Key events
Worcestershire need 361 to win
Carson unbeaten on 39, the two last wickets to Fateh Singh, who finishes with three for 58. Three wickets too for Ben Allison. Those half-centuries for Alsop and Coles are invaluable. Hove is a good place to chase.
Kent are down and nearly out. Five wickets gone , 83 on the board, still 254 behind Glamorgan on first innings. Poor Benjamin finds himself at the crease again, only a couple of hours after walking off. Three wickets for the suddenly perky Fernando.
Carefully does it: after four overs, Hampshire haven’t scored a run.
Hampshire need 483 to win
Abbas has the ball. Good luck chaps.
It’s all happening – Surrey are five down. In a game of huge scores, Jason Roy is in, and out, for two, in his first red-ball match for five years. He probably won’t get another go either – although Surrey do still need nearly 300 to avoid the follow-on…
A run-out at Hove, Robinson the man to go. Sussex eight down but the lead should be plenty – 339.
A member of the Northants groundstaff runs on at Wantage Road, carrying what looks like a huge plunger. He proceeds to hammer down the troublesome crease. Conway looks on and instructs. Lancs 64-2, Harris looking ominous.
I missed this from Anand Vasu:
This overlap and proximity of politics and cricket ensures that the IPL is acutely aware of what the situation on the ground really is and how quickly things might escalate or de-escalate. Aside from the obvious security threats, those involved with the IPL have the pulse of the nation
The Sussex lead passes 300 at Hove, Jack Carson and Ollie Robinson are very happy to just stand and hit – that’s a tasty little reverse sweep for four by Robinson off Singh for four. Sussex 206-7, three wickets to Allison.
Bad news for Kent fans. The first wicket has fallen, and it is the king of the long innings, Ben Compton. Gone, lbw Fernando for 17. Another double century from DBD would do the trick. Kent 48-1 following on, 289 behind Glamorgan.
The final act approaching for Hampshire. Notts now eight down – Jack Haynes run out for 120, Patterson-White 132 not out. Three wickets for the tireless Abbott. The Notts lead? A huge 470.
I wonder how much longer Yorkshire will bat for – the lead already 338. Adam Lyth 156 not out. Thoughts of Dean Elgar might keep them out there a bit longer.
And there’s been another wicket at the County Ground. George Bell the second Lancs batsman to be furious with himself, paddling the ball into the hands of a diving Saif Zaib. Here comes the Marcus Harris rescue act. Lancs 33-2.
From nowhere, a wicket at a sunbaked Edgbaston. Dom Sibley caught off Rob Yates for 64. Dan Lawrence going like the clappers at the other end. Surrey 188-3, 477 runs behind.
Keaton Jennings prangs a terrible ball from Guthrie straight to the sunhatted James Sales at midwicket. Vasconcelos exhorts the troops. Lancs 30-1.
Hope your lunch was more satisfying than my pauper’s peanut butter sandwich. Hello and thank you to Tim Maitland for this spot:
“In case it slipped past you, Adam Lyth’s Daddy Century (TM Graham Gooch Esq) has taken him past 500 for the season and into the lead among DIv 1 batters.
”I’m pretty sure Haseeb Hameed was top of the list, but he’s had his worst game of the season with the bat.”
See the full list here.
Lunchtime scores
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex 123 v Yorkshire 216 and 240-2
Trent Bridge: Notts 333 and 315-6 v Hampshire 196
Hove: Sussex 284 and 166-5 v Worcestershire 180
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 665-5 v Surrey 167-2
DIVISION TWO
Canterbury: Kent 212 and 19-0 v Glamorgan 549-9dec
County Ground: Northamptonshire 238 and 273 v Lancashire 276 and 12-0
Lancashire need 236 to win
The Division Two games racing towards a conclusion. Three wickets for Phillip and Williams. Ben Sanderson’s innings has made this chase more than a formality. Over to you Marcus Harris.
Kent are following on
And they’ve reached 13 without loss. Time for a Ben Compton special. They were dismissed for 212 in their first innings, 337 runs behind, three wickets each for van der Gugten and Harris. The unlucky Chris Benjamin stranded six short of a maiden first-class century.
A wicket at the County Ground, and it is for Ben Sanderson, clapped all the way off the field by his teammates standing on the balcony. His bish-bash 65, off 28 balls, has taken the Northants lead to over 200.
Hundreds for Liam Patterson-White and Jack Haynes!
Patterson-White wins the century race at Trent Bridge, swinging six leg sidewards, removing his helmet for a huge hug with Haynes. A few overs later, Haynes joins in, a single down to long leg bringing his prize. He takes his helmet off and breathes deeply. Notts hugely on top now, the lead 412 over Hampshire.
A hundred for Adam Lyth!
A fifty in the first innings, a century in the second – this Adam Lyth chap is quite handy. His second hundred of the season and his first against Essex. Yorkshire 174 for one and stamping all over Essex dreams in their big northern boots.
With an hour gone, let’s wander around the grounds:
In Division Two, George Garrett hung around this morning, until he was caught for 35. The pressure is now on Kashif Ali to be velcro enough for Benjamin (86) to reach his century. Kent 202-9, a cavenous 300plus runs behind Glamorgan.
Sanderson is usefully throwing the bat at the County Ground, Northants 205-8, a lead of 167 over Lancs. Three wickets for Williams, two each for Balderson and Bailey.
Oh dear Saif Zaib. He hangs out a friendly bat and angles Bailey’s ball straight to Jennings at slip. He stands at his crease, hangs his head, and walks off swishing his bat. Out for 50, Northants eight down, the lead just 156 over Lancashire.
A breakthrough for Lancashire, where Calvin Harrison is a third wicket for Will Williams. Saif Zaib, whos is having a good season against Lancashire, not out fifty. Northants 189-7, a lead of 151.
It looks hot at Hove, the sun umbrellas up around the ground, slips picking at their sleeves. Gibbon thinks he’s had a driving Coles caught behind, but no cigar. Sussex 94-3, a lead of 198.
A Sunday morning start to proceedings at Trent Bridge after Hampshire initially lose the ball following a wild delivery from Brad Wheal. Liam Patterson White has reached fifty, the partnership with Jack Haynes an invaluable 113.
With excellent timing, after Zen Malik’s century yesterday, Warwickshire have signed another player from the SACA – 19-year-old batter Vansh Jani, on a rookie contract for the rest of the season.
Essex head coach Chris Silverwood was hopeful last night about Essex’s chances. Look upon the Yorkists, and learn
“You’ve got to give some credit to the Yorkshire bowlers because the wickets they took were genuine nicks, they were good balls. There seems to be more movement out there when the right-handers are facing,” Silverwood said.
“We’ve got to believe we can do what we did when we took nine wickets for 100 runs (in the first innings), whatever it was. We have to believe we can do that, try and force it, and hopefully we’ll have plenty of time left in the game to attempt to chase it down. We’ve got to keep that belief. We’ve got nothing to lose.”
Weather watch
Dry, dry, dry – except in the south west where there will be sporadic showers and a risk of thunderstorms. The northwest may (please) get a few spots of rain later on.
Some sad news from Australia overnight, the death of Bob Cowper – the first man to score a triple century against England at home, a feat that belonged to him alone for 37 years until Matthew Hayden’s triple against Zimbabwe. Rest in peace.
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex 123 v Yorkshire 216 and 114-1
Trent Bridge: Notts 333 and 171-6 v Hampshire 196
Hove: Sussex 284 and 66-3 v Worcestershire 180
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 665-5 v Surrey 98-1
DIVISION TWO
Canterbury: Kent 156-8 v Glamorgan 549-9dec
County Ground: Northamptonshire 238 and 140-6 v Lancashire 276
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Saturday’s round-up
Three batters shone in Warwickshire’s mammoth 665 for five declared against Surrey on a baked Edgbaston pitch. New Zealand’s Tom Latham hit the highest score on debut for Warwicks, with 184; Ed Barnard flamed a career-best 177, but it is Zen Malik who is in danger of becoming a motivational message. Malik came to Birmingham via six years of touting himself around the counties, SACA, Staffordshire and Glamorgan’s second XI – where he made two centuries against Warwickshire last year and was quickly hoovered up by performance director Gavin Larsen who called him “the best uncontracted player he’d seen”. And now in his second first-class game, aged 27, he lofted Dan Lawrence back over his head for an effortless, twinkle-toed, maiden hundred. Barnard continued his happy day by trapping Rory Burns lbw for 27 before stumps, but another brutal day for the bowlers seems inevitable on Sunday.
Mohammad Abbas, as slippery and as slight as ever, showed his old county Hampshire just what they were missing, with five wickets on his Nottinghamshire debut. The pick of his wickets was a gleaming marble that kissed the top of Ben Brown’s off stump and sent it dancing into the dust. Kyle Abbott’s brisk 67 kept Nottinghamshire’s lead to 137 before he pulled on his bowling boots, took the new ball and quickly removed both Notts openers. Just to keep it interesting, Notts then lost three for nine, before Liam Patterson-White and Jack Haynes steadied the ship. A lead of 308 should be more than enough with Abbas ready once more to prowl at the top of his mark.
A disciplined George Hill undressed Essex at Chelmsford, zipped out for 123 on a moody pitch that furrowed brows. There had been a resurgence of sorts from 59 for six, when Michael Pepper and Noah Thain added 46, but the end came quickly – Hill’s six for 51 his second-best Championship figures. Adam Lyth then hit his second fifty of the match as Yorkshire eased into an extremely comfortable lead. There was just time for Wharton to slam a six onto the press box before stumps.
Five wickets for Fynn Hudson-Prentice, and six catches for John Simpson, put Sussex on top against Worcestershire at Hove. Tom Taylor continued his good game with the joint top-scorer with 32, after taking five-wickets on Friday. Sussex had built a lead of 170 by stumps, despite losing both Tom Haines and Daniel Hughes without a run on the board.
Run-machine Marcus Harris added a third Championship hundred to his Lancashire tally for the summer. His 121 against Northamptonshire took his total for the year to 706 – leaving a thousand runs before the end of May a tempting possibility with two rounds left. Northants bowlers were not helped by their soapy-fingered fielders. A Lancashire first-innings lead of 38 was not imposing, but Northants second innings also failed to thrive.
Ben Kellaway duly picked up the nine runs he needed for his maiden first-class century, but kept going with increasing confidence, flaying Matt Parkinson for three successive sixes to finish 181 not out when the declaration came. At 549 for nine, it was Glamorgan’s highest score against Kent. Then came the Kentish collapse, though from 23 for five, 156 for eight at stumps was a tablecloth of plenty. Chris Benjamin’s 68 not out was his highest score for Kent. “Theoretically, you meant to put the scoreboard out of your mind,” said a phlegmatic Adam Hollioake, the Kent head coach, “but we’re all human beings, and unfortunately, scoreboard pressure does exist.”
Preamble
Good morning! A dog walk with a lovely friend, too much coffee in the garden, and now some county cricket. Do join us to see if Northants, Kent, Hampshire, Essex and Worcestershire can escape their fates. And good luck to the Warwickshire bowlers, it could be a long day. Play starts at 11am.
