Bob Willis Trophy Digest: All the action from day three of the final round of group games

The Cricketer rounds-up all the action from the third day of the final round of group matches in the Bob Willis Trophy

• Essex closing in on Lord's final after thrashing Middlesex
• Kent complete Hampshire win

NORTH GROUP

Aigburth (third day of four): Lancashire 219 & 310-6 v Derbyshire 195

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An opening stand of 138 between Alex Davies and Keaton Jennings allowed Lancashire to take control of this last Bob Willis Trophy group game after Derbyshire's hopes of reaching the final all but disappeared on a frantic day for the statisticians.

The Red Rose openers dominated the afternoon at Aigburth reaching their century partnership in the 20th over of Lancashire's second innings when Jennings lofted a six over Matt Critchley's head.

Davies was the main aggressor, hitting four boundaries off one Dustin Melton over, before driving straight to Anuj Dal off Critchley for 86.

Jennings eased his way to his own half-century off 102 balls and he and Josh Bohannon had taken Lancashire beyond 200 when the England opener toe-ended a reverse sweep straight to Billy Godleman at midwicket for 81.

But the real drama of the day occurred in the morning session as Derbyshire staged a dramatic recovery in their quest to make 200 and gain a batting bonus point on their way to registering the win which would take them to Lord's. 

Trent Bridge (third day of four): Nottinghamshire 422 v Durham 294 & 131-2

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Despite centuries from Ben Duckett and Joe Clarke, Nottinghamshire still have work to do if they are to end county cricket’s most unwanted record.

Without a first-class victory since June 2018 Notts will go into the final day of their Bob Willis Trophy match against Durham at Trent Bridge looking for early wickets.

The visitors closed on 131 for 2 in their second innings, an overall lead of just three runs, after the home county had been dismissed for 422, earlier in the day.

^{Jack Carson took his aiden first-class five-for}

Headingley (third day of four): Yorkshire 252 v Leicestershire 124 & 78-5

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Yorkshire are closing in on a resounding Bob Willis Trophy victory over Leicestershire at Emerald Headingley, but it will not be enough for them to reach the Lord’s final later this month.

The White Rose county’s fate was sealed just before tea on day three when they failed to reach 400 in their first-innings reply to Leicester’s 124 - bowled out for 252.

They needed to post 400 in order to give themselves a chance to reach 90 points in the North Group, a mark that is likely to secure a place at Lord’s later this month.

Leicester then closed on 78 for five from 26 second-innings overs (16 were lost at the end of the day to bad light), and victory here could still see the hosts top the North table.

CENTRAL GROUP

Sophia Gardens (third day of four): Glamorgan 203 & 9-0 v Warwickshire 186 & 347-7d

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The third day of Warwickshire’s Bob Willis Trophy match against Glamorgan at Cardiff will be remembered as the day when Ian Bell left the batting crease for the final time at the end of an illustrious 20-year career, signing off with an ever-impressive 90 to put his side in a match-winning position going into the final day. 

Bell finished with a career aggregate of 20,440 runs, and an average of 43.58, having scored just 66 in six innings this season prior to the accumulated 140 in this match. 

It was also a memorable day for Dan Mousley. The 19 year-old wasn’t born when Bell made his debut in 1999 and having shared a partnership of 70 with the retiring stalwart in the first innings, the youngster struck his maiden Championship half-century in the second before being caught for 71 late in the day.

^{Joe Clarke went to his maiden red-ball century of the season}

New Road (third day of four): Worcestershire 200 & 58-2 v Somerset 251 & 193

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Tom Lammonby scored a superb century and carried his bat to tip the scales in Somerset’s favour on the third day of their Bob Willis Trophy Central Group top of the table encounter at Blackfinch New Road.

The 20-year-old opener hit an unbeaten 107 out of 193 all out and was largely responsible for Somerset being able to set a formidable 245 target on a wicket still offering encouragement to the seamers.

England paceman Lewis Gregory then picked up the key wickets of openers Daryl Mitchell and Jake Libby – two of the top five run-scorers in the competition – as Worcestershire reached 58 for 2 before bad light ended play early.

SOUTH GROUP

Kia Oval (third day of four): Surrey 171-4 v Sussex 415 & 109-9

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Spinners Dan Moriarity and Amar Virdi put the skids under Sussex’s second innings at the Kia Oval to reduce them to 109 for 9 in a frenetic final session of the day and bowl Surrey dramatically back into the final Bob Willis Trophy fixture.

Moriarty took a career-best 6 for 60 from 16 overs and Virdi 3-31 from 13 and it took a 40-run ninth-wicket partnership between former Surrey fast bowler Stuart Meaker and Jack Carson to rescue Sussex from the depths of 62 for 8.

Meaker remains on a fighting 32 not out, but Moriarty had Carson caught at slip for 6 three overs from stumps and tomorrow Sussex will resume with an overall lead of 136.

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