Tanya's roundup
Steven Patterson seized the final Sussex wicket with just 32 balls left, to complete a heady Headingley denouement.
A youthful Sussex side seemed to have saved the game thanks to a patient 67 from the 20-year-old Ali Orr on debut and fifty from Aaron Thomason, but when Thomason wibbled the ball to slip shortly after tea, Sussex succumbed. They lost five for seven in 32 balls as Dan Ibrahim was caught at slip for a duck to give Dom Bess his second wicket in three balls, and then David Willey thundered in to capture Jack Carson, caught by a leaping, juggling Jordan Thompson at leg slip; Stuart Meaker, poking the ball to short leg; and Henry Crocombe, flapping.
Ben Brown, who had watched the carnage from the non-striker’s end, and the last man Jamie Atkins came together with 16.4 overs left. They prodded away, and with 10 overs left, Bess fumbled a near-impossible chance at leg slip off Brown. He had to retire to the rope where the physio attempted to pop digits back into place. But with the end in sight, Brown was bowled, leaving Yorkshire just a tantalising four points behind Lancashire in Group 3.
An overnight declaration by Kent added jeopardy to the game at Canterbury, especially when Northamptonshire lost four wickets in the morning session. Darren Stevens removed both openers, before Miguel Cummings, on the last day of his spell with Kent, zipped out Rob Keogh. More wickets fell after lunch, but Adam Rossington remained steadfastly solid, unbeaten on 59, and they shook hands at 4.50.
Essex’s efforts to regain their Championship title continued to stumble as rain and bad light denied them any chance of forcing a win in the Bob Willis Trophy against Nottinghamshire.
Somerset have a lead of 10 points at the top of Group Two, after rain and a flat pitch kiboshed any chance of a result at Taunton. After batting on in the morning, George Bartlett reached a hundred and Tom Banton an unbeaten fifty, they set Hampshire 459 to win.
A lip-smacking game, and an apt end to what has been a fabulous first eight Championship rounds. Plus two post-tea last-day thrillers in a week - I’m happy with that! It leaves the tables nicely poised with plenty to ponder going into July. I’ll see you at Old Trafford on July 4, and maybe a few of you at an OBO or two. Thanks for all the messages and comments, it’s been a blast. So with Yorkshire sitting in a circle on the grass, enjoying a post-match loll and a beer, I’ll wish you a lovely evening, good night!
Group Three table after nine rounds
Lancashire 126 (played 8)
Yorkshire 122 (played 8)
Northants 110 (played 8)
Glamorgan 99 (played 8)
Kent 75 (played 8)
Sussex 71 (played 8)
Updated
Yorkshire beat Sussex by an innings and 30 runs!
The captain does it! Ben Brown finally goes for 22, edging Patterson behind, with 32 balls of the match left! What a game, what a session!
Updated
Six overs left and a last sanitisation break. Atkins has been hit on the helmet and the physio runs on - are they checking him for concussion?
With ten overs left, Dom Bess “drops” Ben Brown at leg slip. It would have been a helluvacatch. The physio is now doing something very squeamish to Bess down by the rope - looks as if he’s attempting to “pop” it back into place.
Updated
To a weird and wonderful field, two leg slips, 2 slips, 2 short legs, Crocombe flaps at another short one from Willey and is snaffled by Duke behind the stumps. Sussex 187-9!
Meaker puts his bat under his right arm and thumps off after fending the ball to Harry Brook at short leg. Sussex have now lost four for seven in three overs. Ben Brown crosses his legs at the non-striker’s end and stares hard at the grass. Sussex 187-8
Those damn Yorkies! Carson is caught by a leaping, juggling Thompson at leg slip! David Willey leaps and punches the air. Sussex lose their seventh wicket with 19 over left.
I must have half an eye on the round-up, but will keep updating from Headingley, where the sun is out, Ben Brown has been joined by Jack Carson and there are 19 wickets left. Sussex 186-6.
Group Two Table after nine rounds
Somerset 119 (played 8)
Gloucestershire 109 (played 8)
Hampshire 108(played 8)
Surrey 101 (played 8)
Leicestershire 93 (played 8)
Middlesex 60 (played 8)
Somerset draw with Hampshire
Somerset 360 and 409-7 draw with Hampshire 311 and 88-2. Somerset 15 points, Hampshire 14.
Kent draw with Northamptonshire
Kent 330-5dec draw with Northants 392 and 184-8. Kent take 14 points, Northants 13.
Just the one game left at Headingley, which is bubbling up just like the Roses match did last week.
And another! No success for Ibrahim this time round, caught at slip for a duck! Two wickets in three balls for Dom Bess. Sussex suddenly 180-6.
No declaration now! Thomason wibbles and is caught at slip for 52. Just 21 overs left as young Dan Ibrahim strolls out, squatting by the rope before he crosses the line.
An email lands from DaddyPig: “The pie was lovely thank you Tanya. It was a small one shared with my son. That was an odd way for Thomason to reach fifty, after nearly four hours of focused defiance, a wild swing and bottom edge to fine leg.
“Meanwhile we have people in the party stand on the Western Terrace. There is some ‘singing’, and they even tried to start a Mexican Wave at one point.”
Fifty to Thomason, off 175 balls, in 234 minutes, applauded enthusiastically from the dressing-room. A super effort by him, and the whole Sussex team.
As you’ve probably guessed by now, analysing technique is not my best suit. But I thought this was interesting in The Cricketer - though Pope always looks a million dollars when on song.
Ted Dexter’s verdict on England’s rookie batsmen in our star-studded letters pages in the June issue of @TheCricketerMag - Crawley / Pope especially interesting pic.twitter.com/0gOK0tHDqI
— Huw Turbervill (@huwzat) June 6, 2021
To the cry of York-shire, York-shire from the Western Terrace, Thompson treads in and Brown defends. And again: very correct, dropping the ball down near his feet. He currently has six off 29 balls. Hope the pork pie was good, Tim.
Northants are still eight down, so leading towards a draw there too.
Group One Table after nine rounds
Warwicks 120 (played 8)
Essex 118 (played 9)
Nottinghamshire 115 (played 8)
Durham 111 (played 8)
Worcestershire 97 (played 9)
Derbyshire 60 (played 8)
Updated
Rain at Taunton, as Thomason carefully pushes forward to Coad.
We’re back, though draws hang heavy in the air. An end of term feel to the press box, time to discuss the sprightliness of Bob Appleyard well into his nineties and whether it is possible to remove the chocolate off a Leibniz biscuit in one bite.
Tea-time scores
Chelmsford: Essex 210 DRAW WITH Nottinghamshire 293 and 44-2
Taunton: Somerset 360 and 409-7 v Hampshire 311 and 88-2
Canterbury: Kent 330-5dec v Northants 392 and 155-8
Headingley: Yorkshire 558 v Sussex 313 and 164-4
The new ball doth blow, and Travis Head drives to Tom Kohler-Cadmore at first slip who clings to a quick ‘un. Is there life in the old dog yet? Sussex 164-4.
“Dear Tanya,” writes DaddyPig
“Someone behind us just offered the opinion that “it’s not great to watch, is it ?”. After a year of not being here to watch it, and two sides giving their all, on a pitch that’s batter-friendly as long as you concentrate like fury... I think it is good to watch. Especially as I’ve a pork pie for the tea interval.”
I think it is one of those games you have to utterly relax into. If you start thinking about that pin-board you should be putting up at home, you will find yourself dancing with very itchy feet. Particularly if you haven’t a pork pie (or equivalent).
The new ball swishes along to the boundary after one-legged hop- drive by Thomason off Coad.
A last throw of the dice here at Headingley - and Ben Coad takes the new ball, with 39 overs left.
Essex draw with Notts
Notts 293 and 44-2 draw with Essex 210. Essex 11 points, Notts 12.
Bad light and rain meant it is officially curtains at Chelmsford. The top four in Group one are separated by only nine points, with Essex in trouble because they have played an extra game.
It is raining at Chelmsford, with Notts 44-2. Hampshire plough on, 80-2, Alsop and Northeast holding off Lewis Gregory et al.
Northants are seven down now, Taylor caught of Gilchrist for 12, Rossington still there on 31. The lead is 201, which Kent will consider tasty.
My favourite part of this absolute cock-up is Steven’s little jig of delight at the end:
🎯🎯🎯 pic.twitter.com/JjUAbyrS1G
— Kent Cricket (@KentCricket) June 6, 2021
Updated
Wicket-tastic! just after we were discussing how Orr had played barely a false-shot, he is bowled by Dom Bess. A smashing innings, beautifully poised, resolute in defence but prepared to whack the short ball. Even more importantly, he used up 216 balls.
Travis Head strides out, which for most of this season has had an unhappy outcome. He is greeted with a ball from Bess that spittles past the bat. Well, well. Sussex 125-3 with 49 overs left.
While at Canterbury, Daniel Bell-Drummond runs out Procter. Northants 128-6.
Updated
Rossington and Procter are speeding things up a little at Canterbury, but at 124-5, Northants only have a lead of 186.
Unlike Lancashire’s long-legged slips cordon, Harry Duke and Adam Lyth (second slip) cut diminutive figures, lorded over by Tom Kohler-Cadmore at first slip. The two current bowlers, Thompson, hair held back with a headband, and David Willey, are both proud owners of a Darren-Gough approved bowler’s backside. Sussex 117-2. Defence ahoy.
Another wicket at Chelmsford, as Ben Duckett’s stumps are rearranged by Shane Snater for 16. Notts 41-2, Harmer has bowled ten empty overs.
This CANNOT be 27 years ago.
5️⃣0️⃣1️⃣*️⃣ - the highest individual score in first-class cricket history!#OnThisDay in 1994, a @BrianLara epic for Warwickshire against Durham at Edgbaston 🙌
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) June 6, 2021
👉 https://t.co/sj9YJZP03v pic.twitter.com/n6zwQYRFkF
From the Headingley trenches, a message arrives, “Hello Tanya from my son and me in the North East Lower. Much as I admire Kane Williamson’s flighty declaration at Lords, it isn’t as if there’s anything important at stake, like a top two place in a County Championship group. Meanwhile, I think there’s life in the game here, with a second new ball due before tea.”
Tim, if this happens, or doesn’t happen, the jinx lies with you.
Forgive me. Ian Holland’s stumps are arranged by Lewis Gregory for 9. Hampshire 39-2.
It was Lewis Gregory who got the pre-prandial wicket at Taunton: Steel lbw for 14. Holland and Alsop the batsmen in possession. I can’t help think Somerset delayed their declaration a little too long - without Coverton and Leach their bowling doesn’t have such a here-we-go-on-a-roll feel to it. Hampshire 38-1
Over in the RHF trophy, Thunder are chasing 260 against Lightning for consecutive wins.
Someone has ripped up the Northants script. Zaib wafts and is caught behind for six. Northants 73-5.
Sainsbury’s sandwich section was dominated by cricket fans, who picked over the selection with surprising disdain. The sun pops her head through the clouds and out come the players.
Over at the Test... New Zealand have declared!
Very sporting and surprisingly bold. England need 273 in 75 overs
Time for a dawdle down the Headingley streets to buy some lunch. Back in 40 minutes to see if Somerset and Yorkshire can whistle up a win, Essex can find the magic formula at Chelmsford and Kent and Northants can contrive something out of nothing.
Lunchtime scores
Chelmsford: Essex 210 v Nottinghamshire 293 and 23-1
Taunton: Somerset 360 and 409-7 v Hampshire 311 and 30-1
Canterbury: Kent 330-5dec v Northants 393 and 70-4
Headingley: Yorkshire 558 v Sussex 313 and 105-2
And at 12.58, Steve Patterson persuades the umpires to change the ball and they swap it for another, 53 overs new. Does anyone know how it works - the umpires can’t possibly have a ball for every eventuality. They can’t have 79 balls in their store-cupboard?
Northants, Northants! Currently 60-4, with two for Stevens, one for Gilchrist and one for Cummins. A lead of just 123 over Kent, but Saif Zaib, who has had a smashing little season, at the crease.
I didn’t realise prawn cocktail was back in vogue! My mum’s go-to starter for a 1980s dinner party. The rain forces an early lunch at Lord’s.
The final Players' Dining Room lunch menu of the Test 🍽
— Lord's Cricket Ground (@HomeOfCricket) June 6, 2021
What are your final selections? 😋#LoveLords | #ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/B0N0xkaJUc
Updated
The clouds remain high above Headingley and Sussex reach their hundred, with just two wickets lost this morning. Sussex will be quietly pleased with their morning’s work, with ten minutes till lunch.
A breakthrough at Chelmsford! It be Peter Siddle, with Compton gone for 8.
And an email whisks through the air from Romeo:
“Hampshire need 459 to win. I wonder what the highest chase total set has been in CC history?”
A quick google seems to suggest that the record remains with Middlesex, who chased 472 to beat Yorkshire by seven wickets in May 2014, with Chris Rogers unbeaten on 241.
Updated
Somerset declare!
At last! Bartlett gets his hundred, Somerset pass 400 and Hampshire have a challenge. Hampshire need 459 to win.
Here, 20 year old Ali Orr nestles to his fifty! With a pull down to fine leg , another Sussex half century on debut
Paul Edwards tells me that since August 1 last year, Sussex have given first-class debuts to nine players in 13 games. To compare, in the BWT, Lancashire gave first-class debuts to six players.
Updated
Siddle and Sam Cook with the new ball at Chelmsford; Compton and Slater just have to bat it out for some plump points for a draw.
Michael Duggan asks the question: “Really don’t understand why Somerset haven’t declared – over 400 ahead on the final day. Any thoughts? Might be waiting for Bartlett to get 100 but seems very strange to jeopardise your chance of winning the match.”
We were just mulling that over in the Headingley press box. Equally puzzled. They must really rate the Hampshire batting line-up, I guess.
Some great livestream stats for the RHF trophy. Add the 589,000 youtube and facebook views for the Roses match last week, and a lot of people are watching a lot of cricket.
This season's #RHFtrophy livestreams have already totalled over 750,000 views, compared with 500,000 in 2020.
— hypocaust (@_hypocaust) June 6, 2021
Now then. So Essex are all out for 210, trailing Notts by 293. If this was last year, you’d put money on Harmer to bowl Notts out for under 100. But in 2021, the Notts-up has become something of an endangered species, and Harmer has lost his cloak of invincibility.
And another! With the third ball of his morning spell, Van Zyl feathers Thompson through to Duke and has to trudge, eyes firmly on the grass back to the dressing-room. A golden duck. Sussex 60-2.
Updated
A top edge! A bit of extra bounce from Bess and Tom Haines sends the ball up and into the paws of Adam Lyth. The end of a partnership of 60 between the openers, Sussex 60-1.
A wicket at Chelmsford! Shane Snater is lbw to Brett Hutton for his 200th first-class wicket. Essex 195-9.
Sussex pottering along much untroubled here at Headingley, which will please Lancashire no end.
Ben Stokes will make his boom-back at Chester-le-Street on Friday in the T20 game against Yorkshire.
Did Darren Stevens read the memo? Darren Stevens doing Darren Stevens things, pincering Emilio Gay lbw for 8, Northants 14-1.
Adam Lyth gets just the one over before Dom Bess is thrown the ball. A real opportunity for the scruffy scamp today, though on a pitch that didn’t much spin yesterday. Jack Carlson, who has just been given a contract extension by Sussex, did manage to extract some turn and bounce with the wickets of Malan and Ballance.
What is this sorcery? Kent have declared on their overnight 330-5: which gives Northamptonshire a second innings lead of 62 runs. Some old-fashioned declaration bowling hangs in the air.
Adam Lyth bowls the first ball of the day, from the Emerald Stand end. A Sunday sprinkling of spectators, Orr and Haines the men charged with steadfast blocking.
Dawid Malan , who I’m reliably informed played a perfectly-judged innings yesterday, driving particularly well before being out for 199, spoke engagingly last night:
“ I’ve tried to learn from my failures at Test cricket and put that into practice in four-day cricket.
“Since 2019, I think my record speaks for itself in just having that fearless approach in four-day cricket and backing my technique and way of playing.
Possible Test return?
“I wouldn’t be here playing four-day cricket if I didn’t want to play Test cricket again. I still feel like I’ve got a hell of a lot to give. Whether I’m good enough, that’s not my decision. I just have to keep scoring runs.
“Since I got dropped in the middle of 2018, I’ve gone away and done what I was told, which is score runs. Hopefully, if I keep getting big scores like this, I can put pressure on the people who make decisions.
“I think I played well in that Ashes series (2017/18). That was as well as I could have played at the time.
“I feel I now know my game better. Being back in the T20s and the odd ODI, I’ve learnt what I need to do to perform at that level. That’s really important.
“You’re playing against bowlers you play against all the time, but Test cricket is a different mentality and there’s more scrutiny. In my last five Tests, I probably didn’t handle that as well as I could have. Hopefully I’d be in a better position now.”
Start of play scores
Chelmsford: Essex 180-7 v Nottinghamshire 293
Taunton: Somerset 360 and 323-6 v Hampshire 311
Canterbury: Kent 330-5 v Northants 393
Headingley: Yorkshire 558 v Sussex 313 and 38-0
Graham's Saturday round-up
Marnus Labuschagne’s highest score of a difficult summer, an unbeaten 63, ended county cricket’s only remaining unbeaten record as Glamorgan chased 188 to beat Lancashire by six wickets at Sophia Gardens shortly before 12.30pm on day three.
The much-vaunted Australian had not previously posted a fifty in seven Championship innings in 2021. However, his eighth delivered the goods – a high tempo 72-ball knock navigating reverse swing from seamers including Saqib Mahmood.
Labuschagne has been a shadow of the player who dominated county attacks in early 2019, yet here navigated a pitch Lancashire’s Alex Davies described as “substandard” at the close on Friday. He also posted 44 in the first innings.
The Queenslander said: “It was nice to be out there for the winning runs. To do it the fourth innings when the ball has gone reverse, which is exciting to play against because it is something we don’t get much of in Australia in domestic cricket, was very satisfying.”
Glamorgan’s second win came as they advanced from 137 for three overnight, chasing the fixture’s highest score. However, they still have an uphill task to claim a top two finish in Group Three ahead of Lancashire, Yorkshire and the other contenders, Northamptonshire.
Lancashire, the leaders, had hoped to take a significant step towards the top group, but they may be only four points clear of Yorkshire at the end of this round with two still to play and Scarborough to visit next month.
Dawid Malan showed his rounded class with a serene 199 for Yorkshire as they seek victory over Sussex at Headingley. They claimed a first-innings lead of 245 midway through the evening before Sussex closed on a sturdy 38 without loss.
In his first four-day appearance since last August, when he scored 219 in a Bob Willis Trophy draw against Derbyshire here, the left‑hander punished an inexperienced attack to move from 103 overnight before being bowled by off-spinner Jack Carson after lunch for the second 199 of his career.
Malan, who played the last of his 15 Tests in August 2018, missed out on becoming the first Yorkshire player to score double hundreds in two consecutive innings.
Warwickshire went top of Group One with a 191-run win at Derbyshire, who were bowled out for 121 in their second innings. Oliver Hannon-Dalby took four for 24 to secure a fourth win.
Gloucestershire’s strong position at the Group Two summit has been eroded with back-to-back defeats, this latest against Leicestershire at Grace Road. The home side won by an innings and 93 as the left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson returned career-best match figures of 10 for 108.
Somerset will hope to leapfrog Gloucester with a home win over Hampshire. Half-centuries in the second innings for Steve Davies, Tom Abell and George Bartlett secured a lead of 372 and counting.
Essex and Nottinghamshire, two contenders at the top of Group One, look likely to play out a draw at Chelmsford, while Durham are far from out of the equation having won at Worcestershire chasing 86.
Kent, for whom Ollie Robinson scored 120, are playing out a rainy high-scoring game with Northamptonshire at Canterbury in Group Three. That is on course for a draw assuming there is no final day contrivance.
Preamble
Hello! It’s a sweet June morning at Headingley, though the gateman warned that there is rain in Wakefield and it is a-heading this way.
A busy day on Saturday with wins for Derby, Worcestershire, Leicestershire and Glamorgan, which leaves just four matches in play today, but enjoy every moment: this is the last day of CC till July 4.
A quick summary of the position in group 3: if Yorkshire win, they’ll be four points behind Lancashire, if they draw they’ll be 12 points behind Lancashire. Northants are coming up on the inside, and nor are Glamorgan (quite) out of it. If Yorkshire fail to win today, Northants will be between 3 and 5 points behind.
Updated
