That’s all from today’s play. We’ll leave you with Elizabeth Ammon’s report from Hove, where Gary Ballance produced a nicely timed 165:
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James Hildreth and Peter Trego gave Somerset complete control of their relegation tussle with Worcestershire here on Saturday.
Their bullying and unbroken sixth wicket stand of 221 in 44.2 overs pushed Somerset to 565 for five. And then Worcestershire – who had won the toss and chosen to bowl - stumbled to 44 for four at tea before thunder, lightning and rain wiped out play for the rest of the day.
Hildreth, 133 not out overnight, went on to make 220 from 304 deliveries, with 29 fours and a six, while Trego was unbeaten on 130 from 143. They took it in turns to hug each other as the double century and century were reached in the same over, the seventh after lunch.
Worcestershire, looking for their first away win in the first division since 2012, made an awful start, slumping to 15 for three in the ninth over. Brett D’Oliveira was out first ball, edging Craig Overton to second slip, where Marcus Trescothick took a juggling catch.
Lewis Gregory then struck twice in the same over. First he had Tom Fell caught at first slip by Jim Allenby and then, three balls later, he uprooted Alex Gidman’s off stump with a delivery which left the batsman late.
Somerset then brought on their left-arm spinner Jack Leach, and with his first ball he had Daryl Mitchell caught behind for 13, to make it 33 for four in the 16th.
The Somerset players piled on top of each other in celebration. But their joyful expressions suddenly changed to dismay when Jamie Overton emerged from the heap players with a hobble and a grimace. The bowler returned to the field after treatment to his right leg.
The umpires carried out a couple of inspections when conditions eased but bad light and finally more rain ruled out any more play.
It’s raining here at Taunton, and it could be terminal. Dark clouds started gathering like mourners just before the players came off for tea and there has been no action since.
The light rain has now become heavy and thunder and lightening are providing the special effects. Worcestershire, 44 for four and in the mire, won’t mind this one bit.
Worcestershire have slumped to 44 for four at tea here and on this showing look relegation material. Can this be the side that beat Somerset by an innings at Worcester early in the season?
They lost their second wicket in the ninth over, with the score on 15, when Tom Fell was caught at first slip by Jim Allenby off Lewis Gregory for a duck.
Three balls later, without addition, Alex Gidman, defending, had his off stump plucked out by Gregory, as the ball left the batsman late. Somerset then brought on their left-arm spinner Jack Leach, and with his first ball he had Mitchell caught behind for 13; 33 for four in the 16th.
The Somerset players piled on top of each other in celebration. But their expressions changed when Jamie Overton emerged from the heap players with a limp. He returned to the field after treatment to his right leg. It’s suddenly become as dark as night overhead.
Well all the timings are all over the place here at Hove, we’ve been expecting them to go off for tea but because of the delayed lunch break we are going on for another half an hour which means we’ll have a very truncated evening session.
This Hove pitch has completely lost any life it had yesterday and it’s hard work even for the battery of seam bowlers that Yorkshire have. The leg spin of Adil Rashid was introduced as early as the 16th over and he got a bit of turn but so far Yorkshire haven’t made a breakthrough. It’s not been chanceless though, Sussex opener Luke Wells has edged three times through the gully region but so far he survives in partnership with Ed Joyce who’s had a quiet season by his own standards but having seen off the new ball, the pair are starting look more comfortable and this is a solid start for Sussex at 65/0.
Hildreth came out after lunch without his sweater, as if to say: “Now I’ve got a solid base to my innings, with 189, I can really get down to work.”
In the 134th over of the innings, the seventh after the break, bowled by Ross Whiteley, Hildreth reached his double hundred and Trego his century. Hildy got there with a four to backward-point, Trego with a push to midwicket for a single.
Somerset may have overcooked things slightly, because they are already guaranteed batting and draw points at the very least. But they eventually declared at 565 for five, with Hildreth on 220 and Trego on 130. Their unbroken sixth wicket stand had added 221 in 44.2 overs.
I wonder what Daryl Mitchell, the Worcestershire captain, thinks about his decision to bowl now? To make things even worse, opening batsman Brett D’Oliveira has gone first ball, caught at slip by Marcus Trescothick off the bowling of Craig Overton; its four for one at the end of two overs.
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A delayed lunch here at Hove which is one of the regulations I’d get rid of. It messes the caterers about something rotten. It’s been Yorkshire’s morning on a pitch that has lost any signs of the life it had yesterday although Chris Liddle did get some decent bounce from the sea end which resulted in the wicket of Steve Pattersen without scoring to leave Yorkshire 459-9 and the extension of the morning session for another half an hour. Plunkett is playing his shots and this final pair have added 22 and we’re racing now to see whether the extra half an hour runs out or whether Sussex can prize out this final wicket.
There’s a showing of the Hedley Verity play I mentioned earlier on at lunch and they’ve had to delay curtain up because of the extended session. Cricket eh?
The game at Taunton nodded off in the half hour before lunch. Once they had reached 450, Somerset might have flirted with the idea of declaring and sending Worcestershire in for ten minutes or so before lunch. If so, this was the briefest of flirtations.
Instead, Somerset decided to pile on the runs, but their innings lost some of its early momentum. At lunch they are still mightily placed, at 487 for five. Hildreth is on 189, his highest championship of he season, beating the 187 he scored against Middlesex at the start of the season.
Trego, having driven Brett D’Oliveria for one six and slog-swept him for another, became introverted. But he did strike the last two balls before lunch, bowled by Dolly, for four. And overall Somerset have made good progress this morning, adding 138 in 31 overs.
Gary Ballance has been bowled by a beauty from Chris Liddle for an excellent 165. His 100 came from 200 balls and his final 65 from 66 balls as he opened up and started playing more expansive shots. Tim Bresnan won’t be getting a century though as he’s just been run out in the same over for 78 – he was a bit slow coming back from the second that Plunkett had called him through for and Chris Nash flattened the stumps in a most undignified way.
Yorkshire will have Adam Lyth and possibly Bairstow back for their next Championship match and it’ll be interesting to see how they fit everyone into the side.
What life there was in the pitch yesterday seems to have disappeared today and Yorkshire march on towards 400. It took Ballance just nine balls to bring up his century – a mathematically pleasing one from exactly 200 balls and Tim Bresnan has just passed fifty and is having a tremendous season with the willow. He’s averaging over 60 this season.
Yorkshire needs another 17 runs in four overs to get to 400 and get another bonus point and things are looking very easy for the batsmen – Ballance is opening up and has just unleashed the reverse sweep.
The Café here at Hove is always a good place to pick up the gossip and test the mood and it’s fair to say the ECB’s proposals to cut the championship to 14 matches has gone down like a trump in a lift amongst the members here and the contractual reasons that mean that Yorkshire need to stick with Aaron Finch rather than the services of Kane Williamson have caused some chuntering amongst the Yorkshire faithful. Neither Finch nor Williamson could play in Yorkshire’s quarter final anyway as neither have played group matches and there’s a real chance that Finch won’t even make it into the Championship first XI.
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At Taunton Somerset have progressed to 400 and a maximum fifth batting point, and they have done so without losing another wicket, so no more bowling points for Worcestershire.
When Hildreth had added 14 runs to his overnight score he reached 1,000 championship runs for the season, and shortly afterwards he reached his 150 from 205 deliveries, with 23 fours. After 107 overs Somerset are 401 for five, with Hildreth on 160. Peter Trego also looks in useful form and is unbeaten on 28.
A very good morning from Hove where it’s going to be absolutely scorchio today. It was a good day’s cricket yesterday, the visitors ending the day the happier of the two teams. Gary Ballance needs a couple more runs to score his 26th first-class century and Tim Bresnan needs six more for his 24th first-class half century. Over 2000 people were at the County Ground yesterday, It’s substantially fewer today but I suspect a lot of people are going to watch the Albion who are playing at home today.
After play this evening, there will be a play about Hedley Verity’s 7 for 9 which he took here at Hove just as war was declared in 1939 – all the other county matches stopped but Yorkshire and Sussex played on and Yorkshire won the title. Verity then, of course, went off to war and was killed.
A big welcome to the second day of this week’s county blog. Elizabeth Ammon is at Hove, watching Yorkshire take on Sussex, while I am at Taunton for the game between Somerset and Worcestershire.
I see Yorkshire recovered from a hesitant start yesterday, and closed the first day on a commanding 346 for six. They look certain to lift the championship title in the next few weeks, so the real interest is in who will go down – two of Sussex, Hampshire, Somerset and Worcestershire.
Somerset are well placed here at 349 for five, with James Hildreth unbeaten on 133. But the weather is forecast to turn nasty late this afternoon and it could be awful tomorrow and Monday. So their plan will be to get to 400 without losing another wicket and then pick up some bowling points while the weather holds, because this match could be heading for a soggy draw.
