Roundup: Leicestershire canter to first top-tier win in 23 years
On the day the England and Wales Cricket Board whisked Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson away from County Championship action, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Hampshire and Derbyshire stole the show, tucking wins under their belt within three days.
At Grace Road, Leicestershire, without a win this summer, rolled over Yorkshire by an innings and 39 runs – their first victory in Division One since 2003. Dan Moriarty (51), with Dom Bess (40) and then Jack White (21), bashed 95 for the last two wickets, but it was too little, too late.
Hampshire’s dreadful season also had a timely fillip, beating Sussex by 118 runs in front of a large and vocal crowd let in for free on Father’s Day. Sussex needed 253 for victory and Dan Hughes and Tom Alsop sailed them safely to lunch but things hit choppy waters from there as Sussex lost seven for 26, with Eddie Jack grabbing a career-best four for 36.
Essex were undone by Nottinghamshire on a turning Chelmsford pitch that had been designed for Simon Harmer. Instead, it was Notts’ spinner Liam Patterson-White who finished with career-best match figures of nine for 109 as Essex were bowled out for 221 to lose by an innings. Fergus O’Neill pocketed five for 39.
It was another miserable day for Lancashire, who were dismissed before lunch at Chesterfield to tick off a fourth defeat of the season. Derbyshire’s Ben Aitchison completed a happy match with five for 49. Seventeen-year-old Joe Moores biffed a maiden first-class 50, clonking four sixes along the way.
Stokes warmed up with Durham and there was some dismay that his substitute Colin Ackermann would not be allowed to bowl. Stokes also had a hand in Northamptonshire bringing in substitute Gus Miller, called up to replace Luke Procter, whose finger had got in the way of a Stokes straight drive.
Miller top-scored in Northants’ second innings with a pretty 61, becoming the second Augustus to play for Northants after Richard Augustus Agincourt Beresford, whose niece Elisabeth wrote The Wombles. At stumps the Northants lead was 245, the game nicely in the balance. Matthew Potts again bowled with verve to pick up three for 58.
While there was no place for James Rew in England’s squad for the third Test, his brother Thomas stroked a second century for Somerset in eight days. His A-levels done and dusted, he hit an unbeaten 133 in an enterprising fightback against Warwickshire alongside Craig Overton (89 not out) to take the match into a tantalising fourth day.
As the birds sing on this midsummer’s eve, still more than three hours away from last light up here at Chester le Street, thanks for your company. Drink in this long beautiful evening. Till tomorrow.
Close of play scores
Chelmsford: Nottinghamshire 457 BEAT Essex 184 and 221 by an innings and 52 runs
Sophia Garden: Glamorgan 358 v Surrey 105 and 398-9
Grace Road: Leicestershire 453 BEAT Yorkshire 185 and 229 BY an innings and 39 runs.
Taunton: Somerset 208 and 341-6 v Warwickshire 330
Hove: Hampshire 191 and 220 BEAT Sussex 159 and 134 by 188 runs.
DIVISION TWO
Chesterfield: Derbyshire 364 and 25-1 BEAT Lancashire 161 and 226 by nine wickets
Chester-le-Street: Durham 405 v Northants 450 and 200-6
Canterbury: Kent 416 and 233-7 v Middlesex 443
New Road: Worcestershire 388 v Gloucestershire 289 and 59-1
Time for me to write up now for the paper, do keep chatting below the line.
A wise piece by Andy Bull on England:
And news from Will Mac that Lord’s may lose the 2027 World Test Championship to The Oval because of its poor pitch.
A hundred for Thomas Rew!
Well played Rew the younger! A back to the wall second century in successive matches, after 68 and 127 against Notts last week. The rumour always was that James was good and Tom was even better. Either way, they’re both outrageously talented. Somerset 291-6 lead Warwicks by 169.
Notts BEAT Essex by an innings and 52 runs
Notts pull out the choke and restart their winning ways. A career-best nine for 109 for Liam Patterson White on a custom-made turning pitch.
Chelmsford: Nottinghamshire 457 BEAT Essex 184 and 221 by an innings and 52 runs
Essex 2 points, Notts 22 points
Callum Parkinson does a 25 yard dash across the grass after James Sales goes back on his stumps , gets stuck, and loses his off stump. Durham tighten their grip – Northants six down , lead by 209.
Leicestershire’s stand-in captain Ben Green on 19 year old Alex Green who took five wickets against Yorkshire.
“He’s a young bowler with a great amount of pace. With that pace comes possibly at times a bit of a higher run rate but he fulfilled the role that he needed to in this game absolutely splendidly, he got vital wickets at vital times and while I don’t think anyone in the changing room doubted for a moment that he could get wickets at this level, it will be pleasing for him personally to have those first few under the belt.
“We’re one of the smaller squads on the county circuit but we’ve got an incredibly talented group of players and it is really pleasing that guys have been able to step in and fulfill roles, especially with the amount of guys that we’ve been missing and the amount of difficulty we’ve had with injury this year. Now, it’s about taking the momentum from this result.”
And, behind our backs, 18 year old Thomas Rew is heading towards his second Championship century in just his fourth CC match. He’s currently 86 not out in Somerset’s seventh-wicket fight-back with Craig Overton (62). Somerset 262-6 lead Warwicks by 140.
Another Northants wicket in the hat, this time Saif Zaib, caught behind off Ben Raine, who has bowled superbly all day. Northants 147-5.
Hampshire BEAT Sussex by 118 runs!
Bottom of the table Hants turn the tables as Sussex lose seven for 26 in their second innings to match nine for 69 in their first. Four wickets for Eddie Jack, three each for Abbott and Organ.
Hove: Hampshire 191 and 220 BEAT Sussex 159 and 134 by 188 runs.
Potts rages, waves both arms in imploration, after angling one in and clipping the back pad of Nathan McSweeney. The umpire raises the finger and that’s three wickets for Potts today, six in the match. Northants 140-4 lead by a precarious 184.
Nick Friend and I played England Women Top Trumps at tea. Nick won thanks to a killer Rachael Heyhoe Flint card/superior strategy, depending on who you want to believe. It was fun, didn’t take too long and they’re available here for a tenner.
Updated
Tea time-ish scores
Chelmsford: Essex 184 and 181-8 v Nottinghamshire 457
Sophia Garden: Glamorgan 358 v Surrey 105 and 282-6
Grace Road: Leicestershire 453 BEAT Yorkshire 185 and 229 BY an innings and 39 runs.
Taunton: Somerset 208 and 212-6 v Warwickshire 330
Hove: Sussex 159 and 126-8 v Hampshire 191 and 220
DIVISION TWO
Chesterfield: Derbyshire 364 and 25-1 BEAT Lancashire 161 and 226 by nine wickets
Chester-le-Street: Durham 405 v Northants 450 and 131-3
Canterbury: Kent 416 and 72-2 v Middlesex 443
New Road: Worcestershire 388 v Gloucestershire 289 and 0-0
Leicestershire BEAT Yorkshire by an innings and 39 runs!
A last wicket stand of 67 between Dan Moriarty (51) and Jack White couldn’t prevent a slam-dunk victory in three days for the Foxes and a third defeat of the summer for Yorkshire.
It is Leicestershire’s first win of the year and their first since 2003 in Division One. Five wickets in the match for 19 year old quick Alex Green
Grace Road: Leicestershire 453 BEAT Yorkshire 185 and 229 BY an innings and 39 runs.
Leicestershire 23 points, Yorkshire 2 points
Stokes and Atkinson rejoin Test squad for Trent Bridge
The squad for the third Test at Trent Bridge has landed and Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson have been recalled following the conclusion of an ECB disciplinary hearing.
The ECB found that “Stokes and Atkinson were found to have breached specific contractual obligations that require England players to at all times maintain the highest standards of conduct and act in the best interests of England cricket.”
But having been dropped for the second Test, and given a written warn about their conduct, they have been recalled for Trent Bridge, with Stokes reinstated as captain.
The ECB statement continues that, “no blame should be attached to the players for violent conduct at the nightclub.
“Stokes was not involved in the altercation and did not witness either incident. The evidence the ECB has seen demonstrates that Atkinson was the victim of unprovoked attacks and did not retaliate on either occasion.”
James Rew and Sonny Baker have been dropped from the XI who played at The Oval.
England Men’s third Test squad:
Ben Stokes (Captain)
Rehan Ahmed
Jofra Archer
Gus Atkinson
Shoaib Bashir
Jacob Bethell
Harry Brook
Jordan Cox
Ben Duckett
Matthew Fisher
Emilio Gay
Ollie Robinson
Joe Root
Jamie Smith
Josh Tongue
Updated
It is getting squeaky at Hove. Sussex are 116-5 and not even half way there – another 137 needed. Simpson (2) and Price (0) are going to have to dig most of these out of the mire. Three wickets for Eddie Jack.
For anyone following the fabulous annual refugee “carpets and chipboard” cricket festival in Caen, here are some photos (thank you Chris Drew).
Stokes likely to return as captain for the next Test
The right hand and the left hand working in discord.
Yorkshire down and nearly out as Ajay Patel has Dom Bess caught by Rishi Patel at first slip.
And a maiden fifty for Gus Miller! Fifty off 56 balls, very nicely played with eight fours.
" We were outplayed"
Poor Lancashire coach Steven Croft, after Lancs were beaten in three days again: “I thought we were outplayed, we under-performed with the bat and ball. Very disappointing. Yes we’ve got some young lads in the side but more of our team needs to be putting their hands up.
“Yes we got put in on a pitch that was helpful for the bowlers but I still thought we could have managed a lot better and also got closer to them skill wise which is tough to say. We were down on our batting and bowling skills, it was tricky at times but we need to find a way to work it out and get better.
“We’re under-performing for the group of players we’ve got. We’ve got injuries but I think we are still sending sides out that we expect to do a lot better than they are.”
On Joe Moores’ maiden fifty:“It’s great to see him go out there and get some runs and I thought he’s kept really well. He’s had a tough job to stand up to the stumps and it’s great to see him have a performance like today.”
Glenn Chapple is doing laps of The Riverside, strawberry blond hair now silver-grey. There’s a nice scattering of people sitting in front of the pavilion in the shade. Matt Parkinson wheels through over number three, Miller and McSweeney gently rebuilding.
I’ve learnt today that Durham are returning to Darlington this year to play in the one-day cup against Essex on August 9.
100 for Rory Burns!
Much more like it. A first century of the season for Burns in a better effort by Surrey this time around. Surrey 215 for four, trail Glamorgan by just 38. Pope, at the other end, 39 not out.
Gus (Augustus Horatio) Miller, 11 not out here in CLS, is (thank you Andrew Radd for this information) the second Augustus to play for Northampton after Richard Augustus Agincourt Beresford who played for Northants 1887-1892. His niece Elisabeth, a neighbour of John Arlott on Alderney, wrote The Wombles.
Updated
Post lunch wickets in the north east! Two in an over from Matthew Potts A tea-tray juggling catch by McKinney off Potts gets rid of Calvin Harison, after Vasconcelos drove loosely, furious with himself, and snaffled at second slip. Northants 17-2.
Lunchtime scores
Chelmsford: Essex 184 and 81-5 v Nottinghamshire 457
Sophia Garden: Glamorgan 358 v Surrey 105 and 177-4
Grace Road: Leicestershire 453 v Yorkshire 185 and 121-6
Taunton: Somerset 208 and 104-4 v Warwickshire 330
Hove: Sussex 159 and 64-1 v Hampshire 191 and 220
DIVISION TWO
Chesterfield: Derbyshire 364 and 25-1 BEAT Lancashire 161 and 226 by nine wickets
Chester-le-Street: Durham 405 v Northants 450 and 10-0
Canterbury: Kent 416 v Middlesex 443
New Road: Worcestershire 290-6 v Gloucestershire 289
Derbyshire need 24 to beat Lancs!
And lost Harry Came third ball but are now half way there.
hello Mike Daniels!
“This has been, so far, almost the perfect game for Leicestershire and, as seems likely, it turns out to be their first win, then they’ll have thoroughly deserved it
“They’ve batted and bowled well and shown they have what it takes to win in Div1. They’ll have to back it up with more when the CC resumes but kudos to them for bouncing back from a poor display last week.”
Bravo indeed. Yorkshire lunch six down, still 147 behind. Hill and Bess the men in.
I should have said happy Father’s day to you all – hope the dads out there are celebrating in an enjoyable way. If you’re in the north east, I heartily recommend an afternoon at The Riverside, though unfortunately you won’t be able to see Ben Stokes. Still feels a bit weird that the ECB pulled him out. If he’d played the whole match he’d only have played four days to the five four and a bit of the England players.
No hundred for the other Ollie Robinson after all, caught at deep square, a wicket for Guthrie. Durham get their fourth batting point before being all out for 405, just 45 behind Northants. And here comes Gus Miller, the injury replacement for Luke Procter, and Ricardo Vasconcelos for a ten minute pre-lunch bat.
And Essex are in real trouble now with Dean Elgar and his limpet like qualities gone, lbw Stone for 42. Essex 65-4, trail Notts by 208. Nick Friend of The Cricketer was at Chelmsford for the first two days and tells me that Essex prepared a pitch for Harmer, only for Patterson-White to rip through them on day one. Harmer finished with a five-fer too – his first in 36 games(three years) for Essex.
Great little knock this by Ollie Robinson, now 66. His last 100 was against Notts last May. Durham 383-9.
“Hi Tanya.” Hello Tim Maitland!
”Does English cricket truly understand the storm that’s about to hit them?
”I only ask, because the teenaged Vaibhav Sooryavanshi just hit 94 off 29 balls for India A in the ongoing ODI against Sri Lanka A.
”That’s a strike rate of 324. Three runs a ball. Ten fours and 8 sixes.
”We can only hope that the weather in July provides hooping, green seamers that are utterly alien to him. Anything else and whatever mess the current set-up is in come the end of the New Zealand series is going to look like the calm before the storm by the time the T20 and ODI series is over.
”He’s going to make Harry Brook look pedestrian.
”None of this should come as new news. He just won five of the 2026 IPL’s individual awards (MVP, Orange Cap for Most Runs, Emerging Player, Most Sixes and Batting Strike Rate) aged 15. But as the ECB seems determined to give the impression that they couldn’t run a bath at the moment, you have to hope they’ve started pre-emptive crisis meetings across every department, starting with the Sports Psychologists to prepare for the battered psyches of the bowlers.”
Interesting that Colin Ackermann won’t be able to bowl for Durham because he’s not a like for like replacement.
Sussex need 253 to win
Hampshire hitched their way to the highest score of the match thanks to the lower order - 22o . Three wickets each for Unadkat, Carson and Price. Kyle Abbot 23 not out. Now what are Sussex made of?
Two more early wickets, Yorkshire, fallible Yorkshire, losing Sam Whiteman inside edging to a flying Ben Cox, Yorks 57-3 ; and Charlie Bennett wafting to point, a second wicket for O’Neill, Essex 39-3.
Start of play scores
Chelmsford: Essex 184 and 13-2 v Nottinghamshire 457
Sophia Garden: Glamorgan 358 v Surrey 105 and 82-2
Grace Road: Leicestershire 453 v Yorkshire 185 and 32-2
Taunton: Somerset 208 and 23-1 v Warwickshire 330
Hove: Sussex 159 v Hampshire 191 and 206-9
DIVISION TWO
Chesterfield: Derbyshire 364 v Lancashire 161 and 140-6
Chester-le-Street: Durham 302-7 v Northants 450
Canterbury: Kent 416 v Middlesex 319-6
New Road: Worcestershire210-5 v Gloucestershire 289
Delayed arrival at CLS, via a cheese scone, to see Ben Raine reverse-scoop the ball into his stumps. Durham 332-8 with the new ball imminent. Stokes is still at Chester le Street and warmed up with the team this morning.
Morning everyone and a happy summer solstice to you all. Breaking news at The Oval and here at CLS that Stokes and Atkinson and have been withdrawn from duty and will presumably be meeting up with England after the denouement to the second Test at The Oval. But away from that, there are eight games of cricket to win. Play starts at 11am, do join us.
Stokes withdrawn from Durham game 'at request of ECB'
Tanya will be with you shortly, but some breaking news to bring you early on: Ben Stokes will not play any further part in Durham’s match against Northamptonshire, having been “withdrawn at the request of the ECB”.
“Ben Stokes has been withdrawn from the remainder of Durham’s County Championship match against Northamptonshire at the request of the ECB,” a statement said. “Colin Ackermann will replace Stokes in the Durham 11.”
The BBC are also reporting that Gus Atkinson has been stood down from Surrey’s match at Glamorgan – all of which points to a likely return for both players to the England fold for the third Test against New Zealand.
