Graham Hardcastle at Taunton.
You know how get those players who always seem to score runs every time you watch them. Well James Hildreth falls into that bracket for me, and today is no different.
Hildreth has just recorded a 30-ball fifty with six fours and two sixes, and he is one of only three batsmen to have topped 500 runs in Division One alongside Alex Hales and Scott Borthwick. Hales leads the way on 532 with Hildreth on 515. His two sixes came in two balls against Adil Rashid, one over midwicket and the other straight.
Shortly after he came to the crease, Somerset were reduced to 168-3 in the 49th over and in danger of slipping into a bit of trouble in reply to 438, but they are now 228-3 after 60.
Hildreth, who scored runs for the MCC against Yorkshire in Abu Dhabi in March, started this innings needing 167 to post 1,000 first-class runs for the season. You wouldn’t put it past him, especially with me here.
Graham Hardcastle at Taunton.
Adil Rashid, the only front-line spinner in the match, has picked up Yorkshire’s second wicket, that of Tom Abell caught at slip by Tim Bresnan for 62, with Somerset now 165-2.
Yorkshire’s 438 looked nothing but par in good batting conditions following 56 from Marcus Trescothick … hang on a sec. Steve Patterson has just trapped Johann Myburgh lbw for 41, and it is now 165-3 in the 49th.
Is this game moving back in Yorkshire’s direction after a strong afternoon session for the hosts, who now have in-form James Hildreth and out-of-form Tom Cooper together?
So it’s tea here at Hove and the murk has set in, reports Lizzy Ammon.
The lights are on, the pitch is still difficult but there’s been a good counter-attacking innings of 29 from Rikki Clarke helping Warwickshire extend their lead to a more than handy 163 with effectively eight wickets down (as Westwood won’t bat).
It’s Matthew Hobden who’s picked up four of the Warwickshire wickets and whilst he’s not always sure where it’s going, he certainly bowls with decent pace. Jordan has bowled much better than his figures of 0 for 29 would suggest.
It’s just getting to the point where you’d think Warwickshire might be favourites. This will be a very difficult chase for Sussex against a very good Warwickshire attack.
Graham Hardcastle has the latest from Jason Gillespite at Taunton.
Jason Gillespie has spoken about England here at Taunton, praising Andrew Strauss’s handling of the situation surrounding the appointment of a new coach.
Gillespie, who was thought to be in pole position for the role, was informed that he was not the ECB’s “preferred candidate” by Strauss this morning, and now Trevor Bayliss will be in charge of the team for this summer’s Ashes series.
The 40-year-old has also given a ringing endorsement to Bayliss’s credentials, admitting: “If it is Trevor, I am fully supportive of it. If I put myself in Andrew’s shoes, I’d probably make the same decision if I’m honest.
“I found out from Andrew. One thing that has really impressed me has been how Andrew and Tom have gone through this. I know there has been a lot of media and we’ve seen a lot of leaks and what not, but I can’t speak highly enough of Andrew and Tom Harrison. They made it very clear with me.
“If I was fortunate enough to be offered the position, I would still have had to deeply consider it because I do enjoy my job at Yorkshire and I’m excited about the [Adelaide] Strikers. My thoughts were ‘what’s the worst that can happen’. I will go and sit there and have an interview, which is another experience for me, and go through that process. I can only be better for that. I saw I had nothing to lose.”
Meanwhile, on the field, Yorkshire have made the breakthrough courtesy of Steve Patterson, who had Marcus Trescothick caught behind for 56. Somerset, replying to 438, are 88-1 after 27 overs.
Updated
Lizzy Ammon reports from Hove.
Warwickshire have pushed their lead on to 80 here at Hove but have lost 4 wickets in the process (and don’t have the services of injured Ian Westwood).
A brisk 16 for Jonathan Trott which included that rare beast – a Trott six – ended when he thick edged to Jordan in the slips off Hobden. Stand-in opener Javid has just edged to the gully off Robinson.
The pitch hasn’t got any easier at all and the bowlers are absolutely loving this. A lead of anything over 120 or so will be a far from straightforward chase. Pitch might be dodgy but it’s making for a quite intriguing game.
Lizzy Ammon at Hove.
We’ve got a bit of a delay here at Hove because Chris Wright has ducked into a bouncer off Magoffin and there’s blood pouring out of his chin. He’s taken his shirt and pads off because they are covered in blood. He’s got a change of shirt but appears to be carrying on.
Warwickshire are 30-1 leading by 19. Wright himself is 10* having been promoted to No3. Maybe it’s actually just a nosebleed from the dizzy batting heights he finds himself at.
Graham Hardcastle with the latest from Taunton.
Those early Somerset wickets I suspected might come did not, and far from it. Marcus Trescothick, in particular, and Tom Abell have made a confident start to the reply to reach lunch at 38-0 after 10 overs, with the home captain 24 not out with four boundaries.
Tim Bresnan only bowled two overs for eight with the new ball from the River End before he was replaced by Liam Plunkett.
As the Bank Holiday crowd currently wander around the outfield or play their own games of cricket - dad is batting against lad immediately in front of the press box - two players of note are bowling into a baseball mitt. Somerset’s overseas left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman, left out of this match, is turning his arm over on one strip, while Yorkshire’s injured veteran Ryan Sidebottom is doing likewise on another.
Sidebottom has missed the last four Championship matches including this having torn a calf in the season opener at Worcestershire. It is hoped he will be fit for their next match against Middlesex at Headingley, starting 7 June. His former team-mate and captain Anthony McGrath is the man with the mitt.
This match is all a bit weird, writes Lizzy Ammon at Hove.
Chopra is out LBW to one that kept low; he gave the pitch a filthy look before trudging off. And with Ian Westwood unlikely to bat again due to a thumb injury, Javid is opening but the most bizarre thing is that Chris Wright has just walked out to bat at No3. Warwickshire are 14-1 leading by just three runs. Jordan is getting some serious bounce from the Cromwell Road end.
This match is certainly not going the distance.
A ton for Bresnan, reports Graham Hardcastle.
Tim Bresnan has a fourth first-class hundred, and his third in the Championship. But Yorkshire have been bowled out for 438 inside 115 overs following the wickets of Steve Patterson and Jack Brooks in four balls to Peter Trego and Craig Overton, who finished with four wickets and three respectively.
Bresnan, whose last ton came in August 2007, finished on 100 not out off 136 balls. He did not face another ball after reaching his milestone.
The reliable all-rounder shared 92 for the ninth wicket with Patterson, who made 42, and it was just the kind of partnership that demoralises the bowling team and brings a couple of early wickets as a result. We will see!
Lizzy Ammon at Hove.
To shoehorn in a cricketing cliché, it’s a one innings game here at Hove. Sussex have been bowled out for 191 a lead of just 11. Luke Wells made 92, which in the context of the game, was a very impressive determined innings on a really difficult pitch.
Ian Westwood has been off the pitch after being pinned on the hand by Jordan yesterday so he won’t come in to open but will come in later on.
It’s fair to say that neither side are terribly impressed with the pitch but I guess it does mean they’ll almost certainly all get a day off.
Graham Hardcastle reports from Taunton.
Jason Gillespie will not be speaking about the England situation until the ECB confirm their new England coaching appointment, with the Australian set to miss out to his compatriot Trevor Bayliss.
On the field at Taunton, Gillespie’s Yorkshire side are enjoying an exceptional second morning. After a watchful start to their innings yesterday, which saw the score only 118 runs in the first 42 overs, they have now secured the maximum of five batting points for reaching 400 inside 110 overs, a feat they achieved with five overs to spare.
Tim Bresnan is 91 not out as he chases a fourth first-class hundred, and he has shared an aggressive unbroken half-century stand with ninth-wicket partner Steve Patterson (unbeaten on 30), a regular contributor of useful runs, to take the visitors to 412-8.
Lizzy Ammon checks in from Hove.
The sun is out here at Hove and the Beer Festival is in full flow. We’ve had a wicket; that of Ben Brown who was caught in the slips off Rikki Clarke who’s bowled very well in this match. Luke Wells is still there on 79 from 150 balls and it’s been an innings that has displayed a very good temperament on a difficult pitch. Sussex trail by just 24 now with Oli Robinson, who scored a century three weeks ago, still to bat.
It’s been pretty hard work for Sussex this morning, the batsmen can’t really trust the bounce on this pitch and that’s making them somewhat tentative. One thing of note: Boyd Rankin has only bowled two overs and he bowled far too short. Be interesting to see when Varun Chopra brings him back into the attack today if at all. At the moment Keith Barker and Rikki Clarke are really testing Wells and Jordan.
Graham Hardcastle reports from Taunton.
Yorkshire fans will be punching the air. Not because of their team’s position of strength in this fixture, but because their much-heralded coach is now set to stay at Headingley.
Last night, we left Taunton believing that this could be Jason Gillespie’s last Championship fixture in charge of the county, but now things are very different. It is understood the 40-year-old South Australian has known about the likelihood of Trevor Bayliss being appointed as England’s new coach for a few hours now, although that news has not necessarily come from the ECB.
Yorkshire will resume play on 345-8 and will be happy with their first day’s work despite losing two wickets in the last three balls of play, including centurion Jack Leaning and Liam Plunkett.
Plunkett was trapped lbw by Peter Trego, who subsequently came into the press conference with a pitch fork in his hand. Apparently, he had some gardening to do before bad last night. A fine way to celebrate an important three-for.
Lizzy Ammon sets the scene
Good morning. Welcome to the County Blog. It’s people’s day at Lord’s today.
Here on the County Blog it’s people day everyday.
I’m at Hove where Warwickshire didn’t have a great first day. They were bowled out for 180 in the Hove gloom. Sussex will resume 140/5. Graham Hardcastle is down in Taunton and will bring us reaction to the emerging story that Jason Gillespie might be snubbed for the England job in favour of Trevor Bayliss. There’ll also be some cricket down there where Yorkshire had a very good day yesterday including a magnificent century by Jack Leaning and half centuries for Jonny Bairstow and Tim Bresnan. At New Road, Worcestershire’s wicket-keeper Ben Cox salvaged matters for the home side scoring 67 in their innings of 323. Durham will resume 14/0.
In Division Two, Rob Key is back in the runs having dropped himself for the last match for being out of form. He was Kent’s highest scorer down at Beckenham. At Southport Lancashire dragged themselves back into the match late on in the day and Derbyshire will resume 335/9.
Hopefully you can avoid the Bank Holiday jobs around the house and join us for the action in the County Championship today.
