Key events
There’s a pause at Old Trafford, Marcus Harris is being bandaged together by the physio, and the Northants close fielder pads up. Calvin Harris it is, from the Anderson end. The flood lights switch on. It looks like the archetypal Manchester spring is returning.
So there won’t be a century a piece for Sussex’s opening pair. Hughes a wicket for Leach for 91.
Worcestershire have limped past 150, but eight down at Headingley. While there has been a fabulous rebuild at Grace Road by Martin Andersson, unbeaten on 62 and Anuj Dal, third wicket for van Beek for 43. Derby 252-7.
Keaton Jennings has zipped to 34, squiring six over the square leg boundary.
At Trent Bridge, Jordan Cox has been caught for 82, but Essex are nudging closer, now 123 behind, six wickets remaining.
Sibley in the runs again at The Oval (32), Surrey 56-0 in their second innings – the lead over Hampshire now 90.
Daniel Hughes and Tom Haines are approaching their hundreds in Sussex’s mega-watt second dig at Hove: 184-0 in 47 overs.
Go to find caffeine. Josh Bohannon is bowled for five half way to Cafe Nero – putting paid to the maxim that if he’s hit in the knackers early in his innings, he goes on to make a big score. So Marcus Harris, can you do it again?
I’ve heard a few people in the press box predict that Warwickshire will go down, not helped by a dowdy Edgbaston pitch. A high-scoring draw against Sussex in the first round, wobbly now at Chester-le-Street – 165-6, Smith and Booth rebuilding.
Sussex! Haines and Hughes on the money, collecting 140-0 from 37 overs. Quite the Division One statement.
Tea-time-ish scores
DIVISION ONE
Chester le Street: Durham 387 v Warwickshire 160-6
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 347 v Essex 194-3
The Oval: Surrey 253 v Hampshire 219
Hove: Sussex 294 and 140-0 v Somerset 201
Headingley: Yorkshire 456 v Worcestershire 130-6
DIVISION TWO
Bristol: Gloucestershire 546 Glamorgan 74-1
Canterbury: Kent 218 v Middlesex 222 and 131-4
Old Trafford: Lancashire 30-1 v Northamptonshire 496
Grace Road: Leicestershire 484 v Derbyshire 204-6
Calvin Harrison, on loan from Notts for a couple of games, tall, bouncy, turns in an over of his leg spin from the Anderson end. Jennings tucks into one that is over pitched, sending it for four. Tea. Vasconcelos and Bohannon have a good chuckle over something as they walk off, two cricketers doing it for the shorter legged amongst us. Scores to follow.
Belatedly read an email from Tim Maitland telling me that Brett D’Oliveira dislocated a thumb earlier, which, fortunately, clicked straight back into place. He is batting now, anyway, attempting to add substance to a crumbling Worcestershire, 121-6.
A cracking catch from George Hill at Headingley:
Hampshire have got within pinching distance of Surrey at Lord’s, despite three wickets for that man Worrall. Hants 218-8, Abbott 36 not out.
A second fifty of the season for Paul Walter. And another for Jordan Cox, maker of a fabulous hundred last week. Essex 161-2 at four an over.
And Northants make the breakthrough! Jones leans forward and is lbw in Justin Broad’s first over. Off he trudgeth. Lancs 22-1.
Worcestershire were cruising, now brusing, having lost four wickets in seven overs for 16 runs. Two for Thompson, one each for Coad and White. Worcs 111-4.
The clouds are coming in at OT, three slips wait as Procter fizzes in. This has draw written all over it.
Eat your heart out, er, Manoj Prabhakar, Luke Procter opens the bowling from the James Anderson End, as well as earlier opening the batting.
Newly obsessed with first XI/second XI caps and am able to nosey at Northants warming up on the outfield. Keogh and Vasconcelos have caps embroidered with lines of golden thread, others are in plain cherry. The heavy roller chugs back to the rope and Jenning and Jones stride out.
Northants are out at last, for 496, Harrison chopping on Hartley for 56. Hartley finishes with three for 91. Now, Lanky…
At Hove, James Rew was left high and dry on 80. He and the Somerset tail added a crucial 122 for the last three wickets. In a low-ish scoring game, however, a first-innings deficit of 93 is not helpful. Sussex are skipping along in their second innings, already 50-0.
Derbyshire are four down at Grace Road. Caleb Jewell with his third consecutive fifty. He’s signed on the dotted line for the whole summer, brave man.
We have a curious five minute break while Josh Bohannon dresses himself up in pads and box and then goes to field at extra cover.
Been wondering how Tom Hartley has been spending his time? A handy guide by Aadya Sharma in Wisden. And here he picks up a second wicket! Guthrie chopping on second ball. All valuable what David Lloyd calls “muscle memory” for a spinner.
Who knew that Emirates sponsorship deal included the two blotters standing where the party stand sometimes rocks and rolls. Blot better. I watch a few over in the sun, it is sleepy out there, the overs rolling by. McManus has a swing to liven things up, the ball flying past for four, he moves into the 90s. But there won’t be a century as he has another swot and is caught by Josh Bohannon over his shoulder for 95.
Wisden’s Harriet Monkhouse has just arrived with a box of home made flapjack, a treacley delight.
A lunchtime missive. Hello again Tim Maitland.
”As Northamptonshire continue to pile up the runs at Old Trafford, I think it’s time we revisited the comment of mine you shared before play began yesterday – “Northants’ batting looks paper thin without Emilio Gay this season” – which may have given the impression that I think Northamptonshire’s batting is not particularly strong.
”Before everyone leaps to conclusions, I think they should consider the following possibilities:
“a) Lancashire are about to put 600-plus on the board.
b) Darren Lehman is a genius.
c) I don’t know what I’m talking about.”
Lunchtime scores
DIVISION ONE
Chester le Street: Durham 387 v Warwickshire 65-2
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 347 v Essex 54-2
The Oval: Surrey 253 v Hampshire 97-4
Hove: Sussex 294 v Somerset 201
Headingley: Yorkshire 456 v Worcestershire 70-0
DIVISION TWO
Bristol: Gloucestershire 491-7 Glamorgan
Canterbury: Kent 218 v Middlesex 222 and 33-2
Old Trafford: Lancashire v Northamptonshire 454-7
Grace Road: Leicestershire 484 v Derbyshire 57-3
As the pavilion clock, now running on time, edges towards one, Northants pass 450 and are looking increasingly at ease. Harrision has clumped six fours in his 31, and McManus just 16 short of a hundred. Hartley wheels into his 27th over.
O’Neill is a sharp incisor in the Notts attack. He has snaffled Allison and Hutton has just pinned Westley. Essex uneasy, if not yet wobbly, at 48 for two, 299 behind.
Sedate progress at The Oval – Hampshire approaching lunch at 90 for three. Lawrence has snaffled Gubbins for 43, Worrall has 2-21 from his eleven overs. Much has been written about Worrall now being eligible for England, but our man Ali thinks that Woakes and Sam Cook are ahead of him in the pecking order, and all vying for one spot. Ah, things suddenly looking more precarious as Albert is caught for one off Clark, Hants 91 for four. Traditionally, this is when James Vince would do his thing. Alas, no more.
Derbyshire’s start not optimum: Harry Came and went quickly, David Lloyd the same. Wobbly at 14 for two, Van Beek with a wicket to go with his unbeaten 82. Leics were eventually out for 484.
Kent did well there in the end, the tail nudging them to within four runs of Middlesex total. Middx have just lost the first wicket of their second innings. Fernandes to Gilchrist for the second time in the match, and for his second single figure score of the match.
A vigorous appeal by Tom Hartley as Harrison sweeps, but it is outside the line. The wind has picked up now, ruffling Luke Wells shirt as he comes on at the Statham end. Northants 414-7, everything slowed down a little now.
A fizz-bang piece pick up and throw from Tom Bailey runs out Broad for 19 to rid Lancashire of the frustrating Broad. Northants 403-7.
Elsewhere, Rew and Gregory and inching Somerset towards semi-respectability – 124-7 –Durham are all out for 387, Notts for 347 and Yorkshire for 456.
Here, by way of contrast, is Hassan Ali receiving his full county cap, Jimmy Anderson again handing out the prize.
“Good morning and all the joys of spring – red ball cricket high on that list – Tanya.” And to you Geoff Wignall.
“Time was when the award of a county cap was a significant moment in a player’s career, often not coming until the second season. When did this change to caps being handed out at the start of a fortnight’s loan? It seemed to pass me by.”
Ah, I have the answer to this. The cap that Turner was presented with was a second XI cap, with a closed bud. If he was capped properly, his cap would carry the red rose in full glory. Yorkshire do the same thing, only of course with a white flower.
D’Oliveira injured
Good morning to Tim Maitland, our BTL eyes at Headingley.
“More bad news for Worcestershire. Skipper Brett D’Oliveira has gone off the field injured, seemingly unlikely to return. He tried to take a steepling hoik from Jordan Thompson, spilled it and instantly signalled to the pavilion, suggesting that at least one of his digits was no longer pointing in a satisfactory direction.
”Yorkshire have just passed 450 too.”
McKinney out, and more
A clatter of wickets this morning round the grounds. McKinney after passing 150 but not adding much to his overnight score, Ben Coad after a flurry of fours, Rehan Ahmed after a juggled slip catch, Grant Stewart for 56 and Somerset have lost two wickets and are now struggling at 91 for seven. James Rew the highest scorer with 27 not out.
Two slips for Anderson Phillip, Jones and Jennings, vigorous with early morning optimism. And it is justified! The ball after Zaib has fizzed one to the boundary, he slashes at a wide one with iron feet and is caught behind for 116. Northants 363-6.
John Turner came up to talk to the press last night after his Lancs debut, and an ice bath. He spoke very well, laughed about how much he plays with his hair when bowling and said that he had played under Dale Benkenstein at school in South Africa, so was thrilled to be playing for him again at Old Trafford.
Two divisions or not two divisions?
Friday’s round-up
Young England white-ball bowler John Turner, sent on a 14-day loan to Old Trafford from Hampshire, was handed his debut Lancashire cap by Jimmy Anderson. A few hours later it was revealed that plain Jimmy was soon to be Sir, knighted in Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours list.
Knight or not, Anderson won’t have been too sad to miss bowling on an Old Trafford pitch as hard as briskly-baked biscuit, thanks to the sunniest March on record and Manchester’s rain taking an overdue holiday. Turner ran in with vigour, and some menace, but tirelessly as he and the Lancs attack bowled, Northamptonshire waved them off. Saif Zaib made a calm and, at times, charming century, while James Sales, in kissing distance of a ton, shovelled the ball straight to mid-on, slumping off the ground like a man destined for the gunge tank.
Durham’s accomplished young man in the wings, Ben McKinney, collected a second Championship hundred, a calm 143 not out against Warwickshire, while Ben Stokes watched from the sidelines. Briefly marooned in the 90s, he reached three figures with a fizz and put on 109 with Matthew Potts (53).
South African Kyle Verreynne was Nottinghamshire’s linchpin as they fought back from 78 for five at Trent Bridge. His collected 111 frustrated Essex, with Rob Key keeping an eye on Sam Cook, who bowled both beautifully and unluckily, for his two wickets.
A century of iron will by Dom Sibley knotted Surrey together at the Oval. Sibley carried his bat – only Geoff Boycott has done so more times since the second world war – while Hampshire, led by Brad Wheal, chipped away at the hallowed lineup.
A topsy-turvy game at Hove left Sussex on top, despite collapsing in the afternoon sun. A late flurry of wickets from Fynn Hudson-Prentice saw Somerset floundering in the dirt at 62 for five at stumps. At Headingley, Yorkshire made the most of top-notch batting conditions, Dawid Malan leading the way with 98. Worcestershire’s slips were given Jonny Bairstow’s finest glower after he was somewhat unluckily given out, caught behind for seven.
Everyone’s favourite boom or bust cricketer Zak Crawley was lbw to Toby Roland-Jones for a four-ball duck at Canterbury. Kent were batting after tea after bowling Middlesex out for 222, but were soon themselves in trouble, finishing 172 for six. Sol Budinger (81) got Leicestershire off to a flying start at Grace Road, the toiling Derbyshire bowlers having to watch the scoreboard tick past 400; while Gloucestershire’s Cameron Bancroft hotfooted it off the plane to make light work of Glamorgan, scoring 163 in his first game as red-ball captain.
Close of play scores
DIVISION ONE
Chester le Street: Durham 343-7 v Warwickshire
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 328-8 v Essex
The Oval: Surrey 253 v Hampshire 55-1
Hove: Sussex 294 v Somerset 62-5
Headingley: Yorkshire 425-8 v Worcestershire
DIVISION TWO
Bristol: Gloucestershire 368-3 Glamorgan
Canterbury: Kent 172-6 v Middlesex 222
Old Trafford: Lancashire v Northamptonshire 355-5
Grace Road: Leicestershire 423-9 v Derbyshire
Preamble
Hello! It’s a magical morning again, cornflower skies, nodding bluebells and a first willow warbler of the year. The coffee is brewing and Huey Morgan is playing David Bowie’s Modern Love. April perfection.
On the pitch, there were centuries for Dom Sibley, Cameron Bancroft, Saif Zaib, Ben McKinney and Kyle Verreynne but trouble on the horizon for Somerset, and the game in fast-forward at Canterbury. Time for me to set off to Old Trafford, home of gentil soon-to-be-knyght Jimmy Anderson. Back shortly.
