Key events
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.