A late finish at Trent Bridge, as Somerset used the extra half-hour to finish the job. At the Ageas Bowl, Hampshire lead Middlesex by 55 runs at stumps, having completed just 1 full over of their second innings. In the Division Two game at Grace Road, Lancashire reached 39/2 in their second innings, and lead Leicestershire by 158 runs.
That’s all from us today. Here’s a suitable video for a dramatic, rain-affected day’s play...
Here’s Lizzy Ammon on a dramatic day at Trent Bridge, which saw Somerset bowl out their hosts for victory:
The predicted weather Armageddon that was due to hit Nottingham didn’t
materialise and the third day of this match produced a wicket-laden and
hugely entertaining day’s cricket, albeit a disastrous one for the home side
as Somerset picked up their first victory of the 2015 in dramatic fashion.
Nottinghamshire crumbled to 114 all out and although their victory target of 248 was always going to be testing in conditions that have been difficult
throughout, this was a surrender, losing wickets at alarming regularity
throughout the evening session.
They lost six of their top seven for just 59 runs within 20 overs against some impressively accurate bowling from the Somerset seam attack. Craig Overton was particularly potent, bowling briskly from the Radcliffe Road End and being rewarded with two wickets caught in the slips.
The seventh wicket partnership was starting to bear fruit when Riki Wessels edged to the slips for 30 off Lewis Gregory and as Luke Wood trudged to the crease with still 167 runs required, the writing was almost certainly on the wall.
Luke Wood quickly followed and the extra half an hour was taken and Harry Gurney was left with 3.5 overs to try and negotiate. It wasn’t a job he managed and he lost the bail from his off-stump to give Somerset a fantastic 133 run victory.
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Ooh – but Will Macpherson reports again …
That rain didn’t last long. The players are on their way back out and the covers are off. Wouldn’t think any overs were lost. Hampshire need that last wicket, and fast.
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Rain stops play – Middlesex 331 for 9
Oh my, how frustrating for Hampshire, writes Will Macpherson.
Since we last spoke, they got Ollie Rayner as he nicked Edwards through to Wheater but TRJ had a right old thrash and eroded their lead to well inside 100. And now the rain has come with 13 overs remaining. It’s heavy but a shower and they should get back on.
TRJ took a real fancy to the pacey pair of Fidel and Wheal (which sounds like an edgy east London coffee company), but Tomlinson and Dawson weren’t exempt either. He has 43 and Finn has been obdurately blocking at the other end. The Middlesex dressing room were loving it – whooping, hollering and the rest. They’ll be loving this rain, too.
That last wicket stand and this rain really affects our chances of a result both in the runs added and the time it ate up, I’d say.
Just about the only good news for Hampshire fans is that Jackson Bird has been diving around as a sub fielder and running the drinks extremely energetically. He’s expected to be back training by the end of the month.
Meanwhile …
Jason Gillespie will enter talks with the director of England cricket, Andrew Strauss, over the vacant head coach role knowing his bargaining position has grown stronger by the decision of his former Australia team-mate Justin Langer to withdraw from the running.
Gillespie is due to meet with Strauss this week to discuss replacing the sacked Peter Moores but went on record on Tuesday to state that he is currently very content as coach of Yorkshire and would require some serious persuasion to be prised away from Headingley.
“I’m in my dream job,” he told BBC Sport. “It would certainly take persuading [to leave]. It’s very humbling, very flattering [to be linked to the job]. But I haven’t had any contact and until that happens I can’t say anything.”
Compton out for 117 as Middlesex avoid follow-on
Right, this game between Hampshire and Middlesex is finally on the move after a slow day, writes Will Macpherson.
In the short period since tea, Middlesex have avoided the follow-on, Compton has finally fallen LBW to Liam Dawson’s left arm spinners for 117, and Fidel Edwards got one to snort up at James Harris, who could only fend to James Vince, who took a wonderful catch low at gully. Edwards has three and Hampshire have a very attacking field for TRJ. Just Finn to come, but don’t forget he has a Test 50 …
Just walked past Compo in the atrium. He’s looking very pissed off with himself, but he shouldn’t – he’s the only Middlesex batsman to pass 38. Anyway, we have a game.
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The skies over Trent Bridge are our picture desk’s pick for today’s Sport picture of the day.
Here’s a couple more eerie shots of today’s action from Laurence Griffiths for Getty Images.
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Somerset all out for 161
More from Lizzy Ammon …
It’s game on Raymond. Somerset are all out for 161 with a lead of 247. They’ll be disappointed with that despite a bit of rearguard from Barrow and Gregory. So Notts have almost four sessions to get 248. Plenty of time but that isn’t the issue. Batting hasn’t got easier at any point in this match on a pitch that has stayed green throughout and this will by no means be an easy chase.
Whichever way it goes, it’s been a thoroughly absorbing match.
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More weather interventions in Nottinghamshire, writes Lizzy Ammon.
We had an early tea here at Trent Bridge because a brief shower came over. Before that a decent partnership between Barrow and Gregory was building. The Somerset wicketkeeper looking far more fluent than he has all season putting on 39 with Gregory which in the context of the game may prove to be very valuable. They took the lead past 200 before Barrow tried to pull Gurney through midwicket and got a top edge to Mullaney. They’d moved the lead to 211.
Philander struck in the first over after tea getting Overton LBW. Gregory and Groenewald have put on 13 for the last wicket here and the lead is 235 which will be far from straightforward to chase.
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After a day one washout, the weather is still keeping everyone on their toes at Wantage Road for Northants v Surrey …
And Watch an unbelievable hail storm https://t.co/UJq1hcMj4x
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) May 19, 2015
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So it’s tea, and the follow-on is within a whisker of being avoided, as Middlesex sit 258 for 6, says Will Macpherson.
Compton has played very well indeed, grinding the game into a position where the draw is the most likely result. That horrible innings against New Zealand at Leeds two years ago meant that I was in favour of his dropping. Considering all that’s gone since and the parade of openers who have followed him in the England side, I feel like a right old nincompoop these days and this ton has only heightened that feeling. Hampshire’s attack looked threatening earlier but are now seem a bit one-dimensional.
I also owe you all an apology. In the excitement that greeted Compton’s ton I claimed it was his 22nd, when it’s actually his 23rd. Silly me! So I say sorry to you and sorry to the man who calls himself the Compdog.
A few whiskers around here about a sporting declaration from Middlesex in order to make a result a possibility … seems unlikely to me.
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Bright sunshine now at Grace Road, says Richard Rae.
However, it’s glinting off the waves made by the Leicestershire groundstaff as they push the water on the covers towards the mechanical “Blotter”. The umpires are walking around the edges of the tarpaulins, and I’ve a feeling they’re going to call this – especially as further rain almost certainly isn’t far away. An early tea has long since been consumed.
Century for Compton
Nick Compton must be reading this blog after my minor mockery of his snaily progress, adds Will Macpherson.
He knocks off the 15 he needed with a flurry of boundaries and lets out a huge roar as he batters another through the covers to bring it up. That’s his 22nd in first-class cricket and the celebration is standard fare after the bellow – lid off, bat up, look skyward. Very well played, sir. Seriously high quality knock. Ollie Rayner is going fine at the other end too.
No sign of rain and Middlesex are 30 short of avoiding the follow-on.
Here's @thecompdog's wagon wheel for his century! Find more on our live scores page at http://t.co/uQmma3pQPA #batted pic.twitter.com/R5mM62ngwN
— Middlesex Cricket (@Middlesex_CCC) May 19, 2015
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It’s new ball time for Hampshire, and they need it to do something, reports Will Macpherson from the Ageas Bowl.
We’ve had just 115 runs and three wickets today. The game is crawling along. But Sean Ervine – after getting the crucial wicket of Burns last night – proved the crucial partnership breaker again, with John Simpson slapping him to Carberry at cover. It’s 217 for 6 and the bowlers are in. Compton, who doesn’t seem to care about scoring runs unless they are achingly pretty today, is standing firm, on 85, which is just four more than when I last reported back to you 40 minutes ago. Doesn’t even want a hundred.
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Despite the tumble of wickets today, Somerset are getting themselves into a very decent position with the lead now approaching 200, writes Lizzy Ammon from Trent Bridge.
Barrow and Gregory have put on a handy little partnership of 20. Harry Gurney is coming into the attack for the first time in the 34th over.
The predicted weather Armageddon hasn’t happened although we are still 20 overs away from the tea interval and it’s going to be a long old afternoon session.
Even if Somerset were all out now, this wouldn’t be an easy chase for Nottinghamshire; batting hasn’t got easier at any point at all in this match.
We were doing a bit of digging earlier and discovered that the pair that Marcus Trescothick got in this match is only his second ever in first-class cricket. In a 22-year-long career that’s not bad at all.
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It’s become one of those intensely frustrating days, writes Richard Rae from Grace Road, when the dry periods are spent mopping up and taking the covers off, just in time for the next shower.
We did have three overs after lunch, during which Lancashire picked up the wickets of Mark Cosgrove, leg before to a Nathan Buck in-swinger for 79, and then Clint McKay, caught behind off Kyle Jarvis having buffed an entertaining 26. Leicestershire are still a run short of a second batting bonus point: they might get a chance to pick it up sometime after tea, but there’s a lot of clearing up to do before then, and it’s still raining. Hard.
So, we’ve played an hour or so since lunch and – to be honest – not a great deal has happened, writes Will Macpherson from the Ageas Bowl.
Middlesex have brought up their 200 without further loss, Compo has strolled past 80 and found a willing and able partner in John Simpson. Jimmy Adams has turned to Liam Dawson’s tweakers in a bid to make something, anything happen, but Simpson’s just stuck him over his head for six. Coincidentally, Danny Briggs is playing for Hampshire’s second XI on the Nursery ground next door.
Some 60-odd more needed to avoid the follow-on.
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We’ve been back out for 20 minutes since the lunch break and just nine runs have been added, writes Lizzy Ammon, but Somerset have lost another wicket.
Mullaney has just bowled a probing over in which he got the wicket of Hildreth LBW for 23. There was an appeal the ball before turned down by umpire Robinson who then very firmly wagged his finger at Vernon Philander who was fielding at mid-off and told him to zip it. And then as Hildreth was trudging off, both umpires called over skipper Read to tell him to control his players. Philander only has one county championship match left though before going off to rejoin South Africa, so he won’t be too bothered about any penalty points imposed by the powers that be at Lord’s.
Somerset have just passed 50 and have a handy lead of 137. This game is a fascinating contest and providing some great entertainment.
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More rain in Hampshire, but play resumes, says Will Macpherson …
We had a torrential shower at lunchtime that lasted five minutes, covers came on, covers went off and the players are out for a pretty-much-on-time start. The tropical south, eh. Good news, although the Middlesex batsman performed as slow a walk to the middle as you’ll ever see.
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Here’s this week’s edition of The Spin, with Andy Bull discussing James Harris and the National Performance Centre.
Not much play to write in about from Grace Road, reports Richard Rae.
Rain meant just 45 minutes of play was possible during the morning session at Grace Road, but there was time for Leicestershire to achieve their first target, that of saving the follow-on.
Resuming on 195 for 6, still trailing Lancashire by 173 on first innings, the Foxes quickly lost Tom Wells, leg before on the back foot to Kyle Jarvis for 7. At that stage they were still 16 short of saving the follow-on, but skipper Mark Cosgrove, who had resumed on 65, was joined by Clint McKay in an unbroken eighth wicket partnership of 37, scored at five an over, before another shower saw the players head for an early lunch.
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The latest from Will Macpherson at the Ageas Bowl …
We’ve managed a whole session at the Ageas Bowl as a number of nasty clouds passed by, dunking only a wee bit of rain. Not enough for Gunner Gould or Rob Bailey to call the players off at any rate.
Honours even in that session, you’d say, with Hampshire comfortably ahead in the match and Middlesex battling hard to avoid the follow-on. They lost two wickets – James Franklin and Neil Dexter – and added 76 runs against Hampshire’s impressive all-seam attack. Nick Compton has weathered the storm, and was hit on the shoulder by a sharp shortie from teen seam dream Brad Wheal, who has been really quick and not too wild again. Middlesex are still 85-odd adrift of the follow-on, sitting 178 for 5, with Compton unbeaten on 68. He’s battling hard and is absolutely crucial to the outcome of this match. Only the bowlers to come after to come after this pair, although they’re not completely hopeless, of course.
Middlesex and Ireland fans will be pleased to know that Dial M for Murtagh is here and, after wandering back from the nets, is fraternising with the enemy with a chat with James Tomlinson on the boundary.
Loads of cloud about but the sun’s poking through and it’s pretty windy so very changeable. One senses we’ll be very lucky to get through the day without a delay, but here’s hoping. This is well poised.
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More on the Notts weather from Lizzy Ammon …
Well the predicted rain has now well and truly hit Trent Bridge. Ignore my comment about it not raining on the righteous. We only managed 2.2 overs of Somerset’s second innings but that was enough time for Marcus Trescothick to bag a pair losing his middle stump to Philander again in the first over of the innings. As I put BTL, he’s not got a very good record at Trent Bridge. That was his 32nd innings on this ground and he’s never scored a century here. It was a very good delivery by Philander but just as in the first innings Trescothick’s defences were not what they might have been.
Somerset lead by 90. And the rain seems to be passing over.
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In other news …
McClenaghan, currently representing Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, will link up with the county at the end of next month and could make his debut against Sussex at Lord’s on 2 July.
He will be available for their final six group matches and is an overseas replacement for the South African seamer Kyle Abbott, whose spell with the club expires at the end of June.
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Richard Rae is hopeful of play at Grace Road …
Umpires have decided we can start at 12.15pm, with 12 overs lost. Dark clouds are looming to the west, but we could be lucky.
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Will Macpherson has more from Hampshire v Middlesex …
Nick Compton has 50 and is playing very nicely indeed. He swatted two lovely boundaries off Wheal’s last over – one through cover and the other through square leg. Middlesex are 135 for 4 and need to be pretty careful, I’d say. Don’t want to crumple and have to follow-on.
In other news, that chap from Downton Abbey with the lovely deep voice – Carson the butler – is here. Looks like he’s being well looked after. **Googles actor’s name** … Jim Carter. He’s enjoying Compo’s knock. If the weather stays fair, the former England man is going to be absolutely crucial for the visitors.
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More from Lizzy Ammon watching Notts v Somerset …
There’s all sorts of weird weather witchery going on here. All around the ground there are sheets of rain drowning the residents of West Bridgford but the rain doesn’t fall on the righteous and it’s dry over the top of the ground. Nottinghamshire have just been dismissed for 226 – a deficit of 86. Samit Patel had played an extremely sensible and thoughtful innings (yes really), turning down singles from the first four balls of each over to protect Harry Gurney. Gurney is not known for his skills with the willow but admirably saw off the final one of two balls of each over from Overton and Allenby.
The innings ended though when Patel tried to dispatch Overton back over his head and down the ground and was caught by Hildreth on the boundary. So Somerset have a more than handy first innings lead. Batting conditions remain pretty tricky though, the wicket is still fairly green and the overheads are, not to put too fine a point on it, grim.
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Will Macpherson has some play to report …
Confirmation that we have cricket at the Ageas Bowl, and Middlesex have started rather nicely, with stand-in skip James Franklin punching a couple boundaries through point and Nick Compton driving Brad Wheal – who was very impressive yesterday – down the ground. Hampshire keeper Adam Wheater seemed to hurt his hand taking a ball rather untidily, but seems OK now. Are you watching Michael Bates?
The sun’s out – though who knows how long for. The start of play hasn’t brought a break in the drilling, mind.
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It’s a slightly damper scene for Richard Rae at Grace Road.
It lasted only five minutes, but for those five minutes it was more
akin to being in a car wash than a “shower”, which means that though the sun is currently shining on Grace Road, play will be delayed at least 40 minutes, because that’s how long it’s going to take the groundstaff to get the water off the covers, and then remove them.
Umpires are due to re-inspect at 11.30.
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Here’s Lizzy Ammon with the Notts weather report …
Good morning from Trent Bridge where the covers are on because a dirty great cloud is coming towards us from out west. When we do get on, Somerset are in a fantastic position leading by 117 with just two Notts wickets to get. It’s worth having a look at the highlights from yesterday’s play to see two stunning catches off his own bowling by Craig Overton who, if they awarded such a thing, would be my man of the match so far.
Well, this is weird. That horrible black cloud is still heading towards us but they’re taking the covers off and the bell has just gone. Players are trudging down the steps and while I am no Michael Fish, I don’t think they’ll be out there long.
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Preamble
Here’s Will Macpherson to set things up for today’s play …
Morning one, morning all and a very happy Tuesday to you.
Yesterday was wetter than Love Is All Around, Goodnight Girl and Sweet Surrender combined, but eventually we got some play everywhere but Wantage Road, where the deluge refused to abate.
As a result we have some rather nicely set games. At Grace Road, where Richard Rae is stationed, Leicester’s burly Aussie captain Mark Cosgrove is leading their resistance against Lancashire; in Nottingham, where Lizzy Ammon is watching on, the first day 312 scored by Somerset – rooted to the foot of Division One – is starting to look like 450 as the hosts struggle, and at the Ageas Bowl, where I am, Hampshire will be very happy after they dismissed Aussie stylist Joe Burns with what should have been the day’s penultimate delivery, but turned out to be the final one. Elsewhere, Durham are in trouble against the team that are called Warwickshire in this competition, Kent bowled out Gloucestershire for 193 and Glamorgan are 187 for 5 against Essex.
Well placed, then. But there’s a catch: that dastardly rain. Looking at the radar, it’s set to sweep across the country, bringing out the covers and forcing up the brollies. Boo. Consensus at the Ageas is that we’re lucky not to have had it yet and there are some nasty clouds about. But we’re set to start on time. Apparently we’re set for some thunder and lightning too, but not yet, so a construction worker has got his drill out instead. Right next to the press box. It’s very loud indeed, so if there are mistakes in this preamble, blame him. I can’t hear myself think …
Stay away rain!
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