Find out what happened on day one of the latest round of LV= Insurance County Championship matches
DIVISION ONE
Cheltenham (second day of four): Hampshire 457, Gloucestershire 43-2
James Vince illuminated the Cheltenham Festival with a beautifully-crafted knock of 95 to put Hampshire in the ascendancy against Gloucestershire at the halfway stage of this weather-affected LV= Insurance County Championship Division One match at the College Ground.
If searing heat caused play to be restricted to 72 overs on day one, day two was beset by interruptions for rain and bad light, a total of 29 overs being lost in all. Yet Hampshire's captain took it all in his measured stride, holding sway for more than four hours in an innings that spanned 162 balls and was adorned with 12 fours and a six as Hampshire posted 457 in their first innings.
Felix Organ also went to three figures, registering a career-best total of 118, while hard-hitting Keith Barker blazed his way to a 37-ball half-century, dominating a progressive stand of 66 for the seventh wicket with his captain.
Josh Shaw, Zak Chappell, Ryan Higgins and Tom Price were rewarded for their persistence with two wickets apiece, but it was a day of toil in the field for Gloucestershire, who are still seeking their first win of the season in the red-ball format.
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Northampton (second day of four): Northamptonshire 235 & 25-1, Lancashire 132 - Northamptonshire lead by 128 runs with nine second-innings wickets remaining
Northamptonshire seamer Jack White claimed his maiden five-wicket haul for just 14 runs as Lancashire were skittled for 132 on day two of this County Championship match at Northampton.
White, 30, had a late introduction to professional cricket, making his first-class debut in 2020 after coming through the Minor Counties system in Cumbria and Cumberland. He caught the eye of former Steelbacks assistant coach Phil Rowe during a highly-successful season playing grade cricket in New South Wales in 2017-18 which led to a contract at Wantage Road.
Making the most of the opportunity of his run in the Championship side this season, he set the tone against Lancashire, striking in the second over of the innings and running through their dangerous top order in 13 overs of attacking, disciplined bowling. He benefited too from humid, overcast conditions as Lancashire lost five wickets for 27 runs either side of lunch. Josh Bohannon top scored with 31.
Northamptonshire took a first innings lead of 103 and by close of play had reached 25 for 1 in their second dig before bad light and rain stopped play.
Felix Organ his a century for Hants (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
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Taunton (second day of four): Somerset 424, Yorkshire 167-4 - Yorkshire trail by 257 runs with six first-innings wickets remaining
Jack Brooks bit the hand that used to feed him as Somerset gained the upper hand on the second day of the County Championship match with Yorkshire at Taunton.
Facing his former club, the veteran seamer turned back the years with 3 for 38 from 10 overs to help restrict them to 167 for 4 in their first innings, 257 runs behind.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore hit an unbeaten 68 against the team he will join next season, while Harry Brook was dismissed for 41.
Somerset had earlier extended their first innings score from 262 for 5 to 424 all out, skipper Tom Abell falling for 116, Lewis Gregory making 77 and Kasey Aldridge a career-best 41.
Former Somerset off-spinner Dom Bess finished with 4 for 68 and seamer Matthew Waite 3 for 64.
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Kia Oval (second day of four): Essex 271 & 19-2, Surrey 24-1 - Essex trail by 29 runs with eight second-innings wickets remaining
Will Jacks hit eight sixes in a remarkable 150 not out against Essex to spearhead a stunning Surrey recovery on day two of a so far memorable County Championship match at the Kia Oval.
Jacks, 23, batted with a maturity beyond his years to turn a superb contest on its head as Division One leaders Surrey – 112 for 7 at one stage – reached 319 all out in reply to Essex’s first innings 271.
In six overs’ batting before the close, Essex then lost Alastair Cook (4) and Sam Cook (4), while staggering to 19 for 2 – a deficit still of 29 runs. Dan Worrall, fresh from his first innings 6 for 56, had former England opener Cook caught at the wicket from a ball angled across him and nightwatchman Cook well held at second slip.
Jacks’ spectacular late onslaught will be long remembered at the Oval and included leg spinner Matt Critchley being plundered for 26 in an over and off spinner Simon Harmer 23 more from another. Jacks, having got to three figures, scored his third fifty from just 17 balls with six sixes and three fours.
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Edgbaston (second day of four): Kent 165 & 198-4, Warwickshire 255 - Kent lead by 138 runs with six second-innings wickets remaining
Joe Denly's compact unbeaten half-century dug Kent out of trouble and left their vital County Championship tussle with Warwickshire finely poised at the halfway stage.
Trailing by 60 on first innings, the visitors closed the second day at Edgbaston on 198 for 4 - 138 ahead - with Denly unbeaten on 70 (149 balls).
Kent were in peril at 105 for 4 but the former England batter joined forces with Jordan Cox (40 not out, 80 balls) to add an unbroken 93 to keep their side in with a chance of a vital victory in a tussle between the two sides just above Division One's bottom two.
In the morning they bowled Warwickshire out for 225 with the impressively pacy Navdeep Saini taking 5 for 72 on his debut. Four of the Indian's wickets were among seven catches in the innings for wicketkeeper Sam Billings. It was Billings' second haul of seven, though the Kent record remains eight (Steve Marsh v Middlesex at Lord's in 1991).
Sam Hain defied discomfort from a sore back to lead Warwickshire's batting. He was last to fall, for 99 (215 balls), as the home side acquired a lead that was useful rather than commanding.
It was another tough day for Zak Crawley (Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
DIVISION TWO
Derby (second day of four): Nottinghamshire 618-8d, Derbyshire 164-2 - Derbyshire trail by 454 runs with eight first-innings wickets remaining
Wayne Madsen and Brook Guest led a spirited Derbyshire recovery after another record-breaking day against Nottinghamshire in the County Championship match at Derby.
Haseeb Hameed and Ben Duckett took their stand to 402 from 513 balls, a Nottinghamshire record for the second wicket and the fifth highest for that wicket in the history of the competition.
Duckett made 241 and Hameed 196 before Liam Patterson-White, 54, and James Pattinson, 44 not out, smashed 105 off 85 balls.
Four Derbyshire bowlers conceded more than 100 runs before Nottinghamshire declared on 618 for 8 but Madsen with 57 not out and Guest’s unbeaten 50 guided the home side to 164 for 2, 454 runs behind, at the end of day two.
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Lord's (second day of four): Sussex 523, Middlesex 103 - Middlesex trail by 420 runs with 10 first-innings wickets remaining
Cheteshwar Pujara’s third double century of the season etched him deep into Sussex folklore on day two of their County Championship clash with Middlesex at Lord’s.
The Indian international became the first Sussex batter to make a double century against Middlesex at Lord’s. The last Sussex batter to achieve 200 at the home of cricket was his fellow countryman Colonel H. H. Shri Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji II while playing against the MCC 125 years ago.
Pujara, whose marathon effort, which had begun 24 hours earlier during London’s hottest day on record, batted almost nine hours before being last out, having steered his side to 523 – so eclipsing Sussex’s previous best score at Lord’s of 522 set in 2005.
Tom Helm emerged from the carnage with 5 for 109, his fourth five-wicket haul in Middlesex colours.
Against a largely inexperience bowling attack, Middlesex made a positive start in reply, reaching 103 without loss at stumps, Mark Stoneman on 47 and Sam Robson 45.
Wiaan Mulder was back amongst the runs (Brynn Lennon/Getty Images)
Leicester (first day of four): Leicestershire 387-5, Glamorgan
Wiaan Mulder’s second consecutive century helped Leicestershire enjoy the best of the opening day as they seek to dent Glamorgan’s promotion ambitions in Division Two of the County Championship.
The South African all-rounder followed his unbeaten 235 in Leicestershire’s club record 756 for four against Sussex at Hove last week with 147 not out as the Foxes - still seeking a first win of the season - closed on 387 for 5.
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