Ali Martin's report from Birmingham
Friday's round-up
The shadow of the Ashes was evident on day one of the new Championship season, with every innings and wicket closely monitored by Brendon McCullum.
England Lion Emilio Gay claimed the first century of the season for Durham with a polished innings, showing aggression on loose deliveries despite challenging conditions at Chester-le-Street. He was eventually dismissed by Kent’s Zak Crawley, who took his fourth catch of the day, finishing with 128 runs from 140 balls.
Crawley’s own batting did not fare well, similar to Jamie Smith’s and Ollie Pope’s performances at Edgbaston, as he scored two boundaries before being dismissed lbw by Matthew Potts for nine.
At Grace Road, Tom Clark crafted an elegant 101 as Sussex dominated promoted Leicestershire in the morning session, reaching 155 for two by lunch. England Lion Tom Haines scored a brisk half-century, while James Coles, known for his Hundred exploits, contributed a neat 28. An England and Wales Cricket Board bowling scout observed from the sidelines as Ollie Robinson took the wicket of Rishi Patel during the limited overs before stumps.
At Taunton, Somerset executed their customary recovery from 14 for two against the champions. Tom Abell produced a flawless 108, and he combined with young James Rew, who scored 64, to add 140 runs for the fourth wicket against Nottinghamshire. One of Rew’s drives elegantly passed through covers. Craig Overton added 32 runs.
Rain curtailed much of the play at Sophia Gardens, where Glamorgan, newly promoted to Division One for the first time since 2005, faced difficulties. They lost four wickets in six overs against Yorkshire, including the well-regarded Asa Tribe, who offered Jonny Bairstow a comfortable catch. Ben Kellaway and Colin Ingram steadied the innings to 99 for four at stumps.
History was made at Southampton when Noah Thain became the first full substitute in history under the ECB’s new experimental rule. He replaced Essex captain Tom Westley, who suffered a fractured finger from a fast delivery by Hampshire’s Sonny Baker. At 67 for three and with Westley retired hurt, Matt Critchley (97 not out) and Charlie Allison (60 not out) rebuilt the innings steadily. A minute’s silence was observed at the start of the match in memory of Hampshire and England legend Robin Smith, who passed away during the winter.
Another minute’s silence was held at Lord’s to honor long-serving groundsman Mick Hunt. On a slow day, Leus du Plooy’s 98 not out helped Middlesex reach 279 for five against Gloucestershire.
Worcestershire’s bowlers endured a challenging day at Derbyshire, where Martin Andersson scored a rapid unbeaten 134. Worcestershire are without South African signing Beyers Swanepoel, who left for the airport with seven overs remaining in a domestic one-day final, only to discover that a frustrated South African board had withheld his no-objection certificate.
“Beyers would probably say he’s made a bit of an error in hindsight,”said Worcestershire chief executive Ashley Giles.
Lancashire were the only team to win the toss and bat, and they were satisfied with their performance against Northamptonshire, aided by 90 from Josh Bohannon, 87 from Luke Wells, and 71 from Michael Jones.
Scores on the doors
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 99-4 v Yorkshire
Taunton: Somerset 292-6 v Nottinghamshire
Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Surrey 328
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
Good morning! In Leicester, sparrows are chirping as the city awakens on Easter Saturday.
At Grace Road, Sussex, buoyed by their day one success, will aim to extend their advantage. There is some anticipation regarding the impact Ollie Robinson might have on Leicestershire’s batting lineup. The action begins at 11am – join us for updates from across the grounds.
