Graham Hardcastle's county roundup
Somerset are still alive in the Division One title race after a rare display of the Overton twins bowling in tandem wrapped up a 224-run win over struggling Yorkshire. This win was deserved, no doubt, but they were made to work by the struggling hosts.
Somerset’s third successive triumph owed much to a series of valuable contributions. Captain Tom Abell’s unbeaten second-innings century on day three helped set an improbable target of 419, while all-rounder Lewis Gregory was their standout performer with six wickets in the match and two aggressive 50s. He is proving to be an increasingly talismanic figure.
However, Overton speedsters Jamie and Craig were key in breaking Yorkshire’s fourth day resistance as the visitors reduced the gap to leaders Surrey to 32 points with four to play, including a meeting at Taunton in the penultimate week of season. Abell and co simply have to keep on winning and hope for a Surrey slip up here and there, as unlikely as the latter seems at present.
The Overtons, with injury often curtailing their participation in recent times, claimed six second-innings wickets between them, with Jamie producing a particularly pacy burst to finish with four for 25. Yorkshire, eight for two overnight, recovered to 94 for two late in the morning through New Zealand captain Kane Williamson (51), sharing 90 with nightwatchman Josh Shaw, who posted a career best 42. But they lost five wickets for 30 either side of lunch to end their chances.
Williamson was the key wicket in the first over of the afternoon (99 for four) when he was caught behind off Craig Overton having been undone by extra bounce. The hosts were eventually bowled out for 194 with 26.3 overs remaining. Somerset host Lancashire, starting on Tuesday, in their next match.
Yorkshire are now second-bottom and one point off safety. They believe six teams could still go down from champions Essex in third. Essex wrapped up an innings and 52-run win over third-bottom Hampshire after tea at Chelmsford and are 25 points clear of Yorkshire.
In Division Two, Kent beat Derbyshire by six wickets chasing 111 to go nine points clear in second place as they chase promotion. Meanwhile, South Africa Test opener Stephen Cook has signed as Glamorgan’s overseas replacement for injured Shaun Marsh for the last four games of the season despite sitting bottom of the table.
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Somerset win by 224 runs!
Yorkshire 194 all out, with Jamie Overton wrapping up the last two wickets to finish with 4-25. Somerset are 32 points behind Surrey with four to play. If Hampshire lose, Yorkshire will be second bottom, a point away from safety.
Kent need 110 to for an away win at Derbyshire. By my calculations, they will have 28 overs to complete their task at the County Ground.
Up in Division One, Hampshire are on the verge, nine down at Essex, while Yorkshire are 180-8 with a minimum of 31 overs remaining in the game. David Willey and Matthew Fisher are keeping Yorkshire hopes of a draw alive.
Yorkshire are clinging on at tea against Somerset, as are Hampshire against Essex. Both are eight down in the 160s and still have significant work to do in the final session to avoid damaging defeats. It looks like a cracking finish at Derby, though, where the hosts are 264-8 against Kent in their second innings, leading by 103. Harvey Hosein is still there on 61 not out, while Hardus Viljoen supported him with a valuable 30 but has since departed.
I mentioned the other day that Lancashire’s captain Liam Livingstone — recovering from a broken thumb — was looking for some club cricket today in a bid to be fit for Finals Day or maybe before. Well, he found it, and has hit 214 for Cheadle in the North Staffordshire and South Cheshire League.
Diminutive wicketkeeper Harvey Hosein is keeping hosts Derbyshire alive against Kent. He is unbeaten on 40 off 100 balls and has helped secure a lead of 60 with three second-innings wickets in hand. Derbyshire are 221-7, and Hosein has Tony Palladino for company in the early teens.
Somerset have taken three quick Yorkshire wickets in the early stages of the afternoon. Craig Overton had both Kane Williamson (51) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore lbw, the latter for a duck, before Jamie Overton bowled Gary Ballance. The hosts are back under pressure again at 103-6. Hampshire have also lost a wicket at Chelmsford. They are 92-6, trailing by 171.
Yorkshire have reached lunch at 94-3, losing Josh Shaw lbw to Lewis Gregory for 42 in the closing stages of the morning. Key pair Kane Williamson and Gary Ballance are at the crease.
There are now only three matches in play, with Gloucestershire having wrapped up victory over Leicestershire at Bristol.
The other Division One match sees Hampshire 87-5 against Essex at Chelmsford, and they have an uphill task to avoid a defeat which would only heighten their relegation fears. If Yorkshire can secure a draw here, Hampshire and Worcestershire would be this week’s big losers.
In Division Two, Derbyshire are 167-6 against Kent at Derby, leading by six. Harvey Hosein and Hardus Viljoen are unbeaten in the teens.
Yorkshire have reached lunch at 94-3, losing Josh Shaw lbw to Lewis Gregory for 42 in the closing stages of the morning. Key pair Kane Williamson and Gary Ballance are at the crease.
There are now only three matches in play, with Gloucestershire having wrapped up victory over Leicestershire at Bristol.
The other Division One match sees Hampshire 87-5 against Essex at Chelmsford, and they have an uphill task to avoid a defeat which would only heighten their relegation fears. If Yorkshire can secure a draw here, Hampshire and Worcestershire would be this week’s big losers.
In Division Two, Derbyshire are 167-6 against Kent at Derby, leading by six. Harvey Hosein and Hardus Viljoen are unbeaten in the teens.
Gloucestershire are on the verge of victory over Leicestershire, who are 164-9 with 330 more needed to win at Bristol. Medium pacer Ryan Higgins has four wickets.
Here, Josh Shaw and Kane Williamson are still going, and going strong. In truth, Somerset don’t look like taking a wicket. Yorkshire are 90-2 on the stroke of lunch, with Williamson on 46 (he reached 10,000 first-class career runs on posting 12) and Shaw on a career best 38.
Night-watchman Josh Shaw and Kane Williamson have batted through the first 70 minutes with very few alarms, with Williamson even lofting Jack Leach into the sight screen for six. They have 27 and 29 respectively in a score of 60-2. Home hopes of a draw raised, while Surrey fans will no doubt be cheering on the White Rose.
Glamorgan have signed Stephen Cook, the South African opening batsman, for their remaining four Championship matches as an overseas replacement for injured Aussie Shaun Marsh. Cook, 35, who played half a campaign with Durham last year, will be available for his debut away at Derbyshire on Tuesday. Glammy are bottom of the Division Two table with one win from 10 so far. They were beaten inside three days by Warwickshire at Colwyn Bay yesterday.
Derbyshire debutant Tom Lace, who hit 40 in the first innings against Kent at Derby, is close to bettering that in the second innings as the hosts battle hard to keep the promotion chasers at bay. They have lost a wicket this morning, and sit on 105-3, trailing by 56. Lace has 38.
On another note, it is good to see Moeen Ali in at three for England. I spoke to him about his desire to bat higher at Scarborough last week.
Hampshire have lost two early wickets at Chelmsford. Ian Holland and James Vince have been bowled by Peter Siddle, leaving the visitors at 24-4 and still 239 runs in arrears. Here at Headingley, nightwatchman Josh Shaw has hit a couple of early boundaries. Yorkshire 22-2 chasing 419 to beat Somerset. A draw is their only hope.
Preamble
Good morning from Headingley, where the sun is shining once again ahead of day four between Yorkshire and Somerset.
The sun is definitely shining on Somerset at present, with the dark clouds descending on a Yorkshire side who are in the thick of a relegation battle.
The hosts, set an unlikely target of 419 – it would be their record chase if they got there – fell to 4-2 late last night before adding a boundary to that total. If defeat befalls Yorkshire, as expected, it would be their second loss on the spin after going down to fellow strugglers Worcestershire at Scarborough last week. Those two sides would go into the final four matches of the season in the bottom two unless the unexpected happens at Headlingley.
There was another blow for Yorkshire yesterday when target Ben Duckett rejected them to move to Nottinghamshire on a three-year contract ahead of 2019. He has left Northants immediately on loan and could debut against the White Rose at Trent Bridge next week.
That is the bad out of the way, let us have a look at the good. Somerset are set to keep the title race alive with a third successive win. They slipped to 5-2 at the start of this match, but have made all the running since. Tom Abell was excellent for his first century of the season, but Lewis Gregory has been their standout performer all week. The all-rounder hit two aggressive half-centuries and struck key blows with the new ball, highlighted by removing openers Harry Brook and Adam Lyth last night. He is turning into a talismanic figure at Taunton.
A win would see them cut the gap to Surrey to 32 points. Title glory is still a long shot for Somerset, but you have to give them credit for pushing a side who has won six on the trot and five of those by an innings even this far. The two meet at Taunton in the penultimate week.
This is one of four matches left in play, two in Division One and two in Division Two. In the top tier, after an opening day wash out, Essex are now on course for an innings win over Hampshire at Chelmsford. Relegation-threatened Hampshire begin the day on 17-2 trailing by 246. Peter Siddle removed openers Joe Weatherley and Jimmy Adams late last night.
In Division Two, Gloucestershire are closing in on their third win of the summer against a Leicestershire side for who defeat would severely affect their bid for promotion. The visitors are 117-6 chasing 494 to win at Bristol. No chance, I’m afraid, Foxes fans.
Another side in the promotion mix, Kent, have work to do to win at Derby following a high-scoring start to their clash. Kent made 561 before Derbyshire reached 400 in reply, only to follow-on. They are 83-2 second time around, with both wickets going to Adam Riley.
Enjoy the day.
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