Tanya's county roundup
With less than 12 overs left the injured Saqib Mahmood, batting with a runner, flicked Brett Hutton to short-leg to end a long day of Lancashire defiance. Nottinghamshire’s 102-run victory leapfrogs them to the top of Division One, 10 and a half points clear of Yorkshire and Hampshire. There was northern fortitude in bucketloads, first from George Balderson in a five‑hour 77; then from Danny Lamb and Tom Bailey in a stand of 108 for the ninth wicket. But Notts chipped away between times, with four wickets for Dane Paterson and three for Luke Fletcher.
Hampshire half-inched a 60-run victory at Edgbaston despite being dismissed for 89 on the opening day. Grind away as Warwickshire did, once Rob Yates fell for 77, Mohammad Abbas took two wickets, and then the bottom fell out their innings as they lost five for 23 after lunch.
Northamptonshire won a cliffhanger at Wantage Road against Surrey by two wickets, after 99 from Rob Keogh and some late-order defiance by Tom Taylor and James Sales, son of the Northamptonshire stalwart David, who hauled the winning runs on his debut. The indefatigable Jordan Clark finished with five for 76.
A century from the Derbyshire captain, Billy Godleman, and 59 from Matt Critchley, guided them to a plucky draw against Leicestershire after being forced to follow-on in blazing heat. At the Riverside Durham needed only 10 overs to complete an innings victory against Glamorgan.
Sussex crumpled like a silk dress squeezed into a match box, losing six wickets for 12 runs on a glorious batting pitch at Hove, as the Middlesex leg-spinner Luke Hollman grasped a career-best five for 65. Forced to follow on, they lost three wickets before the close. Tom Haines, 39 not out overnight, 156 in the first innings, needs only another 12 runs today to be the first batsman to 1,000 runs this summer.
And that’s it from me! Good luck to Tom Haines tomorrow, who needs just 12 runs to be the first man to a thousand runs in 2021. Thanks for all the messages as always, and the Guardian will be back on Sunday for the penultimate round. Good night!
Nottinghamshire beat Lancashire by 102 runs (with 71 balls left)
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 272 and 339-8dec BEAT Lancashire 168 and 341. Lancashire by 102 runs
The Notts-up champions are now ten and a half points clear of Yorks and Hants at the top of the Division One table!
I’m going to have to retire to the round-up, leaving you all to watch Lancashire’s last hurrah, and Haines chase 1000 runs.
Coming-up-on-the-inside Tom Haines could yet be the first to 1000 runs, less than 30 needed...
India's T20 World Cup squad
India: Virat Kohli (Capt), Rohit Sharma (vc), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohd Shami.
England name their squad tomorrow
Lancsy-up! Tom Bailey’s stumps fall as he is bowled to his hundredth ball on a Trent Bridge so warm that collars are up and cuffs buttoned against the heat. Lancs 318-9. Enter Saqib Mahmood with a runner, 16 overs to survive....
Updated
Derbyshire draw with Leicestershire!
Derby: Derbyshire 340 and 203-3 draw with Leicestershire 528 all out
Billy Godleman 100 and Matt Critchley 59 guide Derby to safety
Oh
Mixed emotions for @RobKeogh91
— LV= Insurance County Championship (@CountyChamp) September 8, 2021
😔 Caught for 99...
🥳 ...but @NorthantsCCC win by two wickets!#LVCountyChamp pic.twitter.com/RUVysZQxwj
Waylaid by an influx of Chelsea buns, I temporarily took my eye off the ball. But not much has happened. At the County ground, Godleman is in the dangerous nineties, Critchley not out 59. Excellent work, Derbyshire. Lamb and Bailey are holding on for Lancs (287-8). And Sussex are batting again.
Northants BEAT Surrey by two wickets!
It is over! 18 year old debutant James Sales hauled the winning runs on a sun-baked ground.
The County Ground: Northants 171 and 322-8 BEAT Surrey 252 and 238 by 2 wickets
Oooof! Jordan Clark throws down a short one and Tom Taylor edges it behin! Surrey have a half-hearted celebration. Two needed...surely, this is over?
Genuinely surprised by this, I thought Sussex would saunter past 500. All out 319. Follow-ing on shouldn’t be a terrifying prospect, given the weight of runs scored....Luke Hollman 5-65.
Watch Northants here!
Oooh its an umbrella-chewer at Wantage Road. Now Saif Zaib is out, caught behind for six. 22 needed, three wickets left.
Tea time scores
Division one
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 272 and 339-8dec v Lancashire 168 and 235-8. Lancashire need 209 to win
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 116 and 235 BEAT Hampshire 89 and 322 by 60 runs.
Scarborough: Yorkshire 308 BEAT Somerset 134 and 141 by an innings and 33 runs
Division two
Riverside: Durham 503-8dec BEAT Glamorgan 97 and 362 by an innings and 42 runs
Chelmsford: Essex 276 BEAT Gloucestershire 76 and 197 by an innings and 3 runs
The County Ground: Northants 171 and 287-6 v Surrey 252 and 238 Northants need 33 to win
Division three
Derby: Derbyshire 340 and 142-3 v Leicestershire 528 all out
Canterbury: Kent 393 BEAT Worcestershire 133 and 204 BY AN INNINGS AND 56 RUNS
Day Three: Hove: Sussex 308-7 v Middlesex 676-5
Round the grounds, the new ball has been taken. Middlesex have wickets (Hudson-Prentice for 25 and Haines for a magnificent 156), while Surrey are now in with a dart, removing Luke Procter and Adam Rossington: 34 needed, four wickets in hand. Haven’t Northants been involved in a ridiculous number of close games this season?
A shout for a cricket game tomorrow between the Refugee Council and the Heaven Help US CC+Archbishop’s XI at Beckenham Sports Club at 2pm, with some big names playing including Peter Oborne and Chris Lewis. Money raised will go to the Refugee Council. All welcome.
Our players have been kindly requested to embrace this quote for the game on Thursday. On principle we shall play alongside our Afghan brothers & not against each team will have 2players from @HeavenhelpusCC Archbishops XI @refugeecouncil 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/EDxARQDIf0
— Heaven Help Us Cricket Club (@HeavenhelpusCC) September 7, 2021
Updated
Kudos to Derbyshire, it looks as if they’ll hold on at The County Ground. Godleman (56) and Critchley (29). They’ve put on 63 for the fourth wicket, and it is heavy work out there for the Leicestershire bowlers.
I’m not expert, but this looks great:
Mai gif day painting with the great human being that is @GFoxyFowler @lancscricket @DurhamCricket @englandcricket The new “Van Gogh of the North” And he paints quicker than me! #vangogh #NorthEast #aristontwitter #landscape #painting #masterpiece #Enjoy pic.twitter.com/b30v7yWr1D
— Jack Russell MBE (@jackrussellart) September 7, 2021
Rohit mania:
Updated
Did Lancashire just open the Warwickshire playbook? Currently 210-8, having lost three for nowt. Jones, Croft and Lavelle gone. With Saqib presumably strapped up and ready to hobble on.
Hampshire beat Warwickshire by 60 runs!
Well, knock me down! Chemar Holder is out for a duck and that’s curtains for Warwicks. What a comeback from Hampshire, after being bowled out for 89 on the first day.
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 116 and 235 BEAT Hampshire 89 and 322 by 60 runs.
Hampshire are now level with Yorkshire at the top of Division One. The two sides play each other at Headingley next week
🙌HAMPSHIRE WIN🙌
— Hampshire Cricket (@hantscricket) September 8, 2021
An unbelievable day four bowling effort from Hampshire as @WarwickshireCCC are bowled out for 235🙌
How good was that performance Hampshire fans? pic.twitter.com/McU7NuXTMN
Updated
NO Warwickshire! Naughty Warwickshire! Liam Norwell is run out as they slip to 235-9. Three wickets gone for two runs.61 needed, one wicket in hand, a flat pitch.
More on the Rafiq inquiry:
Updated
Want to raise me? Northants (91 needed, 6 wickets left). Notts (five wickets needed). and Warwickshire Hampshire (232-EIGHT!! Miles follows Briggs just three balls later, 64 needed).
And Sussex lose a third! George Garton, batting at four, makes the lowest score of the innings. Enter talented young blade Dan Ibrahim
Oh! Balderson will not become the first Lancashire batsman born this century to make a hundred. A one-handed zinger by Dane Paterson spoils the day, but he does have a five-hour career-best 77 under his belt. Lancs 192-5, and a session and a half to survive.
Warwickshire are within tickling distance - just 84 needed - but they’ve just lost Burgess for 11 to Keith Barker.
And Northants, who were voguing to victory, hit a hump . Rob Keogh on 99, plops a catch to mid-wicket Another thwarted hundred - how many this round? 210-4, 110 needed. Every wicket has been taken by a Clark(e). Eleven overs till the second new ball....
Lunchtime scores
Division one
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 272 and 339-8dec v Lancashire 168 and 170-4. Lancashire need 274 to win
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 116 and 195-5 v Hampshire 89 and 322 Warwicks need 101 to win
Scarborough: Yorkshire 308 BEAT Somerset 134 and 141 by an innings and 33 runs
Division two
Riverside: Durham 503-8dec BEAT Glamorgan 97 and 362 by an innings and 42 runs
Chelmsford: Essex 276 BEAT Gloucestershire 76 and 197 by an innings and 3 runs
The County Ground: Northants 171 and 196-3 v Surrey 252 and 238 Northants need 124 to win
Division three
Derby: Derbyshire 340 and 36-2 v Leicestershire 528 all out
Canterbury: Kent 393 BEAT Worcestershire 133 and 204 BY AN INNINGS AND 56 RUNS
Day Three: Hove 217-1: Sussex v Middlesex 676-5
Luke Fletcher has been hit on the foot...boot is off... Lancashire look on with interest.
Nearly an entire morning session has passed at Edgbaston: Yaates, Benjamin and Hain all gone, Rhodes and Lamb plugging away. 105 needed, six wickets in hand. Abbas, he of the popped hamstring, is back and bowling and ....hang on, has taken a second: Rhodes for 17. Warwicks now 191-5, 105 needed.
Shall we see how Derbyshire are doing?
Derbyshire are not doing very well. They failed to make the follow on target, and are now 22-2 in their second effort, still 164 behind.
Tom Haines century!
Belatedly, congratulations. A beauty, by no mistake, off just 111 balls. This will particularly please the Times’ Elizabeth Ammon who is absolutely convinced Haines will play for England.
And developments around the still-unpublished investigation into racism at Yorkshire. The DCMS intervene: (thanks Romeo for pointing this out)
DCMS Chair, Julian Knight MP, has called on Yorkshire CCC to immediately publish its report in to allegations of racism raised by Azeem Rafiq. It really is about time pic.twitter.com/jig5vOAIks
— Will Macpherson (@willis_macp) September 8, 2021
No unexpected, but awful news for women in Afghanistan. The Taliban ban all sports for women - depending on what the ICC do, this could spell the end for the Afghan men’s team too.
That didn't take long. The Taliban confirm women will not be able to play cricket or any other sport in Afghanistan. https://t.co/ks14LnSPbS
— tanya aldred (@tjaldred) September 8, 2021
I read now that Coughlin had been in cottonwool for 13 weeks with injury - so an especially impressive nine wicket haul.
Dane Vilas must turn on his heel, blink one last time at the sun and trundle off as the doom-laden finger is raised. LBW for 3. Lancs 146-4
Durham beat Glamorgan by an innings and 42 runs
Riverside: Durham 503-8dec BEAT Glamorgan 97 and 362 by an innings and 42 runs
A stout-hearted second innings by Glamorgan, with valiant innings in particular from Douthwaite and Salter, but the die was cast in the first. Nine wickets in the match for Paul Coughlin,
Lancashire lose another, a138-3, nd this has England at The Oval vibes. With Dane Vilas as Joe Root?
Ah, shucks. Andrew Salter is caught of Coughlin just ten short of his hundred. Glamorgan slip, wobble and slide to 359-8, still 47 short of making Durham bat again.
Jinxing gloves off and on the draining board: were George Balderson, currently 51 not out, (or George Lavelle) to make a century, he would become the first Lancs player born this century to get a hundred. Lancs currently 133-2, need 311 to win.
A tasty first twenty minutes round the grounds: a lesser-spotted wicket at Hove. Ali Orr for 18, off 95 balls, Tom Haines meanwhile is 82 not out off 100 balls. Sussex 126-1. A breakthrough thanks to a wicket-maiden for Dane Paterson as Wells falls for 59. Lancs 122-2.
Dave Houghton to step down at Derbyshire
More departures, this time Dave Houghton from Derby, after four years in the role. Derbyshire are currently bottom of Division Three of the Championship.
“It has been a bitterly disappointing season, much of which, including injuries, has been out of Dave’s control,” said the Derby chairman, Ian Morgan.
“It is the mark of the man that he has taken responsibility for on-field performances. He leaves a squad which contains a number of young talented players who will develop their skills in the coming seasons.”
David Ripley to step down at Northants
It is the end of the road for Northants head coach David Ripley, who is to step down at the end of the season. Northants have had a tricky time of it: winning promotion to Division One of the County Championship at the end of 2019, but thwarted by Covid and the subsequent reorganisation which means they have never taken up that place.
They currently lie fourth in Division Two, with a bare-knuckle fight on their hands against Surrey today. They finished second from bottom and bottom in the group stages of the one-day and T20 competitions.
Ripley, 55, who has been at Wantage Road since 1982 when he made his debut at 16, took over the coaching job in 20212, and won the T20 Blast twice. He will take another position at the club.
Updated
Scores on the doors
Division one
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 272 and 339-8dec v Lancashire 168 and 115-1. Lancashire need 329 to win
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 116 and 139-2 v Hampshire 89 and 322 Warwicks need 157 to win
Scarborough: Yorkshire 308 BEAT Somerset 134 and 141 by an innings and 33 runs
Division two
Riverside: Durham 503-8dec v Glamorgan 97 and 333-7
Chelmsford: Essex 276 BEAT Gloucestershire 76 and 197 by an innings and 3 runs
The County Ground: Northants 171 and 106-2 v Surrey 252 and 238 Northants need 214 to win
Division three
Derby: Derbyshire 313-8 v Leicestershire 528 all out
Canterbury: Kent 393 BEAT Worcestershire 133 and 204 BY AN INNINGS AND 56 RUNS
Day Three: Hove 103-0: Sussex v Middlesex 676-5
Updated
Tuesday's round-up
Two games scurried to a conclusion as Essex and Kent celebrated innings victories.
Essex, whose title was lost in the first part of the summer, and boosted by righteous indignation, have dominated both their Division Two games. They half-inched the five Gloucestershire wickets they needed before lunch, Simon Harmer walking off with four.
A “Stevo is God” flag dedicated to Darren Stevens flew over Canterbury as fans celebrated their wicket and run diva. Kent, who went into the Divisional phase without a victory, toppled Worcestershire with ease to chalk up their second win on the trot. Nathan Gilchrist, Grant Stewart and Stevens himself took three wickets apiece.
It was runs galore at Hove, as Sam Robson moved to a double hundred and Robbie White a century. Middlesex’s 676 for five declared was their highest ever total, as Sussex’s young bowlers toiled away on a picnic table of a pitch. Tom Haines and Ali Orr took Sussex to 103 for nought at stumps.
The other games were a celebration of the rearguard. In the zig-zagging Division one game at Edgbaston, Hampshire set Warwickshire 296 to win after Keith Barker and Brad Wheal shimmied the bat. Rob Yates and Dom Sibley then ground their way to a solid start, before Sibley tried a rogue sweep and was out for 47.
Lancashire, meanwhile, need another 329 runs to beat Nottinghamshire, an unlikely chase emboldened by the good start of George Balderson and Luke Wells who took them to 115 for one.
Maiden centuries for Brooke Guest and Anuj Dal, whose contact lens fell out mid-innings, gave Derbyshire a sniff of survival in their match against Leicestershire, with 65 more needed to avoid the follow-on.
While at the Riverside, Dan Douthwaite, caught for 96 going for a big one, and Andrew Salter, 82 not out, shovelled and nudged 163 for the seventh wicket to hold up Durham’s popping of the champagne. Still 73 shy of an innings defeat, it was a day of solid, if theoretical, defiance by Glamorgan.
A last wicket stand of 83 by Amar Virdi and Gus Atkinson helped Surrey set a formidable run-chase. After a couple of early Northamptonshire wickets, Rob Keogh and Emilio Gay played with panache to set the game up for an intriguing final day.
Preamble
Good morning! The sun beats its late-summer tune as another round of Championship games draws to a close. There are six games still in play:Middlesex and Sussex seems likely to end fatly gorged (and still has another two days to run), while Glamorgan are on borrowed time; but there should be tension galore at The County Ground, where Derbyshire are inching towards the follow-on and safety, and at Edgbaston, Trent Bridge and Northants where run-chases are about to begin.
