That's all folks!
Time for me to say goodbye after another great week of action. Things are taking shape and hotting up nicely, aren’t they? Here’s where we stand.
Division One:
- Lancashire drew with Essex
- Hampshire drew with Surrey
- Yorkshire drew with Middlesex
- Somerset beat Warwickshire by 169 runs
Division Two:
- Worcestershire beat Notts by 8 wickets
- Gloucestershire beat Leceicestershire by 10 wickets
- Northants beat Sussex by six wickets
- Kent drew with Durham
- Derbyshire drew with Glamorgan
I will be back next week, probably at Edgbaston, where Essex can actually win the thing and Warwickshire can go down. How exciting. I may yet be elswhere, mind. Have a great weekend, and for those of you who like Test matches, I’ll be on the OBO tomorrow. Til then!
Wow, what a game. Kent are four points behind Northants and Sussex, who are 36 behind Worcestershire. There’s plenty for those three to do, but they have a game in hand...
Match drawn!
One to go...
Dot. Two to go.
Four more! Three left.
Five slips, two gullies, Billings hits the first ball for four. Dot next. Four left.
Claydon has survived the penultimate over... Billings on strike with six balls of the match left.
11 balls remain...
Qayyum is out! Durham need one more...
Two overs left, Qayyum on strike...
Three overs left, Billings has pinched the strike again!
Four overs left, and Billings has the strike... Kent 171 for eight, he has 58.
With 5.1 overs left, Billings has 50. But Qayyum is on strike...
Here’s one Ali prepared earlier...
So Billings’ partners now are Qayyum and Claydon. He needs to face as many balls as he can. 36 to survive...
Onions passes Simon Brown!
Wicket! Graham Onions goes past Simon Brown’s Durham record of 518 first-class wickets. Milne is lbw, and Kent have 6.1 overs to survive to keep their faint promotion hopes alive!
Just the one game still going then.Kent are 150 for seven, with seven overs to survive.
And Middlesex makes Yorkshire settle for the draw when Bresnan bowls Rayner! Middlesex declare on 272 for eight. Yorkshire take 11, Middlesex nine...
Middlesex want 36 runs from these five overs for another point. Yorkshire want two wickets.
Billings takes 10 from a Rushworth over, and Kent have nine to survive.
10 overs left at Durham, three wickets to win.
Well Middlesex have that second batting point, but on the game charges. Both sides want some breathing space after that Somerset win.
Woo Jimmy!
Kent are seven down! Haggett goes to Rushworth and that’s trouble... 120 for seven. Plenty on Billings, who has 26.
Well Middlesex are teeing off a bit in pursuit of this second batting point. They are 11 from that. Maybe they want a third, too?
Bowled him!
🎥 Huge wicket for Durham to start the last hour!
— Durham CCC 🏏 (@DurhamCricket) September 8, 2017
Haggett joins Billings (22*) with 15 overs to go #DURvKEN pic.twitter.com/A4cjseE8ld
Jennings has got Northeast!
Into the last hour at the Riverside. Kent 116 for five.
Harris goes to Rashid, and Middlesex are seven down. Both sides presumably chasing extra points to get away from Somerset.
Stylish player, Pope.
👀TAKE A LOOK: All 1️⃣7️⃣ of @OPope32's boundaries on his way to his maiden first-class century! Huge Congratulations, first of many! 👍 pic.twitter.com/qjl2V9ed1G
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) September 8, 2017
Good timing, Ollie Pope!
And it is now officially raining pic.twitter.com/8fSOvYu4ld
— Mark Church (@backandacross) September 8, 2017
Middlesex have that batting point!
Still plugging away at Headingley, with Middlesex four shy of a first batting point.
So Surrey, in fourth, are 23 points ahead of Somerset, who are seventh. They meet at the Oval in a fortnight.
Shot sir.
💯 FOR POPE: Ollie Pope goes to his maiden century in @CountyChamp cricket. Huge congratulations sir! A truly brillant knock! pic.twitter.com/SVV9kg7qwb
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) September 8, 2017
Coad gets Franklin and Yorkshire have another bowling point. Middlesex are 184 for six and 25 away from avoiding the follow on.
Match drawn at the Ageas!
Pope gets his ton and that’s the game! Well done that man Foakes finishes 83 not out. Hampshire take 10 points to Surrey’s nine.
The gap between Essex and Lancashire remains 36 points.
That's a draw at Old Trafford!
Nine points apiece, then.
Pope and Foakes both in the eighties at the Ageas. I imagine they might declare when the former reaches his ton, which would be his first... 266 for four and nothing to play for.
Essex have declared! Oi oi... 202 for eight after 80 overs. They’ve done that to prevent Lancs getting another bowling bonus point, right? Currently four apiece.
I was wrong. Sam Billings is batting for Kent... And how they need him. 78 (51 of them to Northeast) for five, with at least 26 overs left in the game!
Some handshakes incoming at OT and the Ageas, you’d think. Maybe a bit longer at Headingley while points are up for grabs? Plenty to play for at Durham. I’ll be back in a tick.
Another 50 for Sam Northeast...
Read this. It’s good.
Middlesex five down ... Simpson gone to Plunkett. My hunch is that game will not see a handshake at 4.30...
A first Championship fifty for Ollie Pope! Woo!
Wood gets Crawley! Kent 48 for four. In comes Stevo.
Plunkett bowls Stirling. Middlesex 129 for four....
Tea at a couple of remaining games, then.
- Lancashire got the wicket of Simon Harmer, so Essex are 172 for eight. 118 behind.
- Nothing happening at the Ageas. Surrey are 110 in front, with Foakes on 67, and six wickets in the bank.
- Kent 48 for three, and right up against it.
They are on at Headingley now too.
Northants beat Sussex by six wickets!
They’ve chased 140, and that’s a big result in Div Two. Sussex and Northants both have 156 points now and they are 36 behind Worcestershire in second, but both have a game in hand.
Play due to start at 3.10 at Headingley. You’d think it’ll happen for about two hours.
Kent 47 for three and need to be careful...
And Northants are four down, but just 18 runs from victory against Sussex.
Kent will have to bat all afternoon against Durham if they want a draw. They are 39 for two, and require another 332.
Anyway, they are heading for 5pm handshakes at OT, where Lancashire have picked up three quick wickets, but not enough to enforce the follow-on. Oh well.
Apologies for my absence. Been trying – in some cases successfully – to talk to the protagonists from this game.
Somerset beat Warwickshire by 169 runs!
Bess does the trick, Sunny Singh is bowled! Somerset win, and just in time I reckon. The hover cover is coming straight out.
Somerset take 21 points to Warwickshire 3.
Spin on, at the umpires’ request, I reckon. Here comes Bess. It’s dark, and the lights are being fired up. Be mad to go off, to be honest.
It’s suddenly a bit dark at Edgbaston...
Northants lost Duckett to Archer and are 48 for two, needing another 92.
Wicket! What a catch. Diving Dom Bess at cover does for Jeetan. Timmy G has five, and Somerset are one wicket away from winning!
Durham declare! Finally. They were 359 for seven when Colly pulled the plug, leaving Kent 56 overs to chase 371. Billings not there, I believe, due to his ongoing issues with migraines. Worrying.
Dropped! Jeetan is teeing off and Groenewald stationed a man three-quarters of the way back at mid-on for that reason. Trego’s dropped it, and he’s made it look a tougher catch than it was too, I reckon. Oh well. 224 for eight, Jeetan 39.
Durham’s lead is 347 ... and there are 60 overs left in the match.
Here’s the wicket here.
GONE!! 4 for Groenewald!! Wright is bowled with just 1 bail being removed!! Warwickshire 219/8#WARvSOM pic.twitter.com/vFghUYuRU4
— Somerset Cricket 🏏 (@SomersetCCC) September 8, 2017
2pm start at Ageas Bowl. Can Hampshire? Can they?
Wiese gets Newton and Northants are 28 for one, needing 112 to win.
Sunny Singh, who signed a new deal (along with Ed Pollock) today, is in at No10.
Wicket! Groenewald gets Wright, caught behind driving. Thin edge. Warks 219 for eight.
The seamers are back and Jeetan is having some fun. He has 33 and Warks are 218 for seven. Need 402 to win...
Come on Colly! Declare!
WICKET: A fine catch by Crawley at cover removes Latham on 119. 318/6, lead of 329 #DURvKEN
— Durham CCC 🏏 (@DurhamCricket) September 8, 2017
Duckett has 15 off 17 in Northants’ pursuit of 140. They are 27 for none against Sussex.
They are starting again at 1.40 at Old Trafford.
Good thinking, Stuie... Not sure they have anything to lose though!
@willis_macp i have a theory why durham aren't declaring maybe they saw that WI chase & wanna be sure they have enough
— Stuie Neale (@MrNeale92) September 8, 2017
Durham are batting on, which seems a bit odd to me. Lead is 308, two sessions in the game.
Well this is a very interesting choice.
Coming your way next week - @CountyChamp action in the shape of #WarvEss. That's on SS Cricket, 10.25am, Tue-Fri. https://t.co/Vn4c3dU6Eg pic.twitter.com/JJUHPUV28m
— Sky Sports Cricket🏏 (@SkyCricket) September 8, 2017
And now Dom Bess from the other end.
Didn’t take long. Here comes Jack Leach. 185 for seven.
Sussex all out for 393! Northants need 140 to win. Archer made a career best 81 not out, and now averages nearly 37.
Updated
Wicket! Somerset have the big one! Ambrose drags himself from the field looking at his bat after Rob Bailey gave him out lbw to Coverton. Looked a very good shout to me, but maybe he hit it. Seven down...
Durham five down, lead by 308 at lunch.
Groenewald to Jeetan to get us going. Ambrose at the other end.
Here we go at Edgbaston then. Players on the way out. Somerset need four wickets. Warwickshire need to bat all day, or at least until it next rains. 65 overs left.
Ah.
It is raining again at Headingley.
— Graham Hardcastle (@tykestravels) September 8, 2017
Massive sledge.
Thanks for the win @cheteshwar1 , lucky to have seen your back quickly on both the innings👌🙏 pic.twitter.com/HZgrvGrGUe
— Ashwin Ravichandran (@ashwinravi99) September 8, 2017
12.40 restart at Wantage Road! Interesting. They’ve lost 24 overs there.
Colly’s out at Durham. They lead by 296.
Tom Latham has a century, Durham are batting for a declaration and it’s only just occurred to me that Kent will have to bat to save the game this afternoon.
Play to begin at 12.30, subject to no more rain. We’ve lost 21 overs.
Somerset have got their football out!
Inspection at 1pm at Headingley.
Some cricketers are starting to warm up at Edgbaston and the sun is out! The result of that inspection is imminent. My guess: play at 12.45 at best. Maybe 1pm.
Stuie has requested the table, so here’s a link to it.
Gloucestershire are up to sixth, and are 24 points clear of seventh.
If Sussex draw with Northants, they will have a game in hand on Worcestershire, but will be some 31 points back (I think). Draw
Umpires inspecting at Edgbaston... Stumps waiting to be put in.
Worcestershire have Leicestershire and Durham to come at New Road, with a week off in between. They are in a great position for promotion.
Worcestershire beat Nottinghamshire by 8 wickets!
Massive win, massive result in Div 2. Mitchell finishes 139 not out. Great knock, and a century stand with Clarke.
Worcestershire take 20 points to Notts’ three, and are 15 points behind. That’s Notts’ first defeat.
Worcestershire have two home games left, Notts two away...
Happy Stuie! Gloucestershire were one point away from the maximum 24 in that game.
@willis_macp get in boys!
— Stuie Neale (@MrNeale92) September 8, 2017
Daryl Mitchell just took 18 from a Samit over and Worcestershire need eight to win with eight wickets in hand... I think they will do it.
Worcestershire need 19 to win!
Gloucestershire beat Leicestershire by 10 wickets! Took them less than an hour this morning. They chased 15 to win. Well done them. Stuie is delighted!
@willis_macp 15 to win! easy!
— Stuie Neale (@MrNeale92) September 8, 2017
Right, the covers are now almost completely off. We are getting there.
Worcestershire need 46 to win and Daryl Mitchell has a century! What a guy.
As ever at Edgbaston, there is one bloke sat alone at the back of the Hollies. Hardy soul.
Apparently it’s now hammering it down at the Ageas.
Oh my word!
Reports of squirrel running across the square at Trent Bridge are unfounded
— Worcestershire CCC (@WorcsCCC) September 8, 2017
Mitchell is on to 93, and Worcestershire need 63 to win...
Norwell got eight for 43(!) and Gloucestershire need 15 to beat Leicestershire, who are rubbish.
Well the mop up is well underway here. The puddles are disappearing. There’s an inspection at 11.50, and lunch will be taken then too. Fingers crossed!
Worcestershire are 74 away from what would be a massive victory...
Oh yes the north east of England!
A lovely day for some cricket! @DurhamCricket pic.twitter.com/kbMCzbOc97
— William Reynolds (@Willzaa) September 8, 2017
Joe Clarke is off his pair, and Worcestershire need 89 to win...
This was my favourite thing about yesterday.
Absolutely world class walk from Trotty there. https://t.co/uxKQv4auCI
— Will Macpherson (@willis_macp) September 7, 2017
Why don’t you watch this? I played against this lot, and every last thing about them is magnificent.
Updated
The umpires are having a look too. Covers coming off. Suspect we’ll get an early lunch called at 12, with the hope of playing some time after 1.
Groundstaff coming out to have a look and do some blotting at Edgbaston! Good news for Somerset.
Stuie has the day off and he’s a happy boy!
@willis_macp cmon glos another wicket! yes
— Stuie Neale (@MrNeale92) September 8, 2017
Updated
And off for rain at Wantage Road...
Already off for rain at Grace Road, but not before a Liam Norwell wicket. Leics 14 ahead, with two wickets in hand.
Well it’s bright at Edgbaston, and might just have stopped raining. A few puddles on the outfield, but nothing too serious.
Lunch at Old Trafford called early too. Honestly, if they get on there, and Lancs take a heap of wickets while it rains all day in Birmingham, I will be an unhappy boy.
Well Clarke’s off his king pair. Phew.
So play starting on time in all the remaining Division Two games, but none of the Division One ones. How odd.
Due to start on time at Trent Bridge, where Joe Clarke has sat on a king pair overnight... Poor lad. Worcs need 103 to win, Notts need eight wickets.
Lunch called early at Headingley. Love to see that. Might well have seen the last play there.
Morning Stuie! Will there be time for Gloucestershire to nab a win? Apparently play starting on time...
not ideal! morning will, switching things up ben stokes what a performance yesterday durham must be stoked!
— Stuie Neale (@MrNeale92) September 8, 2017
Not starting at time on the Ageas, either! They are at Wantage Road, though...
So confirmed delayed starts at:
- Warks-Som
- Lancs-Ess
- Yorks-Midd
No word from the others yet...
I’m told there’s no great urgency to get going there. Can see why. But Lancashire should want to get on. If they can get five more wickets and Essex don’t score 200, they will take two more points away two more points than the leaders. Alternatively, if they can take six wickets before Essex score 141, they can make the leaders follow on.
The ground staff are mopping up following the heavy rain this morning so clearly play will be delayed #LANvESS pic.twitter.com/aBI5r9rRT7
— Lancashire CCC (@LancsCCC) September 8, 2017
Yes, I think it will.
Morning all it's the morning call!
Good morning from Edgbaston. I woke up in Manchester, and it was properly pieing it down, so I got on a train to Birmingham New Street. I got off that train, and it was still pieing it down. I’m told it’s now stopped raining in Manchester. Oh well.
Anyway. Cricket. If we can get some. They have already called things off at Derby! Wow. Good on ‘em, everyone loves an early call.
Here at Edgbaston, Somerset are on the brink of a victory that would basically relegate Warwickshire, and go a long way to helping them survive. So they really want this rain to stop. It’s not too hard at the moment but we are almost definitely going to be having an early lunch, I’m afraid.
There are big puddles at Old Trafford and Headingley. Both those games will be draws, barring remarkable East Saxon or Middle Saxon collapses. They might just start on time at the Ageas - the players are warming up there. Hampshire are pushing for a win that will keep some heat on Essex.
Worcestershire and Northants will be praying for play at Trent Bridge and Wantage Road, while I gather the weather is fine in Durham! What a world. This is where we are.
Division One:
- Essex 115-4 v Lancashire 290
- Warwickshire 146 & 172-6 v Somerset 282 & 265-4d
- Surrey 200 & 135-4 v Hampshire 290
- Middlesex 108-3 v v Yorkshire 358 (back on there)
Division Two:
- Worcs 243 & 123-2 v Notts 193 & 275
- Durham 217 & 145-2 v Kent 206
- Sussex 172 & 263-8 v Northants 426
- Leics 222 & 154-7 v Gloucestershire 368
- Derbyshire drew with Glamorgan
Yesterday’s report, roundup and chat with Haseeb Hameed is here. Please read it.
You can contact me! In these three places!
- Below The Line (play nicely)
- By email: will.macpherson.freelance@theguardian.com
- On twitter: @willis_macp
Please be generous with those clicks and comments. I greatly look forward to hearing from you. All that leaves me to say is enjoy the cricket. If we get any.
