An emotional John Higgins produced a vintage display to defeat fellow four-time world champion Mark Selby 10-8 in a compelling Tour Championship final in Manchester. The Scot dominated the early stages on Sunday to lead 5-1 but appeared on the ropes when Selby reeled off seven consecutive frames to hold an 8-5 advantage in a...
Showing he has a decent cover drive in his armoury, Tongue racked up nine boundaries in his 55 as he overtook his previous best of 45 not out, made for Worcestershire against Nottinghamshire. James, meanwhile, had made his way to 94, content to wait for the right ball as Tongue increased Durham’s frustrations at the...
Warwickshire and Sussex appear destined to start their County Championship Division One season with a draw after three sun-soaked and run-heavy days at Edgbaston. Sussex closed the third day on 126-3 in their second innings, 200 ahead overall, having taken a first-innings lead of 74. It is a solid advantage that can be built on....
Somerset’s Tom Banton registered the fifth highest score in the history of the County Championship when finally dismissed for 371 on the third day of the match with Worcestershire at Taunton. Unbeaten on 344 overnight, the 26-year-old extended his boundary count to 56 fours and two sixes, facing 403 balls before his wicket saw Somerset...
Six such boundaries carried him past 50 and there would be seven more on the way to three figures, reached in style with an on-drive back past the stumps to the pavilion rope. Fightbacks of course need co-conspirators and not for the first time, Ryan Higgins was first to come to Holden’s assistance. A classy...
Ben Foakes defied his former county for four hours and 41 minutes but could not prevent Essex asking reigning champions Surrey to follow on in the County Championship at Chelmsford. The one-time England wicketkeeper, an Essex academy graduate, stood resolutely while wickets fell all around him to remain unbeaten on 92 as Surrey were dismissed...
The Ben Brown era as Hampshire captain began with a five-wicket County Championship win over newly-promoted Yorkshire. Brown took over from James Vince – who had led the side to a second-placed finish last season – as skipper but was given an anxious 148-run victory chase in his opening game. Yorkshire had been behind the...
Luis Reece celebrated a personal milestone to set up a Derbyshire victory over Gloucestershire by nine wickets on day three of their County Championship Division Two match. The all-rounder took 10 wickets in a match for the first time, finishing with 4-45 to add to his 6 -52 in the first innings. Ben Charlesworth made...
Northants head coach Darren Lehmann said: “That was disappointing with the bat and the boys have got to take some accountability. “It wasn’t a two-and-a-half-day wicket, I thought the groundsman did a really good job – that for me was a nice four-day wicket, more of a 250 wicket in each innings. “I think both...
Kent’s South African paceman Keith Dudgeon took four wickets to all but shatter Northamptonshire’s hopes of chasing 260 on day two of their County Championship match at Wantage Road. On a day which encompassed parts of three innings and saw 20 wickets fall, Dudgeon claimed 4-32, including three in nine balls, as Northamptonshire stumbled to...
Bowlers continue to suffer in the Birmingham sunshine as an opening-round runfest unfolds between Warwickshire and Sussex in the County Championship Division One at Edgbaston. Sussex have returned to the top tier in style by amassing 528 all out after captain John Simpson added a superb unbeaten 181 to Tom Clark’s opening day century. Warwickshire’s...
Starting on 65-1, the positive pair of Sol Budinger and Ben Mike (41) took their stand to 88 before Fernando struck twice in mid-morning. Fernando, the first player from Sri Lanka to represent the daffodil county, had Mike lbw and induced Budinger to sky a pull. Hill survived a loud shout for caught behind first...
Yorkshire captain Jonny Bairstow led from the front to rally his side on day two of their County Championship clash with Hampshire. Bairstow struck 56 in an innings which mixed good fortune and international level shot-making, as he and Adam Lyth put on 105 to turn the first-innings deficit into a 61-run lead by close....
Derbyshire captain Wayne Madsen again left his mark on Gloucestershire with the 40th first-class century of his career on the second day of the County Championship Division Two match at Derby. The 41-year-old’s hundred was his sixth against Gloucestershire and put his side in a commanding position with support from Harry Came who scored 83...
A couple of key scalps for seamer Paul Coughlin in the final session left Nottinghamshire with work to do on day two of their County Championship match against Durham. The Sunderland-born 32-year-old, whose had two injury-plagued years at Trent Bridge, bowled key man Joe Clarke (37) and had 19-year-old prospect Freddie McCann (79) caught behind...
