Key events
Roundup: aggravated Gloucestershire make Durham wait
Rain rudely interrupted the County Championship on bank holiday Saturday but there was evening controversy at Chester-le-Street. Kasey Aldridge had bowled Durham to almost-victory with four for 47, giving him nine wickets in the match, leaving his side four to win. But with the floodlights on and filthy skies, Gloucestershire refused to bowl spin and the umpires said it was too dark for pace.
Mark Alleyne, the Gloucestershire head coach, explained: “Forty-five minutes before we lost the last wicket, it was too dark to play, which would have been consistent with all the other days that we played.
“I was really surprised that Carse was allowed to bowl to [James] Bracey at the time. He got him out, then took off straight away. So, yeah, we had probably 50 minutes of cricket there that we probably shouldn’t have done.
“They asked if we would bowl our spinners to finish the game. Of course, we said: ‘No, we’ll bowl our quick bowlers,’ in which case it became bad light, so we’ll come back tomorrow.
“I mean, we’ve been outplayed, of course, but there’s certain parts of the game that we feel we were really hard done by some really poor decisions, in my view, and I hope they get a chance to look back at those, but one of the poorest is playing in the light that we did for so long.
“So, with that in mind, we thought we’d hedge our bets and see if it might rain all day tomorrow, so you never know.”
At Scarborough, over 31.5 overs, Leicestershire’s Sheridon Gumbs and Rishi Patel saw off the best that Yorkshire could throw at them on a damp bowler-friendly day. A draw looks almost inevitable, offering some succour to both sides trying to escape the drop.
After a four-hour rain delay at Sophia Gardens, Sonny Baker quickly polished off Glamorgan, to finish with four wickets (over three days), and Hampshire held a one-run advantage on first innings. Nick Gubbins and Ali Orr made a confident start to the second innings, racing to a 70 run stand until an unimpressed Gubbins was given out lbw to Mir Hamza.
There was no play at all at New Road, Northampton, Derby, Edgbaston, Hove and Chelmsford.
ends
Thanks for sticking with us through the dampness of the day. It looks as if there will be only one result this round, at Chester le Street, but not without controversy after Gloucestershire refused to bowl spin and the umpires said it was too dark for Durham to try and hit the four runs they needed to win against pace. Glos playing hard ball, and the forecast dodgy for tomorrow.
More on this on Sunday, the final day of August cricket this year. Have a lovely evening.
Close of play scores
Division One
Chelmsford: Essex 279 v Surrey 183 and 51-4 no play today
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 161 v Hampshire 162 and 124-2
Hove: Sussex 250 v Somerset 202 and 167-2 no play today
Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire 299-7 no play today
Scarborough: Yorkshire 263 v Leicestershire 84-0
Division Two
Derby: Derbyshire 79-3 v Middlesex no play today
Chester-le-Street: Durham 384 v Gloucestershire 137 and 250 Durham need 4 to win
Northampton: Northamptonshire 74-0 v Kent 345 no play today
New Road: Worcestershire 12-1 v Lancashire 180 no play today
With cricket only at Sophia Gardens (Hants 91-2), time for me to go and write up a few paragraphs. BTL is open for comment.
Bad light stops play at Chester le Street
With lashings of rain due tomorrow, Gloucs could still get out of this in one piece.
Durham need four to win
JT Langridge’s lusty innings at No. 11 comes to an end, caught for 36, but he’s done enough to make Durham have to bat again. As long as the light allows.
Ali Orr’s bails a g0-g0. VDG the bowler. Hampshire 90-2.
The Blaze beat Essex by nine wickets in semi-final one of County Cup finals day
In the five-over shoot out at OT, Emma Jones (26) led Blaze to an easy win.
The Blaze 46-1 (off 3.3 overs) BEAT Essex 44-3 (off 5 overs) by nine wickets.
Six overs lost at Sophia Gardens, Ali Orr and Toby Albert are back out, shadows now elongated, sun milky white. Hampshire 90-1.
Sai Kishore is doing his best but Durham are just one wicket away from victory. at CLS. Colin the demon Ackermann five overs, 2-35, Ben Stokes 17 overs, 0-35.
Make that 177-8, another catch for Robinson, the attacking Killeen winkled out by Ackermann second ball. I’ve got to disappear briefly now, hopefully Glos can last till I return.
A second for Brydon Carse and it’s the Gloucestershire cement, a nasty inswinger that Bracey 31) edges behind, though I suggest Bracey dooesn’t agree. Glos 173-7
And that’s almost the full set – stumps at six grounds but still eventful cricket at Sophia Gardens and Chester le Street.
Stumps at Chelmsford
123 overs lost so far in this match. But a result is still possible tomorrow, with both sides desperate to rise above the drop.
The umpires are checking the light at CLS, but it passes the test for now. Durham press on. Glos 164-6, Bracey 29 not out, Killeen 14 not out. Carse with the ball.
A hopeful Leicestershire captain Ian Holland:
“Sheridon and Rishi have played really nice there. Not losing a wicket is always nice. It was pretty challenging conditions. The wicket looks good, but it still nipped and swung.
“They left the ball well, played late and never left their bubble. It was a good result from the day for us.
“It looks to be very tight, the table. I don’t know what it is stats wise, but there are a lot of teams who can still win and can still go down. There’s a lot to play for, and it’s going to be a pretty exciting last four games after this.”
A delighted, dancing Hamza celebrates a wicket at Sophia Gardens. Gubbins is not so happy, gesturing with his bat and then striding up the pavilion steps with the purpose of a man who might be about to throw things around the dressing room. Hampshire 70-1.
Stumps at Hove
Wet, wet, wet. Still a chance of a result tomorrow with a sporting declaration – Somerset go into the final day leading by 119.
They’re taking tea at Sophia Gardens, with Hampshire a breezy 68-0, Gubbins 39, Orr 27.
Durham are closing in, a ninth match-wicket for Kasey Aldridge. Daz Ahmed is on his way after blazing for glory and losing his stumps. Glos 139-6, Aldridge 4-32.
Stumps at North Marine Road
Unfit for fielding and generally very soggy.
Matthew Potts the leading wicket taker
Matthew Potts is the most successful bowler in either division (with 52 wickets at 17.98), followed in Div 2 by Ben Sanderson (47 at 18.57) and Ben Aitchison (46 at 20.30)
Kyle Abbott (47 at 15.35), leads Div 1, then Ethan Bamber (44 at 24.61) and Craig Overton (37 at 19.21.)
Joe Clarke – first to a thousand runs
I missed that Nottinghamshire’s Joe Clarke became the first man to a thousand runs yesterday – three centuries, six fifties, average 70.46. Next in line are Tom Abell (833, average 75.72), Dan Lawrence (788, 65.66) and Kiran Carlson (761, 44.76). David Bedingham is the only man close in Div 2 – 943 runs at 78.58.
Thanks to Mes for sending me some photos of his seed potatoes – 19 bins worth! End of season dinner CCLive dinner on you?
Tea time-ish scores
Division One
Chelmsford: Essex 279 v Surrey 183 and 51-4 no play yet today
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 161 v Hampshire 162 and 46-0
Hove: Sussex 250 v Somerset 202 and 167-2 no play yet today
Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire 299-7 no play today
Scarborough: Yorkshire 263 v Leicestershire 84-0 rain
Division Two
Derby: Derbyshire 79-3 v Middlesex no play today
Chester-le-Street: Durham 384 v Gloucestershire 137 and 132-5
Northampton: Northamptonshire 74-0 v Kent 345 no play today
New Road: Worcestershire 12-1 v Lancashire 180 no play today
A third for Aldridge! Tommy Boorman pushing thoughtfully forward and snaffled behind by Robinson, for five. Durham 132-5.
Runs are suddenly flowing at Sophia Gardens, where the shadows squat under the boots of Orr (17) and Gubbins (19). But Kellaway’s first over goes for just one. Hants 38-0.
Hang the big names, first-innings five-wicket man Kasey Aldridge is the knife. Now Cameron Bancroft fends him away to the hand of Alex Lees at third slip. Glos 125-4, over to Bracey and Boorman to rebuild.
Tea at Scarborough
Where it is raining quite hard now.
But now, four balls into a testing over, Kasey Aldridge makes the ball spit and Hammond, high backlift, edges behind. Gone for 44. Glos 112-3…
The huge floodlights stare unblinkingly over CLS, where Bancroft and Hammond are frustrating Durham successfully. Glos 112-2.
I don’t know if it is the cameras, but it looks very murky at Sophia Gardens, the three slips shining like florescent life buoys as van der Gugten runs in. Hampshire 1-0.
Scrap that 3.20 restart at Hove, the rain has returned.
In bright sunshine at Sophia Gardens, Glamorgan have nudged almost to parity, and that will have to be enough as Timm van der Gugten uppercuts Sonny Baker to a diving James Fuller at third man. Four wickets for Baker. Hampshire have a one run first-innings lead.
After nine overs on the trot from Ben Stokes, Alex Lees prises the ball out of his hand and gives it to Kasey Aldridge. Glos 101-2..
Stumps at New Road
Rain all day and then rain some more.
Curtains at Edgbaston
The second complete washout in three days in Birmingham.
3.15 inspection at Chelmsford
Surrey willll be quite content to retreat to their hotel.
Rain at Scarborough
This time the umpires decide it is too wet. Not hosing it down but annoyingly constant. Yorkshire wander off, the stoical crowd remain perched on the bleachers. Leicestershire 84-0 .Patel 41, Gumbs 39.
Restart at 3 at Sophia Gardens
If they could just get a session or so in today, this match is one of the few that could end in a result. Glamorgan 13 behind, one wicket in hand.
They’re playing through the rain at Scarborough, as Revis goes off after pulling something or other. The umpires chat and decide to press on. Gumbs and Patel still keeping Yorkshire out.
Play to restart at Hove at 3.20pm
If the rain stays away. Will Tom Lammonby be able to find the fluency of last night. He resumes 74 not out, Somerset with a lead of 119.