Richard Gibson reports from Notts v Middlesex
Chris Read is doing as much as anyone right now to safeguard Nottinghamshire’s Division One status and his 23rd first-class hundred - he survived a relatively straightforward catch to opposite number John Simpson on 70 - has seen the hosts open up a lead over Middlesex at Trent Bridge. The 36-year-old eventually departed to a loose drive at Toby Roland-Jones. His 108 backed up by Brett Hutton’s career-best, unbeaten 70.
Richard Gibson reports from Notts v Middlesex
Well Chris Read and Brett Hutton clearly enjoy batting together: after dictating terms to Worcestershire last week over a two-hour period, they have just remained steadfast for a full session to move Nottinghamshire to within 63 runs of Middlesex with four wickets standing.
It took a drop by Middlesex wicketkeeper John Simpson to reprieve the seventh-wicket pair, however, as Read, on 70, nicked a delivery that left him off the surface from the wicketless Toby Roland-Jones. There was also half a chance for Ollie Rayner at second slip when Read was on 54, although no other player on the Middlesex side would have got his hand to the chance high above his head.
Two other notable innings in the top flight: Matt Machan has blitzed Sussex to a 121-run lead over Somerset at Taunton at tea on day three and will resume unbeaten on 86 this evening while Will Rhodes, the former England Under-19 captain, registered a maiden Championship 50 at Edgbaston as Yorkshire press for victory over Warwickshire.
Richard Gibson reports from Trent Bridge
So we have lost the other Dick, the clever one, after Leicestershire were defeated in the equivalent of five and a half sessions of cricket. Back to the bottom of the pack for the Foxes, then.
Here, we are back on the field, having lost 15 overs of the third day’s allocation to rain. Nottinghamshire are 231-6 with the second new ball imminent. Chris Read and Brett Hutton, who shared a match-turning stand of 93 in victory over Worcestershire last week, are together once more.
Meanwhile, at Edgbaston, news that Tim Ambrose is on as substitute wicketkeeper for Warwickshire after Pete McKay, his deputy, damaged a finger. Ambrose pulled out of the contest with Yorkshire due to a stomach bug but declared himself fit to take to the field for Yorkshire’s second innings.
Richard Rae has news of a result
Kent have completed their second victory of the season, beating Leicestershire by eight wickets at Grace Road, lifting themselves off the bottom of the county championship. Into seventh, in fact, while the Foxes slip back to the bottom othe pile. That’s four consecutive defeats for them, after the euphoria of beating Essex at Chelmsford last month.
Richard Rae reports from Leicestershire v Kent
Kent are just 23 runs short of victory with eight second innings wickets in hand and do will be enjoying, if being slightly irritated by, an early lunch at Grace Road.
Play had resumed on time with Leicestershire on 110-9, only 59 ahead, and Ben Raine and Charlie Shreck took the score on to 123 before Shreck was bowled by Matt Coles, the seamer’s fourth wicket of the innings to go with the six he took in Leicestershire’s first innings. Coles’ match figures of 10-94 were his best in first class cricket. All-rounder Raine finished on 41 not out.
Needing just 73 to win on what is still a difficult pitch on which to bat, the Kent batsmen adopted an aggressive approach, and while it paid off for Joe Denly, who went into the break on 27 not out, it did cause the demise of Daniel Bell-Drummond, caught by Angus Robson at first slip off the bowling of Raine for 5, and Rob Key, who lofted Raine straight to Ned Eckersley at mid-on for 4.
Sam Northeast joined Denly in putting bat to ball though, and the end was in sight when a heavy shower left the umpires no choice but to call for their vittles. Now ho for the Charles Palmer Suite restaurant (unquestionably one of the best on the county circuit as it happens).
Richard Gibson reports from Notts v Middlesex
That rain has arrived, and frustratingly for Nottinghamshire it came immediately after Steven Mullaney mishit to mid-off attempting to attack the off-spinner Ollie Rayner. The departure of Mullaney for a season-best 76 was the second wicket to fall on the third morning after Samit Patel shouldered arms at Tim Murtagh early on. Nottinghamshire are 229-6 and it looks like we are in for a lengthy delay.
Some good news for Notts, however, is that their one-day captain James Taylor could be back for Friday’s must-win NatWest Blast match against Derbyshire. The Outlaws’ qualification hopes are hanging by a thread.
Richard Rae checks in for the day
In the end it was bad light, rather than the Leicestershire batsmen, which frustrated Kent yesterday, but the county’s second championship victory of the season has surely only been delayed. The home side led by just 59 runs with a single second innings wicket remaining when shortly after 7pm umpires Steve Gale and Neil Mallender decided the light had become so poor a two day finish was out of the question.
As on the first day, the amount of movement obtained by both sides’ seam bowlers on a green pitch, together with increasingly indifferent bounce, made batting a difficult proposition, to say the least. Seventeen wickets fell, but the highlight of the day was a remarkable half-century from Darren Stevens, which together with an eighth wicket partnership of 60 between Adam Ball and Calum Haggett, helped the visitors establish a first innings lead of 51.
Stevens has actually been struggling with the bat this season, by his standards, but few players hit the ball more cleanly than the 39-year-old, and while accepting he was inevitably going to be beaten from time to time, he laid about him with the economical power of true excellence. While partners came and went on a regular basis, Stevens hit ten fours and went to his 50 with a glorious soaring six high over midwicket hit off Charlie Shreck, a former Kent team-mate.
Two more boundaries followed before his dismissal for 63 off 72 balls, and that, along with the efforts of Haggett and Ball, swung the match. While 51 doesn’t sound like a big lead, Leicestershire were four down before it had been wiped off, and when they lost three wickets shortly after tea without adding a run, their fate was all but decided.
“It was one of those pitches when you just don’t know which ball is going to have your name on it, so I took it to them, I batted in funny positions on the crease, I mixed it up, used my feet, and chanced my arm,” smiled Stevens
“If you’d have tried to bat normally it wouldn’t have worked, probably. If you keep your intent you actually get in better positions anyway, so on a pitch like that you can still come out on top.”
He also bowled pretty well, along with Haggett and Matt Coles, picking up three wickets to add to the two he took in Leicestershire’s first innings. It meant Kent did not miss their fourth seamer, Ivan Thomas, who suffered a side strain early on the first day.
Morning all
Today we have Richard Gibson at Trent Bridge for Nottinghamshire v Middlesex and Richard Rae at Grace Road for Leicestershire v Kent. Here’s Richard Gibson’s scenesetter:
It’s ‘moving’ day in the match at Trent Bridge, and I hope Nottinghamshire and Middlesex get the chance to move it. There is a marshmallow of angry grey cloud drifting across West Bridgford and rain is forecast. But even as I type the sun is making an appearance, so quite frankly who knows what we will get. There have been a few landmarks reached so far: James Harris became the first Division One bowler to 50 wickets yesterday and Brendan Taylor the fourth to 700 runs; Taylor briefly threatened to take over at the top before a lazy leg-side flick at James Franklin did for him. Middlesex will not have given up hope of winning this, and are one good bowling session away from taking command. Notts resume on 180-4, trailing by 194 runs.
Across the East Midlands, Leicestershire look well and truly doomed in their match with Kent, who would clamber away from the foot of Division Two with victory and allow their opponents to return to the bottom, the position they occupied for the previous two seasons. Richard Rae will bring us news of their efforts in delaying the inevitable. Leicestershire resume, weather permitting, nine wickets down second time around with an advantage of just 59 runs.
Enjoy the cricket
