County Championship Round 8

I should have started this earlier but better late than never...

No play in today's matches anyway.

Division 1

Somerset v Yorkshire (Was due to start today)
Derbyshire v Surrey (Starts Thursday)
Sussex v Nottinghamshire (Starts Friday)

Division 2

Worcestershire v Essex (Was due to start today)
Kent v Leicestershire (Starts Wednesday)
Lancashire v Gloucestershire (Starts Wednesday)
Northamptonshire v Hampshire (Starts Wednesday)

BBC Commentaries - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/13629853
DEC live blogs (new and improved this week with better interactivity) - http://deepextracover.com/home/

Strong start by Yorks against Somerset (341 - 5) with a century by Lyth. Rashid 47* in the runs again. Both Surrey and Derby who start tomorrow (weather permitting) will be hoping that Yorks don't allow Somerset to kick start their cc season.

Yep, a strong start from Yorks.

Elsewhere not much happened because of the weather though Katich reportedly is playing a top innings for Lancs v Gloucs.

No play at all at Wantage Road, and very limited play at New Road (just over 9 overs in 2 days).

Yorkshire declare on 450-5 having scured the 5th batting point with 2 balls to spare. 3rd hundred for Rashid in successive matches (and innings) sees his average for the season climb to 252!!

A couple of bits of news:

Northamptonshire have signed Graeme White on loan for County Championship only to cover for the injured Con de Lange under the new rules allowing players to play for different teams in different competitions.

Claude Henderson has announced he will retire at the end of the season.

Gloucestershire have been left spinner-less after Jack Taylor was suspended by the ECB and Ed Young suffered an injury. I guess they'll be next into the loan market unless they can convince their spin coach Richard Dawson, who is only 32, to play.

Taylor had suspended for an illegal bowling action. Hampshire's Glen Querl, who regularly turns out for Unicorns, has also been suspended for the same reason.

Essex 131-7 against Worcestershire at New Road. 50 for Tom Westley, just the 2 wickets for Richo today, but "angry" Jack Shantry has 4 wickets in 26 balls.

we had another debtutant today against worecestershire..

but yet again more batting woes

Essex 215 all out. 90 for Tom Westley. "Angry" Jack Shantry took 7-69, his best first class figures.

Mrs CBH a guest at today's match at the annual cricket week at Tunbridge Wells. Kent v Leics

As per normal the cricket was a wash out. Not a ball bowled. I have a recollection that there is a quite abysmal record with the weather during this festival of recent years, and particularly where cc matches are concerned. Fair chance this cricket week will bite the dust for financial reasons. If so, a great pity as it's one of the most attractive grounds around, especially when the banks of rhododendrons are out.

On the plus side the nosh in hospitality tent was reportedly quite good!

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:Mrs CBH a guest at today's match at the annual cricket week at Tunbridge Wells. Kent v Leics

As per normal the cricket was a wash out. Not a ball bowled. I have a recollection that there is a quite abysmal record with the weather during this festival of recent years, and particularly where cc matches are concerned. Fair chance this cricket week will bite the dust for financial reasons. If so, a great pity as it's one of the most attractive grounds around, especially when the banks of rhododendrons are out.

On the plus side the nosh in hospitality tent was reportedly quite good!

Its a shame but out-grounds really seem to be suffering except where they are a necessity (as it is for Middx and has been for Lancs). The weather in recent years seems to have been the real killer as with county/international grounds getting super-new drainage the poor drainage of outgrounds has become increasingly evident.

Great to see Jack Shantry doing well, another local lad. Shame his brother had to retire, he was another decent county pro.

Somerset struggling again, should escape with a draw and hopefully maximum batting points but they need to start winning to put some distance between themselves on the bottom two.

For those who get to see more domestic cricket than I do, what is going on with Rashid?

Before this season he had 2 Championship centuries and now he's knocked off three in three innings. Seems to finally be realising some of the talent that he showed as an Under 19 player and that saw him fast-tracked into the England setup prematurely.

Has he decided to focus on his batting, or is he still a front line bowler as well?

dummy_half wrote:For those who get to see more domestic cricket than I do, what is going on with Rashid?

Before this season he had 2 Championship centuries and now he's knocked off three in three innings. Seems to finally be realising some of the talent that he showed as an Under 19 player and that saw him fast-tracked into the England setup prematurely.

Has he decided to focus on his batting, or is he still a front line bowler as well?

He was in the papers pre-season making some uncomplimentary remarks about Gale's captaincy, saying he didn't back him enough. He's been a little lucky this season that Rafiq got injured allowing him to return as the main spinner but, as you say, its with the bat that he's really found form.

I think in truth his problems have been similar to those experienced by almost all English leg-spinners: they get fast-tracked simply because they bowl leg-spin and then can't quite live up to that billing on English pitches. So its probably a good job that his second string should now keep him in the team for the rest of the season and, he'll hope, beyond.

If he can keep up this type of form it won't be long until the England one-day side come calling as somebody who could bat 7 better than Bresnan does and potentially bowl 10 overs would be invaluable.

Come on Sussex, lets beat Nottinghamshire

NickisBHAFC wrote:Come on Sussex, lets beat Nottinghamshire

Jordan 5 - 83 Though Sussex rather let Notts off the hook later in the day.

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:

NickisBHAFC wrote:Come on Sussex, lets beat Nottinghamshire

Jordan 5 - 83 Though Sussex rather let Notts off the hook later in the day.

Corporal - as per an earlier post from Nick, we should be refering to "Sir Chris Jordan"!

PS Corporal - look out for a pm later on.

Arise Sir Chris

Have sent PM

Standard Hampshire. Get Northants to 172-7, an hour later 270-7

Kent given themselves an outside chance of beating Leics in the rain affected match at Tunbridge Wells by rattling up 350 in less than 80 overs.

Saw that Corp. Darren Stevens 97 from 58

I have a recollection that on numbers of occasions in last year or few the Northants tail has ended up scoring far more runs than the top order batsmen....

Northants tail isn't really a tail... Middlebrook, Willey and Copeland can all call themselves all-rounders and Murphy the 'keeper is to come still.

Shelsey93 wrote:Northants tail isn't really a tail... Middlebrook, Willey and Copeland can all call themselves all-rounders and Murphy the 'keeper is to come still.

So, as Fists might put it, the tail is as long as that of a manx cat.

And to prove the point, Murphy is 50*. 9th wicket partnership of 82 so far.

2nd game in a row where the opponents have had no intention of getting a result. Carberry and Adams both bowling. Adams even getting a wicket. Not a good advert for county 4 day cricket

Notts v Sussex is evenly poised after two days. Shahzad took three wickets today as a lot of Sussex batsmen got in and got out, leaving them 290-6 in reply to Notts' 356.

Leicestershire and Kent drew. The rain did most of the damage but after Kent secured a big first innings lead they had a chance this afternoon if things had gone their way. Centuries for Rob Key and Brendan Nash and a hard-hitting 97 from Darren Stevens gave Kent a first innings lead of over 150. But Smith and Eckersley saw off hopes of a Kent win with 65 apiece, both unbeaten. I'd say these are two teams who are just lacking a bit of edge to their bowling attack. But Stevens coming into form will be big for Kent who have a pretty good XI on paper.

Gloucs hung on for a draw on a tense final day at Aigburth, ending it 9-down. Kerrigan got through 38 overs but couldn't find his usual Aigburth form.

Hants and Northants was always going to drawn after so much rain. With Northants having so many points in the bag already there was no need for them to risk defeat, as frustrating as that might be for Hants fans. Andrew Hall scored a century and there were fifties for number nine Trent Copeland and number ten David Murphy.

---

Those three draws in Div 2 leave Northants 25 points clear of Lancashire - a quite considerable margin at this stage of the season. Leicestershire and Kent both remain winless.