Rain washed out day three of the penultimate round of the county championship across Leeds, London and the Midlands but two matches shaping Division One were completed.
Lancashire jumped to top spot when they beat Somerset by 10 wickets at Taunton before Hampshire supplanted them in beating Nottinghamshire by 122 runs. Having followed on, Somerset began 57 behind with six wickets in hand, hoping to build a lead. But Tom Bailey removed the overnight pair James Hildreth for 26 and Lewis Goldsworthy for 22, before George Balderson and Jack Blatherwick wrapped up Somerset for 314. A chase of 32 was completed without fuss.
Southampton’s wet field delayed play until after lunch, when Hampshire’s three wickets in hand took them from 133 to 178 all out. Keith Barker’s 29 runs were important after his seven wickets on day two. That set Nottinghamshire 250 to win, which looked a chance at 64 for one while Ben Duckett reverse-swept a brisk 33.
After he unwisely picked a fight with the Pakistan seam maestro Mohammad Abbas, Hampshire’s spinners took over, Liam Dawson finishing with five for 45 and Felix Organ three for 22 on a pitch that increasingly offered turn. Notts registered eight scores in single figures on the way to 127 all out.In Division Two, Gloucestershire made 419 in Cardiff, then reduced Glamorgan to 67 for six in the third innings.
The home side need 54 to avoid an innings defeat. No play was possible for Yorkshire hosting Warwickshire, Surrey at home to Essex, Northamptonshire hosting Durham, Middlesex v Worcestershire, Leicestershire v Sussex, or Derbyshire hosting Kent.
And that is that for me today. Only three matches were played, but two of them were important. As best as I can figure across the wildly variable county champo tables on the internet, Lancs briefly went top of Div 1, then Hampshire went top of Div 1, supplanting Notts from the top of Div 1. One more round to go, Yorkshire’s game against Warwickshire to finish tomorrow, and the title race is wide open.
The day’s wrap for the paper is yet to come, but let me say here thanks for your company again, and farewell.
Stumps in Cardiff. Glamorgan 57 for 6 in their second innings, still 54 runs behind the total that Gloucestershire made in their first. The Freaks should finish that one off tomorrow. Should.
Five wickets for Dawson, as Hampshire win in a canter. Dawson 5 for 45, Organ 3 for 22, the spinners run through Nottinghamshire after Mohammad Abbas took two wickets early. Gubbins at silly mid-off takes a low catch off Evison who was just prodding forward.
Fourth wicket for Dawson, and Notts are one wicket from defeat, 118 for 9 and short by a further 132 runs. That was a DRS era decision for leg before wicket. Luke Fletcher pushes a pad out, a good stride forward, and an old-school umpire would have shaken their head. But these days we know that those are probably hitting the stumps. Fletcher made 4.
Another one gone for Glamorgan. Chris Cooke, the skipper, for 6. They’re falling in a heap here, 67 for 6 and still needing 54 to make the other lot bat again.
Lots of turn for The Happy Pianist at Hampshire now, the pitch is getting all panko crumbs. Brett Hutton again tries a reverse sweep, Organ gets huge turn from outside off stump and takes the stumps when the shot misses.
Goodness me, you take your eye off Glamorgan for five minutes and just look what they’ve done to the new carpet. Nick Selman, a duck! Byrom leg before for eight! What’s this? Another duck for Kiran Carlson? This is messy cricket, it’s gone all up the wall as well. You’re 50 for 5, you lot. You’ll lose by an innings without 61 more runs. At least Gloucestershire know how to behave.
The slide is on for Notts. Five down now, Joe Clarke goes for 9, Liam Dawson has 3 for 19, and it’s another slips catch for Weatherley off the spinner. 81 for 5, needing 169 more, and that number now looks remote.
The lack of runs tells in the end. Notts had been sitting there on 80 for overs and overs, meaning Hampshire could just wheel away. Dawson again, the left-arm spinner, bowling a pretty conventional delivery, turning away from Steven Mullaney a tad, taking the edge to slip. 80 for 4.
Stumps have been called at last at Lord’s, with Middlesex now waiting until tomorrow to keep setting a lead for Worcs. Bunch of optimists there, we were calling a washout at around 8am this morning.
Slater goes too. Out for 25, caught at short leg by Gubbins from the bowling of Dawson. Spin was influential late when Notts bowled, now it has made an impact for Hampshire. The game tilting one way, then another. Notts 72 for 3 chasing 250.
Duckett goes at last! He hasn’t had strike, then he’s been bogged down against Abbas for a few balls, and finally the Pakistani paceman gets him. Gets some inward movement, beats the bat and hits pad in front. Classic Abbas dismissal.
Notts 64 for 2, needing 186 more to beat Hampshire.
Notts are steaming along now. Duckett has 33 runs from 40 balls, Slater happy to hang out with his 18. They’re 62 for 1, looking intent on turning this match around.
It’s finally over. Tom Price hit in front of middle by Hogan, out for 71, Warner 10 nt out, Gloucestershire 419 all out. Their lead is 111 and tea is called before Glamorgan have to bat again.
Wicket at the Bowl! Haseeb Hameed falls for 8, pushing forward at Mohammad Abbas, a ball that jags in and takes some inside edge into pad, ballooning away to midwicket where it’s held by Felix Organ sprinting forward. Hameed tries to stand his ground and look nonchalant by putting the bat over his shoulder, but the umpire gives him out.
Movement for Glamorgan. They’ve got Gloucestershire’s ninth wicket, Payne out for 34. But Price is approaching a fifty, that last partnership was worth 69, and the lead is 79.
The ninth-wicket partnership for Gloucestershire is now worth 54. Off 18 overs, so it hasn’t been a thrill a minute. Tom Price on 39, David Payne on 25, Glos ahead by 57.
RRT below the line informs me that they’ve called stumps at Derby, where Kent have been thrashing the locals; and The Oval, where Essex have been thrashing the locals; as well as Leicester, where Sussex and the locals have been undecided about who is thrashing who.
The latter match should be a draw tomorrow, the other two might yet force a result if there’s play.
Checking in at the Oval. Photograph: Alex Davidson/Getty Images for Surrey CCC
Still no play in London, Leeds, or the Midlands, comprising six matches. The match in Taunton has finished, while in Cardiff the team from over the water at Bristol grind on in the second innings, making it look increasingly likely that will be a draw.
Hampshire really is our best bet for entertainment today, which is... I’ll leave the rest of the sentence to you.
They’re all out for 178, as the spinner Patterson-White gets a third wicket with James Fuller caught behind for 21. Mohammad Abbas did his job at No11 by facing out 17 balls without scoring to support Fuller. Should be a tough chase given all we’ve seen in this match.
Goodness me. Some below the line adapts some Elton John lyrics earlier today, and in the space of a few rain breaks, James Walsh has made it flesh. You’re all far too productive. (Yes, I consider that productive.)
“I saw mesnilman’s excellent Tim Bresnan lyrics below the line so I had a word with Elton John’s Pontefract cousin and got this new single released.”
Hampshire are back! We have another match to think about. They resumed against top-placed Notts with Barker on 11 and Wheal on 1. The latter got stumped for 3, not very useful. Barker made 29, more useful. Liam Patterson-White got both wickets. Now they’re 175 for 9, hoping to eke out a few more for their lead of 246.
The exciting* news is that Gloucestershire’s lead is now up to 20 runs over Glamorgan. They’re 328 for 8.
Riddle me this. Why does the ECB website with the county scores keep insisting that they’re 328 for 7? It has Chris Dent, the opener, listed as 75 not out, while two other players are batting. Other websites have him listed as lbw for 75. But he was clean bowled by Andrew Salter. I saw it with my own eyes yesterday. He played a lap sweep and got bowled behind his legs. This is confusing, mandala effect, different timeline stuff.
Lunch happened, but with only two matches being played and then one of them finishing, it didn’t really seem like an event worth publishing. Rain. Apparently it’s useful for some things?
Easy done in the end, after Tom Lammonby gave them a scare with his hundred after following on yesterday. 32 without loss. Balderson took four wickets for the match and is 10 not out opening the batting. Davies, of the Alex variety, flicks the winning brace away to finish with 22 not out.
Lancs will get 16 points for the win, 4 bonus points for batting, 3 for bowling. So as best I can tell, they’ve right at the moment jumped from sixth spot to second in Division 1, on 43 points.
George Balderson is congratulated by Somerset’s Jack Brooks. Photograph: Harry Trump/Getty Images
Gloucestershire take the lead, but Ben Charlesworth is out. He made an important 44 but can’t go on. They’re 311 for 8, leading Glamorgan by 3 runs on the first innings.
Balderson knocks over Brooks! Decks back in off the seam, hits the pad and deflects back onto the stumps. Brooks made 15, only one Somerset player did better than that in the first innings. Second time around, they’re 301 for 9 with Ned Leonard, Human Torpedo, coming out.
Lancashire made them follow on, and now Somerset have ensured that Lancs will at least have to chase... three runs. Can we say “tricky little chase” yet? Lancs should have had a wicket, though, because the lead comes via an outside edge from the No10 Jack Brooks, nicking Balderson between first and second slip for four. Wells and Jones each left it for the other one, and watched it sail between them. Somerset 287 for 8.
Glamorgan snag another wicket as well. Zafar Gohar caught off the bowling of Michael Hogan for 5. Gloucestershire 280 for 7, currently 28 runs behind on the first innings.
Another one! Marchant de Lange hangs back and pokes at Blatherwick, caught at second slip for a duck from his second ball. Somerset 280 for 8, trailing by 4.
Jack Blatherwick celebrates the wicket of Marchant De Lange. Photograph: Harry Trump/Getty Images
Roelof van der Merwe has been playing one way this morning, and he falls the same way. Aims a big drive when Balderson pitches up. There’s a bit of movement for Balderson, he beat Davies earlier in the same over. Does for the Dutchman, thick outside edge at head height to first slip, where Luke Wells gets high and holds on.
Somerset 279 for 7, still behind Lancashire by 4 runs.
The arm wrestle continues at Cardiff. Glamorgan dislodge Ben Wells for 40, caught off the bowling of Timm van der Gugten. So Glos are 272 for 6, behind by 36 runs on the first innings.
Another wicket at Somerset! Goldsworthy is out, lbw Tom Bailey for 21. Roelef van de Merwe has come out and decided to race the deficit, clouting 15 off 12 to cut the gap to 19. They’re 264 for 6.
The curse of the overnight wicket. Graeme van Buuren is out for Gloucestershire, having made 65. Trapped by the new-look David Lloyd. So they’re 250 for 5 with the two Bens, Wells and Charlesworth, building a stand. Behind Glamorgan by 58 runs.
James Hildreth was out quickly this morning, for Somerset. That means they either need 50 more runs from their bottom six or they’ll lose by an innings.
It’s raining in London, a lot. Two matches there that won’t be happening for a while. Apparently it’s raining in Leeds, too, so that’s another one taken care of.
It’s definitely raining at Derby, because I’m watching the live stream of it raining at Derby. (Go into journalism, they said, you can change the world.)
It’s either raining in Leicester, or the two players with unbeaten hundreds overnight have started very cautiously.
And if it’s raining in Derby and Leicester then it’s a safe bet that it’s raining in Northampton.
The covers are off in Southampton and they’re having a look. There’s play in Taunton. And there’s play in Cardiff. Huzzah.
Leicester. Photograph: John Mallett/ProSports/Rex/Shutterstock
Hampshire are 133 for 7 in the third dig, 204 runs ahead after taking a lead on the first innings. Keith Barker, hero of yesterday with seven wickets for Hampshire, could be hero of today with the bat when resuming on 11.
Yorkshire are 50 for 3, Gary Ballance on 21, and he needs to marshal another 173 to win. Warwickshire are favourites given that 33 wickets have gone in two days.
Somerset are 226 for 4 after following on, James Hildreth on 22 by the close. They’re 57 behind Lancashire and still some chance to set a target.
Surrey are 107 for 7 at the close in their first innings. Hashim Amla is still there, on 59. Essex lead by 332 after making 439.
Gloucestershire replied with 224 for 4 after Glamorgan made 308 first up. Graeme van Buuren will start on 65, Ben Wells on 23, scoring at a decent rate.
Northamptonshire are 10 for no loss at the end of play, after making 183 in the first innings. In the intervening innings, Durham made 400 all out. That means 207 more to avoid an innings loss.
Middlesex are 206 runs in front in the third innings, with four wickets in hand. Simpson on 59 and Hollman on 40 will try to build the lead over Worcestershire tomorrow.
Leicestershire are 291 for 2, and poised to go past Sussex’s 359 tomorrow. Hasan Azad to resume on 122, Lewis Hill on 109.
Kent are cruising at 147 for 1, adding to a first-innings lead of 138 after bowling out Derbyshire for 156. Grant Stewart took 5 for 23 in that effort. So the overall lead is 285.
Good morning and other times of day to all. Day three of the penultimate county round, but I’m being told that it’s lashing down rain in many parts of the lovely British Isles, so I’m not sure how much play we’ll get. Here in Melbourne, Australia, it was sunny and pleasant today with a slight chill to the air.
As ever, enjoy yourselves below the line in the comments, or drop me an email if you feel so inclined.
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