair. However, while she did not score any herself, she partially redeemed her poor bowling by running well in support of Griffiths, who almost took Somerset home. In the end a quickly run two off the final ball levelled the scores – 124-9 for each side. As this competition is knockout one there had to be a super over. For this Somerset batted first, and former England skipper Heather Knight emerged alongside Odgers. Knight scored five off the first two balls of the over, but then Odgers was out first ball. Somerset ended with only eight from their super over. Unsurprisingly given her figures in the full match Charlie Dean took the ball for Somerset. Durham opted to trust their regular openers, Hollie Armitage and Bess Heath, and it took just three balls for this pair to punish Somerset for failing to win in regular play.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

From this picture on are highlights from today’s lunch time walk – there will be more pictures from that walk in my next post.

Beckenham Blast

An account of a remarkable match between Surrey and The Blaze at Beckenham in the Women’s One Day Cup, and a photo gallery.

On Wednesday the Women’s One Day Cup saw Surrey entertain The Blaze (I am not sure why they have been allowed to continue under that name while all other such names disappeared in the close season reforms to women’s domestic cricket in England and Wales) at Beckenham. This post looks back at a remarkable day.

AN UNUSUAL VENUE

Shrewd observers may have already noted that the ground at Beckenham is officially known as The Kent County Ground, making this not in actuality a Surrey home game. Beckenham is only just Kent rather than Southeast London, and I presume Kent raised no objection to the venue being used for a Surrey home game.

TWISTS AND TURNS

The Blaze batted well, though no one made a really massive score. There was a fluent 80 from Amy Jones opening the batting, 56 from Scotland all rounder Kathryn Bryce, 82 off just 67 balls from Georgia Elwiss, and a rapid 34 from Scotland wicket keeper batter Sarah Bryce. They racked up 346-9 in total, a fine score, but at Beckenham, with its flat pitch and lightning fast outfield not necessarily a winning one. Ryana McDonald-Gay was the most economical Surrey bowler with 1-53 from her ten overs. Leg spinner Dani Gregory was the most penetrative, with 3-63 from eight overs.

Surrey lost Dunkley for 20, but then Capsey played a superb innings. The problem was she did not get enough support. Danni Wyatt-Hodge scored an aggressive 43 off 40 balls, while Paige Scholfield was even more aggressive for her 37off 31 balls, 24 of those runs coming in the form of sixes. After Scholfield’s dismissal Davidson-Richards, Chathli, Franklin and Moore all went fairly cheaply (Franklin’s 17 was the best score by any of these four). At 227-7, with McDonald-Gay, definitely more bowler than batter coming in to join Capsey, and only Alexa Stonehouse and Dani Gregory, the second as close to a genuine number 11 as you will see in 21st century professional cricket still to come it looked like the Blaze had secured the points. McDonald-Gay helped Capsey to add 65 for the eighth wicket. Stonehouse also offered support, but at 307, with Surrey still 39 adrift Capsey’s great knock ended for 125. Gregory rose to the occasion and batted above her usual station, but the real revelation was Stonehouse from number 10 in the order. By the time the final over started not only were the last pair still there, they had somehow reduced the runs needed to nine. Stonehouse hit the first ball of that final over for four and the heist looked on. The next four balls saw five needed off five balls turn into two needed off one, or one for a tie (there are no ‘super overs’ in this competition, so a tie would mean a share of the points), with Gregory, the number 11, on strike. In the event Gregory managed the single that split the points, and since each side had scored 346-9 from their 50 overs. This was the highest scoring tie in the history of women’s List A cricket. I suspect that Elwiss, who had followed her 82 with the bat by taking 3-35 from seven overs and taking the catch that dismissed McDonald-Gay would have been named Player of the Match for her all round contribution, though Capsey’s innings also deserves credit. Full scorecard here.

PHOTOGRAPHY

My usual sign off…

I thought this picture of three green insects on the head of a daisy was going to be my feature image…

A Result Unique to Cricket

A look at the draw in cricket (some other sports also use that term for a result but none use it in the way cricket does), with two very different examples from the most recent round of county championship fixtures. Also a large photo gallery.

While cricket is not the only sport to use the word ‘draw’, the way that word is used in cricket is different from in any other sport. In cricket the draw covers any situation in which neither team has been able to win within the allotted time. Ties are rare in cricket because to be a tie the side batting second has to lose its final wicket with the scores level – if times runs out with scores level, as happened in the “We flippin’ murdered ’em” test match between Zimbabwe and England, when then coach David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd, exasperated by Zimbabwe getting away with bowling deliberately wide because the umpires obtusely stuck to test match rules regarding wides, flipped his lid in the immediate aftermath of the result being confirmed. This post looks at two very different draws from the last round of county championship fixtures by way of illustrating the sheer range of match situations that can come under the heading of ‘drawn’ in the game of cricket.

EDGBASTON – THE ULTIMATE IN STALEMATES

Warwickshire hosted Surrey, winners of the last three county championships, in this round of fixtures, and as far I am concerned the surface the Edgbaston ground staff offered up for the occasion tells its own story about Warwickshire’s level of ambition for this match: they wanted a high scoring draw, from which each side would accrue a respectable haul of points, since they did not believe they could beat Surrey. Rory Burns won the toss for Surrey but then put Warwickshire in to bat. Warwickshire batted for the first five sessions of the match, piling up 665-5 declared. By the end of the third of the four scheduled days Surrey were nine down, with Ben Foakes and Matther Fisher together at the crease. Had Warwickshire got the final wicket early on the fourth morning they may have been able to make life hard for Surrey in the follow-on. In the event, even with the half hour extension permitted when a side is nine down at the lunch interval, Warwickshire did not get the wicket at all that morning. By the time Fisher was finally last out for 40 Foakes had gone to a career best 174 not out, and Surrey had topped 500, having batted 178 overs. They had not quite done enough to avoid the follow on, which Warwickshire enforced as they had to. The Surrey second innings was barely underway by tea time, at which point Jupiter Pluvius, clearly as unimpressed by the pitch and the farce of a match that resulted as I was, intervened, enabling a game that had pretty much been DOA to be officially put out of its misery. I hope that Warwickshire get a points deduction for preparing such a surface – it was blatantly unfit for a four day game, since it would have taken eight days at a minimum to generate a result on it.

CHELMSFORD – ALIVE TO THE LAST POSSIBLE BALL

When Essex resumed overnight on 64-4, 456 adrift of a gargantuan victory target this match did not look like being a great one. However, the overnight pair of Critchley and Pepper held the fort until the stroke of tea when Pepper was out. Two more wickets immediately post tea, Thain and Critchley, left it up to South African Simon Harmer, mainly noted for being the best off spinner currently playing county cricket, but also a very useful lower order batter to shepherd the tail if Essex were to escape with a draw. When Rajitha was out just in to the last hour (and we were dealing in time by then because a combination of Essex being committed to defence and spinners bowling for Yorkshire meant that way more than the scheduled minimum number of overs was being bowled) Jamie Porter, with a career batting average of six, joined Harmer for the last stand. The last over of the match, which Yorkshire just managed to sneak in, getting it underway at 17:59 on day four, one minute before the scheduled close, Dom Bess’ 38th of the innings, the 133rd in all, and the 106th that Yorkshire bowled on that final day began with Porter on strike, but the Essex number 11 managed a single, just the second run of his innings, off the first ball thereof which meant that Harmer was back on strike. Harmer played out the remaining five balls, and Essex, 273-9 and still 247 short of the winning target had held out for the draw in a very exciting finish. Yorkshire might have been less cautious about their second innings declaration, but when they had Essex four down overnight it looked as though they had more than made up for any overcaution about that declaration, and Essex deserve credit for the way they fought through to that draw.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

County Championship Round Six

A look at developments in the three county championship matches that made it to a final day, including a strong recommendation for a points deduction for Warwickshire. Also a points deduction.

Three of the matches in the current round of the county championship made it to day four, today. I will mention all three. The game I am listening to is Sussex against Worcestershire at Hove, but I am going to start with another match that commanded my attention earlier in the round.

THE STALEST OF STALEMATES

Points deductions are sometimes made for badly prepared pitches. This usually happens when a result has happened very early, by design of the host county. It happened once after a drawn game, when even though that result saw them crowned champions Essex moaned about a Taunton pitch taking spin. The pitch at Edgbaston is IMO far more worthy of a points deduction than any of these ‘result’ surfaces. There has been so little for bowlers that a draw is now almost certain. We are well into the penultimate session of the match, and a mere 14 wickets have fallen to date. Warwickshire, put in by Surrey (a decision that even Rory Burns who made it probably now recognizes as a terrible one), amassed 665-5 declared with career bests for Ed Barnard and Zen Malik (a maiden first class ton for the latter). Surrey have just lost their 10th wicket after 178.2 overs with their score on 504, a deficit of 161, which means that Warwickshire can enforce the follow-on (and to do anything else in this situation should ensure that the current captain never has that role again). Ben Foakes became the third player to notch a career best on this surface, amassing 174 not out, and equally damning of this pitch, Surrey number 11 Matthew Fisher lasted 145 balls for 40 before finally being last out. I therefore have no hesitation in saying that Warwickshire should be hit with a 25 point deduction for having prepared a surface that offered no chance of a result in four days (I will eat my hat if Warwickshire do manage to bowl Surrey out a second time). The Warwickshire captain has done the right thing and enforced the follow-on. It is unlikely to change the result, but for Warwickshire to go in again would have absolutely killed any prospect of anything other than a draw.

A POTENTIAL NAIL BITER

Although this game held out the most hope of any at the start of the day, which is why I chose to tune into it, my expectations were not high – Sussex definitely appeared to have the upper hand. However a great innings by Jake Libby and some stubborn resistance from Brett D’Oliveira (an innings of 29 that lasted a long time) have made it a very intriguing position. Set 361 to win Worcestershire are now 281-6, having lost only two wickets on the day. Sussex’s best bowler so far has been the Johannesburg born Greek seamer Aristides Karvelas. Oliver Edward Robinson has been economical but not terribly threatening. From being heavily in Sussex’s favour with Worcestershire four down fairly cheaply overnight it has become almost a 50/50 proposition. My earlier comment about Karvelas was prescient – he has just claimed the wicket of Matthew Waite, caught by James Coles at third slip for 14 to make it 286-7, with Libby 167 not out. Fynn Hudson-Prentice may just have settled it for Sussex – he has just had Libby caught by Clark at second slip for 167 to make it 286-8.

ESSEX v YORKSHIRE

This one looked all over bar the shouting overnight – set an outlandish 520 to win Essex were 64-4 overnight. However, Matt Critchley and Michael Pepper have resisted stoutly, and have yet to parted. Essex are now 195-4 and have a decent chance of securing the draw.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

Lancashire v Hampshire

A look back at today’s Women’s One Day cup match between Lancashire and Hampshire and a photo gallery.

Today Lancashire have been playing Hampshire in the Women’s One Day Cup. I missed the Lancashire innings due to the James and Sons April auction, but I did catch the whole of the chase.

MAGNIFICENT MCCAUGHAN

The match took place at Southport, a small ground (in 1982 Geoff Humpage hit 13 sixes in an innings there, in a match that his side ended up losing by 10 wickets – Warwickshire 523-4 declared (Humpage 254, Kallicharran 230*) and 111 (McFarlane 6-59), Lancashire 414-6 declared (Fowler 128) and 226-0 (Fowler 126 not out, D Lloyd 88 not out). Lancashire scored 292-6 in this 50 overs a side match, Eve Jones scoring 107 and Emma Lamb 86. They fell away a little after a very strong start, something noted by the radio commentators, and were probably a little short in the end. Hampshire’s openers, Bouchier and McCaughan started strongly. It was Bouchier who initially forced the pace, scoring 77 off 69 balls before being stumped by Threlkeld off Morris to make it 138-1. McCaughan then moved up a gear as senior partner, and found good support from Charli Knott. Knott had reached 47 without ever looking in any trouble, but then Emma Lamb pinned her LBW and it was 259-2, McCaughan having by then passed three figures. The target was now only 34 runs away, and 8.3 overs remained to be bowled. Neither McCaughan, who finished with 133 nor out, nor new batter and Hampshire skipper Georgia Adams (20 not out off 18 including a four and six) had any difficulty with a task that had by then become very straightforward. The winning hit came off the last ball of the 47th over, with eight wickets standing. A scorecard can be viewed here.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

Surrey v Somerset

A look at developments in the match currently taking place between Surrey and Somerset at The Oval, a composite Surrey/ Somerset XI and two photo galleries,

This post will feature a look at goings on in the match between Surrey and Somerset at The Oval, two photo galleries (reminder, click on the first photo in a gallery to view that gallery as a gallery and see the pictures at a larger size) and a composite XI (see feature image) for these two counties.

THE CURRENT MATCH

The latest round of county championship fixtures got underway yesterday morning, and the obvious fixture to follow was Surrey v Somerset. Surrey won the toss and decided to bowl first. At lunch, when Somerset were 87-0 (albeit with Sean Dickson having been injured and at least temporarily removed from the action) Somerset would have been the happier side. In the afternoon session the Surrey bowlers made things happen with a vengeance, and at 187-7 it was looking like their day. A fightback, to which the injured Dickson contributed by coming in to support Gregory at the end of the innings saw the Somerset innings end too late in the day for the Surrey reply to begin, with a total of 283 on the board. Jordan Clark had five wickets in the innings, and Atkinson, one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the year after his sensational start in test cricket last season, had also fared well with the ball. Somerset’s bowling was not at full strength – they had lost Matt Henry, the NZ ace, before the match started, and between the toss and the start of play Craig Overton suffered a back spasm, with Surrey (who would have been entitled to refuse to allow a change to be made after the toss) graciously acceding to Somerset’s request to replace him with Josh Davey. Burns and Sibley made it to lunch still together and with no serious alarms, the score then being 99-0. Barring a brief passage of play in which Burns went for 76 and Pope for 3 things have continued to look pretty comfortable for Surrey. They are currently 173-2, with Sibley 47 not out and Jamie Smith 26 not out. Sibley has just been bowled by Leach for 53 and it is 188-3. Surrey have passed 200 while I have been prepping this post for publication – the score is now 205-3, Smith 39 and Foakes 12.

GALLERY ONE

A SOMERSET/SURREY COMBINED XI

I refer readers to my all time XIs for each county (here and here) which will cover a lot of the players not mentioned in this post and give more details about the members of the XI. As the feature image shows I have made two changes to the Somerset XI since that post was created – golden age amateur Lionel Palairet gives way at number three to James Rew (although I have acknowledged it I consider his wicket keeping something of a red herring in terms of where his actual value lies), and Dom Bess, who I should never have named in the first place, has been replaced by Somerset’s actual great off spinner, Brian Langford. There is also one change to the Surrey XI, Foakes replacing Alec Stewart as keeper and middle order batter.

Jack Hobbs (Surrey, right handed opening bat, occasional right arm medium pacer).
John Edrich (Surrey, left handed opening bat)
Ken Barrington (Surrey, right handed batter, occasional leg spinner)
Graham Thorpe (Surrey, left handed batter, occasional right arm medium pacer)
Peter May (Surrey, right handed batter).
+Ben Foakes (Surrey, right handed batter, wicket keeper)
*Sammy Woods (Somerset, right handed batter, right arm fast bowler, captain)
‘Farmer’ White (Somerset, left arm orthodox spinner, right handed batter)
Joel Garner (Somerset, West Indies, right arm fast bowler, right handed batter)
Jim Laker (Surrey, off spinner, right handed batter)
Tom Richardson (Surrey, right arm fast bowler, right handed batter)

I designate Leonard Braund as ‘twelfth’: he has connections to both counties involved, having started at Surrey before moving west, as an all rounder (and he did open for Somerset quite often by the way) he could replace at least ten of the players in this XI without absolutely hamstringing it, and he was noted as an expert slip fielder which at least offers hope that he could perform competently behind the stumps as well.

Aside from Rew, now in the Somerset XI, but not capable of dislodging any of that Surrey 3,4 and 5 from the composite side as yet there are two other players who have emerged since I created the original XIs on which this post draws who have to be mentioned: Jamie Smith, currently England’s chosen test match wicket keeper (though somewhat miscast in that role in my view), who is a quality player, but I who will not name as keeper ahead of Foakes, and who has not yet done enough to claim a front line batting place, and Gus Atkinson, who for all his great start at the highest level has a way to go to be a serious threat to any of Garner, Richardson or Bedser (in the Surrey all time XI). It has been my policy when creating these XIs for counties or composites of two counties to only allow myself one overseas player, which is why Waqar Younis cannot be accommodated (Garner’s great height lends extra variety to the pace attack, which is why I plumped for him).

GALLERY TWO

Sunrisers Hyderabad v Mumbai Indians (So Far)

A little look at the Sunrisers Hyderabad innings which has started today’s IPL match (Sunrisers Hyderabad v Mumbai Indians) and two photo galleries.

Today’s IPL match is between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians. It is just approaching the halfway stage as I begin this blog post.

AN ATROCIOUS START

By the time I got back from my post lunch walk the match was underway. Sunrisers Hyderabad were 9-1 when I joined the coverage. That very soon become 9-2, and then two more wickets fell before the Power Play was done. The low water mark saw SRH 13-4 after 4.1 overs. When Aniket Verma was out after 8.3 overs the score was 35-5, and SRH felt impelled to use their ‘impact sub’ to bolster the batting, which meant that Mohammad Shami, presumably their intended ‘impact sub’ would be confined to the bench.

PHOTO GALLERY ONE

An important reminder: if you click on the first image in a photo gallery you can view the entire gallery as a slide show AND see the images at a larger size than they appear in the post. I have two galleries in this post. The first features largely pictures from Monday evening and from yesterday either side of work, with a couple from today, and the second is all today. This is the first…

THE REVIVAL

Abhinav Manohar, the chosen ‘impact sub’ teamed up with Heinrich Klaasen to get SRH back into it. Klaasen was out to the final ball of the 19th over by when the score had risen to 134. Manohar has just gone, his dismissal making it 142-7. A single accrued after that and then another wicket off the final ball of the innings. This means that SRH had a total of 143-8 to defend, modest by IPL standards, but a lot more than it looked like being at the halfway stage, and we have recently seen Punjab Kings successfully defend a mere 111, bowling their opponents that day, Kolkata Knight Riders, out for just 95. The sheer awfulness of the SRH start probably means that they are on a bit of a high due to their recovery, and mutatis mutandis MI.

GALLERY TWO

Here is my second gallery…

Day Four – Here, There and Everywhere

A look at the state of play as the current round of championship matches approaches a conclusion, and a large photo gallery.

The current round of county championship fixtures is drawing to a conclusion. Some games are already over, either through definite results being achieved or through weather induced abandonments. This post has a look round some of the grounds.

ESSEX v WORCESTERSHIRE

This match did not make it as far as the lunch interval, but did make it further than looked like being the case at one point. Worcestershire resumed on 185-6, still 110 short of victory. Jamie Porter bowled superbly, and at 202-9, with 93 required to win it looked done and dusted. Ethan Brookes batted superbly, with number 11 Jacob Duffy blocking every ball he was left to face, and the target started to come down. Brookes was in sight of a century and the deficit was down to 28 when Porter took a low return catch to claim the final wicket, his sixth scalp of the innings and eighth of the match. Brookes stood there, but eventually the umpires told him to go and the match was confirmed as over. The final margin was 28 runs, and Brookes, in a match where almost everyone had found batting a challenge had scored 88, almost half of them in sixes. While Porter was the best bowler on either side in this match the key contribution for Essex was Paul Walter’s second innings century, which helped Essex to top 300 in that innings and left Worcestershire a target that was just too tough for them. Brookes is definitely one to watch for the future, as is young Essex all rounder Noah Thain. Paul Walter has been a revelation this season after Essex moved him up to open – while his 104 in this match was his first century of the season he had mad big contributions in both Essex’s previous matches.

THREE WAY
BATTLE AT LORD’S

Middlesex have had by the far the better of things against Glamorgan, but the third participant there, the weather, may be having the final say – the players were taken off for bad light just before tea with Middlesex only 39 runs from victory with nine wickets standing, and since then the threatened rain has actually materialized which may well have saved Glamorgan.

THE WHITE FEATHER

This week’s cowards are Gloucestershire, who, in full control against Kent, batted on and on until their lead was 410 and there was almost zero possibility of them bowling Kent out a second time.

A DELAYED START

Nottinghamshire must have been worried that they would not get the chance to attempt to take the last four Warwickshire wickets to seal an innings victory but that game has just got underway. Five overs have been bowled since the resumption, 31 more are possible and Nottinghamshire still need four wickets. There is an even more delayed start scheduled – Lancashire v Leicestershire will get underway at 4:30PM with Leicestershire needing seven wickets to win it.

CONFIRMED DRAWS

Yorkshire v Durham and Derbyshire v Northamptonshire have been confirmed as draws, Sussex v Surrey and Somerset v Hampshire are surely destined to go the same way.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Today being damp has brought the snails out in force…

A ‘public libraries’ 50p in circulation, currently in my wallet.

A Classic Contest at Chelmsford

A look at the match between Essex and Worcestershire that is now approaching a conclusion and a photo gallery.

Another round of County Championship matches got underway on Friday. I missed the first two sessions of Friday, the beginning of Saturday and the post tea session of Saturday due to various commitments, but have been following the action when able to. My focus this round has been on Essex v Worcestershire, and it has been a fine match.

A PITCH ON WHICH NO ONE IS REALLY ‘IN’

The pitch at Chelmsford has been offering something to the bowlers all the way through this match. There were no individual 50+ scores in the first two innings (Essex 179, Worcestershire 202). By the time I had to leave at tea yesterday Paul Walter had reached the first 50 of the match and was looking as near to settled as any batter had managed on that surface. I was to find out when I checked on what had happened on my return that he had completed a century and that youngster Noah Thain (a native of Cambridgeshire, which has produced some mighty cricketers over the years, most notably Jack Hobbs and Tom Hayward both of Surrey) was closing in on a 50 of his own. This morning Thain completed his half century, his first such score in first class cricket. He did not add many more, going for 54, but the Essex tail wagged more than a little, Harmer and especially Snater who got to within sight of a 50 of his own batting well for the home team. In the end Essex had amassed 317, at least 100 above par for this surface. It was expected that there would be time for two overs of the Worcestershire second innings before the lunch interval, but Porter dismissed Jake Libby with the second ball of the innings, and in the end that wicket extended the first over to a sufficient extent that Worcestershire did not have to face another before lunch. Through the afternoon session Essex kept picking up wickets. Kashif Ali did manage to become the first Worcestershire batter to reach an individual 50 but had not advanced his score from that point when Harmer, on for an exploratory over before the tea interval, got him. Brett D’Oliveira and Matthew Waite then defied the bowlers for a time, but just as I started this post D’Oliveira was caught by Walter off Porter. As things stand at the moment Worcestershire are 171-6, needing 124 more to win. Though Essex, thanks largely to Walter with that century, are heavy favourites this match has been an absorbing contest, helped to be so by the fact that batters have had to work hard for their runs and bowlers have got full rewards for doing the right things. Kasun Rajitha, the first Sri Lankan to play for Essex, took a five-for in the first Worcestershire innings. Sam Cook has been rested for this game on the advice of the ECB, which tells me that an England cap is coming for him, as it should be given his first class record (318 wickets in FC cricket at 19.77 a piece).

PHOTOGRAPHS

This gallery starts with two pictures from Friday, then a number from yesterday, and a few from today to round things out (I have several other galleries ready to go should I choose to use them)…

	Aoteroa Axed by Ahme… on South Africa Finnished as Alle…
	Thomas on World T20 Cup Underway
	Anna on World T20 Cup Underway
	London Underground t… on Project Piccadilly
	Thomas on All Time XIs – Detective…