Key events
Bad dog Lancashire. They’ve lost four for one. Ducks for Harris and Flintoff. Jos Bohannon, back in the team after his physical jerks on the sidelines at OT, is five not out. Two wickets each for Milnes and Khaled.
Five for Ian Holland
Leicestershire have reduced Hants to 131-6 and have eighth-placed Essex in their sights. In their rear-view mirror, though, the spectre of a pitch penalty in super shoes.
Fifty for George Bell
Bravo! His second since joining Essex on loan, though his presence doesn’t seem to have done much for the rest of the batting. Now a fulsome 104 for eight against Warwickshire.
It is raining at Headingley but they’re staying on for now.
A handful of retirements
Derbyshire’s captain Anuj Dal is hanging up his boots to take up a job in finance.
Durham’s former captain Scott Borthwick is retiring to become a full-time coach at CLS.
CC-Live favourite Rob Keogh, Northampton written on his heart, steps away due to a back injury. Andrew Radd wrote on the BBC website: “Although born in Bedfordshire, ‘Dunstable’s finest’ Rob Keogh has been that rarest of birds in modern professional sport, a ‘one-club man’.
“After getting involved in Northamptonshire’s Emerging Player Programme at the age of 12, he went on to prove a vital cog in the side at Wantage Road for a decade-and-a-half – the ultimate multi-dimensional cricketer.”
A third for Gregory asJames Wharton loses his off stump from a beaut of a yorker. Yorks 85-5.
Just eaten my sandwich in the garden. Is autumn sun the sweetest?
Meanwhile, Jonathon Doidge has just compared a shaven Jonny Bairstow to Mick Hucknall.
They’re back on at Headingley, where Bairstow and Wharton have made the Yorkshire score a little healthier but bad news for Notts fans, it is raining at Hove.
Lunchtime scores
Division One
Chelmsford: Essex 86-7 v Warwickshire
Grace Road: Leicestershire v Hampshire 109-5
The Oval: Surrey v Glamorgan 93-4
Hove: Sussex v Nottinghamshire 69-3
Headingley: Yorkshire 77-4 v Somerset
Division Two
Chester-le-Street: Durham 117-3 v Worcestershire
Bristol: Gloucestershire v Middlesex 91-3
Canterbury: Kent v Lancashire 73-0
Wantage Road: Northamptonshire v Derbyshire 88-4
Warwickshire are a boot ahead in the Championship charge as lunch approaches after reducing Essex to a pitiful 33 for seven. Essex have crawled to 81 for seven – thanks largely to 36 from Lancs loan George Bell.
Notts have lost their top three to an underpowered Sussex side, but run-machine Joe Clarke is in. Notts 69 for three.
And Somerset are on top after being invited to bowl at Headingley, Yorks 77 for four.
An early lunch at Headingley
They will dine at 12.20.
Our man in the stands at The Oval, Stephen Moss writes: “Surrey have a seemingly endless supply of imports (I say this without bitterness) and the latest one, Indian quick Auqib Nabi, has done for Glamorgan this morning, dismissing Tribe, Carlson (for a duck) and Hope-Bell in rapid succession. Tribe and Carlson fell to catches in the slips; Hope-Bell, who had shaped well, was comprehensively castled. Nabi has a first-class bowling average of 18.71. Why on earth has he never played for India?”
A sweet, sweet flick down to the rope off Jake Ball brings YJB his first boundary. But the rain is starting to fall at Headingley and they come off at 77 for four.
At Grace Road, Hampshire have almost doubled their score thanks to Brown (31) and Mayes (26). Hants 97 for five.
Ben Stokes has marched in at CLS, where Worcestershire have removed the top three. Stokes off the mark with dance and dash four. Durham 82 for three.
And a cracking pick up and throw by a thrilled Josh Thomas gets rid of Revis for six. Thomas reels across the ground and recieves manly cuddles. Now then Jonny.
Essex, 42 for 7, are in with a shout of this summer’s lowest CC innings – Northants’ 50 v Durham, and Leicestershire’s 60 v Essex.
Lancashire are the batting team of the hour – 45-0 which might be their start of the season? Meanwhile at Headingley, Wharton dares to flirt a flamboyant play and miss at Overton. Yorks 62-3.
Whiteman bends over his bat like a slice of melted cheese after chopping Jake Ball into his stumps. Yorks 58 for three.
Essex are the crumble on last night’s windfalls. Now 33 for five against the mighty Warwickshire who have already got their first point an hour into the first day. Ethan Bamber three for seven.
Big Craig Overton has the ball, as grisly grey clouds float ominously above Headingley. Those tree trunk legs and mutton chop arms going through familiar motions.
Runs galore at The Riverside, Durham 36-0, nearly all of them to Alex Lees; and the tap of plenty is running at Hove where HH and Ben Slater are cracking Sussex about the park, Notts 42-0.
Gloucestershire, walking on sunshine after notching off two wins in a row after beating Lancs last week, now have Middlesex 28 for two. JT Langridge, who had everyone scribbling in their notebooks last week, bowls Hollman, Taylor bowls Robson. Middx 28 for two.
“It’s no longer a lovely day here at The Oval,” writes Stephen Moss. “The clouds have rolled in, the floodlights are on, and Matthew Fisher and Dan Worrall are in their element. Zain Ul Hassan has departed for an all-too-predictable duck, lbw to Worrall – perhaps a shade unluckily as there were distinctly two noises. Tribe, who has endured a difficult season after his triumphs last year, is so far batting with muscular effectiveness (famous last words).”
Leicestershire’s slip catchers have early action at Grace Road as Hampshire are sliced up by Ian Holland, Hants currently 21-3, including Jake Lehmann for a duck. Hold that thought, 21-4 as Nathan Gilchrist joins the party.
Ooof, a cracking swivel and pull for four by Luxton off Pretorius, but now he must go too, caught at slip, a second for Gregory. Yorks 39-2
Play in Northampton.
They’re starting at Wantage Road, where Northants have won the toss and will bowl. Muhammad Abbas, fresh from his Pakistan player of the season award, will run in for Derbyshire.
Somerset are on the way! Lyth prods forward and proffers his bat to Lewis Gregory who takes an outside edge which ticks comfortably to first slip. Happy Gregory, happy Somerset. Unhappy Lyth. Yorkshire 14-1.
Essex are truly slumping through September. Now 8 for two as Woakes has Westley handsomely lbw for another nought.
And a drop at Headingley, Luxon edging just off the fingers or the leaping slip.
Oh Essex. The first wicket of the round is Paul Walter, first ball. Essex 1-1
“The rain forecast has not materialised and it’s a lovely day here at The Oval, as Brian Johnston used to delight in saying,” says Stephen Moss. “Surrey have won the toss and, unsurprisingly, inserted. Glamorgan were dismissed for 69 and 65 against Warwickshire last week, and confidence among the battered batters is at rock bottom.
“Colin Ingram and Sean Dickson have paid the price, and are not in Glamorgan’s Xl. Jack Hope-Bell plays his second championship match after an inauspicious debut last week, and Billy Root, out in the cold all season, is back at six. A brave selection, as the permanent secretary used to say on “Yes Minister”. Glamorgan are fighting for first-division survival, and dropping Ingram is nothing if not bold.
“The other lot, as I shall think of them in this piece of unbiased reportage, are horribly strong: Burns, Sibley, Pope, Foakes, Lawrence, Fisher, a team of internationals. I will be watching from under the stand.”
At Headingley there is heavy cloud and the floodlights are on.
A delay at Wantage Road, but otherwise we start on time! Essex, Hampshire, Glamorgan, Notts, Yorkshire, Durham,Middlesex and Lancs will have a bat.
Mukesh Kumar joins Notts
Notts have made a last-minute addition to their side, seam bowler Mukesh Kumar who has taken 233 first-class wickets during a career played entirely in India.
He arrives on the back of helping East Zone win the Duleep Trophy.
Somerset will have to face an in-form Kuldeep Yadav at Headingley, after his career-best ten for 120 turned the match against Essex last week.
“The first innings there was not much turn. It wasn’t a rank turner, Headingley is not known for that, so I was just trying to make the batters make mistakes. Then in the second innings I was trying to use the footmarks to bring the ball from outside to the stumps. That was the plan, and using more angles to make the batters uncomfortable.”
“Who says county cricket is dead?”, asks Glamorgan obsessive Stephen Moss, who has gone to The Oval. “There are crowds waiting for the gates to open! And deep mystery as Ingram and Dickson are on the scorecard, but weren’t in the squad released last night by Glam. Disinformation?Let’s see who takes the field.”
Weather watch – mixed
The Met Office warns: Bands of rain will move across England and Wales today, gradually clearing the warm and humid air and turning fresher. Sunshine and heavy scattered showers in the north with blustery winds.
No news on Leicestershire’s pitch
The regulator is still chewing it over, and the ECB have no control on any timing for this.
Points system
For those who like to add up as they go along:
There are 16 points for a County Championship victory, a draw or tie brings eight points for each side. Any points scored in the first innings are added to this.
First-innings points are awarded only in the first 110 overs and retained whatever the result of the match.
Batting Points
250 to 299 runs – 1 point
300 to 349 runs – 2 points
350 to 399 runs – 3 points
400 to 449 runs – 4 points
450 runs or over – 5 points
Bowling Points
3 to 5 wickets taken – 1 point
6 to 8 wickets taken – 2 points
9 to 10 wickets taken – 3 points
If a match is abandoned without a ball being bowled, each side scores eight points.
If the match is abandoned due to an unfit pitch, the home team don’t get any points and lose any bonus points. The visiting team receive eight points plus any bonus points already achieved.
Also a reminder: Sussex were deducted 12 points because of their financial situation. Kent deducted five points for slow over-rate. Gloucestershire & Worcestershire deducted two points for slow over-rate.
Division Two table – two games to go
1 Durham 230 CHAMPIONS AND PROMOTED
2 Northants 175
3 Kent 173
4 Middlesex 135
5 Derbyshire 135
6 Worcestershire 133
7 Lancashire 100
8 Gloucestershire 82
Division One table – two games to go
1 Somerset 189
2 Notts 185
3 Warwicks 184
4 Sussex 154
5 Yorkshire 142
6 Surrey 137
7 Glamorgan 127
8 Essex 124
9 Leicestershire 116
10 Hampshire 92
Fixtures
Division One
Chelmsford: Essex v Warwickshire
Grace Road: Leicestershire v Hampshire
The Oval: Surrey v Glamorgan
Hove: Sussex v Nottinghamshire
Headingley: Yorkshire v Somerset
Division Two
Chester-le-Street: Durham v Worcestershire
Bristol: Gloucestershire v Middlesex
Canterbury: Kent v Lancashire
Wantage Road: Northamptonshire v Derbyshire
Preamble
Good morning, and welcome to the penultimate match of the season. I can’t believe I just typed that, but evidence is there, dewy grass, shelled conkers, the tired sun dropping by 7pm. And we’ve got a drop-kick thriller on our hands – just five points between the top three – Notts going for two in a row, Warwickshire hoping to cause a rumpus and Somerset dreaming, still dreaming, of that first holy pennant. In Division Two, Durham have been crowned, but just two points separates chasers Northants and Kent, while Hampshire’s relegation can be confirmed this week.
We’ll be keeping an eye on events at Headingley, Chelmsford, Hove, Canterbury, Wantage Road, Grace Road and all round the grounds. Come on in, the water’s lovely.