Both our games have reached the end of their days. At Lord’s Nottinghamshire have closed on 345-7 against Middlesex, with Sami Patel ending the day on 86* after some delicious shots.
Meanwhile, at Edgbaston, Warwickshire go home for the evening on 27-2, with opener Ian Westwood and nightwatchman Boyd Rankin falling in the final few overs. Lewis Gregory and Craig Overton took the wickets for Somerset. The Bears trail by 268 runs.
Cheers for reading - goodnight.
Somerset are all out for 295 at Edgbaston, with Peter Trego out for 94 lbw to Chris Woakes, who then had No11 Jack Leach caught at slip first ball. Worrying news for Warwickshire however comes in the shape of Ian Bell, who has been off the field in the evening session with an apparent hamstring twinge. Seven overs remain, so if a wicket falls, we might not see the Bears captain.
Watching Toby Roland-Jones steaming in and it is almost a throw back to the days when fast bowlers had to have disproportionately long runs so it seemed. He comes in from a Maida Vale postcode and it is exhausting watching him. I had a longish run once, and I can recall precisely when it changed. It was in the middle of an over against the students in The Parks. Vic Marks would have been playing and may even have been batting. Anyway I remember getting back to my mark, turning and for some reason thinking “this is an effing long way to be running”. So I shortened it and never went back. Roland-Jones meanwhile, has been the pick of the Middlesex bowlers: pacy, aggressive and accurate. In the final over of his latest spell he might have added a fourth wicket to those of Smith, Hales and Wessels, but Read’s edge flew between keeper and slip to the boundary. These are invariably the keeper’s ball. The bowler was not enamoured. Middlesex will have a new ball in eight overs, but meanwhile Samit Patel is building an innings and is on 36 with Read, on the back of his excellent hundred against Yorkshire, is 16 with Notts 243-5
A second first-class hundred for the highly promising opener Tom Abell, coming as he sweeps an all-run four off Jeetan Patel to bring up three figures. 175 balls, 12 fours, one six. Abell has looked an island of calm at the crease against a very strong Warwickshire attack, nudging runs off his hips and showing application beyond his 22 years. At the other end he has found support from Peter Trego, who sits 48 not out from 86 balls. Somerset 210 for four in the 64th. Warwickshire have gone a bit quite as the ball has got softer, with Jonathan Trott now trundling away from the other end.
Tom Abell remains an hour to the afternoon session, unbeaten on 71 and looking very tidy. Not much in front of square on the off side, instead finding his runs down to third man and off his legs. Concentration looks one of his best assets, while at the other end Peter Trego is playing an measured innings (by his standards) at No6 with 19 to his name from 35. The wicket to fall after lunch was that of Jim Allenby, who looked no closer to solving Somerset’s issues in the No5 spot when he drove Barker and a thick edge flew head height to Jonathan Trott at gully. These two have now added 33 for the fifth wicket from 11 overs. Somerset are 150 for four.
Alex Hales has had a good morning at the right time. At lunch he has 46, in an innings that started cautiously, but which then began to blossom. To my eye he has moved better in this innings than in either of the innings against Yorkshire where he appeared a little rigid. It looks as if he has settled on a method which involves playing what we might call an old fashioned opener’s role, of seeing off the shine and then taking advantage later on. Better than trying to be something he is not, for all the wishes of some that he should be. News of Steve Finn is not so good however for his eight overs this morning have disappeared at a shade under a run a ball. There is no rhythm to him despite spells from either end, and his run at the moment seems to be longer-striding and slightly awkward. Unless he comes back strongly in the afternoon and really makes a case, there is, to my mind, no guarantee that he should fill the third seamers spot, particularly when Jake Ball has been pushing so strongly for inclusion in the squad. How he goes later in the match will provide an interesting contrast.
Lunch at Edgbaston and while Somerset have raced to 101 runs, you’d say Warwickshire nudge it with three big wickets in the session after losing the toss. Keith Barker struck twice in his first spell to remove Trescothick and Rogers in successive overs (details below) to see the visitors 28 for two in the 13th before a punchy counterattack from James Hildreth and Tom Abell added 56 for the third wicket in 12.1 overs. Hildreth looked particularly glossy for his 38, only to perish in Rankin’s first over of a new spell (after Rikki Clarke appeared to pick up a thigh niggle) when Sam Hain had him caught at short leg. The ball flew flush off the bat, into Hain’s chest before he grabbed it at the second attempt. All the while Abell, recently tipped to be a future international by Andy Flower, has remained unbeaten on 45, with Jim Allenby five not out.
Keith Barker is a terrific bowler. Left arm, easy fluid action, gets the ball to move off the straight. And his opening spell of eight overs, three maidens, two for 23 from the Pavilion End has produced the wickets of Marcus Trescothick and Chris Rogers. Trescothick, a man in a rich vein of form this summer, saw his off stump sent flying on 12 playing inside one (a correction to my initial take BTL) before Barker’s next over had Rogers gone for a duck. The ball found good bounce from pitch, left him a touch and the finest of edges had Tim Ambrose, in his 200th first-class game, dancing for joy. That wicket saw Somerset 28 for two in the 13th over, although thay have rallied since. Tom Abell, who earlier struck his first career six, is 25 from 47 while James Hildreth is on 25 from 26, having laced some lovely drives through the offside. Somerset 62 for two in the 20th.
At Lord’s where the weather is rather more clement than my last visit where I was forced to dress more appropriately for watching the downhill at St Moritz. Sun and shirtsleeve order for the spectators today.
On the way in, I bumped into my old chum Mick Hunt, the groundsman, who assured me that the pitch for this game would have a bit more pace than that for the last. He didn’t tell me that Middlesex and Nottinghamshire would be contesting the match so far down the bottom side of the ground that the players could shake hands with the crowd and the square leg umpire would not be disadvantaged by standing in the Mound Stand.
There was a toss and Nottinghamshire won it, decided to bat first, and immediately lost the wicket of Steve Mullaney, who was lbw to Tim Murtagh in the first over. Since then, Murtagh and Steve Finn have had a tilt at Alex Hales, whose last chance this is to impress the England selectors before they pick their first Test squad in the middle of the week. Thus far, it is another careful start from him, with six runs from the first 10 overs, which includes a boundary angled away to third man. Clearly he has decided that his international game should be based around a solid start with a more expansive approach later.
Morning all from a lovely sunny Edgbaston where it’s about 13 degrees warmer than the last time I was here. Warwickshire v Somerset is my game in round five, with the hosts returning after a week off and the visitors fresh from their draw at home to Lancashire.
Looking forward to watching two of the class of 2005 bat in Ian Bell and Marcus Trescothick, as well as the Overtwins in action. Somewhat sparse press box here, although my predecessor Andy Wilson is in attendance. We’ve just had a toss here and Somerset bat.
Selve is at Lord’s for Middlesex v Nottinghamshire and I can see from Twitter he’s already salivating about the seamers on show - can Jake Ball press his Test squad claims further? More to the point, can Nick Compton do the same for the Saxons? It’s not all about England, of course, although looks like there will be an early chance for Alex Hales to impress with the visitors winning the toss and batting.
At Old Trafford Lancashire, who along with Notts are the only team in the top flight to earn a win so far this season, take on Hampshire (who are batting), while Yorkshire welcome Surrey to Headingley and will field first after Gareth Batty opted to toss and won.
In Division Two, Derbyshire take on Sussex (who are yet to back up my prediction that they will seal the one promotion spot) while second-placed Leicestershire (who are equally torching my wooden spoon tip) host Northants and could push for top spot with early pace setters Essex sitting this round out. Glamorgan, currently bottom, are at home to Worcestershire, while third-placed Kent welcome Gloucestershire.
Have a great day all.
