Ball one: Middlesex feel heat from Burns and Smith
The Trans-Thames derby illustrated why the southern county can expect another tussle for the pennant come September and why the northern side face a nervous battle for survival. Two seam attacks full of experience and talent had, yet again this heatless spring, handy conditions for bowling and both did well. The difference was, to nobody’s surprise, in the batting.
Surrey found a couple of scores from captain Rory Burns (88) and his likely successor Jamie Smith (97), matching Middlesex’s top guns, Sam Robson (76) and Pieter Malan (66). But the impact of the fall of the fourth wicket told the story, Middlesex’s 188 for four flattered to deceive, all out for 209; Surrey’s 190 for four was the foundation for doubling their score before the innings closed. A lead of 171 was plenty for the five-strong Surrey seam attack to work with and Burns banked another comfortable 22 points to stay top of the table.
Ball two: Rushworth proves worth it
Warwickshire’s seam attack is also enjoying the early season conditions, knocking over Essex twice in fewer than 100 overs to hang on to Surrey’s coattails, three points off the leaders.
It’s still something of a jolt to see Chris Rushworth’s name on a Warwickshire card, but the veteran pacer is as comfortable as a bear in the woods after his move from Durham, the signing of the season so far. Of course, he’s so grooved into his work, relentlessly searching for a flaw in the pitch and a flaw in the batter’s technique, that a little juice underfoot and a little cloud overhead is all he needs. Thirty wickets in five matches is his Haalandish haul with power to add.
Ball three: Kent march to a draw at Canterbury
Hampshire might have expected to join the pacesetters after securing a first-innings lead of 278 at Canterbury, but the home side showed admirable fortitude to bat out four sessions for the draw.
Old school it may be, but Zak Crawley, Ben Compton and Jack Leaning all batted more than three hours, with Jordan Cox not much behind them. That Crawley’s strike rate proved the highest of the quartet was no surprise, but that it came in at a pedestrian 42 certainly was.
The home side may look back on the five points secured for the draw as critical in keeping them up come the autumn; one suspects Hampshire are already ruing the forgoing of the 11 extra points for the win in their hunt for the title.
Ball four: Hutton’s the name
Nottinghamshire drew level with Hampshire in third place after sweeping Northamptonshire aside by an innings at Wantage Road, seven wickets each for Brett Hutton and Dane Paterson.
Hutton, despite that eye-catching moniker, often goes under the radar, easily categorised as another greentop trundler of the kind that will never play for England, so why will he accumulate 100 or more matches in the Championship?
That, of course, misses the point spectacularly. The County Championship has a history, culture and value in its own right, and Hutton has honed his skills to such an extent that he has the outstanding return of three fivefers in his four appearances this season. He may not provoke the visceral thrills provided by his fast but fragile teammate Olly Stone, but there’s a delight to be taken in watching a craftsman go about their work – and few have done so to greater effect these last few weeks.
Ball five: Abell unable to set a target
Lancashire v Somerset would have attracted a few Xs on a pools coupon back in the day, the draw specialists producing another at Old Trafford, enough to keep both sides winless, the only such records in the division.
Wisden will show twin centuries for the teenage prodigy James Rew, currently just a big hit behind Cheteshwar Pujara, no less, as the highest run scorer in the country. That said, 21 overs on the last day were bowled by Lancashire’s two wicketkeepers, George Bell and Dane Vilas, which reflects rather poorly on the game.
With the visitors starting the final day three down with a lead of 149 and James Anderson not available for Lancashire, perhaps Tom Abell should have shown more ambition and got on with it, but one can understand why the calculations, on a flat pitch, could not be resolved into a suitable equation.
This is an example of how this column’s suggestion of donating runs in such circumstances would work. Skippers should be allowed, in the presence of the match referee, to set up a fourth-day chase. At lunch, Vilas might have offered sufficient runs in the book to set a target of 300 in two sessions and Abell might have (should have really) bitten. These circumstances will not arise often, but surely it’s better that Vilas plays a little poker rather than bowls a few overs?
Ball six: Raine stops play with match-winning knock
Durham beat Yorkshire by one wicket in a match as thrilling as Lancashire’s was dull. The match had seesawed this way and that until Durham’s eighth wicket fell with 73 still needed and only an injured Brydon Carse left padded up.
To their immense credit, Ben Raine and Matthew Potts not only got through to the close on day three, but got started again on day four only for the thousands listening to the commentary on a Sunday morning to sigh a collective “told you so” as Potts fell to the new ball with two runs still to get.
Carse got bat on ball and Ben Raine, doing a classic No 8’s job, walked off the hero with 50 not out to his name. Yorkshire’s long wait for a victory continues, the Tykes anchored to the foot of the table; Durham go top.