Key events
No Shoaib Bashir for Somerset, which they could live to regret as Lewis Gregory brings himself onto bowl and is pinged for 20. Kent 48-0.
An early lunch at Headingley, with the hope they’l start at 1.10pm
Elsewhere in Division Two, Northants press on regardless: fifty for Luke Procter and nearly there for Karun Nair.
….and here at OT the covers are coming on again
A double century for Sam Northeast!
Glamorgan go up, up and away! Sam Northeast as greedy as he promised! A first double ton at Lord’s. Glamorgan 405-3. Middlesex’s season showing shades of 2023 already.
A trip round the Division One grounds with half an hour gone:
Compton and Muyeye have taken Kent to 11-0 against Somerset opening pair Josh Davey and ex Notts Jake Ball.
Essex were all out for the addition of only nine runs, and in reply Hameed is currently outscoring Duckett. Notts 13-0
Jason Holder has moved into double figures at Edgbaston, but Warwickshire have nipped out Nathan Smith: Worcs 333-8.
A further inspection at Durham at 11.am, and after lunch at Derby. But elsewhere, things are looking brighter!
A 12.15 inspection at OT
Hoping for a 12.30 lunch, and a 1.10pm start….
In the meantime I love this, especially Zakk Crawl-eee
The groundstaff don’t look too impressed…
Words from yesterday’s happy men:
Kashif Ali:
“I am buzzing. I feel very humbled and blessed to have scored my maiden century and to do it at Edgbaston, a Test match ground, is really special. I just want to send huge thanks to all the people at Worcestershire and at the South Asian Cricket Academy for all their help and support.
“It was hard graft at times because they bowled really well and it is not a free-flowing wicket. It was nice to reach my century with a six. I had thought if the ball was in the right place I would go for it and it came out nicely.”
Sam Northeast:
“It is one off the bucket list getting a hundred at Lord’s for sure. We have put ourselves in a great position. I’m not sure I had this in the script when I was tossing up this morning.
“I plan to be very greedy on day two. I plan to bat for a little bit longer tomorrow. We’ll have to see how many runs we can get. Hopefully we can declare in a strong position.
“I want to lead from the front, so it is a nice way to start that, but I’d like to be walking away from here with a victory, that’s the most important thing.”
and Dane Paterson:
“It’s been a busy week. My little boy had a tonsillectomy and I wanted to be sure that he was going to be okay, which is why I was a bit late coming back.
I’m a bit tired now, the ground is pretty heavy at this time of year. But I’m pleased with the way I got back into my rhythm. I love bowling here, it is my second home now.”
Arrive at Old Trafford to find the umpires, all in black, staring at the outfield like owls on the hunt. The groundstaff squat on the roller staring back at them.
Rain news: OT, Derby, Durham, Canterbury
Pitch inspection at 10.45 at Old Trafford, no play before lunch at Derby, inspection at 10.am following further rain overnight at Chester le Street but it looks like they’ll start on time in sunny Canterbury.
Storm Kathleen
Storm Kathleen is blowing in to test the second day of Championship cricket. Unseasonably strong winds are due to hit Ireland and western England, Wales and southern Scotland along with blustery showers. That cross wind could be tricky again at Edgbaston. Eastern England should be dry. As I type they’re inspecting the pitch at Derby…
🚗 Take care if you are travelling on the roads today, particularly in the north, as strong winds could cause disruption and difficult driving conditions
Stay #WeatherAware ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/TBGI4OQkBo
— Met Office (@metoffice) April 6, 2024
Friday’s round-up
The new Glamorgan captain Sam Northeast raced to the first century of the new campaign, as his side did just as Northeast had promised pre-season and played a “front-foot style of cricket” gulping down the batting points in the process. Northeast’s 186 not out was done in accompaniment with 67 from Billy Root, opening the batting in the absence of Eddie Byrom, and a stylish 77 from Kiran Carlson. The first day of Middlesex’s return to the Second Division was not a cheerful one, especially after they won the toss and chose to have a bowl with the Kookaburra ball being used for this round and which, true to form, didn’t give any bowlers round the grounds much help.
At Trent Bridge, Dean Elgar and Jordan Cox, Essex’s replacements for Alastair Cook and Dan Lawrence, held the scorecard together as their middle order collapsed around them against Nottinghamshire. Both the new signings were out in the 80s, while no-one else made more than 18. Dane Paterson, who only flew in from South Africa on Wednesday, picked up the first five-fer of the summer, pocketing five for 49 and Essex were 244for nine when bad light stopped play.
Worcestershire, tipped by many to be relegated at the end of the season, made a sparkling start, even the bubbles started to pop by early evening. South Asian Cricket Academy graduate Kashif Ali reached a maiden first-class hundred with a lazy-days down-the-wicket and-flick six over long on, as Warwickshire’s bowlers struggled with a strong crosswind. Kashif’s classy 110 was the first Championship century by a SACA graduate. The new Worcestershire signing Jason Holder had time to get off the mark with a dreamy cover drive for four before stumps.
There was a late start at Headingley, where Leicestershire’s Australian Marcus Harris had time to pick up 50 against Yorkshire before the medium pace of George Hill (three for 25) provided the surprise scalpel. Rehan Ahmed made a busy boundary-filled 28 before Dan Moriarty trapped him lbw.
A truncated day also at Hove, where Ollie Robinson, given a subtle spring rocket by Rob Key and who has spoken about this being a make-or-break season for him, bowled some testing overs with pace and rhythm for Sussex. But the two Northants wickets to fall went to West Indies’ Jayden Seales.
As predicted by county groundspeople, the incessant rain of the last month made its mark. Play was abandoned for the day without a ball bowled at Chester-le-Street, Derby, Canterbury and Old Trafford.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Anderson confirmed that he was not expecting to play for Lancashire until the end of May at the earliest, when he will start to prepare for the England Test summer, which starts with the first Test against West Indies at Lord’s on 10 July.
Scores on the doors
DIVISION ONE
Chester le Street: Durham v Hampshire no play on day one
Canterbury: Kent v Somerset no play on day one
Old Trafford: Lancashire v Surrey no play on day one
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Essex 244-9
Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Worcestershire 316-7
DIVISION TWO
Derby: Derbyshire v Gloucestershire no play on day one
Lord’s: Middlesex v Glamorgan 370-3
Hove: Sussex v Northamptonshire 95-2
Headingley: Yorkshire v Leicestershire 164-5
Preamble
Good morning from a warm and windy Manchester. The prospects for play around the country look better on paper, it just depends on how saturated the ground is.
In the games that got under way yesterday, Glamorgan’s batters made hay, led by Sam Northeast, Worcestershire skipped to a bright start thanks to Kashif Ali and Essex rather crumbled to Dane Paterson. Northants survived Ollie Robinson with a point to prove and Leicestershire lost regular wickets at Headingley.
Time for a quick coffee in a pocket of sun.
