Championship Digest: Friday, April 29, 2022

Find out what happened on day two of the fourth round of LV= Insurance County Championship fixtures

jim290401

Division One

Chelmsford (second day of four): Northamptonshire 390, Essex 95-8 - Essex trail by 295 runs with one first-innings wicket remaining

Scorecard

Ben Sanderson blasted a gaping hole in the fragile Essex batting with four quickfire wickets to capitalise on Luke Procter's marathon century and put Northamptonshire in total command at Chelmsford.

The pace bowler took his season's tally to 15 in five LV= Insurance County Championship innings as he found the edges of a succession of bats – including the plainly out-of-form Sir Alastair Cook – that Essex reduced to 55 for 5, then 75 for 7 and finally 95 for 8 at the close in reply to Northamptonshire's 390.

Essex had no bowlers of similar ilk as Northamptonshire were able to eke out a further 157 runs to their overnight score in 45 overs, courtesy of a tortoise-and-hare ninth-wicket partnership of 105 between Procter and Gareth Berg.

Procter took exactly six hours to carefully compile his 113, only the fifth century of his 12-year first-class career. In contrast, Berg included three sixes in a swashbuckling 75 that lasted just 132 balls.

Northamptonshire now stand on the threshold of instant revenge after their humiliating innings defeat inside four sessions on the same ground only seven months ago.

***

Bristol (second day of four): Surrey 603, Gloucestershire 86-0 - Gloucestershire trail by 517 runs with 10 first-innings wickets remaining

Scorecard

Jamie Smith's maiden double century and a second first-class hundred from Jordan Clark gave Surrey a stranglehold on the County Championship match with Gloucestershire at Bristol.

Unbeaten on 111 overnight, Smith had moved to 234 not out, from 430 balls, with 34 fours, by the time his side were finally bowled out for 603 shortly after tea on day two.

It was a phenomenal effort of concentration from the 21-year-old, who occupied the crease for nine hours and 28 minutes, sharing a stand of 244 – a record for Surrey's eighth wicket – with Clark to stifle the life out of a willing, but uninspired home attack.

Clark provided positive support, making 137 after walking out at 349 for seven, with Surrey just having failed to claim a fourth batting point. He struck 15 fours and two sixes in an imposing 177-ball innings.

By the close, Gloucestershire had replied impressively by posting 86 without loss, openers Chris Dent (45 not out) and Marcus Harris (30 not out) producing an array of positive shots in the face of considerable scoreboard pressure.

abell290401

Tom Abell dismissed Sam Hain at Taunton (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

Southampton (second day of four): Hampshire 246 & 103-3, Lancashire 240 - Hampshire lead by 109 runs with seven second-innings wickets remaining

Scorecard

Keith Barker claimed his second County Championship five-wicket haul of the season as Hampshire and Lancashire continued their close-fought encounter.

Left-armer Barker is the equal leading wicket-taker in Division One so far this season with 20 scalps, with his 5 for 67 adding to his impressive start to the campaign.

The Lancashire-born Barker helped Hampshire secure a nominal six-run first-innings advantage, with Phil Salt and Tom Bailey's half-centuries keeping the visitors well in the match.

Nick Gubbins led Hampshire's evening lead-builder, while James Anderson added two more wickets to his career tally – with Hampshire closing on 103 for 3, the lead growing to 109.

Taunton (second day of four): Somerset 458, Warwickshire 197-9 - Warwickshire trail by 261 runs with one first-innings wicket remaining

Scorecard

Beaten in their last seven red-ball outings, Somerset can finally see light at the end of the tunnel after their bowlers put them in control on the second day of the County Championship match against Warwickshire at the Cooper Associates Ground in Taunton.

Josh Davey, Craig Overton and Lewis Gregory each claimed two wickets, while Jack Brooks, Tom Abell and Jack Leach all weighed in with one apiece as Warwickshire, replying to the home side's first-innings 458, reached the close on 197 for 9, still 261 behind and requiring a further 111 to avoid the follow-on.

Sam Hain bucked the trend with a battling innings of 54 and Nathan McAndrew made a bullish 47, these two adding 76 for the seventh wicket to frustrate the home side. But Somerset, who prop up the First Division table after losing their first three games of the season, are in the ascendancy and, with rain forecast for Sunday, will surely seek to enforce the follow-on in the morning.

***

Headingley (second day of four): Kent 291, Yorkshire 326-5 - Yorkshire lead by 35 runs with five second-innings wickets remaining

Scorecard

England Test hopefuls Dawid Malan and Harry Brook contributed superb centuries to a Yorkshire revival sparked by Pakistan quick Haris Rauf on day two against Kent at Headingley.

Yorkshire's hopes of winning a second County Championship game in three to start 2022 are now high having been under day-one pressure. 

Kent were 227 for 4 and started day two on 270 for 6, only to fall to 291 all out as Rauf completed a career-best 5 for 65 with two of the four wickets to fall inside 30 minutes of play.

Either side of lunch, Kent then impressively reduced Yorkshire's reply to 23 for 3 inside 22 overs.

But Malan and unbeaten Brook - 152 and a career-best 131 - ensured their side hit back once again in the Headingley sunshine, uniting with confidence for a record fourth-wicket partnership of 269 inside 55 overs either side of tea to ensure Yorkshire closed on 326 for five from 86.

brook290401

Harry Brook made a career-best hundred for Yorkshire (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Division Two

Hove (second day of four): Durham 223, Sussex 362-5 - Sussex lead by 139 runs with five first-innings wickets remaining

Scorecard

Cheteshwar Pujara scored his third century in as many matches to give Sussex control on the second day of their County Championship match against Durham at Hove.

It's been a difficult start to the season for Sussex, whose already inexperienced side has been further weakened by injury and illness – two of their opening three matches ended in defeat by 10 wickets and an innings. But Pujara, who missed his new club's opening fixture of the season at home to Nottinghamshire, scored a sublime hundred on his delayed Hove debut and the whole ground rose to applaud him.

He was 128 not out, scored off 198 balls with 16 fours, when bad light brought play to an end with 13 overs still remaining. But by then Sussex were 362 for five, and leading by 139 runs.

***

Trent Bridge (second day of four): Worcestershire 159 & 225-5, Nottinghamshire 266 - Worcestershire lead by 118 runs with five second-innings wickets remaining

Scorecard

An Ed Barnard century led an impressive fightback by Worcestershire after Nottinghamshire had threatened to wrap up a win inside two days in their County Championship match at Trent Bridge.

After Stuart Broad had delivered a timely reminder of his batting prowess to more than double Nottinghamshire's overnight lead, the England pace bowler helped reduce Worcestershire to 32 for 4 in their second innings, still 75 behind.

But despite facing some hostile bowling in short, sharp bursts as Broad sought to build his case for a Test recall this summer, the Pears battled through to the close for the loss of only one more wicket and take a lead of 118 into the third day.

stoneman290401

Mark Stoneman hit his first Middlesex century at Lord's (Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Lord's (second day of four): Leicestershire 149 & 37-3, Middlesex 370 - Leicestershire trail by 184 runs with seven second-innings wickets remaining

Scorecard

John Simpson and Luke Hollman shared a century stand as Middlesex closed in on victory over Leicestershire on day two of their County Championship clash at Lord's.

The Foxes were sniffing a way back into the contest, after being bowled out on day one for 149, when the hosts slipped to 218 for 5 shortly before lunch, Mark Stoneman having fallen for 108, his first century for Middlesex at Lord's.

However, Simpson with 71 and Hollman 45 sucked the life out of those hopes by adding 112 for the sixth wicket, carrying Middlesex passed 300 in the first innings of a County Championship match for the third game in a row - the first time the Seaxes have achieved the feat since June 2017.

Ben Mike's late spell of 4 for 15 saw Middlesex eventually dismissed for 370, but Shaheen Shah Afridi with 2 for 18 and Ethan Bamber (1 for 6) ripped out the Foxes' top order once more to leave them 37 for 3 at stumps, still needing 184 to make the hosts bat again.

***

Derby (second day of four): Derbyshire 368, Glamorgan 240-4 - Glamorgan trail by 128 runs with six first-innings wickets remaining

Scorecard

David Lloyd led from the front as Glamorgan fought back on the second day of the County Championship Division Two match against Derbyshire at Derby.

After Michael Hogan and Michael Neser each took four wickets to bowl Derbyshire out for 368, the Glamorgan captain scored 84 from 104 balls, sharing an opening stand of 103 with Andrew Salter.

Marnus Labuschagne made an unbeaten 53 and Sam Northeast 49 as Glamorgan closed on 240 for 4, 128 runs behind.


Related Topics

Comments

No comments received yet - Be the first!

LATEST NEWS

STAY UP TO DATE Sign up to our newsletter...
SIGN UP

Thank You! Thank you for subscribing!

Units 7-8, 35-37 High St, Barrow upon Soar, Loughborough, LE128PY

website@thecricketer.com

Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.