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...
Rory Burns and Ollie Pope retreated into survival mode as Surrey chased an initial target of 433 to make Essex bat again after a chastening day for the reigning champions in the County Championship at Chelmsford. Surrey were still 473 runs adrift of Essex’s formidable first-innings total in the 42 overs they faced under lengthening...
Marcus Harris’ century on his Red Rose debut helped Lancashire take charge against Middlesex on day two at Lord’s. The Australian Test opener, batting at four, survived an early scare to share a stand of 120 for the fifth wicket with Luke Wells (38). It was Harris’ 30th first-class ton and he became the sixth...
Bracey and van Buuren started to redress the balance after lunch and were looking set until Dal again shifted the initiative with two wickets in consecutive overs. He squeezed a yorker under Bracey’s bat to break a stand of 69 from 123 balls and then trapped Tom Price bang in front to reduce the visitors...
Earlier left-arm quick Liam Guthrie struck twice in his opening spell in his first match in Northamptonshire colours, cleaning up England Test opener Zak Crawley for one in just the third over of the day. Crawley never looked comfortable against the Australian and fell playing a booming drive to an in-swinger which knocked two stumps...
South African Abbott got the wickets flowing when he pinned Adam Lyth lbw, before New Zealander Hampton found Fin Bean slashing to point with his fifth delivery since becoming a late replacement for the injured Jack Edwards. James Wharton was undone by some nip off the pitch from Brad Wheal to edge to third slip,...
Colin Ackermann posted the first century of the Rothesay County Championship season as Durham recovered to 370-9 on the opening day against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge. Australian pace bowler Fergus O’Neill took 4-74 on his debut for the home side but it was Ackermann – celebrating his 34th birthday – who delivered the outstanding performance...
Jordan Cox made sure his name remained on the England selectors’ radar with the ninth first-class century of his career, and fifth inside a year since joining Essex, as reigning champions Surrey toiled under bright Chelmsford skies. Cox was on the cusp of an England debut in New Zealand last autumn before the 24-year-old suffered...
Rookie Lancashire seamers Tom Aspinwall and Ollie Sutton launched the Red Rose bid for an immediate return to the top flight in positive fashion by bowling out Middlesex for 260 on the opening day of the new County Championship season at Lord’s. Relegated Lancashire began the new campaign without injured England veteran James Anderson and...
Holland’s first ball got rid of Zain Ul Hassan, edging to slip, but Eddie Byrom got the scoreboard moving with his first 36 runs coming in boundaries. The Foxes’ five-man seam attack gained consistent movement and Tom Scriven trapped Sam Northeast lbw for 17, before Ben Green found the edge of Byrom’s bat for 41....
Somerset all-rounder Kasey Aldridge claimed five wickets in a dramatic Worcestershire batting collapse on the opening day of the new season at Taunton. After losing the toss, the Pears slipped from an encouraging 102-1 to 154 all out. Somerset then stumbled to 39-3 before Tom Banton (84 not out) and Tom Abell (52) then shared...