Richard Gibson reports
Yorkshire have inflicted Middlesex’s first defeat of the County Championship season - Glenn Maxwell finishing things in style with a huge six over long-on off James Harris - to move level on points with them in Division One. This was an outstanding game of cricket and Middlesex played their full part, threatening a victory themselves until late in the piece.
Will Macpherson sends another report
Sorry for radio silence - Hampshire cruised home four down. Young Terry was excellent in making 62 not out as Messrs Carberry, Vince and Smith were all caught trying to get things moving. A cracking win. Full report to follow shortly.
Richard Gibson reports
Dramatic evening session here. First, Adam Lyth edged an Ollie Rayner that gripped and bounced to leave Yorkshire 129-3. The chance to capitalise further appeared to have gone in the very next over when first-innings centurion Jonny Bairstow was floored at first slip by Middlesex captain James Franklin. But three balls later, Toby Roland-Jones turned him around and the ball flew to Rayner to leave Yorkshire requiring 81 runs with six wickets intact.
Richard Gibson sends another report
Gary Ballance walked past one in the second over after tea to provide Ollie Rayner with a wicket, Middlesex’s second of the innings. The requirement for Yorkshire is a further 103 runs, with Adam Lyth unbeaten on 52.
Richard Gibson reports
Yorkshire have taken a grip of this contest by progressing to 91-1 at tea on the third afternoon and require a further 122 runs to inflict a first defeat on Middlesex this County Championship season. Middlesex, the Division One leaders heading into this round, did test their opponents with the new ball and were rewarded for their discipline when James Franklin won a leg before shout against the out-of-form Alex Lees in the 15th over. However, a 64-run alliance between current Test batsmen Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance has put the hosts on course to draw level with their opponents on 94 points. Durham are now top of the Championship following their victory over Somerset.
Will Macpherson sends another update
Jimmy Adams has gone, caught brilliantly by Mike Yardy at midwicket off Luke Wells, but little else of note is happening. Hampshire cruising home at 61 for one, another 65 required.
Lizzy Ammon is feeling the chill
A couple more wickets here have pushed things further into Northamptonshire’s favour. Rory Kleinveldt has all three Essex wickets. He’s been swinging the ball and got Nick Browne – the left hander – edging behind for 30 and then very quickly after bowled Ravi Bopara for one with a lovely inswinging full ball. Essex still trail by 69 but Tom Westley is looking in superb form. He’s a very compact player and his drives through the covers are all being timed perfectly.
Ben Duckett, who is keeping wicket in the absence of the injured Adam Rossington, is having a slightly better time with the gloves so far this innings. He looked distinctly shaky in the first and conceded 21 byes.
It hasn’t warmed up. Did I mention already that it’s cold?
Will Macpherson reports
Hampshire looking pretty comfortable here. They’ve moved serenely to 36 for no loss and neither Jimmy Adams nor Sean Terry have offered a chance and there have been some lovely drives down the ground from both batsmen. It was all a little Magoffin or bust but nothing doing. Would think this could be over in an hour or so….
Lizzy Ammon reports from Wantage Road
We’re underway after lunch here in freezing cold Northampton and Essex have reduced the deficit below a hundred. Tom Westley, who was looking very fluent in the first innings until taking a kamikaze single and being run out, is looking equally as fluent and has advanced quickly towards his half century.
Off-spinner Rob Keogh is enjoying bowling into the rough to the left hander Nick Browne although the Essex opener has played a number of a good sweep shots.
If I were a betting woman, I’d say this match is going the distance – unlike most of the others. Remind me to bring another cardigan with me tomorrow. brrrrrrrrr
Will Macpherson sends another update
Alas, young Hudson-Prentice couldn’t manage those 20 or 30. He fell without scoring, caught at bat-pad by Sean Terry off Briggs. So Hampshire need 126. Sussex’s last four wickets fell for four runs, which is a terrible showing after all Wright and Brown’s good work earlier. It was all triggered by a moment of brilliance from Will Smith to run out Wright. Sussex are short on bowling, to be honest – Jordan, Shahzad, Anyon and of course Mills are all absent. Steve Magoffin will need a couple of very early ones if they’re to stand a chance, you’d think.
Will Macpherson reports
Ten balls after lunch, Ollie Robinson has done exactly what his team needed him not to do. Bird bowled one on his pads and, with unerring accuracy, Robinson flicked it straight to Berg at deep-square. Terrible way to go. One wicket remains and the lead is 123. Fynn Hudson-Prentice scored two centuries in a match when playing grade cricket in Brisbane over the winter. Sussex need him to pinch 20 or 30, you’d think. Then they’ll need to bowl brilliantly. Not looking good for them.
Richard Gibson reports from Yorkshire v Middlesex
Lunch was delayed seven minutes here (although as one wag suggested, not for the press). That was because of Yorkshire’s pre-lunch burst of wickets, the final one of four in a spell of 5.2 overs coming seven minutes into the extra half-hour allocated for its fall. Middlesex were therefore dismissed for 229, providing the match scorecard with some nice symmetry. That was the same total managed by the hosts yesterday, and leaves them 213 for victory.
It was Will Rhodes, the Hull-raised all-rounder, and his fellow Hullensian Steven Patterson that did the damage. After Patterson had just about stopped sulking about being denied the wicket of Ollie Rayner lbw, he had the same batsman held at short extra-cover to terminate a 47-run stand for the seventh wicket. Rhodes then took over: handed a fortuitous-looking leg before to send back James Harris, he also required the help of Gary Ballance’s flying catch at midwicket to dismiss Toby Roland-Jones while last man Tim Murtagh had his off-stump knocked out by one that straightened.
Will sends his lunchtime report
So that’s luncheon. Big, big, big ten minutes before the break, though. Brown, on 51, pushed to point and called for a single. Will Smith swooped round to his left from cover, picked up the pill and launched it at the striker’s end where he had one stump, which he hit, to aim at. Wright was run out for 84 and looked furious with himself, with Brown, with the umpire, with the world. He’d batted quite brilliantly and the pair had run excellently between the wickets in sharing 120 but this single was just so needless. But genius from Smith, really excellent.
Things got worse for Sussex. Jackson Bird had bowled poorly since swapping to the Cromwell Road End. His first four overs cost 28 but with the fourth ball of the fifth, he produced a lifting brute that Brown gloved to slip for 52. With that, lunch was taken and Sussex’s hopes lie with their tail. Ollie Robinson, on a duck, will be joined by Fynn Hudson-Prentice, on debut, with only Matt Hobden to come. You’d think they’d need to steal 50 runs after the break to stand a real chance. They’d done so well until that brilliant run out (indeed it could easily have all been wrapped up by lunch were it not for Wright and Brown’s resistance), but Hampshire dine with their tails right up. The lead is 122.
Will sends another update
Sussex continue to press on. Jackson Bird has bowled poorly in this match and, upon his return to the attack from the Cromwell Road End, had his first three balls pumped to the fence by Brown, through point and then two through square-leg. That moved the keeper to 49 and he’s since brought up his 50 (from 84 balls and with a whopping 10 fours). Wright is in the 70s, the lead is 100.
Will Macpherson sends another report
Sussex are going along very nicely, and since that horror Briggs drop, haven’t offered a chance. Luke Wright top-scored in the first innings and has moved on to 66, bringing up his 50 in an Edwards over that went for three boundaries. Brown, who scored a massive ton in the reverse fixture at the start of the season, has 35 and is looking to make Danny Briggs pay. The spinner is bowling from the Sea End at Fidel’s footmarks and the emerging plates at the Cromwell Road End but is failing to make anything happen. Sussex 220 for six and the lead is 79. Anything more than double that, and bums will be squeaking across Hampshire.
Lizzy Ammon sends an update
Well well – things are moving on a bit here at Wantage Road. Northants were all out for 444 a lead of 168. The final pair added 20 before Olly Stone was caught off Napier who bowled superbly this morning. He finished with figures of 3 for 85.
Northants have already made a breakthrough though. Kleinveldt picked up his 300th first-class wicket getting Mickleburgh with an inswinger which the Essex opener just walked into and played all round. He has made just 8 runs in this match.
The ball is swinging today and we’re in for an intriguing day.
I never did find any decent coffee though
Richard Gibson reports
Some funky captaincy from Andrew Gale this morning has contributed to Yorkshire taking two Middlesex wickets. Encouraged by the presence at the crease of the two left-handers Dawid Malan and James Franklin, Gale opened up with the occasional off-spin of Adam Lyth and was vindicated when the former edged the sixth ball of the morning to slip.
Then, after giving Jack Brooks just three overs from the Kirkstall Lane end, he switched to Tim Bresnan and was rewarded when, immediately after Franklin fended one off the shoulder of the bat through gully, John Simpson chopped on. Since time, some grey cloud has rolled in, terminating Lyth’s seven-over spell and allowing Steven Patterson a first tilt for the day from the Football Stand End. Middlesex, led by their captain Franklin, are fighting hard and have their lead up to 161 with four wickets intact.
Will Macpherson writes from Sussex v Hampshire
Action, here. Since Magoffin went, Fidel has been peppering Ben Brown, hitting him three times. But Brown has moved to 20 and was dropped absolutely horribly by Danny Briggs at square leg, a moment ago on 13. Fidel dug it in again, and he tried to flick it to fine leg, where he’s had some success, but was through his shot to early and just spooned it up to Briggs, who shelled it. Literally the simplest catch you could imagine, and straight through the hands. Luke Wright has moved to 49 too, and is playing with real intent. The lead is 45.
Lizzy Ammon writes from Northamptonshire v Essex
A very good morning from Wantage Road. It’s brass monkeys here and the cloud cover has meant there’s more swing than there has been the other two days. Graham Napier has been vintage Napier this morning. He’s taken two wickets including the important one of Richard Levi who’s gone for an excellent 168 from 213 balls. He was trying to play it down to third man but changed his mind half way through the shot and it caught the edge went high up in the sky and there was time for Foster to make a cup of tea before it came back down into his gloves. Crook was the first man to go only adding one to his overnight score, he mistimed a pull off Napier caught at midwicket.
Kleinveldt who certainly wasn’t in the mood for any gentle singles skied one to deep cover point where Ryan Ten Doeschate took an excellent catch. Northants lost 3 for 27 but have got the lead past 150.
Mohammed Azharullah is playing his shots at No11 – not all of them very attractive but he’s still there……. For the moment.
It might be an interesting day because there’s a significant bit of wear on the pitch at the Pavilion End of the ground which will have Rob Keogh very interested.
Now I’m off in search of a decent cup of coffee… his is quite a mission in many county grounds including this one.
Will Macpherson sends his first report of the day
It’s another fine day, if not quite as warm as the first two. Re: the much-debated pitch – either way, we’re almost certain for a third consecutive three day finish at Hove. The first two were criticised by their visitors – some of whom saw blood spilled – but this one has been a decent cricket wicket, for mine. A couple of deliveries have misbehaved, but not regularly.
Fidel Edwards is opening the bowling and fourth ball of the day he has his first wicket haul for Hampshire, the county’s first of the season and the first of the five wickets they need today. Nightwatchman Magoffin gone, caught by Vince at second slip without adding to the score. If Fidel bowls like he did last night, this won’t last long.
So, Sussex are now effectively 1-6. Over to you, Luke Wright. Jackson Bird - who’s yet to fully find his rhythm in his first game for the county - from the Sea End.
Richard Gibson sets up the day
There has been a lot of talk about weather and pitches this week and a combination of a dry spell and sporting surfaces could mean a full set of results for the latest round of matches. The majority could actually finish today such has been the pace of the cricket.
Here at Headingley, where I am watching Yorkshire versus Middlesex, it has been a throwback to a previous generation with ball dominating bat. In recent times, Andrew Gale and Jason Gillespie, home captain and coach respectively, have bemoaned the lifeless nature of the surfaces but they can have no complaints on that front or this match. The ball has carried nicely and misbehaved just enough to spread apprehension throughout the batting units. It has left the contest tantalisingly poised. Middlesex, who resume 110 to the good with six second-wicket innings intact, will fancy their chances of increasing their lead at the top of Division One if they can swell their advantage to 250.
Will Macpherson could be set for a short shift today with Sussex effectively resuming on 1-5 in their second innings against bottom-placed Hampshire. Certainly the Sussex win looks the longest of long shots. But if the characteristics of the Wantage Road pitch are anything like the ones I witnessed in the opening round of the season, when Gloucestershire secured a stalemate by batting out the final day for the loss of just two wickets, then Lizzie Ammon will be the one turning out the lights on this blog tomorrow night.
Elsewhere, Somerset face a challenging 279-run target to beat Durham to extend their recent resurgence, Derbyshire have the finishing line in sight at Centerbury, Gloucestershire’s fixture with Lancashire looks like it could take any one of three routes over its second half while Surrey appear to be bossing things at Grace Road against Leicestershire. But as usual here, we welcome the unexpected.
Morning all,
Today we have Lizzy Ammon at Wantage Road for Northamptonshire v Essex, Richard Gibson at Headingley for Yorkshire v Middlesex and Will Macpherson at Hove for Sussex v Hampshire. Here are the reports from yesterday’s play:
Northamptonshire v Essex
Richard Levi puts Northamptonshire in driving seat
While wickets tumbled at a furious rate elsewhere, it was a more sedate affair at Wantage Road, where the steady accumulation of runs were punctuated only by the occasional fall of a wicket. Northamptonshire finished the day in a strong position thanks to Richard Levi’s first county championship century. Known more for his explosive one-day batting, this was a measured and calm innings. He finished the day unbeaten on 157.
Yorkshire v Middlesex
Jonny Bairstow hits well-worked hundred against Middlesex
Jonny Bairstow produced an extraordinary counter-punching hundred to haul Yorkshire back into an enthralling contest with the Division One leaders, Middlesex. A glance at the scorecard puts the efforts of Bairstow, England’s current deputy Test wicketkeeper, into context. After his unbeaten 125 the next best score was the 20 made by his overnight partner Jack Leaning, who he saw depart to the very first delivery of the second day.
Sussex v Hampshire
Hampshire enjoy their best day of season against Sussex
Hampshire arrived at Hove rooted to Division One’s foot, without a win and without a five-wicket haul. In the reverse fixture, the season’s first, they were so soundly beaten that they mustered three points.
Enjoy the cricket
