Tanya Aldred's county roundup
When Marnus Labuschagne arrived for his second season at Glamorgan the world’s No 3‑ranked batsman, with a Test average of more than 60, came fresh from a triumphant hundred in the Sheffield Shield final. However, he had not bargained for a green top on a damp day in Cardiff.
First, Labuschagne injured his hand slipping down the stairs before the start of play, spending some of the afternoon having it checked out in the dressing room. Then, as Glamorgan replied to Kent’s 138 all out, he faced Darren Stevens, 45 today. Stevens, economical of movement and built like an ageing Chesterfield, bewitched him with his wiles and trapped him lbw for 11. Glamorgan finished 109 for two. Kent had been bowled out by mid‑afternoon, losing five for 31 as David Lloyd and Timm van der Gugten picked up four wickets each.
Warwickshire, who defeated the champions last week, thumped back to earth at the Riverside, bowled out for 87 – though things had looked bleaker still at 30 for eight. Mark Wood, playing for Durham for the first time this season, started the rot with a wicket with his seventh ball, but it was Ben Raine, with five for nine, who had the batsmen perplexed. Durham’s openers overtook Warwickshire’s total without loss.
Jordan Clark skittled Hampshire for 92, taking a career-best six for 21 at The Oval where swing bowling on a pitch with an emerald hue proved irresistible. In reply Surrey were 131 for one, with fifties for Rory Burns and Hashim Amla.
Alastair Cook, the former England captain, made his first hundred of the season on a stark April day at New Road, with a short boundary on the cathedral side of the ground helping Essex to 266 for two against Worcestershire.
Lancashire were left rueing dropped catches at Sussex, where Tom Haines made his fourth half‑century of the season in a 133‑run partnership with Stiaan van Zyl (79).
Middlesex had a steady day, notching up 308 for six against Somerset, with seventies from Nick Gubbins and Robbie White.
At Bristol, Sam Evans made his third first-class century and Lewis Hill 77 as Leicestershire polkaed to 264 for four against Gloucestershire. Hassan Azad was out to the second ball of the day, one of four opening batsmen round the country out without scoring.
There were contrasting fortunes for the heroes of Nottinghamshire’s last match as Ben Slater made 107, while Haseeb Hameed was out for a plump two-ball duck. Fynn Hudson‑Prentice snaffled four for 36. Derbyshire then collapsed to 86 for eight in the shadows.
Yorkshire were bowled out for 206 by Northamptonshire, with Dom Bess top-scoring with 56. Wayne Parnell took five for 64.
A sensational peak collapso from Derbyshire -86-8- to end another fun-filled Championship day. Thanks for the company, Simon will be here tomorrow from The Oval. Have a lovely evening. Goodnight!
Just time to update on Leicestershire 203-3 - all three wickets to Daniel Worrall, Sam Evans 81 not out, Lewis Hill 47 not out. Middx 285-5, Robbie White 61, Andersson 31. Durham 37-0, just 50 runs behind Warwicks. Time for me to go and write up the round up - after all, the glorious highlight of the day, at Sophia Gardens, has already occurred.
Not too shabby from Surrey, sailing past Hampshire’s 92 all out, with fifties from Rory Burns and Hashim Amla. 131-1.
Notts are all out, for 256, twenties from Moores and Patterson-White adding lustre to a Joe Clarke half century and hundred from Ben Slater. Four wickets to Hudson-Prentice and three for Aitchison.
A hundred for Alastair Cook!
232 balls, 15 fours. A partnership of 114 with Tom Westley (42). And around went the whispers that this was the last summer of Cook’s contract, he’d started the season badly, and maybe just maybe he was losing his touch....Essex 192-1.
And as it was written, Marnus Labuschagne lbw Stevens 11.
On his final day as a 44-year-old, Darren Stevens traps Marnus. What a great sport. #LVCountyChamp https://t.co/42EaMrYEuq
— Adam Collins (@collinsadam) April 29, 2021
Updated
The combination of Darren Stevens paucity of action as he delivers the ball combined with the frame of an old but much loved sofa must be hypnotic for Marnus. Expecting him to hole out for 12.
Those (thousands) who want to watch evergreen Cricketer of the Year Darren Stevens bowl to baby-faced Marnus Labuschagne, with a Test average of 60, on a Sophia Gardens green top, click here.
Social media boycott
The ECB, PCA, county clubs and Guardian sport are amongst many sports organisations joining football in a social media boycott from 3pm tomorrow till 11.59 on Monday. This is a protest against racism and other online hatefulness. CCLive! will continue, though perhaps in a slightly more Heath-Robinson manner without the help of updates from Twitter.
Teatime scores
Group 1
The County Ground: Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire 204-5
The Riverside: Durham v Warwickshire 87 all out
New Road: Worcestershire v Essex 150-1
Group 2
Bristol: Gloucestershire v Leicestershire 154-3
Taunton: Somerset v Middlesex 208-4
The Oval: Surrey 83-1 v Hampshire 92 all out
Group 3
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 17-1 v Kent 97-4
Hove: Sussex 201-4 v Lancashire
Headingley: Yorkshire 115-5 v Northants
Warwickshire 87 all out!
A cherry on the top of 30-8. Raine 5-9; Wood 3-28; Carse 2-15.
A hard-fought game at Hove where Tom Clark was lbw to Tom Bailey for 30 just before tea. Sussex198-4.
Durham breakthrough! After a 52-run partnership between Liam Norwell and Craig Miles, Brydon Carse dismisses Miles for 22. Warwicks 88-9.
And injury news from Taunton:
UPDATE: Josh Davey, who has been off the field this afternoon, is currently undergoing an x-ray on his foot#SOMvMID #WeAreSomerset pic.twitter.com/wMxfeqfuTt
— Somerset Cricket 🏏 (@SomersetCCC) April 29, 2021
Kent 138 all out!
Four wickets for David Lloyd and van der Gugten. A scorecard that disintegrates into single-figure ping-pong after the first three. Nor a particularly good afternoon for Yorkshire either, who are 92-5 against Northants, made to look slightly more respectable by a couple of blows from Jonathan Tattersall . Two wickets each for Berg and Sanderson.
Pah, Abbas! Poof, Abbott. Rory Burns is flaying Hampshire round The Oval. Surrey 53-1.
“All out for 92 on day one...pitch inspectors on their way I assume….” says Charles Sheldrick. “Sorry, silly of me, The Oval is not in Somerset so it can’t be anything to do with the pitch….
I will go back to crying into my cider.”
Now, now Charles, what are you saying?
A hundred for Ben Slater!
His second in a row after the unbeaten hundred following on last week. Off 160 balls. Notts: 194-3
A couple of others fall short: Joe Clarke has just been out for 66; and Nick Gubbins for 75, to Lewis Gregory. Middx 173-4.
I’d been wondering how Labuschagne got to play so quickly...
Fascinated by the contrasting experiences of Derbyshire and Glamorgan re key overseas players this week. Billy Stanlake arrived before Marnus Labuschagne but can't play because Champo not classed as elite sport; Labuschagne, falling under Welsh gov jurisdiction, is eligible
— Sam Morshead (@SamMorshead_) April 28, 2021
The Warwickshire tail-end wriggling the score past 50: 55/8
Another email from our resident farme rAnthony Bradley:
“First time on your coverage but have had mentions when Tim de Lisle is working.
Shame about Lyth, always felt he was dropped by England with unseemly haste.
Back on the farm the pandemic has reduced the supply of field gates to less than rocking horse manure!”
Just had to remind myself of Lyth’s stats - seven Tests, one hundred, against NZ, average 20.38. Also interested to read on cricinfo that Andrew Gale considered him more talented that both Gary Balance and Joe Root. Obviously a good all-round sportsman as he also had trials at Manchester City.
They’re back on at Headingley where Yorkshire are 76-3, Balance just back in the pavilion for four, to Parnell.
Is this the beginning of something? Mark Stoneman dangles his bat at Abbott. Surrey 31-1.
Just to confirm that poor Marnus Labuschagne is off the field at Sophia Gardens with a hand injury sustained on the first morning of his season.
Surrey are in charmed-mode: 20-o after Hampshire were all out for 92. Abbas has 0-12 off his two overs.
Away from Riverside, Alastair Cook has fifty - Essex 95-1; Notts are flying 157-2, Slater 82 not out and Joe Clarke unbeaten on 52; an unbeaten 57 to Marcus Harris Leicestershire recovering well after losing Azad for a duck -108-1; Middx 130-3, Handscombe run-out for 17, Gubbins 46 not out; Sussex temporarily flawed, 159-3, Livingstone and Mahmood removing the well-set Haines and van Zyl.
Still raining at Headingley and Glamorgan.
I gave the pup a delicious-looking chew as she was bored and she hid in behind a cushion. Much to her annoyance I found it and gave it back. She then wined to go outside where she has now buried it. Why?
In other news - can you really sell the All-Blacks?
Hampshire 92 all out!
Jordan Clark 6-21; Lewis McManus 31 not out. Abbas and Abbott - time to see the cut of your jib. Will we see Test-match top-order Surrey or inexplicably-barren Surrey?
A nice story of a new partnership between the ECB and the Lord’s Taveners, to make disability cricket available county-wide.
In the words of David Gower: “This partnership is a true game-changer for the Taverners. This is the largest investment by a cricket board into a disability specific programme and to work with the ECB is an incredible honour. The charity’s work has proved life-changing for so many participants and we’re very excited about the opportunity to bring our work to young people in every county across the country.”
Super 1s, a national Lord’s Taverners programme delivered in conjunction with county cricket boards, gives young people living with a disability the chance to play regular, competitive cricket and giving participants the chance to interact with their peers and enjoy the benefits of playing sport.
But the programme is more than just about playing cricket, it improves physical and mental well-being, gives a sense of belonging and allows participants to make friends and gain skills for life such as confidence and independence.
The partnership will also fund the further development of table cricket which is currently played in 357 schools by over 8,800 young people across the country. The game allows young people with more limiting disabilities the opportunity to engage in cricket, as well as develop a network of young leaders and schools who engage.
Table cricket is an adapted version of cricket played on a table tennis table. Alongside the enjoyment of playing the game and competing, table cricket develops teamwork and social skills among players, while helping with coordination and cognitive skills.
Make that 30-8! Bressie-lad is bowled for one.Raine has 5-2 and the commentators are flummoxed.
Well, I would not have predicted this, even with Wood’s return. Warwickshire 30-7! Briggs is Wood’s latest victim. Wood 3-15, Rained 4-2. The record lowest score against Durham is 56 by Somerset.
Raine on a roll.
— Durham Cricket (@DurhamCricket) April 29, 2021
5 overs, 3 maidens. 4/2 🔥#ForTheNorth pic.twitter.com/feYRaERSgq
Wickets continue to tumble at The Riverside and The Oval, Kyle Abbot edges the second ball after lunch to Ben Foakes. Another for Jordan Clark who has collected 4 today. Kent 88-8. And Ben Raine has added Sam Hain and Michael Burgess to his haul since lunch. Warwickshire 26-6!
A post-lunch zinger from Andrew Benton, who writes on the subject of live streams: “Hello Tanya” Hello!
“Cricket on Youtube is wonderful. I’ve been able to dip in and out of all three Gloucestershire matches over the past weeks and catch some great sessions. On any given day in the Championship there will be matches that catch your attention and those that don’t, but that goes for Test matches and all the rest - and there are plenty of alternatives to turn to each County day if you’re not heavily partisan - don’t get that option with an England international.
“I hope this free viewing continues in years to come, post-covid. And with a bit of planned outreach from the clubs and authorities, it could prove valuable in getting more people interested and involved in the county game.”
It completely slipped by me that Durham had taken three more wickets after Mark Wood’s initial breakthrough - Matthew Lamb also out to Wood, bowled, while Vihari and Rhodes both lbw to Raine. Last week’s David, Warwicks, 22-4.
Rain at Derby, Bristol and Headingley has delayed the restart after lunch.
Just off to buy a birthday card and make a sarnie. Back soon!
Lunchtime scores
Group 1
The County Ground: Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire 113-2
The Riverside: Durham v Warwickshire 22-4
New Road: Worcestershire v Essex 64-0
Group 2
Bristol: Gloucestershire v Leicestershire 92-1
Taunton: Somerset v Middlesex 82-2
The Oval: Surrey v Hampshire 70-7
Group 3
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan v Kent 97-4
Hove: Sussex 110-1 v Lancashire
Headingley: Yorkshire 67-2 v Northants bad light stopped play
Hampshire in emergency mode 53-7, if they hurry up they can be all out before lunch. They’ve now lost 5-9. Scott Currie has to walk off for 4.
Oh dear. Kent getting into a pickle just before lunch- Jordan Cox and Joe Denly fall to David Lloyd in the same over. Daniel Bell-Drummond earlier out to van der Gugten for 31. Kent 90-3.
An early lunch has been taken at Headingley. Cook and Browne getting stuck into Worcestershire - 59-0. The only wicketless side of the morning.
Play has been suspended for bad light at Headingley. Yorkshire 67-2.
Cripes! Hampshire lose their fourth wicket without adding a run as Liam Dawson walks off for a duck, caught Rikki, bowled Jordan. “Good swing bowling” says the radio. Hampshire 44-6.
Updated
Hampshire crumbling to rather a dust 44-5. Two each for the Clark(e)s, one for Kemar Roach. Single figures scores for Sam Northeast, James Vince, Tom Alsop and Joe Weatherly.
Mark Wood grabs a wicket with the first ball of his second over, slipping between the bat and pad of Rob Yates, scorer magnifico at Edgbaston last week. Out for 1. Warwicks 11-1. Cricket really out to prove today its reputation as a cruel mistress/great leveller.
A moving, and political, long read on India’s Covid crisis by Arundhati Roy.
Meanwhile Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson, Ravichandran Ashwin, Andrew Tye, and umpires Paul Reiffel and Nitin Menon have pulled out of the IPL as controversy continues about the continuation of the tournament. Here is Sharda Ugra:
“Never mind Mars, the IPL is actually taking place in a galaxy far, far away. Until Sunday, 25 April, the single acknowledgement of India’s COVID tsunami used to come in the form of commentators either reading out messages or speaking in their own words. But not too many.”
They’ve started at Chester-le-Street and, after one runs comes from Chris Rushworth’s first over, Mark Wood has the ball...
A wicket! Smart bit of bowling by Rikki Clarke, pitched up, good line, and Tom Alsop nibbled behind. Hants 37-2.
A question from Gary Naylor: Should we be grateful that we have Youtube streams of all the Champo matches or disappointed that the quality of many leaves much to be desired? Four rounds in, I’m migrating from the first camp to the second - especially if there is on-screen sponsorship.
I must admit I haven’t watched that many live streams for long as it is impossible to work with too many windows open on my laptop. But from what I’ve seen, I’d fall into the gratitude camp. In a time of Covid, the clubs have stumbled on a way that they can provide coverage for fans worldwide. It’s free, and I’m sure the quality will only get better.
More on the Championship’s leading wicket-taker Ollie Robinson being rested by Sussex. Coach Ian Salisbury said: “He has bowled magnificently but his workload has been huge and we can’t afford to risk him breaking down.
“There’s a lot expected of him – not just with the ball, but with the bat, in the field and as vice-captain.
“But he’s not a bowling machine you can just plug in. He’s a human being and he’s due a rest.
“It’s so important that we look after the players. We have got a small squad and it’s quite a brutal schedule.
Ultimately the guys that play week in, week out, get one day off a week for six weeks.”
A second wicket at Derby, as Hundson-Prentice gets one to leap up off the pitch and Duckett edges to second slip. Notts 34-2. Essex stonewalling - 19 runs in the first 45 minutes. Elsewhere, Sam Robson flicked at Lewis Gregory and Middlesex are 33-1; and Kemar Roach grabs at wicket at The Oval, Joe Weatherly for 9, Hants 24-1. Kent 39-0, Sussex 47-1 and Yorks 43-1 zipping along.
Another email pings prettily in my inbox. It’s Tim Maitland: “Dimuth Karunaratne made 118 on the first day of the second test against Bangladesh in Kandy today, which I think we can all agree is a reasonable way to follow up the massive 244 he made in the first Test.
“Given that his innings before that was 75 in the second innings of the second test in the West Indies one might be tempted to suggest he is mining a rich a vein of form.
What makes all of this all the more worth knowing is that I’ve only just discovered that his first name is Frank.”
Play is due to start at noon at The Riverside. The delay due to generally unpleasant weather.
A fair scattering of wickets in the first half hour: Has at Notts for nought (18-1); Hassan Azad, also for a duck, Leicestershire (17-1); Thomason - what sorcery is this? -for yet another duck Sussex 24-1; and Lyth, um, without scoring, Yorkshire 20-1.
Elsewhere, plain sailing.
Anthony Bradley writes from his Yorkshire farm - a first I think!
“No Raynauds syndrome but the weather not helping much on our grass farm in the Yorkshire Dales. Cold and dry limiting growth just when we expect April showers. Not fit for cricket or new lambs!”
Oh no! Has out for a two-ball big, fat, unkind duck. Notts 6-1.
Thank you Tim Maitland for pointing out that poor Adam Lyth was bowled the first ball of the day - at least only one poor player suffered this fate this round compared the three last time.
I don’t know if any of you BTL suffer from Raynaud’s syndrome -but I find this kind of weather the worst - the contrast from being in moments of sunshine to the chill of the shade plays havoc with the circulation. Must be awful for cricketers - I know Chris Lewis suffered.
And here is double-centurion Haseeb Hameed on Notts, Lancs and the future.
A sad column by Andy Bull on the fall of Heath Streak.
Smashing words and pictures here in Ali Martin’s piece on the Ramadam Cricket League.
As they stand: LV= Insurance County Championship Group Tables
Group 1
Warwickshire 53
Worcestershire 41
Essex 37
Derbyshire 37
Durham 32
Nottinghamshire 30
Group 2
Hampshire 58
Gloucestershire 55
Somerset 39
Middlesex 30
Surrey 22
Leicestershire 19
Group 3 Table
Lancashire 59
Yorkshire 53
Sussex 42
Northamptonshire 40
Glamorgan 25
Kent 21
Updated
Fixtures
Group 1
The County Ground: Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire
The Riverside: Durham v Warwickshire
New Road: Worcestershire v Essex
Group 2
Bristol: Gloucestershire v Leicestershire
Taunton: Somerset v Middlesex
The Oval: Surrey v Hampshire
Group 3
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan v Kent
Hove: Sussex v Lancashire
Headingley: Yorkshire v Northants
Updated
Preamble
Good morning! The fourth round of matches starts today - over a bank holiday weekend that promises to be chilly with sunny patches and showery interludes. It’s a metaphor we can unpick as we go along. In a week full of cricket news - some essentials: the return of Marnus Labuschagne, Glamorgan’s Australian jewel, to boost their chances against bottom of the table Kent; Mark Wood makes his season debut in Durham’s game against Warwickshire - who are without the rested Olly Stone; Yorkshire are without the resting Joe Root and Lancashire still have to do without James Anderson whose recovery from a calf strain is taking longer than hoped.
Lots of spicy match-ups: I fear for Worcestershire with Essex on the rebound after defeat by Warwickshire for the first time in 22 matches last week; Somerset v Middlesex will be a battle of the bowlers, after Middlesex thrashed Surrey last week - who in turn must attempt a bounce back against top-of-group-two Hampshire. Still win-less Nottinghamshire, turbo-charged by two centuries from Haseeb Hameed in the last game, face Derbyshire, where allrounder Matt Critchley has been skipping through the bluebells: 449 runs at 74.83 plus 13 wickets with his wrist-spin. At the Riverside, David Bedingham continues his quest for 1000 runs before the end of May, currently 565 runs at 141.25, as Durham take on in-form Warwickshire. At Hove, it is Jack Carson v Matt Parkinson; at Bristol, visiting Leicestershire are lead by Callum Parkinson for the first-time as they take on in-form Gloucester; Northants, fresh from that eye-popping run chase, play Yorkshire.
Updated
