Key occasions
Hampshire announce that head coach Adi Birrell is leaving to go residence to South Africa. All good issues come to an finish, and we’re unhappy to see Adi go. It’s been a incredible seven years on the Membership, throughout which he has develop into a vastly well-liked determine and overseen a profitable interval throughout all codecs.
“Below his management, the group has reached quite a few finals, come shut in Championships, and lifted the Blast title in 2022. His contribution has left a long-lasting mark, and he will likely be deeply missed by gamers, coaches, and followers alike on the Utilita Bowl.
“We hope to present him the ship off he deserves, with two items of silverware nonetheless up for grabs within the subsequent two weeks and vital days forward within the Championship.
Love this story – by no means surrender in your goals.
“Are you able to run the situation for the second promotion spot please.” Simply my cup of tea, Mes.
If we assume there will likely be a draw at Wantage Street, then one in every of Derby or Middlesex, in the event that they win, can get near Glamorgan. Whether it is Derby, then they play Glamorgan within the subsequent spherical, which may very well be the important sport; whereas Middlesex journey to Previous Trafford. BTL good friend might love to do extra precise calculations.
Apart from the Lions tour, Saif Zaib also can goal for Bob Hayward’s document of eight Championship centuries. (With due to BBC comms). Northants 406-8. The umpires contemplate the drizzle however keep it up.
Simply the ticket for wet days like this – Area of Desires displaying how grass-roots sport can change lives. Respect to Flintoff for placing his coronary heart and soul into this programme.
And rain at The Oval too – Surrey’s lead is 274, which might be sufficient already. However not most likely sufficient that they’ll declare. So all eyes to Wantage Street – the place Zaib is 131 not out and Northants shut in on one other batting level. 5 wickets for Crane, two for Carlson.
The covers are actually coming off at Grace Street, we expect optimistically.
At Chelmsford, ah no, they’re off once more. Anyway, the lead over Durham is 124, due to a helpful 44 from Harmer and a merry 22 from Bracewell.
100 for Saif Zaib!
After which there have been two.
Zaib reaches his sixth Championship hundred of a delightfully fruitful yr. He dances down the pitch, drives Crane for 4 and punches the air. Northants 377-8.
Foakes and Lawrence are battling by means of mild rain at The Oval. Lawrence has muscled a few fours and a six in his 18 not out – the lead 243.
It’s abruptly darkish and abruptly moist at Grace Street. The gamers run off: Gloucs 8-0.
Play deserted for the day at Hove
A saturated outfield means than they name it a day in Sussex.
We predict Leicestershire will likely be promoted in the event that they win, or draw and there’s a draw at Lord’s.
And Leicestershire lose their last wicket, one other lbw, this time Wright trapped by Singh-Dale. An old-style collapse by the Foxes, who misplaced six wickets for 22 – the Gloucestershire lead 140.
Saif Zaib is constant his princely season at Wantage Street, now 79 not out at Wantage Street: Northants 328-5, nonetheless 132 behind, 4 wickets for Crane.
At Chelmsford, Harmer and Bracewell are irritating Durham with a partnership of twenty-two, Essex 432-7, lead by 100. they usually’re again on at The Oval, and have rustled three runs, Surrey 222-2.
Elsewhere, there may be nonetheless no play at Taunton, Hove, New Street, Canterbury and Lord’s.
And Wright does it! Loops Sing-Dale up and over for a 4 that finally ends up slightly below the press field. Leics 336-9.
Extra information from New Street – they’re off for rain, with Notts 4-1.
Pressure at Grace Street. Singh-Dale with the ball, one run wanted for Leics to keep away from the follow-on. 4 slips wait. Wright defends….
Ooof – a pair for HH as Taylor sends his off stump dancing away. Notts 0-1. Fascinating occasions.
And Leicestershire lose a ninth wicket with nonetheless one run wanted to keep away from the observe on….
Leicestershire are trudging by means of treacle right here. One other wicket for Singh-Dale, hair blowing within the wind, easy accelerated run-up. Logan van Beek lbw for five, and Leics have now misplaced 4 for 12.
Two and a half overs gone at New Street, not a run scored.
A second wicket in three balls at Grace Road, when Eskinazi nudges ASD to 3rd slip. Leics are nonetheless (simply) in need of the observe on, and can need one other bonus level. Leics: 331-7
Notts want 136 to win
Josh Tongue trying the actual deal once more, and 5 wickets for Lyndon James as Worcs are all out for 160. Notts put together to chase and put the strain on at The Oval, the place it’s nonetheless raining.
Hi there Ben Bernards. “Do you, or anyone actually, fancy giving me a snap replace on how the various New Zealanders have carried out in CC this season?”
Kiwis, hmmm. Kane Williamson has performed two video games for Middlesex and made two centuries. Attempting to suppose who else was right here – Blair Tickner, Neil Wagner, Matt Henry… can the hive thoughts assist?
Scrumptious risotto by the way in which, and a espresso plus a bittermint in inexperienced silver foil. Oh, and a wicket – a fourth for Taylor – and Cox should go…
Somerset have declared
However will the climate allow them to at that tasty pitch? I’m off for some Grace Street risotto – again shortly.
Lunchtime scores
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex 372-6 v Durham 333
Taunton: Somerset 441-6dec v Yorkshire
The Oval: Surrey 246 and 219-2 v Warwickshire 248
Hove: Sussex 122 and 37-1 Hampshire 226 and 173 no play but immediately
New Street: Worcestershire 182 and 141-8 v Nottinghamshire 207
DIVISION TWO
Canterbury: Kent 293 and 131-2 v Lancashire 284
Grace Street: Leicestershire 320-5 v Gloucestershire 482
Lord’s: Middlesex 298v Derbyshire 283 and 30-1
Northampton: Northants 309-5 v Glamorgan 467 no play but immediately
Oh expensive. Mahmood is distributed on his approach to the final ball earlier than lunch, lbw Value 111. He look perturbed. They shuffle off for lunch, needing 12 to keep away from the observe on and with time to accrue extra bonus factors. Leics 320-5, scores to observe.
Early lunches being taken at The Oval, Lord’s, Canterbury and New Street – the place Worcestershire misplaced three fast wickets on a difficult observe whereas Roderick and Taylor nurdled runs. At 141-8 and lead by 116 – not, you’d guess, sufficient.
There’s nonetheless a lot chuntering from the Gloucestershire contingent after one of many groundsmen on the blotter inadvertently unloaded the sopped up gunge on their practise package. It’s getting darker right here.
100 for Shan Masood!
He’s not dangerous this lad. Below gray skies, and Grace Street floodlights, he reaches 100 in his first Championship innings for Leicestershire and brings up a bonus level within the course of. He raises his bat modestly and will get a handshake and a bat-on-bottom pat from Eskinazi. Leicestershire 300-4.
The rain has – in the intervening time – knocked out proceedings at The Oval, Taunton, Hove, Lord’s and Northampton.
Canterbury and Chelmsford have prevented this southern deluge and occasions are transferring on. Lancs, by way of Williams and Bailey, have eliminated Denly (74) and Dawkins (36). Kent 125-2, lead by 132.
At Chelmsford, there’s a battle for bonus factors – Durham have simply picked up a bowling star, after winkling out Pepper, whereas Essex will fancy reaching 400. They have already got a lead of 26.
We’re on at Grace Street, and the sturdy wind rustling the flags is about essentially the most thrilling factor to report.
It was heartbreaking to listen to from this younger woman in Afghanistan, and her goals for a unique life. How treasured freedom is.
An e mail drops:
“In The Spin immediately, you point out some counties against a discount within the variety of county championship matches. I feel Essex is perhaps added to this checklist, following their assembly final night.
“Your abstract of the brand new proposal mentions the ‘sweetener’ of two additional one-day cup matches to make up for the lack of a Championship match. However this may imply a web discount of solely 2 days within the schedule plus extra travelling between video games. I assumed one of many causes for chopping again on the Championship was speculated to be lowering put on and tear on the gamers?”
Thanks Paul McIntyre! Have been you on the assembly? Are you able to fill us in? And sure I utterly agree on the 2 additional ODC video games – all that faff for simply two fewer Championship days.
There’s a drying wind blowing at Grace Street and the gamers are out within the center working by means of their paces. The groundsmen fold up covers with function. Play is because of begin at 11.4o.
Rain has arrived at Taunton, simply as Somerset had been getting a rush on. Whereas at The Oval, Surrey have misplaced scurrying Ollie Pope to get replaced with the bombastic Dan Lawrence – Warwickshire wont need him to get his eye in.
Is weatherhousing a verb? Anyway, they’re off at Lord’s, they’re on at Chelmsford, and there’s a pitch inspection at Wantage Street the place Asa Tribe made his maiden 200 yesterday – and raised his hand but additional for the Lions journey.
He mirrored on it final evening:
“It seems like I can’t do a lot incorrect in the intervening time and I’m actually proud of the way in which it’s going. I have to deal with my sport and preserve placing performances in for Glamorgan, it’s good to be within the place I’m at present in and I’m actually having fun with it.”
Dom Sibley has retired harm at The Oval, Ben Foakes now accompanies Ollie Pope.
And Ben Inexperienced is having enjoyable at Taunton – presumably underneath orders to smash it round. Somerset transfer into the 420s.
No red-ball change of coronary heart for Adil Rashid forward of the Ashes. Sadly.
At Taunton, Ben Inexperienced finds himself batting for Somerset once more, earlier than his everlasting transfer to Grace Street, which has been his non permanent residence for a lot of this season.
Extra rain
Delayed begins additionally at Grace Street and Chelmsford.
Climate watch and delayed begins
Unsettled. Delayed begins at Northampton, Hove and possibly extra.
The Met Workplace forecasts: “Bands of rain or showers, turning heavy and thundery at occasions, will transfer northeast throughout most areas by means of the day. There will likely be some sunny spells. Windy with potential gales within the southwest. Turning cooler from the west.”
“My kind has been terrible”
Tom Abell on his reduction at that incredible hundred yesterday.
“My kind has been completely terrible as much as the final couple of video games. I used to be in need of runs earlier in the summertime, however now I really feel I’ve discovered a rhythm and better readability to my batting, which suggests I can fulfil my position within the center order.”
Durham’s Ryan Campbell units the scene at Chelmsford:
“There will likely be a battle occurring, that’s for positive. We’re going to should struggle for each run. We all know they’ve acquired a superb spinner to bowl on the final day. However there may be climate coming, relying who you hearken to or which climate app you’re . However we’ve going to disregard these and are available out trucking with an awesome angle and try to bowl Essex out.
“We all know it’s a large sport. We’ve acquired a large three video games. We’re taking part in three groups round us and we wish to win each sport. It’s all up for grabs. These two days are going to have a giant bearing on the remainder of our yr.”
Tuesday’s round-up
A spherical of carefully matched first-innings video games bubbled intriguingly across the nation. On the Oval, Surrey oiled their sinews and began to drag away from Warwickshire, after Rory Burns (idiosyncratically), Dom Sibley (steadily) and Ollie Pope (busily) every collected a half century. Earlier, Warwickshire had inched to a two-run first-innings lead, however simply in need of a batting level, due to fifty from Ed Barnard and a few lusty blows from Nathan Gilchrist. There have been three wickets for the fast Gus Atkinson and 4 for Tom Lawes.
Nottinghamshire, who began the spherical simply 9 factors behind Surrey, keep on their tail after Josh Tongue ruined Worcestershire’s afternoon. Tongue’s intimidating spell of 9 overs, three for twenty-four, took out Worcestershire’s high three, and Lyndon James eliminated Nos 4 and 5 to depart them 93 for 5 and with a lead of simply 68. It was galling for Worcestershire after Tom Taylor’s 4 wickets had earlier saved Notts in test.
At Taunton, the place afternoon rain swept by means of as soon as extra, Tom Abell carried Somerset’s innings with a distinguished five-hour 130 on a pitch that appears prone to flip. He was lastly out to an off-balance slog-sweep to mid-wicket off his former teammate and now Yorkshire spinner Dom Bess. Abell and Lewis Goldsworthy (65) had saved the fires burning after James Rew was caught within the first over of the day.
A five-and-a-half hour century from Dean Elgar and a smash-and-grab 97 from Matt Critchley took Essex to tickling distance of Durham within the relegation battle at Chelmsford.
Shan Masood loved his first Championship innings for Leicestershire, his fourth county, transferring to a chanceless 80 not out towards Gloucestershire at Grace Street. He placed on 152 with Lewis Hill (88), a lot to the delight of the watching followers, together with a tubby, and hungry, golden retriever.
Middlesex’s Leus du Plooy hit 100 towards his outdated county Derbyshire in a good sport at Lord’s; whereas Lancashire crept to inside 9 runs of Kent’s first innings, thanks largely to 64 from Tom Hartley. There have been 4 wickets for Matt Parkinson and an impressed Matt Quinn. Saif Zaib, Division Two’s main scorer, hit yet one more half century for Northamptonshire, this time towards Glamorgan, whereas Sussex continued their poor run of kind, bowled out for 122 by Hampshire.
Scores on the doorways
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex 312-3 v Durham 333
Taunton: Somerset 391-6 v Yorkshire
The Oval: Surrey 246 and 181-1 v Warwickshire 248
Hove: Sussex 122 and 37-1 Hampshire 226 and 173
New Street: Worcestershire 182 and 93-5 v Nottinghamshire 207
DIVISION TWO
Canterbury: Kent 293 and 96-0 v Lancashire 284
Grace Street: Leicestershire 270-4 v Gloucestershire 482
Lord’s: Middlesex 298v Derbyshire 283 and 17-0
Northampton: Northants 309-5 v Glamorgan 467
Preamble
Good morning from a humid Leicester. The rain plops down on the hoodied college students and the put-out squirrels feeding in Victoria park. It seems like an on-off day across the grounds, however do be part of us to observe the covers and chew over miscellany.
