Key events
Essex are now eight down at Edgbaston and still 12 runs shy of Warwickshire’s first innings score of 190. Hampshire have extended their lead to a commanding 196 and counting in Southampton and Lancashire are being made to work hard in Bristol, James Bracey and Miles Hammond still going strong, Gloucs lead by 52 runs with seven wickets left. I’ll be back for a full lunchtime update shortly.
At Wantage Road, Josh De Caires spills a sharp chance off James Sales in the slips, the Northants man blows his cheeks out with relief, he had 95 to his name. Sales moves to three figures a few minutes later and the deficit is down to 59 runs.
Well batted Nathan McSweeney! The Aussie makes it back-to-back centuries for Norhants by whistling a pull off Naavya Sharma to the deep backward square fence.
Gah, cursed him. He doesn’t press on for a really big one, clipping Tom Helm loosely straight to Ryan Higgins at midwicket. A very important knock for his side though, Northants were tottering on 37-2 when he arrived in the middle. They have four wickets left to wipe out the 78 run deficit Middlesex have over them on first innings.
Lewis Gregory pins Toby Albert in front and it looks stone dead, the umpire duly raises his finger. Hampshire lose their third, their lead already a very useful 155.
Matt Critchley is gone now, carving loosely to backward point and Essex are digging themselves into a bit of a hole at Edgbaston. They’ve lost four wickets this morning and are still 34 runs adrift, from nowhere Warwickshire look like they could event take a small first innings lead into their second innings.
Leach is looking dangerous at the Utilita, probing away and getting some spit and drift. I wonder if we’ll see him in England whites again?
James Bracey survives an LBW decisions off Balderson in Bristol. Gnat’s eyebrow stuff but he’s still there on 30 and Gloucs have nearly eked their way to parity, albeit three wickets down.
Essex are losing wickets in a hurry! Michael Pepper is now on his way after plinking his second ball to Beau Webster at cover. Soft dismissal and Essex now six down in Brum.
The Nut cracks Hampshire open! Jack Leach removes Nick Gubbins for 83 in his first twirl of the day, a hint of grip and Gubbins pokes at it outside off, Overton scooping a fine low catch at slip. Toby Albert is now out there to resume his innings after retiring hurt with a gammy knee last night. He’s on 17, Leach eyes him up, tossing himself a catch or two at the top of his mark, not yet warm enough for Leachy to peel off the short sleeve cable knit. Hampshire lead by 134.
Aussie Jake Lehman drives Craig Overton down the ground for four at a sun strewn Southampton and then gets a meaty knick past James Rew at first slip for four more. Delightful! Lehmann clips his third boundary off the over and the partnership between himself and Nick Gubbins moves into the sixties. Hants in a strong position, leading by 124 with those nine wickets still in play.
Elsewhere, Essex’s Charlie Allison is undone by some late swing from Nathan Gilchrist and he is caught behind for 44. Captain Sam Cook is pocketed by Gilchrist soon after, Rob Yates pulling off a smart diving grab in the slips to send the nightwatchman on his way, Essex are still 54 adrift on first innings with five wickets in the hutch. Bubbling up nicely at Edgbaston.
We’ve got a couple of minutes to go until play begins. The first whiff of a victory might be in Bristol where the evergreen Jimmy Anderson could well force an early win against struggling Gloucs on their home patch. The 43 year old will scent blood in the water and will be accompanied by an impressively George Balderson who scooped five wickets in the first innings.
A confession, I was supposed to be covering the action from Southampton where Hampshire are now in a commanding position against the visiting Somerset, a 96 run lead with nine second innings wickets in hand – however my five year old daughter decided to get her Eddie the Eagle on from the top of our precipitous stairwell earlier this morning… she’s fine, and seems to now be word perfect on the whole K-Pop Demon Hunters erm, canon – but she was before her nosedive so that’s not too concerning. I think she’s secretly pleased to kibosh my day of peaceful cricket viewing, in fact I’m suspicious…
Scores round the shires:
DIVISION ONE
Southampton: Hampshire 238 and 146-1 v Somerset 288 – Hampshire lead Somerset by 96 runs with 9 wickets remaining
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 190 v Essex 110-3 – Essex trail Warwickshire by 80 runs with 7 wickets remaining
DIVISION TWO
Bristol: Gloucestershire 136 and 59-3 v Lancashire 240 – Gloucestershire trail Lancashire by 46 runs with 7 wickets remaining
Northampton: Northants 229-4 v Middlesex 341 – Northamptonshire trail Middlesex by 112 runs with 6 wickets remaining
Tanya’s Day Two Round Up:
Hampshire were frustrated by Somerset’s wagging tail, but wiped out the deficit before bad light stopped play at Southampton. There was no century for James Rew, caught uncharacteristically skewing a half-volley for 86, one of three wickets for Codi Yusuf.
Tom Abell made 49, Lewis Gregory was out to Kyle Abbot for the ninth time in 13 matches, but it was 22-year-old Alfie Ogborne who caused Hampshire the most pain, whooping three sixes in an enterprising last-wicket stand. Hampshire lost Toby Albert to a leg injury early on, but Nick Gubbins’ undefeated 70 helped them to a 96-run lead.
After play, Somerset’s head coach, Jason Kerr, was asked about Rew’s chances of playing for England: “He is a good enough player to play international cricket … he’s an incredible talent and one that should get international recognition. If he opens the batting then great, I appreciate the middle-order is quite stocked at international level, but a player of that talent should be knocking on the door.”
At Wantage Road, it was the turn of Nathan McSweeney (87 not out) and James Sales (78 not out) to turn an unprepossessing Northamptonshire start to an innings into a substantial stand. They came together at 98 for four and added an unbeaten 131 for the fifth wicket. Earlier, Ben Sanderson had wrapped up his second five-wicket haul of the season and Zafar Gohar, last Middlesex man out for a delightful 83, was substituted out of the match after picking up a groin injury. Luke Hollman is his replacement.
In his long career, this is the first first-class match James Anderson has played at Bristol, and it looks as if the visit will be a victorious one after a 17-wicket day. Gloucestershire lost their final four wickets for 12 runs in a five-over tumble first thing, George Balderson finishing with five for 34. Gloucestershire’s attack then pulled the tablecloth on Lancashire, reducing them to 180 for eight thanks to excellent bowling from Matt Taylor, who pocketed a career-best six for 43.
Matty Hurst and the tail then pushed the first-innings lead to 104. Keaton Jennings crafted a vital 70 in his first innings of the year. The substitution rule rumpus rumbled on with the revelation that Lancashire had been forbidden to replace Ajeet Singh Dale with Tom Bailey, despite them both being right-arm bowlers, because of Bailey’s superior experience.
Ethan Bamber and Keith Barker kept Warwickshire in the hunt at Edgbaston, running through Essex’s top three on a rain-affected day. Charlie Allison (40 not out) and nightwatchman Sam Cook (5 not out) saw them through to the close at 110 for three under a milky blue sky. Earlier, Sam Hain, who played brilliantly and with clever acceleration for his 88 not out, and the tail had dragged Warwickshire to 190.
Preamble
Sunday Morning Coming Down is Coming Up Roses, actually.
The sun is blazing down here on the South Coast and the weather is set fair elsewhere for an intriguing third day of this round of Champo matches, four matches in play and they are all nicely poised at the halfway mark.
Jim here stepping in for Tanya as she has a well deserved day off, go gentle with me? As ever -please do get in touch and play nice below the line. Right, time for a quick Kenco before the start of play. I’m all out of beers, Kris.