Some early evening for you...
Richard Gibson writes
Andrew Gale has a thing for Notts, clearly. He has just reached his fourth first-class hundred against them (he also has a 99). Also passed 7000 for the career. The pitch is flattening out, the champions are to the good three wickets down and Jonny Bairstow joins the match tomorrow morning. Yorks 235-3.
Oh, Middlesex. They’re not yet in the lead and they’re in trouble. Compton, with the keeper up and in his ear, has driven half-heartedly to Shantry and found Gidman at first slip. He’s furious with himself, it might have stopped in the track but that’s careless, for me. Stirling and Burns are at the crease.
Middlesex are now in the lead, as Burns steers Ajmal neatly behind square on the offside. Huge 21 overs here.
Say what you will about the new Saeed Ajmal, but that looks like some nut to me. Middlesex were going very nicely indeed, chipping away at the deficit when Ajmal – who’s been on in Moeen’s stead since tea – got one to turn from around the wicket to southpaw Gubbins and take the top of off. It’s pitched on middle and off, he’s gone forward and it’s kissed the top of off stump after turning sharply. Gubbins is shaking his head and you can see why. 67 for two.
That, by the way, brings an end to a run of 38 wicketless Champo overs for Ajmal.
Richard Gibson writes
Yorkshire have seized the advantage in this contest with both Gale and Leaning passing 50. They will resume after tea on 163-3. Off the field, however, there is not such good news with Aaron Finch dispatched for further scans on his rib injury. The first lot were inconclusive and although the damage is a suspected bruised lung, the fact he was coughing up blood means they are taking no chances.
So we’ll take tea now, and Middlesex – after that funny fifteen minutes at the start – have calmed rather and are 52 for one, 24 behind. Compton has looked good, and has 35, while Gubbins has been resolute and will have a cuppa with 17 to his name. Very important session – just 32 overs long and likely to be lots bowled by spinners – coming up for Middlesex. Capitulate, and Worcestershire may not have too grim a chase.
Those spinners, then. Ajmal hasn’t bowled yet but Moeen just served up three passable enough overs before the break, which will be music to the ears of the England management. He had a nice long net earlier, with bat and ball, but he needs overs, real life overs. Be nice if he could bowl at least ten of the 32 to come.
Wowzer, that’s a seriously eventful start to the Middlesex innings.
So, it starts with Robson, on a king pair, allowing Gubbins to take first strike. Gubbins milks 3 off Morris’s fifth delivery. First ball, Robson gets an absolute seed that he does brilliantly to miss.
Next over, bowled by Lloydsy Leach, Gubbins is caught brilliantly by Fell diving one-handed, high to his right at third slip. But, much to the cordon’s dismay, Gubbins is not going anywhere, because he thinks it’s a bump-ball. Moeen at point is perhaps the only man to agree. The finger doesn’t go up.
First ball of the next over, Morris gets Robson pushing forward and caught behind. So it’s a pair, if not a regal one. Poor Robbo – he was out before 11am on Sunday, so in the allotted time for this game, he’s actually faced two deliveries.
Compton comes in and first ball, pushes to leg for two and there are four overthrows. NICK COMPTON HIT HIS FIRST BALL FOR SIX. What is this strange world we live in?!
After all that, it’s 11 for one and Middlesex are 65 behind. Battle on.
Well what a fun little session that was since lunch. Worcestershire are all out for 385, a lead of 76. I said this morning that I reckon they’d need a lead of 75 to force a result and they’ve done that, just. Shantry smacked consecutive, massive sixes to leg off TRJ and ended up 41 not out. At the other end, Ajmal fidgeted his way to 20 before being bowled by Murtagh and, two balls later, Morris succumbed to the same fate and there the innings ended. Three times in that session (and four today) only one stump has been left standing, with two blown fully out of the ground. Great sight. Worcestershire, by the way, got the fourth batting point. A couple of minutes until the Middlesex second innings gets underway. They need to be careful, I’d say.
Richard Gibson reports
A classical piece of fast bowling kidology from Stuart Broad provided Nottinghamshire with a third wicket at Headingley. In the sixth over after lunch, he switched to around the wicket and used the old trick of elaborately placing his deep square leg. It appeared to get into the head of Alex Lees, whose middle stump went cartwheeling next ball. But Jack Leaning, Yorkshire’s best batsman this season, has unveiled some classy strokes to help Yorkshire to 92-3 alongside captain Andrew Gale.
Worcestershire are in the lead. They go there as Fell top edges TRJ through Simpson’s hands for 4. He’s 137 and Worcestershire are 313 for seven after Harris rearranged Lloyds Leach’s stumps. He made 19 and Shantry is in.
Tom Fell, finally, is gone. What a wonderful knock that was, his highest score in FC cricket. He was caught at deep square by Robson off TRJ, two balls after a massive six. He made 143 and it’s 332 for eight. Ajmal and Shantry in, should be fun.
Richard Gibson reports from Headingley
Nottinghamshire have accounted for both of Yorkshire’s current England batsmen early on - Gary Ballance snared in the leg-slip trap set by James Taylor off the bowling of Ben Hilfenhaus - to leave their hosts 35-2. One concern for Notts, however, is that Michael Lumb has been laid up with a swollen foot. He has not taken to the field after being struck on the boot by the Tim Bresnan delivery that accounted for him yesterday.
It’s lunchtime and Worcestershire are 297 for six, 12 short of parity. Tom Fell has been simply outstanding; he just creamed a drive through the off side so sweetly that it beat the stationed deep point, despite being just five metres or so from where he started. Joe “Lloyds” Leach hits the ball really, really hard and is 16.
This is now a very, very difficult game for Middlesex to win. For Worcestershire to get a positive result, they need to whack a few this session then get early wickets, before Moeen and Ajmal do their thing on a track that should spin.
Harris has another, as he gets one to climb on Ben Cox, who pushes half forward and fends to Rayner at second slip, who takes a fine catch between his chin and his chest (he’s a big man, I appreciate that’s a big area). Joe “Lloyds” Leach replaces Cox at the crease, and just stroked Murtagh to leg a couple of times. He’s a good bat, and so is Fell, who’s still there on 109. It’s 262 for six.
Richard Gibson reports
The England head-to-head at the top of Yorkshire’s reply was comprehensively won by Stuart Broad: Adam Lyth dismissed lbw third ball. It was Lyth’s first duck in first-class cricket for 12 months, a sequence of 26 innings. His previous one coming here against ... yep, you’ve guessed it ... Nottinghamshire. Yorkshire 14-1 in challenging conditions.
Richard Gibson’s first report of the day
Some good unbridled late-order hitting this morning took Nottinghamshire to a batting point and was just threatening a second when Jack Brooks struck twice in an over to conclude the innings for 224.
Luke Wood and Ben Hilfenhaus both cleared the ropes during a 65-run alliance in 14 overs with the latter’s hit nestling in the second tier of the old pavilion. There were some silky shots to complement the muscle too with Hilfenhaus guiding a four behind point off Brooks and Wood back-cutting off-spinner James Middlebrook for a couple.
The late surge will have improved Notts captain James Taylor’s mood - he faces two level one conduct charges for his reaction to being given out caught behind yesterday. There were certainly some opinions expressed about it as he departed and although there may have been doubt about bat making contact with ball there was definitely none about its clunking against an advertising board as he walked off. Such charges would see six points on his personal record. Nine points within a two-year period triggers an automatic suspension.
Tom Fell has his century from 174 balls, with 16 fours. He’s the key if Worcestershire are to get a lead on first innings, although my hunch is that this could be one of those games where the first digs all but cancel each other out and it becomes a face-off on a wearing pitch.
He went to the milestone with a cut that beat backward point, which is the same way he went from 94 to 98 an over later. He’s done the basics brilliantly, leaving, driving and pulling well, his stout defence complemented by attacking flourishes. Well done that man.
Oh no, I’ve done it again. Clarke - who I said was looking good - is LBW in the first over of the ball, to Murtagh. Sorry, Joe.
The new ball has been taken at the first opportunity and Worcestershire are 224 for four. Fell has continued apace and Joe Clarke - who was born in 1996, yes, 1996 - has looked great, consecutively driving then flicking Franklin for four. Murtagh has the new pill.
Early action at Uxbridge. Worcestershire are in a good position – perhaps, though, not quite as good as a position as the sub-editor who wrote the headline for my piece last night thought – but it’s slightly weaker now as Alex Gidman leaves a very straight one from Tim Murtagh without adding to the overnight score. That brings Joe Clarke to the crease, who is the only player in Worcestershire’s history, apparently, to score two double centuries for the second team. It’s 198 for four.
Morning all from Uxbridge, where it’s the third morning of Worcestershire’s match against Middlesex. Worcestershire are in a good position, but they’ve been prone to capitulations in the second half of matches. Tom Fell – who was excellent yesterday – and Alex Gidman have shared 83 and need a fair few more. I reckon the pitch will spin on the final couple of day, so hopefully Moeen Ali gets a good bowl. He’s just have a net with the bat in front of me, which is one of life’s great pleasure. I described him yesterday as a big-bearded bundle of loose-limbed loveliness and I stand by that. He’s here for overs, though, not runs.
We bid Lizzy Ammon adieu as Northants beat Kent, but Richard Gibson is at Headingley for Yorkshire’s game against Nottinghamshire, which had a good chunk of rain yesterday. At some stage today, Stuart Broad will have a bowl at Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance in all of their last games before they head off on the pre-Ashes Lads Holiday with Trev Bayliss. Elsewhere in Division One, Hampshire are following on and have lost both their openers against Somerset. Pretty dire straits, then.
In Division Two, Surrey are building a lead at Derbyshire, Leicestershire are playing catch up after more Graham Wagging from Glamorgan, while Michael Klinger holds the keys as Gloucestershire follow on against Essex, who look good for a second consecutive win.
Richard and I are looking forward to hearing from you – enjoy the cricket, it should be a cracking Tuesday.
Morning all,
Today we have Will Macpherson at Uxbridge for Middlesex v Worcestershire and Richard Gibson at Headingley for Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire. Here are links to yesterday’s reports:
Middlesex v Worcestershire
Moeen Ali and Tom Fell have Middlesex on the ropes
For all the morbid pre-season predictions and their southerly league position, promoted Worcestershire simply do not look like one of the worst two sides in Division One. Their bowling looks pedestrian but they are supremely drilled and seldom allow batsmen to leave the ball, harrying them into action. Here their busy, bustling batting was of the same spirit.
Northamptonshire v Kent
Northamptonshire restore feelgood factor as Olly Stone rolls over Kent
A blistering spell by Olly Stone ripped through Kent’s middle order and enabled Northamptonshire to win this game, in effect, inside two days of actual play, given that Saturday was lost to rain. The 21-year-old’s five-wicket haul came in a 10-over spell from the Ken Turner end giving him career-best figures of five for 44.
Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire
Aaron Finch suffers scare as Yorkshire rattle Nottinghamshire
Yorkshire took the unprecedented step of overlooking not one but two overseas players for their latest County Championship match – but their decision could yet have serious repercussions.
Enjoy the cricket
