Key events
Five wickets for Henry Crocombe
Two wickets in two balls for Crocombe, who polishes off the Leicestershire innings, all out 245. That’s a career-best, and in front of the ECB scout too. He gets bundles of hugs from his teammates and leads the team off, raising the ball to the dressing room.
Tea here at Grace Road, scores round the grounds to follow.
In the Division Two dogfights , Gloucestershire and Worcestershire are treading different paths before tea. Mo Abbas is wicketless as Jake Libby and his new South African opening partner Dan Lategan carry Worcestershire to 57-0.
Toby Roland-Jones on the other hand, has sent both Cameron Bancroft and Ben Charlesworth on their way, Gloucs 17-2.
Five wickets for Jimmy Anderson and Ollie Robinson
Jimmy collects his fifth and locks it into his secure five-fer box. Louis Kimber drags on for 54.Northants 177 for eight, 207 behind.
And here at Grace Road, the black gloved finger of umpire Michael Gough rises to send Ben Cox on his way for 44. No quibbles there. Five for Robinson who looks very pleased with himself.
Robinson pulls off his gansey for another spell.
Elsewhere, Sam Northeast did not get his hundred, after giving the other Ollie Robinson a catch and Kemar Roach his third wicket. Kent 197 all out and they have taken tea at Chester le Street, Durham 138 run lead.
Tea too at Taunton, where bad light has stopped play. Notts 114-2
Tom Price is being buffeted all over the place as he runs in, red soles of his boots flashing the crowd. He’s a good signing for Sussex I reckon, also did a fantastic bit of fielding at backward point to stop a sure-four from Weatherald before lunch. And who can forget this day, three years ago already.
Leicestershire, fighting back, 222-7, 139 behind Sussex.
Follow-on averted at Grace Road, and at Chester le Street where Sam Northeast is just nine away from his century, but with only Glenton Stuurman for company. Kent 190-9.
Derbyshire declare 625-8
Worcestershire are briefly put out of their misery. But now they have to face Mohammad Abbas.
And Ingram is out the very next ball, a defensive prod, edged behind for 103. Glamorgan 224-7.
A hundred for Colin Ingram!
After collecting a thousand runs last year, Colin Ingram hits his grove once more. A fabulous innings – 225 balls, 13 fours, one six, and gets there with a gorgeous shot through the offside.
A really plucky fightback this by Glamorgan, from 28-4, to 224-6.
Interesting chat with the friendly ECB pace bowling scout – apparently there are 15 or 16 bowlers on their radar at the moment.
Hello again Mark Gretton at Wantage Road!
“An utter joy to watch Jimmy’s relentless and spiky seven overs this morning. Ricardo Vasconcelos played him briefly beautifully, flicking and driving him repeatedly to the fences until Anderson snaked one past him and into his castle. The one that did for Sales leapt off the pitch and ricocheted to slip with the batter rooted and visibly aghast.
”As I wandered off to locate a lunchtime pint I said hello to Rocky Flintoff striding immensely towards the nets. He smiled shyly and said hello back. County Cricket provides rich and contrasting pleasures!”
Glad to hear it! Northants haven’t lost a wicket since lunch, which is quite the achievement. Possibly because Jimmy is resting. They’re currently 89 for five – 294 behind – McSweeney and Bartlett not out in the twenties.
Photos from Leicester. Oh dear, a round of applause for Weatherald, who fancies another searing boundary but instead chops a ball from Robinson into his stumps for 83. He does a backbend of frustration. Leics 154-7.
There’s a flash of sunshine over Grace Road, it’s almost warm so long as you’re wearing a fluffy winter coat. I sit down on one of the bright green benches to watch the first over after lunch. Eskinazi plays loosely at the first ball from Robinson and is caught at slip. “Oh dear, oh dear,” mutters the man next to me. Leicestershire 146-6, 215 runs behind.
Lunchtime scores
DIVISION ONE
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 169-5 v Yorkshire
Southampton: Hampshire v Essex 308-6
Grace Road: Leicestershire 139-5 v Sussex 361
Taunton: Somerset 347 v Nottinghamshire 34-0
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 125-1 v Surrey 328
DIVISION TWO
The County Ground: Derbyshire 548-5 v Worcestershire
Chester le Street: Durham 335 v Kent 126-6
Lord’s: Middlesex 382-6 v Gloucestershire
Wantage Road: Northamptonshire 52-5 v Lancashire 384
It had been Leicestershire’s morning, and then it all went wrong in the last half hour as they slipped from 117 for 2 to 137-5. Henry Crocombe taking 3-11 in 13 balls. Ahmed looked in wonderful touch but was caught behind for 11. Weatherald is class though, 77 not out off 96 balls.
Four wickets for Jimmy Anderson!
Some old dogs don’t need any new tricks…Northants 47 for five. Anderson has got rid of Vasconcelos (25), Harrison (4), Zaib (4) and Sales (2). Four slips eager and waiting.
A double century for Andersson, a century for Reece!
Derbyshire grinding Worcestershire into the dust. A highest score and the first double century of the season for Martin Andersson. Northants 537 for five.
Leus du Plooy and Joe Cracknell make hay
A long old slog for Gloucestershire’s bowlers this morning. Du Plooy 151 not out, Cracknell in touching distance of three figures. Middlesex 366 for five.
Rain spares Kent at Chester le Street
Sam Northeast is holding Kent together, 58 not out in his first innings back at his boyhood club, Kent 126 for six. Two wickets each for Potts and Raine.
Five for Ben Sanderson and an early wicket for Sir Jimmy
And we’ve got CCLive eyes live at Wantage Road to watch the grand old man of English cricket. “Sir Jim received a wonderful ovation from the Northants locals (and us Lankies who’ve made the trip) as he strode out to bat even before his name was announced,” writes Mark Gretton,. “Warmed the cockles – and on a brisk April morning they need all the warming they can get!”
A nought not out from Jimmy, in Lancashire’s 384 all out. A very handy 39 not out from Tom Bailey too. Five for 79 from Ben Sanderson, who toiled through 28.3 overs. In reply, Northants are 34 for two, one each for Anderson and Bailey.
Five wickets for Pennington!
The first five-fer of the season! Pennington polished off the Somerset tail, just short of a third batting point. Somerset 347 all out. Can Overton, who bashed 60 not out with the bat, now do it with the ball too? Notts 0-0
Fifty for Jake Weatherald
A really impressive debut Championship innings from Jake Weatherald in overcast conditions and on a quite juicy pitch. Chilly too. His nut brown arms tell the tale of a summer spent playing cricket in very different conditions. Fifty from 65 balls, seven fours. Leicestershire 88 for two.
A good start for Warwicks
At Edgbaston, Surrey were finally dismissed for 328 – a fabulous recovery from 65 for six. Three wickets for Bamber, two each for Woakes, Thompson, Gilchrist and Barnard.
Warwickshire have gritted their teeth after the disappointment and made a good start to their innings. Yates and Davies have faced 50 balls a piece, one has 13, the other 40 – I’ll let you guess which is which. Warwicks 66 for 0.
A hundred for Matt Critchley!
A thirteenth first-class century for Critchley, but he’s lost Allison for 80, at last a result for the short stuff from Hants. Essex 259 for four.
Fifties for Ben Kellaway and Colin Ingram
From the depths of 28 for four last night, Ben Kellaway and Colin Ingram have rebuilt Glamorgan. Kellaway, another Lion predicted to have a bright future, reached his half-century first before being bowled by a gorgeous ball from Dom Bess. Glamorgan 137 for five, Ingram 59 not out.
Again apologies that things are slow this morning, the wifi keeps dropping in and out and the hotspot on my phone is also being disobedient. Here, quickly, before it drops again, Ollie Robinson has sent nightwatchman Scriven on his way, before taking himself off. Weatherald and Holland drop anchor.
With an hour gone, let’s trot round the grounds.
“Salutations Tanya!” Good morning Tim Maitland.
“I am torn between two burning issues.
”Firstly, why does the UK insist on giving storms such ridiculously benign names? Storm Dave is more likely to give people the impression that there’s time for a nice cup of tea and some custard creams rather than the desired effect of battening down the metaphorical hatches. What’s wrong with using the names of historical villains? Storm Genghis? Storm Atilla? Storm Thatcher? At the very least give them French names and strike fear into the heart of the general population.
”The second thought is would the England batting line-up be better with a player like Ben Foakes in it? I’m not specifically banging the drum for Foakes, just for the England management to resists the urge to fill their side with yet more peroxide-tipped, high testosterone pyjama cricketers fashioned in their own likeness and instead add a player late in the order capable of having a steadying influence – much in the way that Joe Root calms the top of the order when he inevitably comes in to bat 20 minutes into the innings – and occasionally buy time for the last survivor of the specialist batters or Ben Stokes himself to build their own innings. Someone who can do more than provide another cameo of carnage before handing the initiative back to the bowling side.
“I only mention this as two days of yellow storm warnings and a forecast of snow in the Scottish Highlands should presumably give us all a surfeit of time to consider such things.”
Sadly, I think Ben Foakes time has passed – which seems a ridiculous thing to say about such a talented player.
One for Lancashire fans
A little plug for Paul Edwards, sitting next to me here at Grace Road and supplying statistical nuggets for the blog on a daily basis. He and Graham Hardcastle have set up a new website lankylanky.news, which will cover all aspects of Lancs cricket, including in-depth features, profiles, historical pieces, batting collapses etc. It will be wide-ranging, looking at men’s, women’s and disability cricket as well as the recreational game.
There is a 20 per cent discount until the end of April, code: LANKY20.
Round the grounds, Somerset have a second batting point (Overton 38 not out); Martin Andersson has knocked up a career-best 150 for Derbyshire; Ben Sanderson has nipped out George Balderson for 21, Lancs 394-8.
Ollie Robinson’s first over brings a caught behind appeal against Scriven. Robinson is sure of it and most fed up when turned down.
A statistical goblet from yesterday: Yesterday was 8,231 days since Leicestershire last played first-division cricket. That day was 19 Sept 2003, playing Sussex at Hove, the same match that Sussex won the Championship.
Sorry everyone, a few wifi problems this morning. A blowy gray day at Grace Road but things will start on time.
Ali Martin’s report from Birmingham
Friday’s round-up
The spectre of the Ashes loomed over day one of a new Championship season, every innings, every wicket, a play in one act sent straight to the laptop of Brendon McCullum.
England Lion Emilio Gay won the race to the first century of the season for Durham, a classy innings, fierce on the loose ball, and in tricky conditions at Chester-le-Street. When he was finally out, a fourth catch of the day to Kent’s Zak Crawley, he had pocketed 128 from just 140 balls.
Crawley’s turn with the bat went about as well as Jamie Smith’s and Ollie Pope’s over at Edgbaston, two boundaries before falling lbw to Matthew Potts for nine.
At Grace Road Tom Clark embroidered a stylish 101, as Sussex gave promoted Leicestershire a bloody nose in the morning session, racing to 155 for two by lunch. Lion Tom Haines made a giddy half-century and James Coles, of mega-deal Hundred fame, a pretty 28. An England and Wales Cricket Board bowling scout, watching from the wings, then saw Ollie Robinson remove Rishi Patel in the four overs of Leicestershire’s innings possible before stumps
At Taunton, Somerset performed their usual rescue act, this time from 14 for two against the champions. Tom Abell stroked a flawless 108, and he and young James Rew (64) added 140 for the fourth wicket against Nottinghamshire. One of Rew’s drives lilted through covers like a lullaby. Craig Overton clubbed 32.
Rain wiped out much of the day at Sophia Gardens but Glamorgan, back in Division One for the first time since 2005, had a tricky start. They lost four wickets in six overs against Yorkshire including the fancied Asa Tribe, who donated Jonny Bairstow a pillowy catch. Ben Kellaway and Colin Ingram rebuilt to 99 for four at stumps.
History was made at Southampton, where Noah Thain became the first full substitute in County Championship history under the ECB’s new experimental rule change. He replaced the Essex captain, Tom Westley, whose finger was fractured by a snorter from Hampshire’s Sonny Baker. Wobbling at 67 for three, and with Westley retired hurt, Matt Critchley (97no) and Charlie Allison (60no) rebuilt calmly. There was a minute’s silence at the start of the match in memory of Hampshire and England legend Robin Smith, who died during the winter.
There was also a minute’s silence at Lord’s, to remember long-serving groundsman Mick Hunt. On a stodgy day, Leus du Plooy’s 98 not out helped Middlesex to 279 for five against Gloucestershire.
It was a tough day for Worcestershire’s bowlers at Derbyshire, where Martin Andersson shimmied a rapid unbeaten 134. Worcestershire are without South African signing Beyers Swanepoel, whose desperation to get to New Road was such that he left for the airport with seven overs of a domestic one-day final to go and then found that a furious South African had withheld his no-objection certificate. “Beyers would probably say he’s made a bit of an error in hindsight,” said the Worcestershire chief executive, Ashley Giles.
Lancashire were the only side who won the toss and batted and could be happy enough with their work against Northamptonshire thanks to 90 from Josh Bohannon, 87 from Luke Wells and 71 from Michael Jones.
Scores on the doors
DIVISION ONE
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 99-4 v Yorkshire
Southampton: Hampshire v Essex 219-3
Grace Road: Leicestershire 15-1 v Sussex 361
Taunton: Somerset 292-6 v Nottinghamshire
Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Surrey 328
DIVISION TWO
The County Ground: Derbyshire 391-4 v Worcestershire
Chester le Street: Durham 335 v Kent 50-2
Lord’s: Middlesex 279-5 v Gloucestershire
Wantage Road: Northamptonshire v Lancashire 346-7
Preamble
Good morning! In Leicester, the sparrows are chirping as the city stretches into Easter Saturday.
At Grace Road, Sussex, giddy from for their success on day one, will press further. I worry a little what havoc Ollie Robinson might unleash on Leicestershire’s batting line up. Anyway, it all starts at 11am – do join us for news around the grounds.