Key events
As Jack Morley, sleeves pushed up, reels in from the James Anderson end, this:
A breakthrough! Bethell goes back to Morley, it keeps a bit low, and he’s sent on his way. Warwicks 167-5.
“Hi Tanya,: Romeo, hello!
”The Anarchy tour was supposed to start off in Norwich at UEA but that got cancelled (this was two days after the Bill Grundy thing) and the first gig was at what was then Leeds Polytechnic, now Leeds Beckett University. I remember it all well”
Romeo, are you below?
And Jamie Bowman of the ECB reporters network reveals that he played John Squire in 24 hour Party People, but it was all cut because the Stone Roses wouldn’t let the songs be used. He is still available for hire.
Lunchtime scores
DIVISION ONE
Chester-le-Street: Durham 265 v Somerset 171 and 19-2
Southampton: Hampshire 204-1 v Surrey 127
Canterbury: Kent v Essex 449-6
Old Trafford: Lancashire v Warwickshire 166-4
New Road: Worcestershire 72-9 v Nottinghamshire
DIVISION TWO
Bristol: Gloucestershire v Derbyshire 526
Grace Road: Leicestershire 57-2 v Glamorgan 387
Lord’s: Middlesex v Sussex 385-4
County Ground: Northamptonshire 84-1 v Yorkshire 362
A maiden f-c five-fer for Beau Webster , actually make that a six-fer, but he’s had to toil through 26 overs at the County Ground for it. Derbyshire 526-9.
Lunch round the grounds except at New Road, where Worcestershire are (just about) waving not drowning at 61-8, and OT where WArwicks are 160-4.
In a surprise revelation, Ken Grime reveals that he went to see the first gig of the Anarchy in the UK tour for a quid at Leeds University in 1976.
Around the Division One grounds:
Warwicks continuing to grind their way at Old Trafford: Davies has just hit his first four of the day – 143-3. Davies 67 not out; Bethell 29 not out.
At CLS, Somerset had Durham 199 for 9 (Ball 5-62) but Raine and Siddle added 66 in what must have been a deeply annoying last-wicket partnership. Durham finish with a first innings lead of 94.
Albert and Gubbins continue to shimmy on at Southampton, Hants 179-1, the lead over Surrey 52.
A hundred for Jordan Cox against his old county at Canterbury, Essex 404-6, two wickets each for Parkinson M, Bhuiyan and Evison.
And, alas, Worcestershire 56-6 at New Road.
Morley on, bowling for Lancs for the first time since the last game of 2023 against Kent.
A double century for Matthew Lamb, a single century for Chesteshwar Pujara
A first hundred for Derbyshire becomes a first double hundred for Derbyshire, Matt Lamb out at last for 207; Derby 487-6.
Pujara’s 65th first-class century, his second of the summer. Sussex steaming ahead at Lord’s. The partnership with Simpson (89) 167.
At Old Trafford, Nathan Lyon bends down to ties Bethell’s shoelaces and whispers sweet nothings in his ear.
A yes-no mix-up at Old Trafford, but a wild throw gives Alex Davies, who would have been run out, another life. Bethell at the other end offers a sheepish apology.
And a third down at New Road, a second for Luke Fletcher.
In the rub your eyes match at Southampton, Hampshire have a 15-run lead over Surrey, but are still only one down. Fifty for Toby Albert, while Nick Gubbins on 48.
He polishes, he crouches, he inspects the pitch. In bright sunshine, Nathan Lyon starts his spell from the James Anderson End.
Dillon Pennington knows New Road like the back of his hand, and is in the wickets in his third over, Ed Pollock bowled for one. As Jake Libby is also back in the pavilion, this leaves Worcs in the soup at 3-2, now slightly improved to 15-2.
“Buenos dias Tanya!” Hello there, Tim Maitland.
”If it weren’t for the band of heavy rain sliding westward off the North Sea and across East Anglia, I’d tell you to expect a volatile day at the County Ground today.
”The surprise on the first day was that Yorkshire managed to cobble together such a strong start on a green-tinged pitch and an outfield so lush you half expected to find dairy cows grazing on it. At one point the centurion Adam Lyth was nearly scythed in half by one that cut back into the left hander, while a sizeable portion of the runs were being scored between the slips and gully. Catches weren’t put down, as such, but they fell agonisingly close on a few occasions.
”The loss of six wickets for 79 runs was inevitable and not just because the Yorkshire middle order is a lot less meaty with Joe Root and Harry Brook resting their hams.
”My suspicion is Northants will be batting relatively quickly, weather permitting, but chasing a score that’ll prove to already be over par. It’ll be interesting to see how the Sri Lankan left-handed quick Vishwa Fernando adjusts in the first of his short three-game stint.”
Yorkshire currently eight down but Jordan Thompson having lots of fun with the bat, 53 not out. Yorks 362-8.
Alex “carthorse” Davies goes to his fifty in three hours one minute – the third slowest first-class fifty of his career. The Warwickshire hundred winds slowly up.
And a wicket at Old Trafford! George Balderson joins the Tom Bailey wickets club, as Mousley is caught for two.
A maiden five-fer for Scott Currie! Sam Northeast caught behind off the first ball of the day. And only one more in the runs chart for David Bedingham at Chester le Street– a fourth wicket for concussion substitute Jake Ball.
1000 runs before the end of May
David Bedingham needs another 206 runs this match to join the elusive 1000 runs before the end of May club….
And action at New Road at last, where HH has won the toss and inserted Worcestershire. There will be a minute’s applause in memory of the talented and, by all accounts ,lovely young man, Josh Baker.
Friday’s round-up
After bowling 38 overs at Blackpool last week, Ben Stokes stormed in for 15.1 more at Chester-le-Street, grabbing four for 54 as Somerset were whistled out for 171. He was then lbw for a duck in Durham’s up and down 177 for six, one of three wickets for Jake Ball – who only switched into the team as a concussion substitute for Migael Pretorius, hit on the head during his innings of 53. David Bedingham’s unbeaten hundred crowned him the first Durham batter to score hundreds in four consecutive innings.
Surrey suffered a rare malfunction after being skittled for 127 at Southampton. The first five batters inched into double figures, but only Rory Burns (33) got out of the teens. Liam Dawson, bowling first change, pocketed the top three; Kyle Abbott (five for 25) rattled through most of the rest. In reply, Hampshire had reached 102 for one at stumps.
Clouds hung over Old Trafford but Warwickshire chose to bat first faced with the threat of Nathan Lyon on a fourth-day turner. Progress was lethargic – just 40 scoring shots in a truncated day – with three wickets for Lancashire’s previously off-kilter Tom Bailey. Alex Davies was stranded on 47 when bad light stopped play.
Kent chipped away at Essex on a sunny day at Canterbury, despite losing Wes Agar to a shoulder injury. Dean Elgar top scored with 77, while Jordan Cox got an unbeaten half-century against his old club.
In Division Two, Derbyshire raced towards maximum batting points against Gloucestershire with a first century for Matt Lamb since his move to Derby. Glamorgan survived Marnus Labuschagne being bowled for eight, thanks to half centuries for Eddie Byrom, Kiran Carlson and Sam Northeast against Leicestershire.
Sussex’s Cheteshwar Pujar collected an unbeaten 91 against Middlesex at Lord’s, while Adam Lyth’s third hundred of the season propped up Yorkshire against Northamptonshire. There was no play possible at New Road, as Worcestershire returned to the ground for the first time since eight floods ran amok during the winter.
“I’ve not seen a pitch like that.”
Loved this from Alex Davies yesterday evening:
“It was tough graft out there – I played a few years at this club and I’ve not seen a pitch like that. It’s got grass on it so it’s nipping around but it’s also really bare at the ends so it was a tricky decision with the toss but we took the aggressive option and batted so we’ll try and get as many as we can first innings and back ourselves to bowl Lancashire out twice.
“I can’t blame Lancashire for the pitch – they have a world class spinner in Nathan Lyon and they have some good seamers so leave some grass on. Both teams need a result so it’s looking like, weather dependant, it will head that way.
“I’ve been looking forward to facing Lyon. He’s a world class bowler and as he reminded us out there he has played international cricket for 14 years and he’s not shy of letting you know. It’s a really good battle and you want to play against the best players and see how you fare and I did OK today.”
All hail captain Cummins:
Scores on the doors
DIVISION ONE
Chester-le-Street: Durham 177-6 v Somerset 171
Southampton: Hampshire 102-1 v Surrey 127
Canterbury: Kent v Essex 287-4
Old Trafford: Lancashire v Warwickshire 89-3
New Road: Worcestershire v Nottinghamshire no play today
DIVISION TWO
Bristol: Gloucestershire v Derbyshire 434-5
Grace Road: Leicestershire v Glamorgan 352-8
Lord’s: Middlesex v Sussex 295-4
County Ground: Northamptonshire v Yorkshire 312-7
Preamble
Good morning from a sun-dappled Old Trafford, the swifts swerving and the newspapers rustling . This might be the only full day Lancs and Warwickshire get, so much haste to get things going after yesterday’s slow, protracted progress.
It’s Saturday, get that second pot of coffee on. Play starts at 11am.