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Michael Pepper has brought up a diligent 50 for Essex. As with Tom Banton at Somerset yesterday, here’s a player more renowned for his white-ball exploits who’s developing layers to his batting in the longer form. He’s on 53 and his team 332-6 against relegation-threatened Notts.
And Notts won’t be cheered to learn that Lancashire have claimed two early Durham wickets – Anderson Philip bowling Ben McKinney for eight and Scott Borthwick caught behind off Tom Bailey for nine. Durham 25-2.
Vaughan Jr strikes again! Archie has both Surrey openers, Rory Burns – who’d looked in decent touch – is lbw for 21 after missing a sweep. Will Shoaib Bashir get back into this team (in the rare event of his availability/’suitability’)? Surrey are 63-2 and this one is deliciously poised. Though Surrey do bat very deep.
In Division Two, Gloucestershire have lost both openers against Middlesex but are cruising along at five an over (62-2) and Sussex have lost their set overnight batters in quick succession, Dan Hughes for 83 and Henry Crocombe for 54, shortly before the rain came at Hove. They’re 198-3, 12 ahead of Glamorgan, with plenty of runs still out there.
A second bowling point for Hampshire against Kent – Tom Prest doing a good job shepherding the tail from No 8, with 82 not out. Hants 308-8. And Warwickshire have lost Rob Yates for 12 to Tom Taylor – they’re 38-1 in reply to Worcestershire’s 307.
No batting points for Lancs – they’ve been bowled out for 228, which might give something to play with given the conditions. Matty Hurst was run out for 90 in the end trying to force the pace. Ben Raine claimed his 14th five-wicket Championship haul.
And Tom Westley is bowled for 122, chopping on to one that lifted sharply at him from Robert Lord. Given the overhead conditions, I’d imagine Sam Cook and Jamie Porter are looking forward to having a bowl later – Essex 297-6.
Lots of bantz below the line about Sibley’s uncharacteristic hoiked dismissal, and also a bit more from Middlesex v Gloucestershire, which I perhaps slightly overlooked at times yesterday, including seven catches from the inestimable James Bracey. Here’s MrLloyd:
Absent btl yesterday as I was on a field trip to Lord’s. Excellent day’s cricket with Middlesex batting very steadily and Gloucs coming back strongly with the second new ball in the last hour. The partnership between De Caires and Davies was key, and they both batted with some assurance – real shame Davies missed out on his hundred. Singh Dale and Tom Price bowled with vim at the end of the day and Bracey helped himself to seven catches. The sun even came out. Great stuff. Balance probably with Middlesex, but very nicely poised. Hope the weather allows it all to play out properly, though sadly I will have no opportunity for a return visit.
Am pondering taking this one in on Thursday if a tasty finish looks on.
I am at Chelmsford at last. Play has just resumed. All is right with the world. Essex are 284-5. Meanwhile at Grace Road, we have a hundred for Yorkshire’s Jonny Tattersall – he now has 117* out of the Tykes’ 321 for 8. They lead by 223.
And Archie Vaughan has struck for Somerset! The young all-rounder in just his second match has had Dom Sibley caught by Tom Abell for 16 just as Surrey’s opening pair seemed to be cutting loose. The champions are 41 for 1.
At the top of Division Two, Sussex are absolutely motoring against Glamorgan, only 24 behind with Daniel Hughes and Henry Crocombe well set. 162-1
Jack Leach is on already at Taunton, two slips in, and rips a beauty past Sibley’s outside edge but Surrey’s openers still there and looking calm.
More angst for Lancs, as one some-time. England bowler, Matt Potts, pins another, Tom Hartley, in front for 16. Matty Hurst still there at Chester-le-Street on 81 though. Lancashire 191-7. And it’s started raining in Chelmsford now. The gods punishing the Essex area in general.
If there’s a few more empty seats than usual at Chelmsford, then we can blame the sizeable problems with the trains in the area, with cancellations aplenty due to an overhead wire coming down, writes your correspondent, currently becalmed (but not calm) at bleedin’ Shenfield. Those inside the ground have seen Essex chug along to 279 for 5, Westley 116 and Michael Pepper, in good red-ball nick, on 28.
It’s cloudier in Taunton than it was yesterday and Somerset’s new ball bowlers, Craig Overton and Brett Randell, have found a bit of zip against Surrey’s before-times England openers Rory Burns and Dom Sibley. Three for 0 after three. Yorkshire’s Jonathan Tattersall is closing in on a fourth first-class hundred. The 29-year-old Harrogate lad has 92 of Yorkshire’s 271 for 8, the visitors nearly 200 ahead and in a very strong position at Grace Road.
Weather watch: our only delayed start so far is at Lord’s (rain), where Gloucestershire are waiting to start their reply to Middlesex’s 377 yesterday.
Pre-play reading: Some germane thoughts here.
Day one roundup:
Shakib cameo works a treat for SurreySurrey’s decision to enlist Shakib Al Hasan on a one-match deal paid dividends late on day one in the top-two showdown at Taunton, the all-rounder striking three times in a late-order Somerset collapse that weakened foundations laid by Tom Banton’s brilliant century.
The veteran Bangladesh all‑rounder Shakib was given plenty of practice by the Championship leaders, sending down 33.5 overs and taking four for 97, leading the way for Surrey alongside the miserly Dan Worrall, who grabbed three wickets of his own.
The afternoon had hitherto belonged to Banton, who further demonstrated his development from short-form dazzler to red-ball performer with a sparkling 132, one short of his career best, that combined dash and daring – typified by two glorious reverse-sweeps in succession against Shakib – with orthodox style. Archie Vaughan, moved up to open in only his second first-class match, also impressed with some chip-off-the-old-block drives and pulls in his 44. His dad, Michael, would have approved.
At the bottom of Division One, Lancashire’s travails continued against Durham at Chester-le-Street where Ben Raine’s tricky seamers brought him four wickets as the visitors laboured to 177 for six, Matty Hurst’s 74 not out providing ballast. Their relegation rivals Nottinghamshire also toiled after a promising start against Essex, who recovered from 86 for four through a century partnership between Tom Westley, who struck his first century of the season, and Paul Walter.
Sussex’s charge to promotion from Division Two continued with their Indian left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat taking four wickets as Glamorgan were skittled cheaply at Hove. Dan Hughes hit a half century as Sussex cut the deficit to 65 for the loss of one wicket.
A career-best 91 from Jack Davies helped second-placed Middlesex to a promising position against Gloucestershire while it was the bowlers who filled their boots for their promotion rivals Yorkshire, who had Leicestershire three for four early on en route to dismissing their hosts for 98, Ben Coad leading the charge with five wickets. Yorkshire’s batters found the going tough initially too, but Jonathan Tattersall’s unbeaten 90 guided them to a hefty lead.
PreambleMorning everyone. And welcome to the only place to go for red-ball cricket for the rest of the English summer. Day one of the latest round of matches was busier than might have been expected, given the weather, and the clash of the top two, Somerset and Surrrey, had plenty of twists and turns as Tom Banton’s sparkling hundred was undermined by a late Somerset collapse, with Shakib Al Hasan among the wickets on his one-match deal.
At the bottom, Lancashire and Notts toiled, and I’ll be keeping an eye on the latter in particular today as I toddle off up to Chelmsford (assuming they stop cancelling trains) to watch them take on Essex, who are decently placed thanks to Tom Westley’s unbeaten century.
In the second tier, we’ll be tracking the promotion hopefuls Sussex, Yorkshire and Middlesex who all had promising days yesterday, and as much else as we can. Now for this train to start …
Scores on the doors:Division One
Chester-le-street: Durham v Lancashire 177-6 (Chester-le-Street).
Chelmsford: Essex 262-5 v Nottinghamshire
Canterbury: Kent v Hampshire 213-7.
Taunton: Somerset 317 v Surrey
Worcester: Worcestershire 294-8 v Warwickshire
Division Two
Leicester: Leicestershire 98 v Yorkshire 263-8
Lord’s: Middlesex 377 v Gloucestershire
Northampton: Northants 219 v Derbyshire 65-1
Hove: Sussex 121-1 v Glamorgan 186
Division One