Specsavers Championship, Tuesday, June 20, 2017

News from the grounds, supporter views and our unrivalled live county scores service

- Today's Headlines
Joe Clarke finally found form

Champions Middlesex look on course for a huge first-innings lead against Yorkshire – and their first win of the season
Yorkshire lost the title to Middlesex last September and life looks just as bleak for them this time after a first-innings collapse
Samit Patel, whose century in the Royal London Cup semi-final helped take Nottinghamshire to Lord’s, is in one of the most golden sequences of his career
Patel completes back-to-back double centuries in the Championship by making 247 against Leicestershire, who are then bundled out for 134
Division One leaders Essex celebrate a batting revival for two staunch servants against bottom club Warwickshire
Ravi Bopara bats for eight hours for 198 and recalled ‘keeper James Foster hits 121 as Warwickshire feel their age in conceding 541 for 9
Kyle Abbott records a career-best with the bat against Lancashire at Old Trafford – only to be lkeft stranded on 97 not out when Hampshire are dismissed
England Lions’ Joe Clarke rectifies a miserable season with 142 at Worcester
Clarke’s innings gives Worcestershire the edge in a vital promotion affair

by David Hopps 6/20/2017 3:10:32 PM

3rd & 7 37yd

Clarke century soothes Worcestershire in anxious times
Joe Clarke's century was yet more vindication of Worcestershire's excellent youth policy. But is their season in danger of unravelling?

by David Hopps 6/20/2017 9:09:24 PM
Davies' risk brings handsome reward for Lancashire
Very many other cricketers have possessed a similar cast of mind, of course, but few achieve their goal with quite the gleeful devil evinced by Alex Davies

by David Hopps 6/20/2017 8:01:35 PM
Foster's emotional ton adds to Essex feelgood factor
Give or take the little matter of a last over defeat in the Royal London Cup semi-final, these are good times for Essex

by David Hopps 6/20/2017 7:21:34 PM
Patel and Pattinson put Leicestershire to the sword
Samit Patel produced his second double-century in consecutive matches before James Pattinson ripped through Leicestershire's batting with an explosive burst of genuinely fast bowling

by David Hopps 6/20/2017 6:33:37 PM
or 2 overs to get last wicket tonight

by Lawrence Payne 6/20/2017 5:40:47 PM
STUMPS: Durham 281/4 (74 ov, trail by 14 - 1st inns) v Glamorgan
RD Pringle 5* (19) PD Collingwood 71* (134)

by ESPNcricinfo Live 6/20/2017 5:39:20 PM
Just 119 runs to save the follow on

by nickcricket 6/20/2017 5:38:36 PM
Ballance knows #ProtectYourAverageAtAllTimes

by nickcricket 6/20/2017 5:38:05 PM
WICKET: Yorkshire 178/9 (55.4 ov, trail by 268 - 1st inns) v Middlesex
BO Coad c †Simpson b Finn 14 (31) Partnership: 32 (10.1 ov)
ST Finn 10.4-4-36-2 GS Ballance 48* (100)

by ESPNcricinfo Live 6/20/2017 5:36:14 PM
STUMPS: Warwickshire 60/2 (26 ov, trail by 481 - 1st inns) v Essex
IR Bell 8* (25) IJL Trott 15* (42)

by ESPNcricinfo Live 6/20/2017 5:35:50 PM
STUMPS: Leicestershire 134 all out (49.5 ov, trail by 414 - 1st inns) v Notts
CJ McKay 18* (49)

by ESPNcricinfo Live 6/20/2017 5:33:31 PM
Ah spit.

by StaggerBreaths 6/20/2017 5:24:02 PM
WICKET: Durham 272/4 (70.3 ov, trail by 23 - 1st inns) v Glamorgan
G Clark c †Cullen b de Lange 109 (135) Partnership: 185 (41.4 ov)
M de Lange 17.3-2-60-3 PD Collingwood 69* (131)

by ESPNcricinfo Live 6/20/2017 5:23:37 PM
I don't comment here often StaggerBreaths, but when I do, I jinx quite marvellously

by Freddie Lynch 6/20/2017 5:23:33 PM
Aw Freddie! Anyway Haystack wins.

by StaggerBreaths 6/20/2017 5:22:22 PM
WICKET: Leicestershire 134 all out (49.5 ov, trail by 414 - 1st inns) v Notts
BA Raine c Taylor b Mullaney 1 (23) Partnership: 21 (10.5 ov)
SJ Mullaney 8.5-5-16-2 CJ McKay 18* (49)

by ESPNcricinfo Live 6/20/2017 5:21:39 PM
Leicestershire 20% of the way there to the last wicket 100 stand...

by Freddie Lynch 6/20/2017 5:20:20 PM
He's been doing alright this season, young Clark. Presume he'll be off to Surrey in 2018.

by StaggerBreaths 6/20/2017 5:14:28 PM
INDIVIDUAL 100: G Clark 100* (129)
Durham 258/3 (68.1 ov, trail by 37 - 1st inns) v Glamorgan

by ESPNcricinfo Live 6/20/2017 5:13:21 PM
With lots of steamy sex scenes in the middle.

by StaggerBreaths 6/20/2017 5:11:14 PM
TEAM 100: Kent 100/3 (23.3 ov, lead by 24 - 2nd inns) v Worcs
JJ Weatherley 7* (36) JL Denly 64* (69)

by ESPNcricinfo Live 6/20/2017 5:10:32 PM
Have to be a road movie

by Lawrence Payne 6/20/2017 5:07:35 PM
Someone emotionless and dour. Keanu Reeves?

by StaggerBreaths 6/20/2017 5:07:03 PM
Who would play Mick though?

by Lawrence Payne 6/20/2017 5:03:55 PM
WICKET: Warwickshire 39/2 (17.2 ov, trail by 502 - 1st inns) v Essex
IJ Westwood c Cook b Harmer 22 (51) Partnership: 3 (4.2 ov)
SR Harmer 4.2-2-5-1 IJL Trott 2* (15)

by ESPNcricinfo Live 6/20/2017 5:02:16 PM
INDIVIDUAL 50: JL Denly 50* (47)
Kent 81/3 (17.1 ov, lead by 5 - 2nd inns) v Worcs

by ESPNcricinfo Live 6/20/2017 4:48:17 PM
@Staggers all sweeping generalizations are prone to error - momentum is everything until it isn't - Pakistan was a Black Swan event

by Antony_Melvin 6/20/2017 4:48:15 PM
82 for 1 now 7 down 140

by Lawrence Payne 6/20/2017 4:47:36 PM
oh, warwickshire. That's what a day and a half in the field does to your decision making

by GeorgePotter19 6/20/2017 4:47:28 PM
James Vince showing his allround credentials. Also, Yorkshire are shocking.

by Matt Warwick 6/20/2017 4:46:09 PM
Yeah Australia issue is interesting, would they really miss out on ashes test match?

by Lawrence Payne 6/20/2017 4:45:56 PM
WICKET: Yorkshire 140/7 (43.4 ov, trail by 306 - 1st inns) v Middlesex
SA Patterson b Higgins 1 (7) Partnership: 5 (3.0 ov)
RF Higgins 8.4-2-22-2 GS Ballance 32* (62)

by ESPNcricinfo Live 6/20/2017 4:45:41 PM
WICKET: Warwickshire 36/1 (13 ov, trail by 505 - 1st inns) v Essex
ARI Umeed run out 7 (38) Partnership: 36 (13.0 ov)
IJ Westwood 21* (40)

by ESPNcricinfo Live 6/20/2017 4:45:20 PM
WICKET: Lancashire 223/5 (59.5 ov, trail by 172 - 1st inns) v Hampshire
AL Davies c Carberry b Vince 115 (188) Partnership: 80 (19.0 ov)
JM Vince 0.5-0-6-1 DJ Vilas 48* (53)

by ESPNcricinfo Live 6/20/2017 4:44:46 PM
T20 journeyman, a la T Mills, KP Pietersen and soon to be the former Australian team

by Courtney Nangle 6/20/2017 4:44:30 PM
Ummmm good luck Courtney, unlikely methinks

by Lawrence Payne 6/20/2017 4:43:18 PM
Murtagh ... luck of the Irish, eh? I wasn't here yesterday (was at Lord's in fact) - did anyone come up with 'Stirling for England?'

by David Taylor 6/20/2017 4:39:06 PM
WICKET: Leicestershire 113/9 (39 ov, trail by 435 - 1st inns) v Notts
GT Griffiths b Pattinson 8 (4) Partnership: 9 (1.0 ov)
JL Pattinson 11-3-32-5 CJ McKay 5* (7)

by ESPNcricinfo Live 6/20/2017 4:38:36 PM