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CC2: Plain sailing for Hampshire

Sunday, June 13 2004

Essex v Hampshire, Chelmsford
Plain sailing for Hampshire

The first innings lead ground out by the visitors proved decisive when battle recommenced on the third day with Essex trying their utmost to play 'catch up' on a sporting track. Hampshire's overnight 81-5 represented a lead of 276, and much to their credit, they didn't let the target grow too much more.

Darren Gough bagged another two wickets to add to the five he picked up in the first innings and Danish Kaneria confirmed his own potency with a five wicket haul to finish with match figures of 9-176 as Hampshire were shot out for 154 leaving Essex the unlikely task of making 350 for victory.

William Jefferson and Alastair Cook attacked the new ball with gusto, relishing in particular the offerings of first innings bowling hero Chris Tremlett, but fellow opening bowler Billy Taylor was an altogether different proposition.

Jefferson and Cook added 48 in a little over half an hour before Taylor struck for the first time, trapping Jefferson leg before wicket, and when Shaun Udal nipped out the ever-dangerous Andy Flower for a duck moments later, Essex had an uphill battle on their hands.

Wickets fell at regular intervals throughout the afternoon with only James Foster (39) and Graham Napier (51*) making more than token contributions as Taylor and Udal chipped away. Shane Warne was content to take a back seat, using himself sparingly.

Essex were finally put out of their misery for 235 when Danish Kaneria was caught by John Crawley off the bowling of Shaun Udal, giving Hampshire victory by a margin which was much more comfortable than 114 runs sounds.

Hampshire 353
Crawley 97, Clarke 69, Pothas 57, Gough 5-57, Danish Kaneria 4-108
and 154
Danish Kaneria 5-68
Essex 158
Tremlett 4-29
and 235
Napier 51*, Taylor 5-73, Udal 4-55

Hampshire beat Essex by 114 runs
Hampshire 21 points, Essex 3 points

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Glamorgan v Leicestershire, Cardiff
Croft original creams Leicestershire

Leicestershire, already 78 adrift on first innings, realised that their chances of winning this game relied heavily on separating overnight batsmen Robert Croft and Jonathan Hughes as quickly as possible before they had added too many to their unbeaten 29's.

Plan 'B' would have been to restrict the scoring to manageable proportions.

Turning to plan 'C', Leicestershire skipper Phil DeFreitas came back to Springbok Claude Henderson - again and again and again.

Croft and Hughes continued to acquire runs in an unhurried, unfussy way as the partnership grew. In the four hours the pair shared occupation of the short grass, Croft nursed Hughes along to a maiden first class hundred, an innings of selective hitting which contained 15 boundaries and 3 sixes and coming off 176 balls.

Croft's affair was on the face of it more sedate, taking the best part of an hour longer to compile and with far fewer boundaries (10 and 1 respectively) yet the Glamorgan captain faced just a single delivery more in progressing to three figures.

The pair had added a massive 218 for the sixth wicket before Henderson struck, Hughes edging to Nixon for 110.

Croft was joined in the middle by Alex Wharf and the pair added a further 95 in quick time before Croft finally departed for 138, Henderson's third victim of the innings, just five runs shy of a lifetime best of his own.

When Croft finally declared the Glamorgan innings closed on 468-9, Leicestershire were left with the unlikely prospect of scoring 547 to win, or the slightly less unlikely prospect of batting for almost four sessions to save the game.

Maunders and Robinson dropped anchor at the start of the Leicestershire second innings, standing firm in the face of the seam attack of Michael Kasprowicz and David Harrison before Kasprowicz struck, trapping Robinson in front for 18.

Brad Hodge fired four boundaries but at the other end the stoic John Maunders was impassive, resolute, sticking it out in dour manner until Croft turned to his own twirlies and winkled him out for 8 just before the close. With Maunders went Leicestershire's best chance of saving the game.

Glamorgan 333
Maynard 114, Gibson 5-80
and 468-9 dec
Croft 138, Hughes 110, Wharf 51, Henderson 4-146
Leicestershire 255
Maddy 145, Cosker 3-40, Harrison 3-49, Croft 3-70
and 51-2
Hodge 23*

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Somerset v Nottinghamshire, Bath
Nottinghamshire aiming for the top

Nottinghamshire established themselves as the team most likely to win this contest and thus continue their tenure as leaders of the second division of the Frizzell County Championship with a fine all-round performance at The Recreation Ground yesterday.

Somerset needed to strike quickly before the visitors got going and this they did, removing overnight centurion Darren Bicknell for a superb 150, clean bowled by Nixon McLean.

The sixth wicket went down on 304, still 95 in arrears as David Hussey was caught by James Hildreth off the bowling of Simon Francis for 21 - and not for the first time this year, Chris Read saved the day with the bat.

Read and Mark Ealham shared a stand of 55 for the seventh wicket before Ealham became McLean's third victim of the innings, then a whirlwind stand of 68 with seven-wicket hero Paul Franks took Notts in front. When Read departed, he had cut and slogged his way to 66 at a run-a-ball, an innings containing 11 fours and a six.

Franks continued to prosper in style and when he fell, last man out for 54, Nottinghamshire had battled and blasted their way to 460, a lead of 61.

When Somerset wiped off the first innings deficit for the loss of just Neil Edwards and then progressed to 145-2, Somerset fans could have been forgiven for thinking that the cricketing gods had turned a spoonful of sugar into this sourest of seasons. If so, they reckoned without Greg Smith and Ryan Sidebottom.

Left arm seamers aren't all that common in the English game, but the sinister breed are a little like buses - none for a while then two come along at once. So it is with Nottinghamshire, and so it was with Somerset who were on the receiving end of this blackest of arts as Sidebottom and Smith ripped the heart out of the side, reducing them to 220 all out.

Nottinghamshire had an awkward eight overs to get through before the close which Bicknell and Gallian survived unscathed, and when they resume this morning will require the apparent formality of a further 137 to win. It should be easy. Somerset only have Blackwell from the dark side - and he bowls spin.

Somerset 399
Edwards 87, Blackwell 78, Hildreth 60, Franks 7-72
and 220
Cox 63, Smith 5-49
Nottinghamshire 460
Bicknell 150, Read 66, Singh 55, Francis 4-106, McLean 3-78
and 23-0
Bicknell 15*, Gallian 5*


Posted by Eddie