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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Will Macpherson at The Oval

County cricket: Surrey v Yorkshire and others – as it happened

The Oval.
The Oval. Photograph: TGSPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock

That's all folks

This seems as good a time as any to call it a day. What a result for Middlesex. Thanks for your company BTL and we will be back tomorrow. Until then.

Middlesex win! Simpson hits a massive six and that is that! They sneak home by two wickets! Home with two balls to spare!

They are back to the top of the table!

Updated

7 from 5 ....

From the final over: Middlesex need eight runs. Somerset need two wickets.

Eskinazi out! Middlesex eight down, and nine balls remain with ten runs required.

11 to win from 12!

That’s the close here. Strange, sleepy kind of day. But a whole day! Yorkshire close 207 for three.

OMG!

Now Rayner is out! Two in the over. Eskinazi finally comes to the crease.

Fuller out for 36! Caught long-on. 31 required from 4.2 overs!

We are carrying on here, despite having had 96 overs today. No idea why, but I like it.

21 off Craig Overton’s over there and 34 are required from 5.

57 from 6 at Taunton now ...

Surrey have a bowling point as Gale nicks off to Tom Curran. Out strides nightwatchman Patterson.

Errr James Fuller is 28 from 14 and maybe it’s not all over at Taunton! 74 from 7 the equation.

Good fightback from Gloucestershire after a good fightback from Essex. Sounds like that’ll be that.

Updated

That looks to me like it’s going absolutely miles down the legside, no?

100, and a very fine one at that, for Adam Lyth. He gets there by pulling a Meaker bouncer fine for four. 180 for two and not a worry in the world for Yorkshire.

One ... last .... go

When will the fat lady sing, then?

A wagging tail.

100 partnership is up between Gale and Lyth - who has 88 and recently smacked Zaf down the ground for six - and it’s all very cruisey here. The match will be drawn at some stage tomorrow.

We’re back on.

Middlesex need 143 from 20 overs. Poised.

So Warwickshire fell two runs shy of a fifth batting point, despite Rikki Clarke’s best efforts. He hit the last two balls of the 110th over going for six then four. Alas, it wasn’t to be. Hampshire got two bowling points. And they have very sensibly shaken hands. Match drawn.

Hampshire take 11, Warks 10, if my maths is right.

Oh, and we are off for bad light here. Covers coming on.

Not good news for Middlesex’s chase, but well batted that man.

They are just about halfway there and George Bailey is in.

Batty tried to bring Meaker on, but it’s too dark. So on he chugs. The lights are on and it’s very driech. Cover wallahs poised.

It’s all happening!

The cricket is funereal, and it’s all got a bit dark at the Oval ...

Handshakes imminent, you’d think.

We’ve sleptwalked through the first 12 overs of the final session in about half an hour, and nothing much is happening. Zaf’s first 12 overs have gone for just 10, but Batty’s not looking terribly threatening. Time for a Curran or two, I reckon. 125 for two.

Outstanding collapse for the Glosters at Cheltenhams; 77-0, 99-1 and 111-2 has become 140-7. Matt Quinn has six for Essex.

Sounds like a brilliant catch from Craig Overton at third man to dismiss Malan in Taunton; Middlesex 108 for two and their task is looking tough. Going for it, though, with Franklin promoted to No4.

The table-toppers have two bowling points at Cheltenham.

Enjoyed this immensely.

Gloucestershire are having a right old collapse at Cheltenham.

Still could follow on.

So at teatime in Taunton, Middlesex are 83 for one, needing 219 more from 33 overs. You’d think they’ll have a dart.

Tea at the Oval, with Yorkshire 107 for two. Lyth and Gale have put on a tidy 60, and Lyth - who has 57 - is batting very nicely indeed. Nothing doing for Surrey’s spinners or, in fact, this match at all. Free entry after tea so why not head down if you’re in London?

Let handshake watch commence at Edgbaston.

So apparently Somerset have no slips in place in the 10th over. Reckon they might be a bit scared?

Third wicket at Cheltenham as Quinn bowls Klinger. 111 for three.

It remains an interesting game at Taunton ... Robson has gone to a beauty from Groenewald but Malan has been promoted to three and has started with three boundaries in his first four balls. The pitch is flat, there is a very short boundary and Somerset are without Joverton. The draw is, of course, the favourite. But who knows? 9 in hand, 258 to get, and a minimum of 38 overs.

On the move straight away at Cheltenham.

Jamie Overton ruled out of the Lions series with that injury he picked up yesterday.

Here’s the Meaker wicket.

From Cheltenham, I bear news:

There’s been a declaration!

On they roll. Draw ahoy!

I’m in there! (the cricket ground, not the aeroplane)

Meaker’s first ball has bowled Leaning for a rather long, pretty grim duck. It was very quick and outside off stump and he’s played on when trying to force off the back foot, although any movement of said feet was lacking. 47 for two. Yorkshire to follow on I reckon *evil laugh*

Here’s that wicket. Very funny reaction when he realises he’s bowled him.

Scurran was going round the park a bit but, a ball after being sent through the covers then midwicket for fours, he’s bowled Alex Lees. He was appealing madly for lbw when he realised the bail had come off. What a fine young player he is. 28 for one.

Inspection at 2.20 at Cheltenham.

Trego doing work.

Still raining at Cheltenham, I see.

Here’s why Steve Davies is keeping.

Finally lunch at Taunton then, where Somerset’s tail is not so much wagging, it’s just refusing to be docked. 419 for nine and a draw, you’d think.

Here, some news: Steve Davies will keep for Surrey (no idea why), who are on their way out now. We had some really light rain at lunchtime, but absolutely no reason to be held up. Currant with the new ball.

Lunch time: scores on the doors

  • Surrey 267 all out v Yorkshire
  • Somerset 236 & 419-9 v Middlesex 381
  • Warwickshire 211-4 v Hampshire 531
  • Gloucestershire 98-1 v Essex

Updated

... And Meaker promptly edges Rafiq to slip and Surrey are all out for 267, with Scurran unbeaten on 59. Well batted young man.

Extra half-hour taken here with Surrey 9 down. Scurran skipped down the track to Rash and plopped him over his head for four a wee while ago.

Oh for Pete’s sake. More of the stuff. Early lunch please.

And here’s the big one from Taunton. Somerset’s tail just wagging away.

Warwickshire are ticking along nicely against Hampshire. Good to see Hain back in the runs.

And, having been asked to bat by Essex, the Glosters are going pretty nicely at Cheltenham. 97 for one they are.

Now Batty has gone too. Also lbw to Rashid, and he sure as hell ain’t happy with it. Didn’t look that out to me, I have to say. 254 for nine ... three batting points for Yorksha, and Meaker to the crease.

Scurran has gone to 50 by late cutting then square driving Bressielad (bringing up second batting point in the process), but no CurranT is out. He played back to Dilly Rash and is gone for 6. Might have been the googly; tricky to tell from here. 254-8.

Oh my lord it’s all happening! Trego is gone! He’s pulled Franklin straight to mid-on! The lead is 251. Two wickets - one of which is the crocked Joverton - stand.

And a wicket at Cheltenham!

Here’s the only other wicket we’ve had this morning. Really poor shot by Foakes.

Scurran and Davies’ fine 75-run stand has been ended, by Bressielad’s second over of the morning. He’s been curiously underbowled, I have to say. Lbw, looked plumb enough to me. 239 for seven.

CurrantT joins Scurran. It’s actually getting a wee bit dark.

Good news from Brum.

Things it is very important that you see.

Exhibit A

Ah, lovely stuff.

Right, big wicket. Just as Somerset matched Middlesex’s first innings score - 381 - a wicket has fallen. Barrow the man to go, caught behind off Fuller. Somerset currently 236 ahead. 80 overs in the game and three of their wickets remain. Beautifully poised.

Delicious Davies.

Dilly Rash comes on at the Pavilion End shortly after Davies brings up his 50 off his 69th ball. Appropriately, he did so with his most productive shot, a flick through midwicket off Rafiq. Playing nicely, and Scurran has 26 now in a partnership of 51. Playing well. They did an all-run four earlier!

Oh for Pete’s sake they’re off for rain at Edgbaston.

Trego and Barrow have now shared 50 at Taunton. Middlesex are going to be chasing rather more than they’d imagine, you fancy.

This is a lovely PCA initiative. I know the great man Foxy Fowler is down there.

Oh the Gareths have got one of the Trotts out! Big wicket indeed.

Very good areas from Selve, here:

Curious situation at Edgbaston, where a pair of identical batsmen - Trott and the ProtoTrott, Sam Hain - are batting against a pair of identical tattooed medium-fast bowlers called Gareth; Berg and Andrew. The Trotts are yet to be beaten.

Ooooohhhh catty

For the very little that it’s worth, here’s my hot take on the Ben Foakes for England bandwagon, which has some reasonably influential backers in the media. He’s a lovely keeper, really lovely, who take some great diving catches and is just generally very tidy. Definitely an improvement - although not a vast one -on either of the JBs.

But I reckon he would barely score a run at international level. Again, his batting his tidy and pretty elegant but - at the same time - prone to really dopey moments, like that one just now. He’d have to bat at 8 or 9 I think, which is just a bit too low.

But maybe with all that batting in the middle order, that’s what England want?! I’m going round in circles now. Conclusion: he’s a fair way off.

Steve Patterson having a bowl. Gets a wicket with his second ball of the day! Foakes just tries to guide one down to third man delicately but nicks off to second slip and oh that’s a terrible shot. 164 for six and little Sammy Curran wandering out.

Patto getting a wicket reminds me of the tweet of the week.

Players wandering out at the Oval - it is a bit cloudy now after my early triumphalism. Not gonna rain for a while yet. *I think* we are starting on time elsewhere, too.

Here are your teams from Cheltenham, where Essex have exercised their right to have a good old bowl.

This is very nice indeed.

Morning all it's the morning call

Good morning! The sun is out in south London! The forecast is still a bit pants but the sun is out in south London! As with the first two days, we are going to start on time here at the Oval, and the sun is out in south London! It will almost definitely rain later and we will almost definitely have delays but the sun is out in south London!

Excuse me, I’m just a bit excited because I might see some cricket today; rather forgotten what it looks like. Surrey are 164 for five and it’s all probably futile because we’ve already lost about a day and a half, but oh well.

It’s silly season at the moment, so this game - Surrey v Yorkshire - is on day three, while two others - Somerset’s bumsqueaker against Middlesex and Hampshire and Warwickshire’s rainy one - are on day four and there’s even a new game! Cheltenham plays host to day one of Gloucestershire v Essex. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? Worcestershire polished off Northants with ease yesterday so are now second behind Essex in Division Two.

Anyway, same drill as ever. Lots of comments BTL please, enjoy the cricket and, most importantly, if you see rain, punch it and call it a nasty name. From me.

Morning all,

We are back with Will Macpherson today at The Oval. Here’s his roundup from yesterday:

Enjoy the cricket

Updated

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