Play has been suspended for the day at New Road.
NO FURTHER PLAY DUE TO RAIN - Worcestershire close Day One on 185 for 9. Five wickets for @CJordan #GOSBTS @LV_Cricket
— Sussex CCC (@SussexCCC) September 1, 2015
Jamie Bowman reports: Yorkshire 101-1 replying to Somerset’s 110 all out
It’s hard not to feel sorry for Somerset on a day which has seen the weather get better and better following their own damp squib of an innings. Headingley is now bathed in sunshine and a fair proportion of it is shining on Adam Lyth who has shrugged off his England woes to reach a half-century. Lyth was dropped on seven when Luke Ronchi missed a tough-ish chance down the leg side but since then the opener has looked in fine form, moving to his 50 off 85 balls.
Alex Lees has been the only man to go after he was trapped lbw by Craig Overton for 10 but since then Lyth’s fellow England struggler Gary Ballance has joined him in the middle for a joint appeal to the national selectors. So far it’s going well and with the Yorkshire crowd cheering every boundary heartily this could be a very successful shot at redemption from two players who have little to prove at county level but have it all to do for England.
Worcestershire 185-9 v Sussex
The rain that everyone has predicted for various different times, has finally arrived to set in. Before it came, Saeed Ajmal tried to heave Ashar Zaidi over the new Pavilion and was bowled. Charlie Morris spent a few overs being shielded by Gidman (37*) but even he, the set batsman, welcomed the chance to retreat to the shelter of the changing room. It’s just started hailing.
Jamie reports: Yorkshire 46-1
We’re taking an early tea here at Headingley (it’s muffins in case you wanted to know) because Yorkshire have just lost their first wicket. Alex Lees was the man to go, trapped in front by Craig Overton, for 11 with the score 46-1 off 20 overs.
It was hard work out there for both Lees and fellow opener Adam Lyth but unlike Somerset’s fragile batting line up they coped admirably with the conditions and the bowling of Overton and Tim Groenewold. A lot of it is surely down to confidence.
There was plenty of conjecture about how the heavens would open around 3pm but save for a 50 minute break after lunch we’ve been bathed in watery sunshine for most of the day.
As for Lyth he must feel good to be back on home soil. Three catches at slip this morning have been followed by an unbeaten knock of 32 during which he’s looked pretty assured if hardly fluent. He did survive one scare when he was dropped Luke Ronchi down the leg side after scoring just 7. Maybe after a long hard summer it’s going to be his day.
Updated
Worcestershire 172-8 v Sussex
Two wickets since my last update. One wasn’t long after my upload. I thought about chiming in straight away with a line about Joe Leach’s loose flick of the wrists to edge Chris Liddle through to Ben Brown.
To be honest, I was holding firm, expecting another cascade that would see the innings come to a close, with something absurd, like eight wickets to Jordan and maybe a punch-up or something. Seriously, though, things were getting feisty as the queues started to form for the cakes in the Ladies’ Pavilion. Not fists were clenched, or elbows thrown but, my word, the glares...
Anyway, Jack Shantry then came out and batted like 10 firemen or a dozen policemen to crash three boundaries for his 15 before he was kept in his crease by Ben Brown’s presence up at the stumps to edge Ollie Robinson to that man Chris Jordan, who was much deeper at first slip.
That was 142-8 and now, at tea, Worcestershire have moved to 172 without any further loss. Alex Gidman’s still there on 28 with Saeed Ajmal (19*) who, aside from a handful of swiped pulls, is playing a steady hand.
Somerset 110 all out
A miserable innings from Somerset has finished with the visitors bowled out for 110 off just 35 overs. A 40 minute rain break after lunch at least gave the visitors some solace but when play resumed Jack Brooks quickly picked up his fifth wicket before Steven Patterson polished things off as Jack Leach edged to Adam Lyth at first slip.
Talking of Lyth, he’s had a good day so far following his difficult Ashes summer, picking up three slip catches. Many will hope the likable opening batsman can put his problems behind him and perform this afternoon while getting some much-needed runs.
As a quirky aside for the statisticians among you, Somerset’s innings contained a total of zero extras. A rarity indeed.
Updated
Worcestershire 110-6 v Sussex
This update originally started out as a tribute to the patience and technique of Brett D’Oliveira and Joe Clarke, who patched together a partnership of 80 for the third wicket. I was going to talk about Clarke’s classy straight drive when faced with three men in front of the bat: a drive that went as straight as you can go without hitting the stumps at the other end. Then I’d move on to D’Oliveira, who has used second XI cricket to fashion himself into an opening batsmen, playing very straight and picking off singles when offered relief on his pads.
Instead, it’s mutated into news of a collapse: 3 for 9 off 26 balls, to be exact.
Chris Jordan resumed after lunch and, having been fired up by Clarke’s and D’Oliveira’s refusal to get drawn into his verbals, bowled the former before Steve Magoffin picked up the latter through a glove down the leg-side off an attempted hook shot. Much like Jordan’s wicket of Tom Fell earlier, there was movement off the seam – enough to get through a solid looking drive from Clarke.
Ross Whiteley then tamely edged to Michael Yardy at second slip to give Jordan his fourth wicket of the innings. The England quick, who is impressing in front of national selector James Whitaker, is currently in the eighth over of his second spell. In his second Championship match since returning from a side injury that kept him out for two months, he’s looking to make up for lost time.
Oh look - Ben Cox has just left a ball and becomes the third batsman of the day to have his off-stump taken out of the ground by Jordan. And that collapse is now 4 for 17 off 37 balls. Worcestershire reeling as Jordan has his first five-wicket haul of the season...
Updated
Jamie reports, Somerset 85-8
Somerset lost five wickets in the first hour’s play so to only lose three in the second half of the morning session could be seen as an improvement I suppose but it will be cold comfort to Marcus Trescothick’s men as they sit down for their lunch here at Headingley.
After seeing off the terrors of Jack Brooks and Ryan Sidebottom, Peter Trego will be disappointed he edged Tim Bresnan behind in the former England man’s first over for 19. A mini recovery then ensued as Lewis Gregory and Luke Ronchi began picking off Steven Patterson with a succession of straight drives and square cuts. A partnership of 38 was broken by who else but the returning Brooks who trapped Gregory plumb in front as the all rounder tried to work the ball to leg. Matters worsened on the stroke of lunch when Jamie Overton lazily hit a straight drive off Patterson straight to Bresnan at cover for 10 to leave Somerset 85-8 at the end of the session.
Some lunchtime reading from our friend Gary Naylor:
Worcestershire 68-2 v Sussex
Since the early two wickets, it’s been fairly easy going for Worcestershire. Whatever bounce there was with the new ball has dissipated and, as a result, Nash has had to incorporate an array of men in front of the bat.
Usually that’s been short mid-on and mid-off, but to Chris Liddle he’s got a short-cover in, too, with the man at short mid-on moved wider to mid-wicket. The straighter man nearly took a catch of Liddle when Joe Clarke put a bit more behind a defensive push. Even after consulting the replay from a camera at the bowler’s end, it’s hard to say whether it was a legitimate chance or not.
Brett D’Olivera has started to show a bit more, wristing into a square drive off Liddle, which had the close-in catchers motionless before silent negotiations took place to determine who would have to retrieve the ball. With lunch in a few minutes, Clarke has packed away most of his shots, occasionally dancing down the wicket to the left-arm spin of Ashar Zaidi, but only in defence.
Jamie Bowman reports from Headingley
The first hour here at Headingley has witnessed one of those classic periods of play that only county cricket seems able to produce . Two great exponents of seam and swing bowling in Jack Brooks and Ryan Sidebottom have taken full advantage of a winning toss and a pitch that spent most of yesterday in danger of being washed away on a very damp Yorkshire bank holiday.
To put things into perspective after 60 minutes Somerset are 27-5 with Brooks and Sidebottom virtually unplayable during a torrid morning for the visitors. Tom Abell started the procession when he edged Brooks to Alex Lees at first slip in the fourth over before Sidebottom clean bowled his former England team mate Marcus Trescothick for five in the seventh.
Brooks then struck twice in the tenth over as Australian Tom Cooper edged a sharply rising ball to Adam Lyth with the hapless Jim Allenby departing three balls later after shouldering arms to an off cutter that removed his bails. James Hildreth lasted until the twelth over when he became Sidebottom’s second victim and Lyth’s second catch.
Brooks finished his seven over spell with 3-15. Lunch cannot come soon enough for Somerset.
Worcestershire 32-2 v Sussex
Most of Sussex’s struggles this season can be attributed to injuries, specifically to their bowling reserves. Nothing highlighted that more than a tired Ollie Robinson, at the end of the third day at Lord’s on which he had bowled both seam and spin, talking about how his shins were “killing him”.
For the first in a while, he’s been able to spend the first 10 overs minding his own business in the field as Chris Jordan has returned to take the new ball. By the time Robinson had come into the attack, replacing Steve Magoffin from the New Road End, Jordan had made two key inroads in a blistering opening spell.
Getting good carry down the slope, he got the usually guarded Daryl Mitchell to push at a ball just outside off-stump. The ball flew to Michael Yardy at second slip, who could only palm the ball into the air. Luckily for Yardy, the ball dropped straight to Chris Nash at first. Then, after Yardy and Luke Wright both left a catch that bisected them, Jordan put a little bit extra on the very next delivery to take out Tom Fell’s off-stump.
That means Brett D’Olivera, who opened with Mitchell, is out in the middle with the precocious Joe Clarke. Clarke has just given a bit back to Jordan by timing one sweetly down the ground for four.
Jamie Bowman sets up the day from Yorkshire v Somerset
Welcome to Headingley Carnegie where the sun is out and Yorkshire have won the toss and are fielding against Somerset. The big team news is that Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie has chosen to leave out young batsman Jack Leaning and instead turned to Australian Aaron Finch. Leaning has had a tough time recently despite averaging 46 in this year’s competition and being nominated for this summer’s County Championship Breakthrough Player of the Year.
Several other sub-plots add interest to this game with England players Adam Lyth, Gary Ballance and Johnny Bairstow all returning to their club with a point to prove to the England selectors.
Despite their healthy lead at the top of the County Championship, Yorkshire cannot win the title this week but a win will make them champions in all but name.
It’s not something I’ve ever noticed or sought out, but when you drive up to Worcester from London you pass Cadbury World, situated just outside Birmingham. It’s not quite Willy Wonka’s playground and that’s confirmed by a quick browse at the reviews on Trip Advisor.
From one disgruntled visitor: “The tour lasts around an hour and is, on the whole, pointless. Three bars of chocolate are thrust into your hands as you enter and then that’s it apart from a tablespoonful in a paper cup during the ‘chocolate making section’ which comprises of one member of staff spreading chocolate on to a marble slab and telling you that you can’t try it as it’s old recycled chocolate.”
Judging from the noises of those who have been out to the middle, we’ve got a recycled slab of our own at New Road. The pitch is the one used for the T20 Blast quarter-final against Hampshire, a match traumatically cut-short by the fading light. After a pretty grim start to the day in these parts, the sun has come out to ensure play will start on time in this relegation “48-pointer”. There are pockets of rain expected later today and tomorrow.
Both teams have played 13 games and are separated by four points, with Worcestershire sitting in the last relegation spot, second from bottom in Division One. With the pitch expected to break-up – the cracks evident – Worcestershire have landed the first blow by winning the toss and batting first.
Sussex are also hampered by the absence of skipper Ed Joyce, who sits out through injury, with Chris Nash taking over captaincy duties.
Elsewhere, Jamie Bowman is in place at Headingley where Somerset, who sit above Sussex by nine points – plus a game in hand – take on the soon-to-be champions Yorkshire. It might be a bonus points and battle out for the draw ask for the boys from the West Country.
Bottom of the table Hampshire are also in action as they face a tricky test up at Chester-le-Street Durham who, to be fair, have been struggling of late in the Championship.
It’s getting a bit spicy at the foot of the table – keep tabs on everything here!
Has anyone actually seen New Road from this angle? pic.twitter.com/nOieWQ7OAz
— Vithushan (@Vitu_E) September 1, 2015
Updated
Morning all,
Today we have Vithushan Ehantharajah at New Road for Worcestershire v Sussex and Jamie Bowman at Headingley for Yorkshire v Somerset. While waiting for their first reports, why not read about England’s latest success against Australia:
