Championship - May 31

Following in the wake of yesterday's sensational occurrences at Trent Bridge when 23 wickets fell on the first day of the game between Nottinghamshire and Essex, a little bit of sanity returned to the County Championship.

Division 1

Kent v Lancashire, Canterbury.

Day 1 close Lancashire 347 (Flintoff 155, Chapple 66, Ealham 5-54), Kent 12-0

Resuming from their overnight 12-0, Kent were soon in early trouble, losing wickets at regular intervals throughout the morning session. In the afternoon, the home side had by far the better of things with wicket-keeper Geraint Jones stroking his way to 92, and in the process adding 128 in a sixth wicket partnership with Mark Ealham.

Once Jones had departed, though, the steady procession back to the dressing room started once more, due in the main to the slow left arm spin of Gary Keedy who finished with 5-91. Kent eventually were dismissed for 267, leaving them with a deficit of 80 on first innings.

Lancashire pressed home their advantage late in the day, due largely to an unbroken partnership of 75 between Mal Loye and Stuart Law. At the close, Lancashire were sitting pretty on 94-2, a lead of 174 with eight second innings wickets to fall.

Lancashire 347 (Flintoff 155, Chapple 66, Ealham 5-54) and 94-2 (Loye 52*), Kent 267 (Jones 92, Keedy 5-91)


Nottinghamshire v Essex, Trent Bridge

Day 1 close Essex 203 (Napier 57, Smith 5-42) and 39-3, Nottinghamshire 79 (Brant 6-45, Dakin 4-22)

After yesterday's carnage which saw 23 wickets fall in a day and Nottinghamshire recovering somewhat from a desperate 19-9, today's play was a much more sedate affair. The scene looked set for more of the same following the early departure of Paul Grayson, but when Aftab Habib and James Foster were adding 178 for the sixth wicket for Essex, one could be forgiven for thinking that the game had been moved to another venue.

When Kevin Pietersen finally prised Foster out for 85, an innings which included 14 boundaries ond one six, Stuart MacGill precipitated the return of the familiar clatter of wickets. First of all he removed Habib for a fine 151 and finished up by cleaning up the tail, ending with figures of 118-5.

Chasing the unlikely victory target of 484 but with over two full days to play, Nottinghamshire understandably started their second innings cautiously, ending the day on 58 for the loss of Guy Welton.

Essex 203 (Napier 57, Smith 5-42) and 359 (Habib 151, Foster 85, MacGill 5-118), Nottinghamshire 79 (Brant 6-45, Dakin 4-22) and 58-1


Surrey v Sussex, AMP Oval

Day 1 close Surrey 401-8 (Thorpe 156, Hollioake 77, Brown 74, Kirtley 3-90)

The Surrey tail wagged healthily early in the day with Ian Salisbury and Saqlain Mushtaq taking their ninth wicket partnership on to 75 before the pair were separated. Surrey were eventually dismissed for 480 with Robin Martin-Jenkins the pick of the bowlers, ending with 3-86.

Sussex made a pretty miserable start to their reply as James Ormond made early inroads. The first three Sussex wickets went for just 24, but stiffer resistance came to the rescue in the shape of first Murray Goodwin who made a quickfire 60, and later through Timothy Ambrose (75) and Martin-Jenkins (61). A number of lusty blows from Mushtaq Ahmed and James Kirtley took the score beyond 300, but still over 170 in arrears, while James Ormond finished with the tidy figures of 4-80.

There were just ten overs remaining in the day when Surrey started their second innings, ending the day 193 ahead on 22 without loss.

Surrey 480 (Thorpe 156, Hollioake 77, Brown 74, Martin-Jenkins 3-86) and 22-0, Sussex 307 (Ambrose 75, Martin-Jenkins 61, Goodwin 60, Ormond 4-80)


Division 2

Derbyshire v Worcestershire, Derby

Day 1 close Worcestershire 374 (Hick 155, Singh 50, Ali 4-124), Derbyshire 24-0

A lop-sided Derbyshire first innings scorecard highlighted this season's major defect for the East Midland side. Too often one or two players have made decent scores, only for the remainder to capitulate.

Andy Gait and Michael di Venuto started well enough, both openers registering half-centuries, but from the moment Matthew Mason had di Venuto caught with the total on 83, the entire innings disappeared without trace for the addition of a further 96 runs. Nantie Hayward grabbed four wickets to continue his fine early season form.

Worcestershire invited Derbyshire to have another go, and with Kabir Ali in fine fettle, an innings defeat inside two days looked odds on as the first five batsmen were back inside the pavilion with just 82 on the board, still more than 100 runs in arrears.

It was left to Graeme Welch and captain Dominic Cork to add some late backbone to the Derbyshire side as they took the total on to 185-6, still ten runs in arrears and with most of the mountain left to climb.

Worcestershire 374 (Hick 155, Singh 50, M Ali 4-124), Derbyshire 179 (di Venuto 54, Gait 50, Hayward 4-53, Mason 3-27, Hall 3-28) and 185-6 (Cork 44*, Welck 36*, K Ali 3-60)


Northants v Glamorgan, Northampton

Day 1 close Glamorgan 269 (Dale 37, Brown 4-52, Phillips 3-33), Northamptonshire 70-0

The trend established yesterday of batsmen getting in only to lose their wicket when seemingly set continued with renewed vigour today at Northampton. Hussey and White took their opening partnership on to 97 before the all too familiar pattern resumed.

Michael Kasprowicz and David Harrison were in the ascendancy throughout as once more anything in excess of 40 was a rarity. Robert White and Mark Powell both toughed it out to register the only half centuries to be scored so far in the match.

When Harrison cleaned up the Northamptonshire tail to finish with 4-64, the home side had reduced the first innings deficit to just seven.

Jonathan Hughes was still undefeated on 34 at stumps, but Glamorgan had lost four wickets in registering 71 runs from the final 22 overs on a day which ended exactly as it started - with both sides having everything to play for.

Glamorgan 269 (Dale 37, Brown 4-52, Phillips 3-33) and 71-4 (Hughes 34*, Phillips 2-19), Northamptonshire 262 (White 55, Powell 55, Harrison 4-64, Kasprowicz 3-77)


Yorkshire v Durham, Headingley

Day 1 close Durham 267-7 (Lewis 120*, Pattison 62, Kirby 2-40)

Durham managed to eke out a further 13 runs for the loss of the final three wickets this morning with Lewis, 120 not out overnight adding just four. Chris Silverwood was the man who did the damage, picking up all three wickets to salvage figures of 3-80. Yorkshire then made the worst possible start when they commenced their innings as Dewald Pretorius trapped skipper Matthew Wood in front off the first delivery.

From that moment on, Yorkshire's task was an uphill one with Liam Plunkett rampant, grabbing five wickets in just a dozen overs. After Chris Silverwood departed, the home side were all but done for on 115-8, but Michael Lumb gave a perfect lesson in how to play with the tail. In an innings lasting just three hours, he farmed the strike almost perfectly, adding 105 for the last two wickets, of which Swanepoel contributed 17 and Kirby 0.

When Lumb was last man out, shortly after going to a thoroughly well-deserved century, Yorkshire had reduced the deficit to a manageable 60.

When Durham batted again, Lewis and Gough added 79 for the opening wicket, but a further couple of early-evening wobbles left the visitors on 99-3, a handy 159 ahead.

Durham 280 (Lewis 124, Pattison 62, Silverwood 3-80) and 99-3 (Lewis 43*), Yorkshire 220 (Lumb 105, Plunkett 5-53, Pretorius 3-54)


Posted by Eddie