Specsavers Championship, Tuesday, September 12, 2017
News from the grounds, supporter views and our unrivalled live county scores service
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INDIVIDUAL 50: CT Bancroft 50* (125)
Gloucestershire 95/0 (37 ov) v Kent -
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WICKET: Somerset 105/4 (30.2 ov) v Lancashire
EJ Byrom c †Davies b McLaren 38 (101) Partnership: 15 (3.3 ov)
R McLaren 7.2-1-28-2 TB Abell 7* (13) -
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WICKET: Glamorgan 75/5 (26.4 ov, won the toss) v Northants
KS Carlson lbw b Gleeson 10 (34) Partnership: 0 (0.5 ov)
RJ Gleeson 8.4-4-18-2 CB Cooke 0* (1) -
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WICKET: Glamorgan 75/4 (25.5 ov, won the toss) v Northants
CA Ingram c †Murphy b Kleinveldt 25 (42) Partnership: 39 (10.4 ov)
RK Kleinveldt 7.5-1-30-1 KS Carlson 10* (30) -
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Gloucestershire v Kent
o Kent are unbeaten in five matches against Gloucestershire (W3 D2).
o In fact, Kent have claimed victory in three of their last four matches on the road against Gloucestershire (L1).
o Gloucestershire have not lost at home in six matches (W2 D4).
o Darren Stevens (Kent) has taken five wickets in six innings during this campaign; the most often of any bowler in either division.
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Middlesex v Hampshire - abandonmentThe opening day of the Specsavers County Championship Division One
clash between reigning champions Middlesex and third-placed Hampshire
was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to unfit playing
conditions at Uxbridge Cricket Club.
Heavy rain on Monday evening ran down the slope at the Park Road
sports complex and crept under the covers and sheets leaving umpires
Graham Lloyd and Russell Evans with little option but to call things
off after their second inspection at 11am.
Groundstaff had used heat lamps and a 'Supersopper' from the early
hours in a bid to improve conditions but their efforts proved useless
in the face of sodden conditions and heavy waterlogging.
However, Richard Scott, the Middlesex head coach, remained phlegmatic
despite the loss of the entire opening day. He said: “We’re victims of
being on an outground at this time of year. The groundstaff have tried
their hardest to keep it dry over the past few days but we had
torrential rain here yesterday and the surrounds and parts of the
bowlers’ run-ups have got very wet.
“It’s frustrating, especially when you see other games going on around
the country, but we usually come here and the outfield is white and
we’ve got a rock-hard pitch. We’ll just have to bite the bullet today
then hopefully the rain stays away tonight and we’ll have a good go
tomorrow.” -
ÂDerbyshire 122-2 v Sussex
George Garton took wickets in successive overs after Derbyshire had posted a century stand for their first wicket on day one of their Specsavers Championship match against Sussex at Hove.
The left-armer is believed to be on England’s Ashes radar but this was his first four-day appearance of the season for the county.
He marked it by removing openers Luis Reece and Ben Slater, who had put on 101 after Derbyshire had been asked to bat.
Reece passed 50 for the third successive game before he was leg-before padding up to Garton’s inswinger in the 23rd over, having hit seven fours.
Slater (48) top-edged a pull when Garton dropped short and Jofra Archer took a well-judged catch at third man.
Garton was one of five bowlers employed by Sussex’s all-seam attack but his team-mates struggled to produce consistent line and lengths on what appears to be a good pitch.
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ÂSurrey 126-0 v YorkshireMark Stoneman batted with the assurance of a man who knows he should be Ashes-bound this winter to reach 72 not out from 92 balls as Surrey raced to 126 for no wicket by lunch on day one of their Specsavers County Championship match against Yorkshire at the Kia Oval.Stoneman, back with his county after quietly impressing for England against the West Indies in his maiden Test series, in which he averaged 30 in three matches, included 11 fours in a 58-ball 50. He had struck 14 fours overall by lunch, and was joined by an equally fluent Rory Burns in an opening stand that reached three figures in the 23rd over.Burns went into the interval on 50 not out, completing his half-century from 88 balls in the last over of the morning session, and Yorkshire’s attack had no answer to the two left-handers after Surrey had won a toss and chose to bat on a good-looking pitch and in bright sunshine. Burns had hit eight fours in his unbeaten 50.ÂÂ
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Glamorgan 75-3 v Northants
Glamorgan have bounced back in their Specsavers County Championship match against Northamptonshire, their first at Cardiff since June, as they reached 75-3 at lunch, having been 6-1 in the first two overs after winning the toss.
It looked to be a good toss for Northamptonshire to lose early doors, as it took just 1.5 overs for Richard Gleeson to strike, bowling Jacques Rudolph as he shouldered arms without scoring.
And so it was down to the young pairing of Nick Selman and Jack Murphy to begin the Glamorgan recovery against the opening pace attack of Gleeson and Rory Kleinveldt. Selman had looked to be doing just that with three fours as Glamorgan had got to 35 before losing a second wicket, as the young Australian-born opener edged to skipper Alex Wakely at slip off Muhammad Azharullah for 22.
It wasn’t long before Murphy followed him back to the pavilion, as he was trapped lbw by the same bowler for 12 with the home side soon in trouble again at 36-3.
Colin Ingram, having joined Kiran Carlson, pulled Muhammad Azharullah for four as Glamorgan brought up their fifty, before driving through the covers for another boundary in the same over. The pair, a mixture of youth, had added 39 before a light rain shower brought about an early lunch at 75-3.
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ÂSomerset 103-3 v Lancashire
Eddie Byrom batted through the morning session as Somerset posted 103 for three by lunch on the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship match with Lancashire at Taunton.
The 20-year-old left-handed opener was unbeaten on 38 at the interval, having shared stands of 39 with Marcus Trescothick and 46 with James Hildreth.
Lancashire surprisingly exercised their option to field first on a pitch expected to turn as the match progresses. Trescothick, dropped before he had scored, progressed to 25 before falling lbw to Tom Bailey.
George Bartlett had made only three when leg-before moving across his stumps to Kyle Jarvis and Hildreth was bowled off an inside edge by Ryan McLaren, having progressed effortlessly to 25.
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ÂGloucestershire 81-0 v KentCameron Bancroft and Chris Dent summoned defiance aplenty as Gloucestershire made the perfect start after being put in to bat by Kent on the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship match at Bristol.Both rode their luck at times, but were still together as the home side reached lunch on 81 without loss from 33 overs.Looking to sign off in style on his final appearance before returning to Australia, Bancroft advanced to 42 not out, while left-hander Dent was unbeaten on 34.Kent opted to bowl on a green-tinged pitch and veteran campaigner Darren Stevens was unfortunate not to make the breakthrough when rapping Bancroft on the pads in the fourth over of the day. The Western Australia batsman, on three at the time, was fortunate to be given the benefit of the doubt.Batting became easier thereafter, Bancroft making good his escape to muster five fours and close in on what would be only his fourth half century of the season.
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ÂLeicestershire 88-3 v WorcestershirePromotion-chasing Worcestershire needed just 14 overs to claim their first bowling point after bottom placed Leicestershire elected to bat in the Specsavers County Championship clash at New Road.Josh Tongue, skipper Joe Leach and Ed Barnard all enjoyed a success with the ball on a new pitch as Leicestershire were reduced to 25-3.But then Leicestershire skipper Mark Cosgrove and Aadil Ali led a fightback for the visitors with an unbroken stand of 63.Worcestershire began the match 36 points ahead of joint third placed sides Northamptonshire and Sussex who both have a game in hand.Tongue made the first breakthrough as on loan Hampshire opener Michael Carberry (5) nicked through to keeper Ben Cox.Ned Eckersley  (12), opening for the first time this season in Championship cricket in place of Harry Dearden, became Leach's 59th victim of the season with Daryl Mitchell holding onto the chance at second slip.Barnard broke through in his first over as Colin Ackerman (4) had his stumps flattened.Leach bowled a marathon opening spell of 10-3-20-1 before being replaced by Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.But Cosgrove - needing 43 more runs to complete 1,000 in the Championship this summer - and Ali began to flourish and brought up the half century stand in 12 overs.Â
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Warwickshire 75-3 v Essex
Title-chasing Essex made immediate inroads into Warwickshire's batting after taking up the option to bowl on the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship tussle at Edgbaston.
Bottom-of-the-table Warwickshire went into lunch on 75 for three with Jamie Porter having taken two wickets to lift his championship haul this season to 59.
In a superb opening spell of 7-3-15-2, Porter produced fast in-duckers which trapped Sam Hain and Jonathan Trott lbw to leave the home side tottering on 12 for two. He also had Dominic Sibley dropped on two, by Simon Harmer at second slip.
Sibley and Ian Bell then added 46 and Bell, averaging just 22.89 in the championship this season, was starting to bat with much of his old fluency before on 37 (52 balls, three fours) he fell lbw to Neil Wagner.
But Sibley saw it through to lunch unbeaten on a dogged 17 (80 balls).
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LUNCH: Somerset 103/3 (30 ov) v Lancashire
TB Abell 7* (13) EJ Byrom 38* (98) -
LUNCH: Warwickshire 75/3 (30 ov) v Essex
DP Sibley 17* (80) MJ Lamb 10* (38) -
LUNCH: Leicestershire 88/3 (30 ov, won the toss) v Worcs
AM Ali 30* (54) MJ Cosgrove 27* (47) -
TEAM 100: Somerset 103/3 (29.4 ov) v Lancashire
TB Abell 7* (11) EJ Byrom 38* (98) -
LUNCH: Gloucestershire 81/0 (33 ov) v Kent
CT Bancroft 42* (107) CDJ Dent 34* (92) -
LUNCH: Derbyshire 127/2 (31 ov, lost the toss) v Sussex
WL Madsen 14* (20) BA Godleman 4* (21) -
LUNCH: Surrey 126/0 (30 ov, won the toss) v Yorkshire
RJ Burns 50* (88) MD Stoneman 72* (93) -
Glamorgan v Northamptonshire
o The last three matches played out between these sides have all been won by Northamptonshire.
o Glamorgan have not lost in Cardiff to Northants since 2006 (W2 D3).
o Northamptonshire have only lost once in their last seven matches (W4 D2).
o Ben Duckett (Northamptonshire) recorded 193 during his last appearance (v Sussex), doing it in his 100th first-class innings.
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INDIVIDUAL 50: RJ Burns 50* (88)
Surrey 124/0 (29.1 ov, won the toss) v Yorkshire -
I'm gonna argue that Abell's change in fortunes is more down to his changed trigger movement than his move to 5. I'm sure both have helped, but he seems to be timing the ball so much better now that he taps his foot in front of middle as the bowler passes the stumps *touches wood, no jinx*
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WICKET: Somerset 90/3 (26.5 ov) v Lancashire
JC Hildreth b McLaren 25 (35) Partnership: 46 (11.5 ov)
R McLaren 5.5-1-21-1 EJ Byrom 34* (91) -
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LUNCH: Glamorgan 75/3 (25.3 ov, won the toss) v Northants
KS Carlson 10* (30) CA Ingram 25* (40)
