One hundred and three wickets fell on the first September day of this year’s Championship, and yet neither the Division One leaders nor their chasing tail had a good day. Essex spent eight hours in the field at Edgbaston, where injury-plagued Warwickshire batted with great gumption. Dom Sibley’s 51 took him to 1,000 Championship runs in the season, then Sam Hain (77 not out) and Matt Lamb (69 not out) added 129 more. The Championship’s leading wicket-taker, Simon Harmer, wheeled out 36 overs, finishing with three for 67.
At Taunton, Somerset failed to gather a batting point after being bowled out for 199; only 66 from captain Tom Abell and a fiery 40 from Jamie Overton, who was presented with his county cap in the lunch interval, preserved their hopes. Keshav Maharaj, playing his last match for Yorkshire, licked his lips and tweaked five for 54 against his favourite side. Yorkshire lost three wickets before the close.
Darren Stevens’ bashed 88 as he enters the end days of his Kent career nudged the innings into respectability. Ravi Ashwin, on return from waiter duty with India, took four for 121. Nottinghamshire’s batsmen then suffered their now familiar wobble, losing two wickets before stumps. Stevens, inevitably, swiped one of them.
Seventeen wickets fell on a green Southampton pitch after the Clark(e)s Jordan and Rikki kiboshed Hampshire for 149. Rikki Clarke’s five for 21 included his 500th first-class wicket. Surrey’s batting then folded in similar fashion, with Ollie Pope, overlooked for The Oval Test, top scoring with 68.
Middlesex’s outside chance of promotion seemed to fade into the bad light at Lord’s. After dismissing Durham for 147, pinned together by 54 from Australian Peter Handscomb – Steven Finn four for 41 – Middlesex had a collective afternoon swoon against Chris Rushworth and Ben Raine boldering in from the Nursery end, where the semi-demolished Compton and Edrich watched silently on.
Gloucestershire’s promotion hopes stumbled after they were bowled out for 200 by Sussex, with three wickets for Chris Jordan in his first match back after injury. Phil Salt and Luke Wells then put on 73 without loss.
At Old Trafford, Billy Godleman scored the first century for Derbyshire against Lancashire since Kim Barnett was about in his navy cap. Richard Gleeson earned five for 64.
Hassan Azad yet again provided the foundation stone of Leicestershire’s innings with 86 at Grace Road; while Riki Wessels was the sticking plaster to Worcestershire’s fragile batting.
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A bowler’s day: I think, if my early evening addition hasn’t let me down, that 103 wickets fell in the Championship in eight hours. So think about that as you tuck into your vegetarian tortellini.
An evening hurrah then to an allrounder - Darren Stevens, whose salad days never end - and four batsmen who stood tall- Hassan Azad, Tom Abell, Ollie Pope and the only centurion of the day - Billy Godleman.
Thanks for all your messages and chatter BTL - see you tomorrow!
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I had better concentrate on my round-up now, as Middlesex’s last hope, Dawid Malan, departs, for 24. I think 92 wickets have fallen today so far in the Championship... can we make the round 100 by the close?
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Notts trying to prove a point: 5 for 1. Libby lbw Stevens 1.
Which batting lineup has had the worst season - Middlesex or Worcestershire or Notts? Or have I missed someone?
And another at Lord’s...77-6... Simpson lbw Raine for a three-ball duck.
Deal with a bit of admin, watch a bit, and then remember I haven’t checked the score at Taunton. Yorkshire have lost 2 for 0 on 27. Ballance and Kohler-Cadmore doing the running repairs - 40-2.
Just looking on the Somerset website to see if I could find out if the pitch was already turning square - no real hints there. But I did discover that Jamie Overton was presented with his Somerset county cap during the lunch interval.
And Middlesex lose another, Scott to Ben Raine, 77-5.
As I write this Chris Rushworth is the leading British first-class wicket-taker in the country with 59! Behind only Simon Harmer.
Holden whips Rushworth off his legs - and straight to square leg! Oh wondrous carthorse! Middlesex 59-4.
No. 58 for @ChrisRush22, 59/4.
— Durham Cricket 🏏 (@DurhamCricket) September 10, 2019
Live Stream ▶️ https://t.co/B7sRLo22MR#ForTheNorth pic.twitter.com/rj4FRI4RYb
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Ask not for whom the bell tolls
Yorkshire 19/0 with Lewis Gregory and Josh Davey opening the bowling for Somerset#SOMvYOR#WeAreSomerset pic.twitter.com/2MbN0CglDR
— Somerset Cricket 🏏 (@SomersetCCC) September 10, 2019
So.... Yorkshire have 21 overs to face today, and they’ve survived two of them - 12/0.
And Rushworth has his first scalp - Robson pushing forward into the gloom and caught at slip. Middx 51-3.
Dawid Malan giving Middlesex supporters the heebie-jeebies as he gets off the mark with a ..flamboyant... four. Middlesex 47-2.
Somerset 199 all out - is that a crucial bonus point missed? Five wickets for Maharaj.
Sussex continuing to chip away at Gloucestershire - 165-6; Richard Gleeson’s 4-55 precipitating a middle-order collapse of four for 16, but Billy Godleman and an obstinate tail have inched Derby to 202-6. Azad leading the way yet again at Grace Road, 86 not out, Leicestershire 210-5; and Worcestershire’s bits and bobs innings has patchworked together a curate’s egg of a total - 194-8.
Chris Rushworth has moved to the dereliction end...
Sam Hain (41 not out) picking up where Will Rhodes (38) and Dom Sibley (51) left off. Warwickshire 174 for 3.
And Billy Godleman has scored the first century for Derbyshire against Lancashire since Kim Barnett!
The hugest of slices of cake for Tom Abell - 60 off 166 balls - and the increasingly reliable Jamie Overton (22) Somerset 175-8, better but not enough. To be noted, Maharaj now has 3-46.
Good old Darren Stevens ...43 not out to take Kent to 211-6 and slow the Notts advance.
Eskinazi now bent double after being hit by Rushworth... on come the physios...
A run!
In other news... Hampshire 149 all out (Clarke 5-21), Surrey 15-2.....
Great to see Rushworth in the flesh, charging in from the pavilion end, larger than life.... but hang on.... the first wicket falls in the second over. Gubbins lbw Carse for a miserable, head down, duck. Middlesex 0-1.
Just preparing for Chris Rushworth...
two cakes divided by six journalists... pic.twitter.com/bWzDdhatC9
— tanya aldred (@tjaldred) September 10, 2019
And as the Lord’s floodlights come on - Durham go off. All out 147 before tea. A quietly magnificent 54 from Peter Handscomb, but not much else to speak of. Lovely to see Steven Finn leading the players off with 4-41 to loud applause and cheer or two. Tim Murtagh 3-32.
Oh my Compton and my Edrich long ago!
The CCLive memories
Sitting in the lower tier of those was always like watching an old film on TV - just a narrow strip visible! (But it was useful to be under there when it rained ...)
Not mourned.
Watched my first ever England match at lords from the back row of the lower Compton. The fact that they had to have a little digital screen under there telling you the score because you couldn’t see the scoreboards tell you everything. Still going to miss it though.
Also remember sitting there and turning round and seeing my dad talking to Barry Norman about how crap Mitchell Johnson has been bowling whilst waiting to be let back to his seat.
Remember Kapil Dev in 1990, launching Eddie in to the building site in the ‘4 x 6 to save the follow on’? I think the builders were penalised £8k a day for late delivery of the C&E stands.
Sat on top tier of the Edrich stand to witness the best ever bowling display in a Lords final when 6-18 from @chappie03 helped @lancscricket bowl out @EssexCricket for 57.
Freezing cold and gloomy at the best of times.
As I said earlier, I remember the stands before the Edrich and Compton were built. They didn’t have a name as such, just ‘Nursery End’ or ‘free seats’ as we called them because you could sit there, or on the grass just behind the rope, for your ‘ground admission’.
The seating was extremely uncomfortable, just slatted wooden benches, but you could rent a plastic cushion, with a little handle with which to carry it, for a shilling or 6d or whatever. They used to have them stacked up by the scorecards under Old Father Time, just outside the print shop. They turned ‘extremely uncomfortable’ into ‘very uncomfortable’, so I always sat on the grass.
I don’t know how many times I sat in the Edrich and Compton stands, not that many probably, but I do know the two best times I did, one in each. Both occasions will stay with me until I die.
I was in the upper Edrich when I saw Afghanistan play MCC. Sam Hain, Brendon McCullum, Shiv, Dial T for Test Cricketer and Samit were in the MCC side, and although it was a damp and eventually wet day I had the time of my life. I was in among the Afghan supporters (there weren’t any MCC supporters at all as far as I could tell) and they were truly wonderful. Rashid came to field on the boundary right below us (and later had Samit caught at deep midwicket), Shapoor bowled really well, Noor Ali was playing, Asghar was at mid on. I also got up close to Yasir Shah, who was so generous with everyone behind the pavilion during one of the interruptions. He’d come down specially to speak to everyone. An unforgettable day.
My fondest memory is of when it was raining and people were filing out for shelter, I stood at the top of the stairs with a big umbrella I’d brought, and people sheltered under it briefly before going down, and then one Afghan boy, about ten years old, playfully poked a finger into my paunch. Made my day. Afghan Atalan!
My other day to remember was two months later, when I met, in the upper Compton, AiX, Mrs AiX, Galactus, Chopper, Thamesider, Wegie, Busfield, Horizontal, Culinary, DirkGently and a couple of other people whose names I can’t remember, to watch Middlesex against Lancashire. Probably a once in a lifetime chance for me. I even got to see Will McPherson from a few yards away and eat Welsh cakes.
The stands may be torn down but memories remain treasured in my special place.
That’s lovely stuff. Most of the international cricket I’ve watched since I moved to London in the 80s I’ve seen from that end of the ground. There was the MCC v Rest of World test (just looked that up . 1987 - ye gods...), which I think was just the plain Nursery End, but I vividly remember Malcolm Marshall bowling Gavaskar with a beauty at the beginning of the fourth innings, with lightning flashing around overhead . Match pefectly poised, then the fifth day was a washout.
Then Eng v West Indies 1991, with Robin Smith making a century. I remember his slow start, then gradually he got that cut shot working, and most of them seemed to come towards our corner of the ground. Happy memories indeed.
Sad about the demise of the Compton and Edrich stands. The view from the front of the top tiers is one of my favourites. Always liked to sit there getting a bit crispy in the sunshine.
I sat in the back row of the Compton lower for the first day of the Lord’s test this year. Initially I had a bit of a grumble but in fact by the end, it turned out to be a fantastically sociable place to sit - chatting with all the passers-by who stopped to peer over the railing at the goings on in the middle.
But in my mind, it will forever be linked with Eddie Hemmings, John Lever and the NatWest final. 30 years ago this year, it turns out - I was 18 years old and watching it in a pub in the Isle of Wight.
I remember being in the C & E in 1992 for the infamous ODI against Pakistan. Memories include the little scoreboard thingy that seemed like the cutting edge of technology, not seeing anything when the ball went in the air (I also missed Atherton hitting Ian Bishop for a six in 1995 for the same reason) and it being made clear to a large Pakistani gentleman that ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ was not the sort of thing that was shouted at Lords.
I will miss the Edrich upper. However they haven’t put a foot wrong in my living memory with their redevelopments, so no doubt the new stands will be excellent in due course. Might give Lord’s a miss next summer and pop along in 2021 for a look.
What makes me feel really old is that I remember the Edrich and Compton being built. Watching Larry Gomes from those old wooden benches in the 1970s.....and Edmonds and Emburey in the days when most counties played 2 spinners.
With many thanks to all BTL and on twitter.
Mark Cosgrove out for 65 after a 122-run stand with Hassan Azad - Leicestershire 156-3. And Worcestershire assume the customary position, 124-5 as Riki Wessels shakes his head and gets stuck in, again (25 not out).
A couple of wickets for Chris Jordan against Gloucestershire - now 107 for five. Ah, that’s more like it Lancashire - Derby 137 for five. Billy Godleman plugging away, 68 not out.
And a sensational catch at third slip at high speed by Robson here at Lord’s as Durham slip to 126 for 7. Clouds gathering. But there’s always Chris Rushworth...
Ashwin 4-35 now....Kent 120 for five and looking to Darren Stevens for one last breaking of the bread.
Hampshire 106-8 - Clarke 5-21.
FGS Somerset - 100 for 6. Tom Abell and Dom Bess left to stitch something back together. Anyone at Taunton? A September Ciderabad awaiting Yorkshire’s batsmen?
Dom Sibley 50 not out - surely deserving of an opener’s winter tour spot? Warwicks 129 for 2.
And Rikki will be getting another commemorative scorecard for this fivefer! https://t.co/xLJggNlpS6
— Phil (@phil_makepeace) September 10, 2019
Ravi Ashwin doing his best to do the impossible for Notts - 3 for 29 including Daniel Bell-Drummond for 45. Kent 114 for 4.
Hampshire starting the afternoon where they left off this morning, 84 for seven, another for Rikki Clarke (4-18) and 21 year old Conor McKerr throwing his hat in the ring.
It seems a bit mean to spoil these dog(ish)-days of the Championship but y0u might like to read this...
A lovely post-prandial stroll round the ground at lunch. A perhaps surprising number of people want to spend a September Tuesday at Lord’s watching county cricket, which is lovely to see. The Coronation Gardens full of people novel reading, coffee drinking, phone-scrolling and a forlorn-looking elderly chap carrying a string bag full of onions.
And here is the Spin wot I wrote. Inevitably there is a lot more in the excellent HIT FOR SIX report than I was able to cover in 900 words - I’d urge you to have a look at it yourselves - I’ll try to find a link.
Lunch-time scores
Division One
Hampshire 60-5 (Clarke 3-6, Clark 2-25) v Surrey
Kent 78-3 (R Ashwin 2-11) v Nottinghamshire
Somerset 70-4 (Olivier 2-22) v Yorkshire
Warwickshire 91-2 v Essex
Division Two
Gloucestershire 86-2 v Sussex
Derbyshire 107-2 v Lancashire
Leicestershire 91-2 v Northamptonshire
Durham 80-4 v Middlesex
Worcestershire 74-2 v Glamorgan
Some excellent lunchtime reading.
And Durham lose a wicket on the stroke of lunch - 80 for four. Tim Murtagh doing the damage.
And a lunchtime county cap for Tom Helm!
Lunch scores to follow.
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Have Hampshire got end-of-term-itus or are the Clark(s) unstoppable? A second for Jordan, Hampshire 60 for 5, with last wicket James Vince top scorer with 15.
Here’s some vintage Old Man River.
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) September 10, 2019
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In Division Two, James Bracey is carrying Gloucestershire’s promotion hopes, 46 not out, Gloucs 68-2 against Sussex. Lancashire making heavy weather of Derbyshire, who are 81/1 - Billy Godleman 43 not out. Hasan Azad - in contention for batsman of the season - and Cosgrove have taken Leicestershire to 78 for 2, Durham are anchoring down to prevent pre-lunch demolition - 75 for 3. Worcestershire are 71 for 2 with Mo flowering three fours before falling for 18.
All of a sudden, those wickets, they’re a tumbling.
Cummings returns from the pavilion end and Robson fends rather hopelessly and is caught at slip for the fattest of ducks. Durham 59-3. Hampshire have had a shocker - 26 for four!!!! The Clark(e)s have snaffled them all - three for Rikki and one for Jordan. Yorkshire steaming in at Taunton alas, Somerset 46-3, two for Olivier. Kent 62-1 and, as an exception, Rhodes and Sibley on the charge against Essex, Warwickshire 72-0.
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A little nugget I’ve just discovered from the Middlesex experts in the box - Tom Helm is very highly regarded by England and Geoff Arnold is often down at Lord’s having a look at him.
Er, another wicket at Lord’s with no addition to the score. Steel bowled Finn for 29, a little inside edge onto the off stump. Blame the clouds Durham.
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A wicket! as the clouds draw over Lord’s. Lees lbw Harris for 26 and a nice solid first-wicket stand of 56 by Durham. Middlesex feel they have an outside chance of promotion if they can grab a couple of wins against Durham and Derbyshire and hold on for a (weather-affected) draw at Old Trafford.
Right - a quick look round the grounds. Just five wickets have fallen in the first hour - which makes it one of our tamer CC mornings. In Division one, Kent are 40-1, Zak Crawley lbw to Luke Fletcher for 3. Steve Davies fell for 13 at Taunton, Somerset 25-1.
In Division two, Leicestershire have lost a couple of early wickets - Horton and Ackermann - 32 for 2 against Northants. And Worcestershire are 39-1, which means Moeen is batting!
I’ve also spotted a Telegraph story that David Gower has sensed an “element of implied ageism” in Sky’s decision not to renew his contract. Tricky, as there has to be an element of change and freshening up in any industry, especially TV. And Sky could do with more diversity. Though I’ve always rather enjoyed his lackadaisical style. He was good as a stand in on radio 4 the other day too.
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A lovely memory from Cath Hanley on Twitter.
Sitting in the lower tier of those was always like watching an old film on TV - just a narrow strip visible! (But it was useful to be under there when it rained ...)
Do send me your memories of soggy sandwiches in Compton and Edrich. Not much happening here at Lord’s at the moment, Durham 26 for 0 - Tim Murtagh has had Steel and Lees playing and missing a bit and Cummins looks like he’d rather be tucked up with a cardigan and a log fire.
Some Hundred news straight from the ECB newsroom - a couple of big name signings for the Trent Rockets, another overseas coach for the men, another British coach for the women. There’s a story there somewhere, though I’m not sure what. Perhaps it celebrates the strength of female coaches in this country.
“Salliann Briggs and Stephen Fleming have been appointed as head coaches for the Nottingham-based team in The Hundred.
Former New Zealand captain Fleming is the most successful coach in the history of the Indian Premier League, winning three titles with the Chennai Super Kings. He returns to Trent Bridge where he skippered Nottinghamshire to the 2005 County Championship title.
Grimsby-born Briggs was coach of Loughborough Lightning from 2016 to 2018 and led her team to Kia Super League Finals Day for the first time in 2016. She is currently coach of the Hobart Hurricanes in the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia.”
We’ve got a slightly skewiff view of the ground today, diagonally on from the wicket in a box on the first floor of the Tavern stand. The media centre is out of bounds, propped up with a scaffolding,, there’s a fair scattering of bods in the pavillion , which looks a lot more normal in shirts and slacks than it does on Test match days. I’ll try and get round the back of the stands for a true demolition shot after lunch but here is the view from the boundary.
End of days for the Compton and Edrich stands. pic.twitter.com/tr94CogHs1
— tanya aldred (@tjaldred) September 10, 2019
So three important rounds to come - with nearly everything still up in the air - Lancashire can clinch the Division Two Championship this round - but the chasing pack have all to play for. Essex, Somerset and, at a push, Yorkshire will be going full pelt for the pennant.
Division One
Hampshire v Surrey: Dean Elgar, Jamie Smith and Jade Dernbach are included in Surrey’s squad. Tom Alsop returns for Hampshire for the first time since his hamstring injury.
Nottinghamshire v Kent: Where is there for Notts to go? Perhaps their inspired win over Middlesex to take them to T20 finals day will prove a catalyst for change. Hmmm. Ravi Ashwin returns. Kent need only four points to secure their division one place for next season.
Somerset v Yorkshire: Somerset have signed India’s Murali Vijay for the last three games of the season while Lewis Gregory returns to the squad. Keshav Maharaj makes his final Championship appearance for Yorkshire.
Warwickshire v Essex: Top of the table Essex, unbeaten in 10 Championship matches, haven’t signed an overseas player for the title run in.
Division Two
Gloucestershire v Sussex: Shannon Gabriel makes his debut for Gloucestershire, as they look to secure what would be a surprise promotion to Division Two. Stiaan van Zyl, George Garton and Chris Jordan return for Sussex after injury, as does Delray Rawlins, who missed their win over Middlesex because of international commitments.
Lancashire v Derbyshire: Lancashire need just 24 points to win promotion and dismiss the ghost of their nightmare T20 game against Essex . Glenn Maxwell plays his final game before returning to Victoria to prepare for the start of the Australian domestic season. Derbyshire include 18-year-old off-spinner Hamidullah Qadri in their squad.
Leicestershire v Northamptonshire: Northants have signed New Zealand all-rounder Doug Bracewell for the final three games of the season. Gareth Berg, who has joined from Hampshire, is also in their squad. George Rhodes could make his Leicestershire debut after joining from Worcestershire.
Middlesex v Durham: West Indies’ fast bowler Miguel Cummins, who has signed for their three remaining Championship games, makes his debut for Middlesex. Durham, unbeaten in seven games, give a Championship debut to Scott Steel.
Worcestershire v Glamorgan: Worcestershire include Moeen Ali after his wonderful T20 century last week. Timm van der Gugten returns after recovering from a back injury.
Preamble
Good morning from Lord’s, where the sun is out and the cricket is going to take place to the sound of demolition - the bottom of the Edrich stand is a pile of rubble and the Compton forlornly watches its last round of cricket - Middlesex v Durham - naked in its concreteness.
As the nights draw in the remaining three rounds of the Championship will start at 10.30am. Round-up to follow very shortly - slightly delayed by a very slow installation of chrome on my computer.
It’s lovely to be back!
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