Surrey seamers do for Essex and close on the title championship
Surrey have one hand and four fingers on a first Championship title since 2002, and could seal it next week.
Rory Burns’ side completed their eighth successive win, over the reigning champions Essex, by 10 wickets inside three days at Chelmsford to move 43 points clear of Somerset. It means they head into next week’s round, starting on Monday, knowing that if Somerset fail to win at Hampshire, a win with 18 points against the bottom side Worcestershire at New Road would be enough. That, however, is not accounting for any points deduction for Somerset regarding their wicket for the Taunton tie with Lancashire.
Surrey were left chasing a target of two after Essex, made to follow-on 225 behind in reply to 351, delayed the inevitable thanks to Ravi Bopara’s unbeaten 81. Rikki Clarke led the way with four for 47 while Morne Morkel added three wickets after Tom Curran had undermined home hopes with two early strikes. “We’re not looking too much into the maths,” said Burns. “It becomes very dangerous when you start thinking about it being a done deal.”
Their relentless charge means all the focus will be on the bottom end of Division One during the closing stages, with Hampshire winning at Worcester to give themselves significant breathing space. Worcester, eight down overnight chasing 248, were skittled for 133 as Kyle Abbott finished with six wickets. Hampshire moved up to fifth, ahead of Lancashire and second-bottom Yorkshire, who play each other next week. Those three sides could be separated by eight points with three rounds remaining.
Only 33 overs were possible before 1.20pm as Yorkshire (357 for five) responded to Nottinghamshire’s first-innings 448 with their highest score of the season in a likely draw. Division Two’s leaders Warwickshire, 26 for one in their second innings and leading by 46, were held up by weather against Durham at Edgbaston.
Sussex moved into second place by beating Leicestershire by 274 runs at Hove, with Ollie Robinson taking 10 in the match. But Kent will return to second if they beat Northants at Canterbury. The visitors, chasing 320, closed on 56 for three. Middlesex, another promotion contender, are chasing victory over Gloucestershire at Bristol. Gloucester closed on 87 for four, leading by 141. Derbyshire beat Glamorgan.
And finally, in the race for second place in Division One, Sussex have struck the first blow of the week by beating Leicestershire by 274 runs at Hove. The Foxes, whose own promotion push has faltered recently, have been bowled out for 176 chasing 451. Kent will return to second if they beat Northamptonshire at Canterbury. The visitors are 4 for 0 chasing 320.
A full county roundup will appear here later.
Sussex are closing in on victory at Hove, and second place in Division Two for the time being. Leicester, chasing 451, are 163 for eight. Five more wickets for Ollie Robinson, and he has current match figures of 10 for 67.
We are off for the day at Trent Bridge, where only 33 overs have been bowled. Yorkshire will begin day four on 357 for five, needing 43 more in seven overs to reach 400 and get a fifth batting point.
Surrey beat Essex by 1o wickets!
Rory Burns took four balls to tick off the two runs Surrey needed to beat Essex at Chelmsford after the home side were bowled out for 226. The title is now surely a formality.
I see Joe Denly has got 81 for Kent against Northants at Canterbury, where Kent – second in Division One – are 223 for six, leading by 255. He was bowled by Richard Gleeson and has fallen just short of 750 runs for the season. His name has obviously been mentioned as a possible for Sri Lanka this winter and an Alastair Cook replacement. Would you take him?
All hail Ravi Bopara. He has made Surrey bat again. He is 81 not out in Essex’s 226 for nine, and they lead by one run.
Nine down at Chelmsford. Essex could still make Surrey bat again though, a rare achievement for Division One counties this season. They are 209 for nine, trailing by 16. Morne Morkel has taken his third wicket – Jamie Porter for 31.
We have been working out the points situation at the top of Division One while the rain comes down at Trent Bridge, and Surrey could win the title next week. They travel to Worcester, while Somerset travel to Hampshire.
Tea has been taken at Trent Bridge, where it is still raining, added to weather delays at Edgbaston, Bristol and Derby. Essex are eight down at Chelmsford as Surrey close in on another win and the title as a result. In Division Two, Leicestershire are 78 for three chasing 451 to beat Sussex at Hove, while Kent are 183 for three at Canterbury, leading Northants by 215. Joe Denly is 77 not out.
Essex have lost their sixth wicket, Michael Pepper going to Rikki Clarke to rub some (Phil) Salt - Sorry - into their wounds. Essex are now 139 for six, trailing by 86 at Chelmsford. Ravi Bopara is unbeaten on 47. There is an increasing feeling we won’t see any more cricket at Trent Bridge today.
We are off for rain here at Trent Bridge. Yorkshire are 357-5 from 103 overs. Tom Kohler-Cadmore has 92 and Tim Bresnan 11. They are also off for rain at Edgbaston and bad light at Bristol. It seems as if the ground staff are expecting this weather to kick around for a decent amount of time as they’re putting the heavy sheeting on.
Great effort by the Leicestershire debutant Ben Mike, who has finished with match figures of nine for 94 at Hove. The club’s twitter feed says they are the best match figures on debut by a Fox since Robbie Joseph (whatever happened to him?) claimed 12 for 111 in 2012. The floodlights have been turned on for the start of the afternoon at Trent Bridge.
Updated
Lunch around the circuit, and Yorkshire have lost a wicket at Trent Bridge – Jonny Tattersall superbly caught behind by Tom Moores off Harry Gurney for 51. Yorkshire are 344 for five after 100 overs, and I feel they will be missing a trick if they don’t try to get to 400 in 110 for a fifth batting point. These are the moments you look back on with significant regret if you get relegated by a point.
Essex are 104 for 5 at Chelmsford, still trailing by 119, with Morne Morkel striking just before lunch to get rid of Ryan ten Doeschate – his first wicket an innings dominated by Tom Curran and Rikki Clarke. Yet another Surrey innings win is on the cards this afternoon.
In Division Two, Warwickshire are 28 for one second time around against Durham at Edgbaston with a lead of 46, Will Rhodes the man to go early on, lbw to Chris Rushworth.
A result is around the corner at Derby, where Glamorgan are 107 for eight chasing 302. Four of those wickets have gone to the Middlesex loanee Martin Andersson.
Kent are 109 for two in their second innings, leading Northants by 141. Zak Crawley is unbeaten on 56 and Joe Denly 31. Is the latter Sri Lanka bound this winter?
Leicestershire are 17 without loss, chasing 451 at Hove, while Gloucestershire (6-0 in their second innings) lead Middlesex by 60 at Bristol. The visitors were bowled out for 242 this morning as David Payne claimed the last three wickets to fall.
Sussex have set Leicestershire 451 to win at Hove. Here, Jonny Tattersall has just reached his fifty and notched a century stand with Tom Kohler-Cadmore. 332 for four in the 97th over. A race for bonus points in the offing.
A real comedy of errors here as the ball gets thrown around the field back to Luke Wood. Harry Gurney at mid-on misses the throw and it scoots off towards the boundary (ball dead, so no fear of runs conceded), only for him to retrieve it and chuck it back to Wood. However, his throw is too strong and it misses him and is picked up in the cover region by Samit Patel. Definitely Yorkshire’s morning so far. They are 325 for 4, trailing by 123 with Kohler-Cadmore on 82 and Tattersall 46.
I refer to my earlier post of “wickets continue to fall” … Essex 35 for 3, with two wickets for Tom Curran and one for Rikki Clarke, while in Division Two Kent are 23 for 2 second time around with a lead of 53. Northants were earlier bowled out for 105. Matt Henry finished with a career best 7-42. At Derby, Glamorgan are 40-4.
No breakthroughs here at Trent Bridge yet, but Steven Mullaney has dropped Jonny Tattersall at second slip. Yorkshire are 307 for 4. There are reports of rain here around lunchtime. Although the sun has disappeared, the clouds don’t look too threatening.
Updated
Hampshire have won by 114 runs, with Kyle Abbott finishing with a second-innings six-for. As things stand Hampshire are 20 points clear of Yorkshire, who are second-bottom in the table but with points to add from this game. I would expect them to secure a haul of 11 or 12 points here.
Yorkshire 291 for 4 and now batting against the new ball, taken by the left-armers Mark Footitt and Luke Wood. The visitors are 157 runs behind, and this next hour I feel is crucial to the outcome of this match. If Yorkshire, led by Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Jonny Tattersall, can get through it unscathed, they will be very much on course for a draw, potentially better.
Wickets continue to fall. Essex are 16 for 1 following on at Chelmsford, with Tom Curran getting Varun Chopra. Worcestershire are nine down and on the verge of defeat against Hampshire, while Glamorgan are 22-2 chasing 302 against Derbyshire.
Paul Collingwood has been bowled by Olly Stone with the first ball of day three at Edgbaston. Durham are 224 for 8. Just the single added here in a couple of overs. Yorkshire 259 for 4, trailing by 189.
Preamble
Good morning from Trent Bridge, where it is sunny and warm ahead of day three. Certainly a short sleeves morning.
Looking at the scores around the country, this match kind of has the feeling of being the calm amidst the storm. Both sides have batted confidently, and you’d have to say a draw is the favourite as we stand.
That is not to say a win for either side is out of the question, more so Notts.
Yorkshire begin on 258-4 in reply to 448, and if Notts have a good morning with the ball, they’re right in the hunt. If Yorkshire bat well for two sessions, they could put their hosts under pressure with the ball after tea.
It looks like a number of matches could be wrapped up today, most notably Surrey winning at Essex to take an almost unassailable lead at the top of the Division One table after Somerset’s incredible slip up yesterday. Essex start the day on 13-0 in their second innings at Chelmsford, trailing by 215.
At New Road, bottom side Worcestershire are heading for defeat against relegation rivals Hampshire in a match which is also of interest to Yorkshire. They are 120-8 chasing 248.
In Division Two, leaders Warwickshire (310) and Durham (224-7) are locked in an evenly matched contest at Edgbaston, as are Kent (137) and Northamptonshire (76-8) at Canterbury. The latter has been heavily affected by rain, with hardly any played there yesterday.
Gloucestershire have the edge over Middlesex at Bristol, with the visitors 182-7 in reply to 296. After four wickets in the first innings for England under 19s quick Ethan Bamber, he is at the crease nought not out this morning.
Sussex are on course to strengthen their promotion bid with victory over Leicestershire at Hove, probably inside three days. They are 100-6 in their second innings, but with a lead of 340 against a team they bowled out for 133 in the first innings.
And finally, in a clash with no impact on the promotion race, Derbyshire have the upper hand against Glamorgan at the County Ground, where the visitors are 16-1 chasing 302.
