Close of play scores
Division One
Surrey 434 v Worcestershire 135-1; Worcs trail by 299
Notts 302 & 136-0, Hampshire 223; Notts lead by 215
Lancashire 217-2, Somerset 429; Lancs trail by 212
Essex 142 & 97-4, Yorkshire 50, 329; Yorkshire lead by 141
Division Two
Sussex 323, Middlesex 230 & 64-2; Middlesex trail by 29
Glamorgan 94 & 273-7, Kent 174; Glamorgan lead by 193
Durham 142-7, Leicestershire 440; Durham trail by 298
I think I used the phrase ‘the pendulum swings’ earlier in the day. Well, it’s a case of copy and paste. Yorkshire have wickets three and four courtesy of the evergreen Steve Patterson, who is playing his first match of the season following a broken finger. Patterson uprooted Nick Browne’s middle stump and had Ravi Bopara caught at backward point. Essex are 55 for four with plenty of work to do in pursuit of 238. We still have 15 overs to bowl tonight.
Yorkshire are back in business. Steve Patterson has just struck twice in the 10th over, bowling Alastair Cook for 26 and Tom Westley for a duck - his second of the game and, like Aiden Markram at Durham, his third on the trot after one at Hampshire last week and here in the first innings. Essex are 34-2 in the 11th now. Durham, meanwhile, are 59-6 against Leicestershire at the Riverside in reply to 440.
Plays and misses, yes, but it’s been a pretty steady start for Essex as they pursue 238 to win their second match of the season. They have advanced to 27 for 0 after seven overs of 32 to be bowled tonight, with Alastair Cook leading the way unbeaten on 20. Much like Joe Root, who also posted a duck in the first innings, he has looked comfortable. Hang on, as I type, there is a dropped catch at third slip. Jack Leaning at third slip off Ben Coad. Sharp catch at around neck high, but it should have been taken. Cook has a life.
Aiden Markram: 0, 0 and 0 in his first three innings for Durham. He has just been bowled by Leicestershire’s Ben Raine to leave them at 10 for 3 in reply to the visitors’ 440. Essex need 238 to win having bowled Yorkshire out for 329 after they had been 276 for 3. Tea here.
Three more wickets for Essex and two for Jamie Porter, who trapped Tim Bresnan lbw with one that kept low and has just bowled Steve Patterson. Yorkshire, at 305 for 9, lead by 213 with Jack Leaning and Ben Coad together as we approach tea. Some fall from 276 for 3. A fine effort from Glamorgan at Cardiff. They are 155-2 second time around having been bowled out for 94 and conceded an 80-run lead with it. Jack Murphy’s career best 53 not out is helping them along.
The pendulum swings again. Yorkshire have lost three wickets for 14 runs, with Harry Brook and Gary Ballance joining Joe Root back in the hutch. Brook miscued Simon Harmer’s off-spin to long-on for 124 before Ballance was bowled as he played down the wrong line to Ravi Bopara for three, leaving Yorkshire at 290 for 6. They lead by 198. At the Oval, Rory Burns fell seven short of a double ton, with Surrey now 423-9 against Worcestershire.
Joe Root has gone for 35, bowled by Ravi Bopara off the inside edge as he attempted to drive through the covers. Bopara celebrated his 33rd birthday yesterday and is playing his 200th first-class match. He ended an 86-run stand with Harry Brook, who is unbeaten on 118. Yorkshire are 281 for 4, leading by 189. Gary Ballance has come to the crease.
Updated
Much like the morning, it has been a quiet start to the afternoon, with Yorkshire adding only the five runs in a couple of overs. They have moved to 265-3, a lead of 173. It’s amazing how this game has turned around. Essex hardly look like taking a wicket at the moment.
Yorkshire have reached lunch at 260-3, leading by 168 with Harry Brook unbeaten on 108 and Joe Root looking nicely set on 25. Elsewhere, leaders Somerset have been bowled out for 429, with Lancashire having just started their first innings. Matt Parkinson chipped in with three late wickets for the hosts, who are opening the batting with Keaton Jennings and Alex Davies following the decision to drop Haseeb Hameed.
Nottinghamshire are ahead against Hampshire at Trent Bridge, with the visitors losing Hashim Amla to an uncharacteristic heave this morning for 69. They are 154-6 replying to 302. Surrey still going strong at the Oval against Worcestershire at 377-6. Rory Burns is 182 not out.
In Division Two, Derbyshire are already two down second time around against Warwickshire at 34-2 and trail by 87. In similar fashion to Surrey against Worcester, Leicestershire are causing Durham grief at the Riverside at 388-7. They look two cracking games at Cardiff and Hove. Glamorgan are 74-1 in their second innings against Kent and trail by just six, while Sussex are 154-6 in reply to Middlesex’s 230. Harry Finch is unbeaten on 67.
Updated
Some lunchtime news to digest, from Ali Martin:
Harry Brook has reached his maiden first-class century off 129 balls as Yorkshire turn the screw at Chelmsford. They are currently 255-3, leading by 163. Maybe a sign of things to come that his partner at the crease is Joe Root. I wouldn’t mind betting that they bat together a lot for England across the years.
Warwickshire have been bowled out for 439 by Derbyshire at Edgbaston, losing four morning wickets, including Matt Lamb for 79 and short of a maiden first-class century. South African quick Duanne Olivier finished with four wickets, three this morning. The Bears’ lead is 121, so Derbyshire are not completely out of that one just yet. Here at Chelmsford, Joe Root is up and running following his first-innings golden duck. He punched a boundary through the covers off Sam Cook and has moved to 14, with the Yorkshire score at 211-3, a lead of 119. I would be worried if I was Essex, although batting has looked considerably easier since tea time yesterday.
Joe Root is in following the departure of Che Pujara, who isn’t half battling at the moment. Pujara was bowled by Peter Siddle for 41 having not offered a stroke. And it wasn’t just clipping off-stump either. Root survived a sizeable caught behind shout from Siddle before getting off the mark with his seventh ball. He is currently unbeaten on four, with Yorkshire 197-3 and leading by 95. Harry Brook has moved to 70.
It all seems to be coming together for Tom Abell, the Somerset captain, who has helped his side claim a fourth batting point at Old Trafford this morning with an unbeaten half-century, backing up the one he scored in victory over Yorkshire last week. Abell’s form with the bat forced him to drop himself briefly last season, but he has recovered impressively. Somerset are 358 for 6, with Abell unbeaten on 68. Kent have been bowled out at Cardiff for 174, taking a lead of 80 into the second innings.
It has been a quiet start to day at Chelmsford as Yorkshire steadily advance to 177 for 2, a lead of 85. I reckon we may have already had three, maybe four, wickets by this time yesterday. Che Pujara has driven Jamie Porter down the ground for four and has 35. Peter Siddle had a big caught behind shout against the Indian in the first over turned down.
Preamble
Good morning from a sunny Chelmsford. I have to say I’m still trying to get my head around yesterday’s events. For two sessions, it was carnage as batsmen floundered amid a series of loose shots and bowlers prospered by just hitting an area to coin a players’ cliche. Then, after tea, Jonny Bairstow and Harry Brook both played aggressively to change the momentum of the contest and swing it in Yorkshire’s favour.
Bairstow hit 50 and Brook 57 unbeaten. The decision to open with Bairstow second time around could be the game changer when all is said and done, and he played in typically combative fashion, hitting Sam Cook superbly over long-off for six. Brook, the current England under 19s captain, then attacked the spin of Simon Harmer - playing spin is a particularly strength of his - on the way to his maiden first-team fifty. Yorkshire will begin day two on 161/2 in their second innings, leading by 69 with India overseas batsman Che Pujara on 22 alongside Brook.
Elsewhere in Division One, leaders Somerset hold the advantage at Old Trafford thanks to centuries from George Bartlett and Marcus Trescothick, the latter who suffered a broken metatarsal and faces a stretch on the sidelines. They will resume on 321/5.
At Trent Bridge, Hampshire are 70/3 in reply to Notts’ 302, with Stuart Broad having taken two early wickets. Hashim Amla is unbeaten on 27 against his former county. At the Oval, Rory ‘how is he not in England contention?’ Burns will resume on 137 with Surrey at 278/4 against Worcestershire.
In Division Two, they’re into day three at Edgbaston, where Warwickshire have a firm grip on their clash with Derbyshire - 375/6 in reply to 318. Will Rhodes, Chris Wright, Jonathan Trott and Matt Lamb have all posted fifties. Lamb is 79 not out and targeting a maiden career hundred this morning. Leicestershire have started positively against Durham at the Riverside, reaching close on day one at 301/4, with fifties for Carberry, Horton and Cosgrove.
It was an opening day not too dissimilar to Chelmsford down at Sophia Gardens Cardiff, where Glamorgan were bowled out for 94 thanks to Darren Stevens and Matt Henry, who claimed six and four wickets respectively, before Kent responded with 163/9. Timm van der Gugten matched Stevens with six-for.
And finally at Hove, former Yorkshire seamer Oliver Robinson, sacked by the White Rose and Jason Gillespie for a series of misdemeanours a few years back, including turning up at the wrong ground for a second-team game, claimed 7-58 for Sussex against Middlesex as they bowled them out for 230. Sussex were 60-4 in reply.
Overnight scores
Division One
Surrey 278-4 v Worcestershire
Notts 302, Hampshire 70-3; Hampshire trail by 232
Lancashire v Somerset 321-5
Essex 142, Yorkshire 50, 161-2; Yorkshire lead by 69
Division Two
Sussex 60-4, Middlesex 230; Sussex trail by 170
Glamorgan 94, Kent 163-9; Kent lead by 69
Durham v Leicestershire 301-4
