Richard Gibson writes:
Another couple of wickets for Warwickshire but Durham have found some joy in their eighth-wicket alliance between Ryan Pringle and Jamie Harrison. Paul Collingwood went to a woody leg before and then John Hastings reprieved Oliver Hannon-Dalby for a horrific drop at mid-off when he holed out to deep midwicket two balls later. But runs have come quickly against the second new ball and the hosts are 296-7.
Kent are through in the NatWest Blast by the way.
We’re off for rain again and it’s 171 for six. Allenby has 38 and Michael Bates is yet to score, although has already been dropped by Franklin at first off Finn. Wouldn’t think we’re off for long.
Lewis Gregory did a fair load of groping outside off when the players returned to the field, and within 25 minutes he was gone, feathering Finn – who’s threatened constantly and beaten the bat regularly – through to Simpson. Middlesex will be sniffing a lead of 80 or so here. It’s 167 for six.
“So we’ve had a long rain delay, but will be back out at 5pm and we’ve got 28 overs to bowl. 10 lost, late finish happening here.
Woo!”
Richard Gibson writes:
Quite a fightback by Warwickshire in the second half of the afternoon session. Borthwick trapped a catch off a combination of edge and pad to gully, centurion Stoneman pushed loosely at a delivery from Tom Milnes, who then followed up Michael Richardson’s lbw by having Gordon Muchall caught behind. Durham 236-5 at tea.
We’re taking a marginally early tea because there’s “a bit of weather about”, or, as non-cricketing (normal) people would say, it’s raining. Actually really rather heavily now. Allenby and Trego’s rebuild lasted 35 runs until Trego – who’d hoicked Rayner to leg a couple of times – was trapped in front by the same bowler. Didn’t look delighted with the decision, which mirrors the reaction of a number of Middlesex men yesterday. Also, Allenby was hit on the neck by Roland-Jones when he had 28, but he stayed on his feet and, after a quick check-up from medical staff, was allowed to continue. It’s 152 for five. Suspect we’d require loads of rain for us to not get a result in this match.
Nick Compton’s been fielding at third man and chatting away to fans. He wants Federer to win Wimbledon, so was disappointed to be informed that the great Swiss was a set down. Good chap is Compo.
Richard Gibson writes:
HUNDRED KLAXON. Mark Stoneman motored from 55 not out to three figures inside 14 overs of the afternoon session, cutting two fours in one Jeetan Patel over to do so. Scott Borthwick has not been too shabby either, having progressed to an unbeaten 66 in a score of 182-1. Durham look on course for the kind of total Yorkshire posted here a fortnight ago.
Shortly after I sent that last update, James Hildreth had his middle stump removed by the pacey Finn. Then Trescothick got to 50 from 114 balls as Roland-Jones misfielded at mid-off. Old Tres played really nicely but he’s on his way now, plumb lbw to Roland-Jones. Really quite plumb. So it’s down to the all-rounders, Allenby and Trego to get Somerset going here. They’ve lost 58 for four since lunch, which isn’t much use. It’s 117 for four.
We’ve had some movement! Tim Murtagh spent much of the morning session stood at mid on, shouting in his big Lambeth bark: “two in an over lads, two in an over.” It’s one of those classic “one brings two” situations.
And so it was. In the third over after the lunch break, Steven Finn’s probing outside off paid off as Tom Abell had a nibble and edged behind, then next over, Myburgh had a wild slash at Murtagh and did the same. Silly from Myburgh. It’s now 79 for two and Middlesex tails are up. I thought 283 was under par on a pitch that looks like a road, but perhaps isn’t all that it seems.
Richard Gibson writes:
Chris Woakes has had his first competitive bowl since England’s humiliating World Cup exit to Bangladesh, and came through it with thumbs up. He found the edge of Mark Stoneman’s bat on several occasions – one dropping just short of Varun Chopra at first slip – while others among his colleagues seemed to be locating the middle of it with precision.
Stoneman got to his 50 with a pulled six off Tom Milnes, who took the majority of the punishment as a late call-up. He was not even in the 14-man squad for this match but was drafted in due to those other injury niggles. Scott Borthwick has moved into the 40s and the home team are 109-1.
Meanwhile, there are three NatWest Blast matches today. The most significant match is that between Gloucestershire and Kent as victory for the Spitfires would see them become the second team after Warwickshire to secure a quarter-final place. Kent top the southern group with eight wins from 11.
And that’s lunch. They haven’t scored rapidly but that’s a very fine session for Somerset. They’ve survived unscathed in the face of some excellent bowling from Middlesex. In the final over before the break, Ollie Rayner’s first (James Franklin is an Andrew Strauss kinda captain), Tom Abell scored his first boundary – a late cut off a rank loosener. It was the 77th ball he’d faced in 118 mins. Trescothick has been more fluent, with a nice upper cut off Finn, who was properly rapid.
The pitch is very pale in colour but apparently Nick Compton doesn’t reckon it’s at all easy to bat on, which makes Somerset’s 69 for none look all the better. There will be some rain this afternoon, but hopefully not massive delays.
Somerset are hanging on in there, but under overcast skies and against quality bowling, it’s tough going. Tom Abell took 51 balls and 80 minutes to get into double figures but has looked organised if a little bogged down, while Trescothick has just unfurled a classic minimal-foot-movement cover drive off James Franklin, who has strangely chosen to bowl himself down the hill and the pacier Toby Roland Jones, with that long run-up, up it. The bowling has been disciplined and there’s been a bit of playing and missing about, and a fair bit to third man, including a Tres leading edge that evaded the fielders.
On the two ends, the Railway End has become the Benham End and is named after a chap who was groundsman here for 67 years, Maurice Benham. Good stint that. And on Eoin Morgan, who has been fielding at short leg, apparently he’s volunteered to go in there. He’s so committed to the job that he kept his helmet on when fielding at square-leg a while back. In other news, it’s pretty cold. Jacket on.
Richard Gibson writes, from Chester-le-Street:
Two of English cricket’s recent champions are doing battle up here at Chester-le-Street, with the 2013 winners Durham – 31 points behind the current leaders Yorkshire – winning the toss and batting against a Warwickshire team who finished top 12 months earlier.
The injury blight to Warwickshire’s attack – Keith Barker, Chris Wright and Boyd Rankin – meant that Rikki Clarke took the new ball, removing Keaton Jennings in the 11th over of the morning. Chris Woakes returns from a knee injury after bowling eight overs in each innings of Nottinghamshire’s Second XI Championship fixture with Worcestershire last week.
However, Jonathan Trott is absent on paternity leave with his wife Abi due to give birth to their second child this weekend. The last engagement he missed under such circumstances was England’s pre-Ashes boot camp in a Bavarian forest in the autumn of 2010.
Updated
So we’ve had 40 minutes here and Somerset will be pretty happy. There are lots of lovely peculiarities about the ground, from the change of end names this morning, to the fact that the clock on the pavilion is four minutes fast, so we started, well, four minutes early. Also, the trees round the boundary edge are planted when a schoolboy scores a century.
Anyway, the cricket. Finn has bowled fast down the hill and struck young Tom Abell on the hand (down with this sort of thing) early on. Marcus Trescothick has played some nice drives but was just dropped on 13 at second slip by Ollie Rayner off Tim Murtagh. Strangely, Eoin Morgan is fielding under the lid at short leg, which is normally Sam Robson’s spot. I just heard one spectator say “maybe he’s trying to justify his spot”. Miaow. It’s 27 for none.
Ashes? What Ashes? We’re back to the real nation-gripping business today.
Anyway, morning all! It’s Sunday and I’m all a bit discombobulated because the game I’m at – Middlesex v Somerset at marvellous Merchant Taylor’s School in Northwood – started yesterday for one reason or another (it’s to do with Middlesex and the Lord’s Test but is genuinely too boring to tell you). County Championship on a Saturday? Whatever next.
So we’re heading into day two and I thought Somerset would be pretty pleased with their start to the match. There’s a big old slope and they used it to their advantage to skittle Middlesex for 283, which isn’t a great return for the hosts at their new home considering they won the toss and batting never looked desperately difficult. Nevertheless, we’re waiting for rain today, basically. We’ll get at least a session in before it arrives though. Oh, and Steven Finn has been called up by England for Lord’s but sticks around today while the Cardiff lads ease their hangovers on the trek up to London. I expect Finn will join up with England tomorrow and be replaced by James Harris, who has been rested.
Elsewhere, we have Richard Gibson at the nearly-top-of-the-table-but-not-quite-Yorkshire clash at Chester-le-Street between Durham and Warwickshire. I have a feeling he’s hot-footed it up from Cardiff. If so, well done Richard. In Division Two, Essex are playing Glamorgan at the ECG and there’s a load of T20 fun as well.
Strap in and enjoy the cricket!
