Roundup
Just popping my head in quickly to say thanks so much to everyone below the line for reading and commenting.
A cracking round of matches then - with a hunk-a-chunk of runs from the England captain, some youngsters playing a blinder -George Bartlett, Tom Taylor - and a couple of cracking centuries from the mid-management looking for promotion - Ravi Bopara and Dawid Malan.
That’s it from me for this round - see you on Thursday! Good night.
Results
Division One
Hampshire 525-8 dec (SA Northeast 169, RR Rossouw 76, LA Dawson 64, AK Markram 63) v Essex 164 (AN Cook 50; FH Edwards 5-51) & 274 (RS Bopara 107, SR Harmer 62; KJ Abbott 5-77)
Hampshire (24pts) beat Essex (1pts) by an innings and 87 runs
Nottinghamshire 408 (JM Clarke 112, BT Slater 76; D Olivier 5-96, S A Patterson 4-78) & 329-5 dec (JM Clarke 97no, CD Nash 75, BM Duckett 61, SJ Mullaney 52) v Yorkshire 291 (A Lyth 81, JE Root 73) & 277-2 (JE Root 130no, GS Ballance 101no)
Nottinghamshire (12pts) drew with Yorkshire (9pts)
Somerset 171 (ME Claydon 5-46) & 243 (GA Bartlett 63, ME Claydon 4-66) v Kent 209 & 131 (L Gregory 5-18)
Somerset (19pts) beat Kent (4pts) by 74 runs
Division Two
Derbyshire 197 (HR Hosein 78) & 334 (HR Hosein 62, T Lace 61, MJJ Critchley 51) v Durham 171 (LM Reece 5-47) & 235 (GJ Harte 69, AZ Lees 59)
Derbyshire (19pts) beat Durham (3pts) by 125 runs
Northamptonshire 445 (L Procter 81no, AG Wakely 76, AM Rossington 67, TJ Murtagh 6-80) & 10-0 v Middlesex 271 (JAR Harris 61 no, N L Buck 5-54) & 317-4 dec (DJ Malan 160no, MDE Holden 54)
Northamptonshire (12pts) drew with Middlesex (9pts)
Sussex 173 (D Wiese 51; TAI Taylor 6-47) & 308 (PD Salt 80; CN Ackermann 5-69, TAI Taylor 4-75) v Leicestershire 252 (LJ Hill 67; O E Robinson 4-46) & 232-3 (PJ Horton 61, Mohammed Azad 59, MJ Cosgrove 53 no)
Leicestershire (21pts) beat Sussex (3pts) by 7 wickets
Updated
And they shake hands at Trent Bridge and Northants.
Two draws, four results and nothing rained off. A good round’s work!
Close to shaking hands here so then it is all eyes on Wantage Road. Where, I thought there was a sporting declaration, but I seems Middx just need to get their over-rate up. Sorry I rather lost that in translation. Anyway, I must write a round-up, I’ll try to nip back if anything exciting happens.
um...
Opening the bowling for Middlesex... Eoin Morgan.
— NCCC (@NorthantsCCC) April 8, 2019
Wow! Middlesex have declared. Come on you big seamers you. Northants need 144 to win.
And Derby have beaten Durham by 125 runs . Rushworth lbw to Reece, leaving Trevaskis not out 27. Not a great first outing for Durham, but a super effort by Derby - already a quarter of the way to their four wins of last year.
And with an invigorating drive Root has his hundred. The Notts players suddenly remember he is England captain and applaud warmly. Bruised fingers, bust helmet forgotten - this was a better innings than his first innings effort, less chancey, more measured. Almost battling.
Updated
Durham’s target down to 126 as Joe Root enters the nervous nineties. And then he sweeps to go onto 98 and brings up the 200 partnership all at the same time. Ballance has hurried up of late - 81 not out.
Malan eases past 150 - will he pass Northeasts 169? I mean they wouldn’t declare... would they, with a lead of 150?
Durham need 143 more runs to win, but on the other hand Derby need a wicket.
TEA-TIME SCORES
Division One
Somerset 171 and 243 beat Kent 219 and 131 by 74 runs
Hampshire 525-8 dec beat Essex 164-9 and 274-9 by an innings and 87 runs
Notts 408 and 329-5 dec; Yorkshire 291 and 181-2. Yorkshire need 266 runs to win.
DIVISION TWO
Sussex 173 and 308; Leicestershire 252 and 232-3. Leicestershire win by 7 wickets.
Northants 445; Middlesex 271 and 292-4. Middlesex lead by 118 runs
not tea Derby 197 and 334. Durham 171 and 216-9. Durham need 145 to win
Updated
Oh dear, dear Durham.
Tea-scores to follow.
Also, incidentally, interesting editorial decision by BBC 5Live Sports extra to go from the County Champ to the IPL at 3.25 on weekdays and 11.25 on a double-header day.
A magpie flies past the press-box window. Behind the stands the trees are still wintry and the pale spring sunshine seems to have zapped the Notts attack of any afternoon venom. There, that’s the 150 partnership between Root and Ballance. And Broad takes his sunhat. Victory to the captain
Good heavens! Malan is onto to 146 and the Middlesex lead moves into three figures. I don’t want to mention 2018 but ... soon we’ll have to mention 2018.
Is there any way back for Durham?
Can Darren Stevens score 105 more single handed? Was just wondering about Jamie Overton and google tells me he went unsold at the IPL auction(as did Lewis Gregory. Also, who knew Steffan Jones was the Rajasthan Royals bowling coach?)
Can anyone shed any more light on him? Vic are you there? Injury?
Broad comes back on at the pavilion end. Last throw of the dice?
And then Root dangles his bat at Coughlin, come on little fishy...
Joe Root enters that dangerous territory between 55 and 90. He passes fifty, hitting Coughlin for four fours in an over in the process. Ballance plods on, 37 (133 balls)
Hampshire have now beaten Essex by an innings and 87 runs. Ravi Bopara and Simon Harmer’s heroics in vain as Abbot (5-77) and Edwards (4-49) get stuck in.
And this:
I've supported Somerset since 1948, and I still get as excited as an artichoke
— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) April 8, 2019
Well done George and Lewis
Summary
A huge appeal against Joe Root (46) as Coughlin sends down a bouncer. Root seems to have gloved it to the keeper - a huge appeal but the umpire says no and Root whistles innocently to himself. Notts desperate for a breakthrough here.
And that’s the first win of the season for Leicestershire!! Beating Sussex by seven wickets. Azad and Horton laid the foundations, Cosgrove (53 not out) and Ackermann (24 not out) did the rest. But the first County Blog Player of the Match is Tom Taylor. Pass the champers someone.
Bopara out for 107. Three each for Abbott and Edwards. Essex in the sink.
A century for Dawid Malan ! 197 balls, 12 fours. Not out of the shadowlands yet but a lead of 38 is a lead of 38.
Ok, so this my your final words on the Mankad - they’re not brief.
Bob O’hara (nice cat btw)
@tjaldred Unless I've missed something, mankading a striker is already covered in the laws, under under Law 39 https://t.co/vjC6Mex6bA
— Bob O'Hara (@BobOHara) April 8, 2019
Then a note from Surendranath Halder
I wholeheartedly agree with Abhijato’s point. As for me myself, I think it’s an innovative yet seemingly obvious line of questioning I have never met before, and I think the same can be said for many people following this page today.
That adds to the ingenuity of the idea! Here’s my radical proposal: every time a batsman is found outside his crease during the period when the bowler has ‘loaded’ till before he releases the ball, the square leg umpire should immediately give five penalty runs to the opposition once the ball has become ‘live’.
While Tom Paternoster-Howe disagrees:
A non-striker sneaking a few extra inches down the wicket would be, without the threat of a Mankad, gaining a risk-free advantage and could reasonably be said to be cheating; whereas a batsman standing out of his crease to negate spin/swing is definitely NOT operating in a risk-free manner. Against a spinner there’s the real risk of a stumping from a wicketkeeper standing up to the stumps & against pace losing that fraction of a second could be crucial as it may mean thee batsman has insufficient reaction time to play the stroke he is attempting.
Short version: standing a foot outside the crease gives a batsman about one hundredth of a second less to react. It is the same difference between standing on the crease and facing a 90mph ball vs a 91.6 mph ball.
The crease is 1.22m in front of the stumps, which are 20.12m apart, so there’s already only 17.68m from crease to crease. Having had a look at Rabada’s action (since he was mentioned by Abhijato), he seems to release the ball about a metre in front of the crease at about 2m above the ground (give or take). If a batsman is standing on the crease, then the ball travels 16.8 metres. If a ball is bowled at 90mph, that gives the batsman 0.42 seconds from the ball leaving the hand to playing the ball. If he stands a foot out of his crease to negate any sharp late swing, then the ball will travel 16.5 metres, giving him 0.41 seconds to react, or one hundredth of a second less.
That’s the same reaction time as if the ball were bowled at 91.6 mph.
More gnocchi - sweet and sour carrot this time. Here at Trent Bridge, a few post-prandial overs sitting in the sun was just the tonic, and oh the reassuring murmur of a county cricket crowd. Impressed to see one chap opening a litre tub of vanilla and get stuck in.
I see Kent have lost another one - seven for Gregory in the match now. That batting line up looking as fragile as ever if Renshaw doesn’t get runs. Harmer and Ravi ploughing on at The Rosebowl, super rearguard hundred there by Bopara though they have to last a couple of sessions yet. Malan and Holden finding the Northants bowling suddenly toothless, and - Durham lose a third, Richardson for 5.
LUNCHTIME SCORES (Onward Leicester, Oh, Kent)
DIVISION ONE
Nottinghamshire 408 and 329-5 dec (Joe Clarke 97 not out); Yorkshire 291 (Lyth 81, Root 73; Broad 3-56, Fletcher 3-64, Patel 3-31) and 72-2 (Ball 2-28) Yorkshire need 375 to win.
Somerset 171 and 243 (Bartlett 63; Claydon 4-66); Kent 209 and 43-5 (Gregory 3-8). Kent need 163 to win.
Hampshire 525-8 dec; Essex 164-9 (Cook 50) and 229-5 (Bopara 100 not out) . Essex trail by 162 runs.
DIVISION TWO
Sussex 173 and 308(Salt 80, Finch 48; Ackermann 5-69); Leicestershire 252 and 176-2 (Horton 61, Azad 59 not out). Leicester need 54 to win.
Northamptonshire 445; Middlesex 271 and 176-3 (Malan 79 not out; Buck 3-29) Middlesex lead by 2 runs.
Derbyshire 197 and 334; Durham 171 and 101-2 (Lees 59). Durham need 260 to win.
A slight stumble for Durham - hit by a double Critchley - but they plough onward: 271 to win.
IT’s all quiet round the houses for now...
Whither Dawid Malan? Forgotten in dispatches but waving a wee hankerchief at the selectors at The County Ground -74 not out. Middlesex inching towards parity. If they can bat till tea...
Alas, poor Renshaw.
REPLAY: The perfect start! 👊
— Somerset Cricket 🏏 (@SomersetCCC) April 8, 2019
In comes Matt Renshaw.....#SOMvKEN #WeAreSomerset pic.twitter.com/TfjGxB2akr
Horton out at the Hove run-chase but Azad ploughing onwards -96 to win.
Tim/Daddy Pig has also been scratching his head about Mankading. We have a, very polite, disagreement:
I think Brian Clifford is mistaken about ‘Mankad’-ing the striker. The MCC doesn’t make it easy to puzzle the thing out from the way the Laws are written, but I think Law 38.2.2.2 rules it out. Bear in mind that elsewhere the Laws state that it’s a no ball if the bowler attempts to throw the wicket down:
“38.2.2 The striker is not out Run out in any of the circumstances in 38.2.2.1 and 38.2.2.2.
........
38.2.2.2 No ball has been called and he/she is out of his/her ground not attempting a run.”
Is that clear?
And with the very first ball of the innings, Kent lose a wicket. OH, and a second. R e n s h aw for a duck. Kent 1/2.
And pain killers for Rootie now on three not out. He’ll be desperate to play early-season championship cricket next year...
Go Ravi - 81 not out for Essex! They still trail by 165 mind...
Ok, so Kent need 206 to win at Taunton. Hmmmmm, interesting. This is made for Renshaw - no?
Root pulls on a new helmet and the old firm resume. Root and Ballance. Style and substance. Snow White and Rose Red.
Root in the wars again this time hit on the helmet by Broad. Physio on the pitch checking what his name is and who is the prime minister is.
Adam Lyth and his tiny tread make their way back to the pavilion. He tried to leave a straight one from Ball, and played on, stumps akimbo. Ball has been impressive today.Yorkshire in big trouble at 25/2, far too many runs behind for it to matter.
Ah, Hoppsy has seen Bartlett play. “He is very much a innovative young strokemaker - he’s got a lot of talent”
And Brian Clifford has been thinking about mankading too
@tjaldred Re Abhijato Sensarma's excellent points, it is possible to attempt to run out the striker before the ball is delivered. It's covered by Laws 21.4 and 41.17. The practicalities of execution make it seem almost impossible to pull off though.
— Brian Clifford (@Cliffo1981) April 8, 2019
But some good news for Somerset fans - fifty for George Bartlett, who made his maiden hundred against Lancashire last year, an ex England Under-19. Anyone seen him live?
Another one down at Taunton - a fourth for Mitchell Claydon, who surely had a part in 1980s Saturday evening favourite Metal Mickey.
Yet before I could leave my seat, a wicket! Young Harry Brook, pushing forward and well caught at slip by Nash off Ball . Now Gary Ballance’s heavy tread puts fear in Nottinghamshire hearts.
A bit of a morning brain teaser from Abhijato Sensarma. I’m going to grab a quick coffee so I’ll leave you to think on while crunching that chocolate digestive someone left in the biscuit tin (watch out for crumbs in the keyboard).
You have brought up the IPL, so while no one is still looking I would like to ask you about a thought I had after the infamous Ashwin mankading incident took place.
Since leaving the crease to gain an unfair advantage is punishable for the non-striker, why should it not be for the striker when he stands completely outside the crease?
Considering some part of the potential run is effectively taken before the ball is ‘live’, the logic should apply for both ends, and when batsmen like Finch against B. Kumar stand outside the crease, it too should be termed ‘cheating’!
A counterargument might be that the keeper stands up to the stumps so a batsman (another example: Kohli against Rabada in SA to negate swing) risks the chance of getting stumped, like the non-striker backing up too far risks the chance of being run-out.
But while Rabada might stop and manage to dismiss the non-striker during his run-up fairly easily, the striker can only be dismissed during a stumping (that too only when the ball reaches the keeper in the first place), which will be physically impossible to pull off when pacers like KG bowls swinging darts at 145+...
If the batsman standing outside his crease plays it along to an outfielder and completes a tight single successfully, that inch he gained before the ball was in play would give him an unfair advantage. Considering this line of logic, do you think there should be restrictions put in place by the game’s lawmakers regarding a striker’s position on the pitch?”
A first wicket at Taunton for Ali’s tips for the top. Craig Overton gone for 28.
Leicester moving smoothly onwards, while Middlesex’s survival thrown a curve ball by a third wicket for Buck - Robson for 41. Both Durham openers still there.
A question from Dom Cole:
“When was the last time all the matches reached day 4? There’s only really been weather at Taunton. Surprising no?”
From memory Dom, yes, very surprising. I seem to remember from the County Blog last year that we nearly always had at least one match finishing early. Perhaps it is the new ball? The better weather? Last year the groundsmen were recovering from the Beast from the East.
Also, it should be said that the match at Taunton would probably be over by now if it hadn’t rained on the Friday.
And heartless Notts have declared. Perhaps that’s the attitude of future Champions.
And some IPL news, just quickly, while no-one is looking.
Women's IPL matches look set to go ahead.... https://t.co/aHGvPtgqzD
— Women's Cricket Blog (@WomensCricBlog) April 8, 2019
and here on The Hundred
Exclusive: Visa laws set to be changed for The Hundred - making it easier for T20 specialists to appear, and ending the ban on Associate cricketers as overseas playershttps://t.co/V0rffrCj55
— Tim (@timwig) April 7, 2019
Preamble
Good morning! And welcome to our final day of this first round. The sun is out at Trent Bridge and we think that Notts are going to be kind (oh do be kind) and bat on and let Joe Clarke get the extra three runs to make him the youngest Notts player to make two centuries on debut.
Around the counties, there are results to be had at Taunton, Southampton, Hove and Northants and it is not looking good for Somerset, Essex, Sussex or Middlesex.
Yorkshire need to bat well to hold on for a draw against a super Notts attack, and Durham likewise - can they resist Luis Reece this time round?
Updated
