Key events
A hundred for Ollie Robinson!
Super, super innings: a sweep for four off Lyon brings up his first hundred of the season, off 132 balls, including 11 fours and three sixes. Lyon joins in the applause as he takes off his helmet and raises his bat to the dressing room. And that is lunch – Durham have reduced the deficit to 191.
Essex BEAT Warwickshire win by four wickets!
Critchley unbeaten on 99, cracking innings, and Harmer (14*) take Essex home. What a win from a seemingly hopeless position after the first innings. Some chin scratching in order for Warwickshire.
Chelmsford: Essex 162 and 331-6 BEAT Warwickshire 397 and 94 BY FOUR WICKETS
Essex points, Warwickshire
In the sun of the Durham balcony, Ben Stokes rubs his tattoos and bakes in the sun, two bats leaning on the wall in front of him.
Hampshire beat Nottinghamshire by five wickets!
Well played Middleton (59) and Fuller (77)! Took Hampshire safely home with nary a scare. That’s a first win of the season for Hampshire. (Worcs, Warwicks and Lancs now the only teams without a win in Div One)
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 235 and 209 LOSE TO Hampshire 276 and 171-5 BY FIVE WICKETS
Hampshire 20 points; Nottinghamshire 3.
Deliciously warm day in Blackpool, almost indecently so. Lyon tempting, cajoling. Bedingham twice nearly cuts him into his stumps.
A stat, courtesy of Paul Edwards: 13 years ago, Ben Stokes and Dale Benkenstein put together Durham’s current record fourth wicket-partnership, At Chester le street. Against Lancashire.
A hundred and out for Jordan Cox!
His second hundred for Essex, and a vital one if Essex go on to win, holding onto Surrey’s coat-tails with their teeth. But. But. He falls to Che Simmons first ball of the day, a man quite capable of doing an Ollie Robinson. And though Essex only need 37, they’ve just lost Pepper too with only five more added to the total. Four wickets left.
And the first maiden of the day at Blackpool, from the wily Nathan Lyon. Seagulls overhead, heat slowly rising, lots of energy in the Lancashire fielding.
A cakewalk for Hampshire and Essex as it turns out: Hants need just 43 (five wickets in hand); Essex 63 (six wickets in hand).
Oh dear, Luke Wells can’t hold onto a flash from David Bedingham at slip. Not easy.
Saqib has retreated back in the pavilion.
And now fifty for Robinson (87 balls); and now the hundred partnership. Durham need another 278 to win. Lyon continues to wheel in…
Here at Blackpool, Aspinwall’s zippy little spell is over. Cooler today, definitely a long-sleeved shirt morning. Saqib Mahmood reappears on the pitch, the Lancashire physio, arms folded, watchful, stands behind him, looking as if hes holding a tea-towel.
And that’s fifty for Bedingham off 72 balls, definitely Durham’s first 45 minutes.
In the Chelmsford nail-biter, Cox and Critchley are so far seeing off the new ball: 80 needed, six wickets in hand.
Good morning to Mike Daniels, in the Grace Road score box (with sandwiches?).
”Here at Grace Road for the Big Block. One slip, two men short at cover and one short midwicket shows what they think of the wicket. And Harris goes flirting outside the off stump, disappointingly.” Leicestershire 43-1, Josh Shaw the bowler.
Elsewhere in Div 2:
At Sophia Gardens, Crane and ul Hassan have squeezed the Glamorgan lead to 164 this morning; and Emilio Gay has safely pocketed his second hundred of the season, and is going for broke. The Northants lead 308.
At the South End, Lyon replaces Saqib, who has gone off. The first ball is another of those dramatic lbw appeals, all one-kneed supplication. Not out.
Injury scare for Saqib Mahmood
The first, probably not the last, ball is lost over the wall, Robinson the man to pull Saqib into the park. In the tent, people are remembering the game against Essex last year, where Lancashire just fell short.
Oh no, Saqib stops in his run up. And again. Jennings and Bohannon run over to check he’s ok. He tries again. Manages to bowl. Please don’t overdo it.
Jennings leads Lancs out, and it looks as if it might be man of the moment Aspinwall starting off – this time from the North End. Saqib Mahmood stands next to him, polishing the ball on his shirt before handing it over.
Sunny skies in Blackpool, a few feathery clouds billowing about and a scattering of spectators.
Jim Wallace’s Sunday round-up
On a sunshine‑soaked May Sunday, the cricket season got moving for the first time for England and Kent’s Zak Crawley. The willowy opener’s batting is often feast or famine and after a string of low scores – 67 runs from his first seven innings including a duck in the first innings against Somerset – he looked hungry during his second innings at Taunton. Kent needed him, following on after being bundled out for 178 in response to Somerset’s 554. Crawley departed before the close after making 238 off 267 balls, and somewhere Rob Key was smiling.
Yorkshire fell to a Sussex ram raid at Hove, a nervy fourth innings chase in search of a first victory in six games saw them lose their last four wickets for three runs. Ollie Robinson took three wickets without conceding a run at the death, including the key wicket of Adam Lyth, scraped from the crease for 73 fending off a ball that threatened to whisper sweet nothings to his jugular. Sussex sit atop Division Two.
Ben Stokes got through plenty of graft for Durham and took five second innings wickets at Blackpool but Lancashire are in command thanks to 155 from Keaton Jennings. The Surrey juggernaut rumbled on ominously as they bruised the Worcestershire “Pears” to win by 281 runs inside three days, Dan Worrall continuing his eye-catching season with a 10-wicket match haul.
Essex need 106 more runs against Warwickshire with six wickets left, Jordan Cox (77) and Matt Critchley (46) undefeated overnight. Emilio Gay’s unbeaten 89 has put Northamptonshire in control against Derbyshire and a Marnus Labuschagne century sees Glamorgan lead Middlesex by 134 runs with three wickets remaining.
Scores on the doors
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex 162 and 224-4 v Warwickshire 397 and 94 Essex require 106 runs to win with 6 wickets remaining
Stanley Park: Lancashire 357 and 353-9-dec v Durham 236 and 134-3 – Durham require 341 runs to win
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 235 and 209 v Hampshire 276 and 84-5– Hampshire require 85 runs to win with 5 wickets remaining
Taunton: Somerset 554 v Kent 128 and 409-5 Kent lead by 33 runs
The Oval: Surrey 213 and 427 BEAT Worcestershire 128 and 231 BY 281 RUNS
DIVISION TWO
Derby: Derbyshire 362 v Northamptonshire 422 and 195-2 – Northants lead by 255 runs with 8 wickets remaining
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 183 and 294-7 v Middlesex 343 – Glamorgan lead by 134 runs with 3 wickets remaining
Grace Road: Leicestershire 371 and 24-0 v Gloucestershire 706-6 dec – Leics trail by 311 with 10 wickets remaining
Hove: Sussex 150 and 227 BEAT Yorkshire 195 and 161 BY 21 RUNS
Preamble
Hello! Monday morning, mid May, county cricket opening up like a peony, suddenly glorious and beautiful.
Thanks so much to Jim for helming the blog on Sunday – what an amazing day’s cricket: Crawley’s double century, Robinson (that one)‘s three for 0, Labuschagne’s hundred, Stokes’ five-fer, Surrey’s juggernauting, a first summer century for Rishi Patel, and great intrigue in store today at Chelmsford and Trent Bridge. The weather, from this northern train at least, looks good to go.
