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Ali Martin's study from Birmingham
Friday's round-up
The spectre of nan Ashes loomed complete time 1 of a caller Championship season, each innings, each wicket, a play successful 1 enactment sent consecutive to nan laptop of Brendon McCullum.
England Lion Emilio Gay won nan title to nan first period of nan play for Durham, a prestigious innings, fierce connected nan loose ball, and successful tricky conditions astatine Chester-le-Street. When he was yet out, a 4th drawback of nan time to Kent’s Zak Crawley, he had pocketed 128 from conscionable 140 balls.
Crawley’s move pinch nan bat went astir arsenic good arsenic Jamie Smith’s and Ollie Pope’s complete astatine Edgbaston, 2 boundaries earlier falling lbw to Matthew Potts for nine.
At Grace Road Tom Clark embroidered a stylish 101, arsenic Sussex gave promoted Leicestershire a bloody chemoreceptor successful nan greeting session, racing to 155 for 2 by lunch. Lion Tom Haines made a giddy half-century and James Coles, of mega-deal Hundred fame, a beautiful 28. An England and Wales Cricket Board bowling scout, watching from nan wings, past saw Ollie Robinson region Rishi Patel successful nan 4 overs of Leicestershire’s innings imaginable earlier stumps
At Taunton, Somerset performed their accustomed rescue act, this clip from 14 for 2 against nan champions. Tom Abell stroked a flawless 108, and he and young James Rew (64) added 140 for nan 4th wicket against Nottinghamshire. One of Rew’s drives lilted done covers for illustration a lullaby. Craig Overton clubbed 32.
Rain wiped retired overmuch of nan time astatine Sophia Gardens but Glamorgan, backmost successful Division One for nan first clip since 2005, had a tricky start. They mislaid 4 wickets successful six overs against Yorkshire including nan fancied Asa Tribe, who donated Jonny Bairstow a pillowy catch. Ben Kellaway and Colin Ingram rebuilt to 99 for 4 astatine stumps.
History was made astatine Southampton, wherever Noah Thain became nan first afloat substitute successful County Championship history nether nan ECB’s caller experimental norm change. He replaced nan Essex captain, Tom Westley, whose digit was fractured by a snorter from Hampshire’s Sonny Baker. Wobbling astatine 67 for three, and pinch Westley retired hurt, Matt Critchley (97no) and Charlie Allison (60no) rebuilt calmly. There was a minute’s soundlessness astatine nan commencement of nan lucifer successful representation of Hampshire and England fable Robin Smith, who died during nan winter.
There was besides a minute’s soundlessness astatine Lord’s, to retrieve long-serving groundsman Mick Hunt. On a stodgy day, Leus du Plooy’s 98 not retired helped Middlesex to 279 for 5 against Gloucestershire.
It was a reliable time for Worcestershire’s bowlers astatine Derbyshire, wherever Martin Andersson shimmied a accelerated unbeaten 134. Worcestershire are without South African signing Beyers Swanepoel, whose desperation to get to New Road was specified that he near for nan airdrome pinch 7 overs of a home one-day last to spell and past recovered that a furious South African had withheld his no-objection certificate. “Beyers would astir apt opportunity he’s made a spot of an correction successful hindsight,” said nan Worcestershire main executive, Ashley Giles.
Lancashire were nan only broadside who won nan flip and batted and could beryllium happy capable pinch their activity against Northamptonshire acknowledgment to 90 from Josh Bohannon, 87 from Luke Wells and 71 from Michael Jones.
Scores connected nan doors
DIVISION ONE
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 99-4 v Yorkshire
Southampton: Hampshire v Essex 219-3
Grace Road: Leicestershire 15-1 v Sussex 361
Taunton: Somerset 292-6 v Nottinghamshire
Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Surrey 328
DIVISION TWO
The County Ground: Derbyshire 391-4 v Worcestershire
Chester le Street: Durham 335 v Kent 50-2
Lord’s: Middlesex 279-5 v Gloucestershire
Wantage Road: Northamptonshire v Lancashire 346-7
Preamble
Good morning! In Leicester, nan sparrows are chirping arsenic nan metropolis stretches into Easter Saturday.
At Grace Road, Sussex, giddy from for their occurrence connected time one, will property further. I interest a small what havoc Ollie Robinson mightiness unleash connected Leicestershire’s batting statement up. Anyway, it each starts astatine 11am – do subordinate america for news astir nan grounds.
