It's the final round of CB40 matches in the group stages. Nine games scheduled to be played, and several teams making their last bid to reach the semi-finals. Amazingly on such a wet day there was play in every match, however only .. reached conclusions.
CB40 cricket
Kent Sussex
Kent won the toss and decided to bat
Ken - 210-5
Sus - 211-1
This was a potentially thrilling match with both sides still able to make the semi-finals. Kent though struggled to put on a big score and had Jones to thank for boosting their score at the end. Earlier Key made 50 but it was Jones' 37 from 18 balls with two 6s that lifted them past 200.
Nash made 20 but was clean bowled with the score on 59. Wright and Prior however showed no signs of being removed, despite the number of attacking shots played. Both raced to half centuries as Kent's 6 bowlers all failed to make an impact. Prior launched the ball over the rope three times in his 78 from 69 balls.
Wright though outshone everyone as he went to a superb century, finishing on 101 from 90 balls, taking Sussex to an easy victory with exactly 10 overs to spare.
Star Player: Wright, for a flawless hundred that took Sussex to the Semi-finals
Yorkshire v Warwickshire
Yorkshire won the toss and decided to field
War - 211-6 (29 overs)
Yor - 158
In a reduced overs game Warwickshire made a steady start through Porterfield (43) but found themselves on 83-3 when he was caught. Ambrose though took up the reigns and batted through to the end of the innings, finishing on 87 not out from 64 balls. 44 in 27 balls from Maddy took the visitors past 200.
Two quick wickets immediately hampered Yorkshire's response. Ballance made an exciting 68 from 50 balls with five 6s but found little support as Carter took 4 for 16. Warwickshire rounded off a good competition with a win and by virtue of Kent's loss finished ahead on more wins to go through to the semi finals.
Star Player: Carter, his four wickets, including removing the top three batsmen prevent Yorkshire from making any kind of reply
Middlesex v Essex
Essex won the toss and decided to field
Mid - 288
Ess - 198-7
Denly was caught off the third ball of the match for 0 but Middlesex made a positive start none-the-less. At 90-3 Berg joined Malan who was already closing in on a half century. Malan went on to hit three 6s, while Berg tried to keep up. After they'd put on 132 together Berg was caught for 61, but Malan survived until the score was 272 when he was also caught for a brilliant 134 from 108 balls, including three 6s.
Regular wickets fell leaving Essex on 51-3 before 68 from Westley and 53 from Shah took the visitors to 153 and gave them some hope. Another flurry of wickets though sent the required rate soaring again. Three wickets for Sandhu crippled Essex's reply and Middlesex completed a comfortable win.
Star Player: Malan for his excellent 134
Derbyshire v Northamptonshire - No result
Derbyshire won the toss and decided to field
Nor - 232-8
Coetzer made 68 with eleven 4s and a 6, while Sales made 58 as Northamptonshire made a par 232. Burgoyne took 3 for 31 to set up an exciting match. The rain arrived during the interval and no more play was possible.
Durham v Hampshire - No result
Durham won the toss and decided to field
Ham - 52-1
Carberry was caught off the third ball of the match but only 6 overs were possible. Vince made 37 from 22 balls, but rain ended the match almost before it began.
Leicestershire v Gloucestershire - No result
Gloucestershire won the toss and decided to field
Lei - 264
Glo - 19-1
Leicestershire made a strong start with Cobb making 42 in just 26 balls, while Thornely hit a 6 in his 33. Jones added 44 before Thakor (52) and Boyce (51) both made half centuries. A fight back from Gloucestershire saw them bowl the home side out with two overs to spare. Norwell was the major cause of this as he finished with fine figures of 6 for 52.
A full match was always going to be unlikely but there was time for Taylor to clean bowl Marshall for 5 before rain cut short play.
Nottinghamshire v Glamorgan - No result
Glamorgan won the toss and decided to field
Not - 264-6
Gla - 20-0
A fantastic hundred partnership for the first wicket gave Nottinghamshire a great platform. Edwards went to a run-a-ball fifty before launching a huge straight 6. Next ball he tried to repeat the shot but picked out the man at long on. Taylor joined Hales and they put on 80 for the second wicket before Hales was clean bowled for an excellent 94.
Salter, playing in only his second game then bowled Voges first ball but couldn't complete the hat-trick. White managed to hit the fifth 6 of the innings to take the hosts to a formidable 264.
With the rain already falling Glamorgan batted carefully staying around the Duckworth-Lewis par score but with 5.3 overs bowled the umpires took the players off and no more play was possible.
Somerset v Surrey - No result
Somerset won the toss and decided to field
Sur - 29-1
A mere 4.3 overs of play were possible at Taunton but there was just time for Trego to have Davies caught for 4, while Pietersen finished 11 not out as the rain arrived.
Worcestershire v Lancashire - No result
Worcestershire won the toss and decided to field
Lan - 324-4
Lancashire showed again why they have been the best team in the group stages of the CB40 as they complied an enormous 324 in the 37 overs possible. Smith and Moore put on 150 for the first wicket as they both went to centuries. Moore (113) took 105 balls and hit two 6s, but it was Smith who lit up the ground with his unbelievable stroke play. He was eventually for 106, but had taken a mere 46 balls. In that time he hit eight 4s and ten 6s! Croft also hit four 6s in his 67.
Sadly rain meant no result was possible.
Final CB40 Tables
Group A
|
Team |
Played |
Points |
| 1 |
Lancashire |
12 |
19 |
| 2 |
Middlesex |
12 |
15 |
| 3 |
Gloucestershire |
12 |
12 |
| 4 |
Netherlands |
12 |
11 |
| 5 |
Essex |
12 |
10 |
| 6 |
Leicestershire |
12 |
9 |
| 7 |
Worcestershire |
12 |
8 |
Group B
|
Team |
Played |
Points |
| 1 |
Hampshire |
12 |
16 |
| 2 |
Surrey |
12 |
15 |
| 3 |
Somerset |
12 |
14 |
| 4 |
Nottinghamshire |
12 |
13 |
| 5 |
Durham |
12 |
12 |
| 6 |
Glamorgan |
12 |
9 |
| 7 |
Scotland |
12 |
5 |
Group C
|
Team |
Played |
Points |
| 1 |
Sussex |
12 |
18 |
| 2 |
Warwickshire |
12 |
17 |
| 3 |
Kent |
12 |
17 |
| 4 |
Derbyshire |
12 |
11 |
| 5 |
Yorkshire |
12 |
9 |
| 6 |
Northamptonshire |
12 |
7 |
| 7 |
Unicorns |
12 |
5 |
Semi-finalists:
Lancashire v Warwickshire
Sussex v Hampshire
Semi-finals will be played on Saturday 1st September.
Here it is then, the Final of the 2012 Twenty20 competition! Yorkshire are playing in their first ever while Hampshire are back again, after missing out in the semi-finals of last year.
The toss was won by Hampshire but they surprised everyone by choosing to bat first, which goes against their winning formula. The reason given by Mascarenhas was that he didn't feel confident in batting last on this aging wicket, plus he backed his bowlers to defend any total over 140-150.
So Carberry and Adams came out to bat for the second time today, while Root was given the first over. It went for a healthy 9 and Hampshire continued their good start over the second and third overs. Sidebottom struck back though in his second over, the fourth of the innings by clean bowling Carberry for 8, to leave Hampshire on 23-1.
Adams and Vince played out the powerplay overs without excitement and then continued to build their partnership. Yorkshire mixed up their bowlers but no more wickets came before the break. Hampshire only had 62 on the board, but on what seemed to be a tough batting wicket they won't have been too worried.
From the third ball of thee 11th over Adams (43) launched a 6, seemingly out of nowhere, but then wasted it by going arial again the following ball and getting caught by Ballance. McKenzie made just 4 before he went lbw and Hampshire were struggling slightly.
Vince and Ervine combined well to add 37, taking Hampshire to 113, but just as they looked to attack Vince was bowled for 36. Katich joined Ervine and did managed to up the rate. Ervine launched a 6 but Sidebottom came back to have him caught by Root for 21.
Katich went on 25 from 16 balls but was run out off the final ball as Hampshire had to settle for 150. An exciting game had been set up and it was up to Yorkshire to chase down the total.
Gale made a positive start and topped his score from the first match (11) with three boundaries. He couldn't keep it up however as he was bowled by Mascarenhas for 15. Ten runs were added, seven of which went to Root before he too was bowled by Mascarenhas, who was continuing to have an excellent day with the ball.
Jaques struggled onto 11 but was also bowled, this time by Dawson and Hampshire were fighting back. The situation then got worse for Yorkshire when Bairstow, the hero of their semi-final, was caught for 3 to leave Yorkshire on 47-4. The half way mark came and went with the northerners still needing more than 100 to win.
Another slow over lifted the required rate even further but Miller then decided enough was enough and took on Ervine's second over. He hit three sixes, the last of which cleared the staduim and ended in the river. The score then reached 75 after 13 overs, leaving 76 to get off the final 7.
Miller then launched another ball into the river to try and keep the run rate in control, but equation was still a difficult 65 runs from 36 balls. Ballance was struggling to match Miller's big hitting and having made just 7 from 15 balls he decided to swing, but only succeeded in being caught by Briggs.
Bresnan got of the mark with a streaky 4 and only 58 was required from the final 5 overs. A four for Miller took the total to 100 before another huge 6 into the Yorkshire supporters got them on their feet with 45 now needed from 4 overs.
Briggs then bowled tight over but couldn't prevent another boundary from the final ball. Bresnan crashed a four and then an overthrow boosted Yorkshire further. The pressure was well and truly on Hampshire. Miller was almost caught behind but the ball evaded Bates and went for four and he then followed it up with another boundary to take 15 from the over, leaving just 21 required from 2 overs.
Briggs was given the penultimate over and he kept it tight. The batsmen ran hard for two from the final ball and the bails were taken off, but Miller was home. 14 were still requied from the final over and the game was in the ballance.
Wood had to bowl the final over and first ball Bresnan skied the ball but could only find Ervine. He made 18 from 14 balls, and it was up to Miller to win the match. Miller though, could only get a single from the second ball and Pyrah was now on strike. He also hit a single and that left 12 required from 3 deliveries.
Miller swung but again only got a single, and next ball Pyrah was clean bowled to effectively end the game. Rafiq swung and was caught off the final ball and the fireworks were set off a Hampshire celebrated their second Twenty20 win.
Hampshire - 150-6 (Adams 43, Sidebottom 2 for 20)
Yorkshire - 140-8 (Miller 72*, Wood 3 for 26)
Star Player: Miller, for his thrilling 72 not out that actually kept the match in the ballance and tight to the end.
Hampshire are the 2012 Twenty20 Champions!
So Hampshire and Somerset, two teams with good records in the past few years face off in the second semi-final to face Yorkshire this evening.
Hampshire won the toss and decided to field
Hampshire like to bowl first and use their line up of slow bowlers to wear down the opposition. It only took two overs for them to get a wicket too as Levi was caught for 1. Trescothick then bashed a 4 and a 6 in an innings of 12 from 9 balls but he was clean bowled by Mascarenhas to leave the score on 22-2.
Briggs came on as first change and picked up the third wicket of Hildreth for 1 and Somerset needed to rebuild. Kieswetter was still there and he was joined by the equally as explosive Buttler. The latter knocked a 4 and a 6 but couldn't stay in as he was bowled by Ervine. The same bowler quickly removed Trego (1) with Somerset reeling on 58-5.
Overs were starting to run out and although Kieswetter (63*) went to a good half century the innings needed something special to lift them to a par score. Gregory was run out for 9, leaving Suppiah to bat through to the close. He failed to find the boundary however and Somerset finished on a poor 125-6.
Carberry made the better start clipping a couple of boundaries, while Adams scraped to 8 from 11 balls. He was caught brilliantly by Buttler off the bowling of Kirby, but 33 were already on the board. Vince added 7 with a single boundary before being clean bowled by Waller who was spinning the ball and causing a few problems for the batsmen.
Somerset needed to keep taking wickets to restrict Hampshire and although Carberry moved to 33 he was run out easily to send some nerves through the dug out. At the half way stage Hampshire were only on 59-3.
McKenzie's excellent knock against Nottinghamshire was the reason Hampshire made finals day, but his average this season is poor and he could only add 10 before going lbw with the score on 72. Ervine came out to join Ervine and the two experienced players saw out the next couple of overs. Singles began to come easily and with the occasional boundary the run rate slowly came down. Trescothick's bowlers struggled to threaten like they had earlier and the batsmen eased past 100.
With two overs left only 10 were required and Ervine guided away another 4 to take Hampshire almost home. A couple more singles and a two handed Hampshire the win, while Somerset once again fail to take home any silverware.
Somerset - 125-6 (Kieswetter 63*, Mascarenhas 2 for 11)
Hampshire - 126-4 (Ervine 34*, Kirby 1 for 16)
Hampshire win by 6 wickets
Star Player: Mascarenhas for his two early wickets that restricted Somerset and for only giving 11 runs in four overs.
It's Twenty20 finals day and first up was Sussex v Yorkshire. Sussex are in the better form and have the better record (Yorkshire have never made finals day before). Here's what happened.
Yorkshire won the toss and decided to bat
Gale opened the batting and soon got the innings moving with two boundaries. Yardy and Styris opened the bowling and it was the latter who made the break through. Gale had just hit his second 4, when he chipped the next ball to Nash to depart for 11. Jaques struggled on but two overs later was bowled by Styris for 2 from 9 balls. With Yorkshire pegged back on 19-2 Sussex continued with Yardy and Styris and the tactic worked as Styris picked up his third wicket by having Root lbw for 11 to leave the score on 36-3.
Yardy and Styris bowled through and Yorkshire had to consolidate with Bairstow and Miller now at the crease. Bairstow dug in, while Miller tried to keep the runs flowing. Together they took the score past 100 in the 14th over and put themselves back in a position to attack in the last 6 overs. Miller went on to 47 off 35 balls with two 6s but was caught off the bowling of Nash.
Bairstow took up the charge and put on 29 with Ballance (7). Ballance was caught off Liddle, who also picked up the wicket of Bresnan (6) as Yorkshire slipped back to 153-6. Bairstow however smashed three 6s to go to 68 not out from 45 balls. Yorkshire finished on 172-6 and had added 70 from the final 6 overs.
The early stages of Sussex's innings followed a similar pattern to that of Yorkshire's. Nash made the better start with a 6 and a 4, but Wright was clean bowled by Sidebottom for 4, with the score on 12. Prior then spooned one into the air and was caught by Ballance off Bresnan to leave Sussex 15-2.
Goodwin scored 15 out of 40 for the third wicket as Sussex kept themselves in the match but regular wickets continued to fall. Pyrah picked up two and Bresnan took a second to leave Sussex on 93-6.
Nash went to an excellent half century and was still finding the boundary but with little support the run rate rose rapidly. Yardy struggled to add runs and was run out by Root, and then Beer was unfortunate to be run out backing up after the ball deflected off Sidebottom's hand. Nash finished on 80 not out from 58 balls but Sussex fell well short as Yorkshire made the final on their first time at finals day.
Yorkshire - 172-6 (Bairstow 68*, Styris 3 for 22)
Sussex - 136-8 (Nash 80*, Bresnan 2 for 22)
Star Player: Nash, for the best innings of the day, despite being on the losing team. He also took a wicket.
So I'm back and a fair amount of county action has happened, both in the Championship and the CB40 competitions. The tables are really shaping up as we reach the business end of the year and you can see them below.
County Championship
Division 1
Warwickshire remain on top after holding off Warwickshire today (just); they're clear by 12 points and have a game in hand over second placed Sussex who could also drew today with Somerset, despite being in a great position overnight. Nottinghamshire remain in third having lost their first game of the season in this competition, while Somerset are in fourth.
Durham have been the surprise team of the past couple of weeks winning thier last four matches and more than doubling their tally. That included two wins in the past 6 days, which has lifted them clear of the relegation zone and in with a chance of some prize money (which goes to the top three teams).
Middlesex are level with Durham on points, but the bottom three are Surrey, Lancashire and Worcestershire and it seems very likely that it will be two of those who will face the drop. Lancashire remember won the competition last year, which shows you can never predict who will win.
Division 2
Derbyshire are almost there now, sitting 17 points clear of second placed Hamshire (who lost today to Leicestershire). They also have a game in hand and three draws should see them hold on to the top spot and a return to Division 1.
Second place could still go to any of Hampshire, Yorkshire or Kent, which should make for an interesting last few weeks. The latter two have both drawn in the past week, but will be inspired by Hampshire's loss today and feel they can still catch the southerners.
Northamptonshire lie in 5th place with an outside chance, but only have two games left and would almost certainly need to win both. Essex do have that extra game but are currently 28 points behind second place and would also need to do something special to catch those ahead.
Playing for pride are Leicestershire, who pulled off only their second win of the season today; Gloucestershire and Glamorgan.
Championship Tables
Divison 1
|
Team |
Played |
Points |
| 1 |
Warwickshire |
13 |
171 |
| 2 |
Sussex |
14 |
159 |
| 3 |
Nottinghamshire |
13 |
144 |
| 4 |
Somerset |
13 |
137 |
| 5 |
Durham |
14 |
127 |
| 6 |
Middlesex |
14 |
127 |
| 7 |
Surrey |
13 |
102 |
| 8 |
Lancashire |
13 |
87 |
| 9 |
Worcestershire |
13 |
87 |
Division 2
|
Team |
Played |
Points |
| 1 |
Derbyshire |
13 |
161 |
| 2 |
Hampshire |
14 |
144 |
| 3 |
Yorkshire |
13 |
131 |
| 4 |
Kent |
13 |
125 |
| 5 |
Northamptonshire |
14 |
121 |
| 6 |
Essex |
13 |
116 |
| 7 |
Leicestershire |
14 |
107 |
| 8 |
Gloucestershire |
13 |
101 |
| 9 |
Glamorgan |
13 |
95 |
CB40 Competition
Now as always happens in the current format of the 40 over competition, when we reach the final games only a few teams are still in with a chance of reaching the semi-finals. Still, there has been some excitement.
Essex have made the highest score during the past week (314-8) against the Netherlands, who had been flying earlier in the season but now, having played all of their matches sit in 4th place. That total is the second highest for the any side this season, after Middlesex's 350-6 in June. Perhaps surprisingly no player made more than 80 in the innings, but there were seven 6s struck. Essex were then well beaten in their next match by Lancashire, who are easily the best team so far this year and are already clean through to the next round.
Nottinghamshire made their highest ever 40 over score on 294-8, with Lumb hitting 84 off 51 balls, which possibly led to his inclusion in the England World Twenty20 squad. Nottinghamshire cannot make the semi-finals but Somerset, Surrey and Hampshire are all still vying for top spot in that group.
Kent, Sussex and Warwickshire, who have all won in the past week, are the teams competing for first place in the final group.
CB40 Tables
Group A
|
Team |
Played |
Points |
| 1 |
Lancashire |
11 |
18 |
| 2 |
Middlesex |
11 |
13 |
| 3 |
Gloucestershire |
11 |
11 |
| 4 |
Netherlands |
12 |
11 |
| 5 |
Essex |
11 |
10 |
| 6 |
Leicestershire |
11 |
8 |
| 7 |
Worcestershire |
11 |
7 |
Group B
|
Team |
Played |
Points |
| 1 |
Hampshire |
11 |
15 |
| 2 |
Surrey |
11 |
14 |
| 3 |
Somerset |
11 |
13 |
| 4 |
Nottinghamshire |
11 |
12 |
| 5 |
Durham |
11 |
11 |
| 6 |
Glamorgan |
11 |
8 |
| 7 |
Scotland |
12 |
5 |
Group C
|
Team |
Played |
Points |
| 1 |
Kent |
11 |
17 |
| 2 |
Sussex |
11 |
16 |
| 3 |
Warwickshire |
11 |
15 |
| 4 |
Derbyshire |
11 |
10 |
| 5 |
Yorkshire |
11 |
9 |
| 6 |
Northamptonshire |
11 |
6 |
| 7 |
Unicorns |
12 |
5 |
Tomorrow is Finals day in the Twenty20 competiton, we hope (the weather doesn't look great, in which case play might be suspended until Sunday). The plan is for Sussex to play Yorkshire at 11am, and Hampshire to face Somerset at 2.30pm, with the winners meeting in the final 6.45pm. It's always one of the highlights of the season (remember last year when both Semi-finals were tied and Leicestershire went on to win the final against the odds). Hopefully this year will live up the standard and there will be three brilliant matches.
No new matches but plenty of play in the seven Championship matches going on. Here's what happened.
County Championship
Day 2
Surrey v Middlesex
Sur - 144 & 86-1
Mid - 232
Middlesex lost a wicket before they'd scored a run this morning and then another shortly after, but a partnership of 36 took them past Surrey's score and into a strong position. Kartik then ran through the middle order as the visitors collapsed to 188-9, with Batty also taking two in two. A stand of 42 for the final wicket though boosted Middlesex and gave them an eventual lead of 88.
Surrey began their second innings watchfully, but couldn't prevent another early wicket. Burns (40*) and Harinath (39*) however played out the remaining overs successfully to pull the hosts back into the contest and set up an interesting last two days.
Nottinghamshire v Durham
Dur - 194 & 27-0
Not - 154
An astonishing day at Trent Bridge saw wickets tumbling and one bowler in particular thoroughly enjoying himself. In the morning Nottinghamshire continued to chip away at Durham's batting order, eventually reducing them to 123-8. Determined lower order batting however saw the visitors add 71 for the last two wickets, with Wood scoring 34 and last man Rushworth 24*.
The real drama was yet to begin though. During the lunch interval Onions arrived from London where he had been left out of the test team. He was substituted into the Durham side and was soon opening the bowling. It only took him six balls to take a wicket with Hales lbw for 0. Lumb scored 12 before he went in the same fashion and Voges became number three when he was bowled. Onions was on fire and with the score on 50 he removed Wessels (22) and Read (0) in consequtive balls.
Mullaney added 23 and Franks 53 to take the score past 100, but with a serious fight back on Onions returned and had them both lbw. White was caught for 13 again off Onions, his 8th wicket, while Phillips tried to up the total with a few boundaries.
A ten wicket haul was well on the cards but in the end became impossible when Fletcher was run out. The only surprise was that Onions was the fielder! However Onions then clean bowled Carter to finish with career best figures of 9 for 67; a truly incredible effort, and to think he might not have played at all.
Durham then battled through 12 more overs but came out on top as they survived to the close.
Essex v Glamorgan
Gla - 438
Ess - 165-0
Walters went on to 159 in the morning but regular wickets fell throughout the day. Wallace hit 36 and Wagg 54 to take Glamorgan's total past 400, while Singh finished with 4 for 91.
Essex proved unfazed by such a high total and went to work on a good track. Westley and Mickleburgh dominated the bowling and both went to fifties. So far they have batted for 43 overs and gone undefeated with Westley on 90* and Mickleburgh on 72*.
Yorkshire v Derbyshire
Yor - 421
Der - 28-1
Lyth became the third wicket of the innings with the score on 211 when he was caught for 93. Ballance took the score past 250 but was also caught for 79. Rashid only added 12 but McGrath and Hodd put on 131 for the 6th wicket and helped Yorkshire to 5 batting points. McGrath went to a gritty 104, while Hodd made 58.
The end came quickly as the final five wickets fell for just 9 runs, with Durston collecting 5 for 34, but the damage had been done and Derbyshire were behind the game.
Madsen and Lineker put on 28 but Madsen fell to the final ball of the day to give the hosts a final lift going into day three.
Hampshire v Northamptonshire
Nor - 356
Ham - 125-2
Northamptonshire went on to take a fourth batting point after brilliant lower order resistance rescued their overnight position. Middlebrook made 65 and Murphy 43 as the visitors passed 300, before Willey (54) and Daggett (26*) finished off with a stand worth 55.
Adams (48*) and McKenzie (31) put on 62 for the first wicket and Dawson made 19* before the close to keep the game even after two days.
Worcestershire v Lancashire
Lancashire won the toss and decided to bat
Lan - 219-6
Two early wickets reduced Lancashire to 17-2 but 37 from Pardoe and 35 from Ali lifted them up to 62 before two more quick wickets put Worcestershire back ahead. Pinner and Leach combinded excellently to put on 111 for the 6th wicket, taking the visitors past 200, but the run rate was low, leaving the game in the ballance.
Gloucestershire v Kent
Gloucestershire won the toss and decided to field
Ken - 29-1
Only 11.2 overs were possible as this game struggles against the weather. Key was the one wicket off the bowling of Batty for 9, while Northeast made 12* and Blake 8*.
I must appologise, but I am away for the next few days. I will do a full round up of all the play when I return.
A new round of Championship cricket begins and the rain returns in earnest. Seven matches were due to begin today, but there was only play in five, and most of that was fairly limited. Dryer weather in the evening, however, led to full play in a CB40 match.
County Championship
Day 1
Surrey v Middlesex
Surrey won the toss and decided to bat
Sur - 144
Mid - 99-1
The most amount of play happened at the Oval, but it didn't help struggling Surrey. The hosts quickly slipped to 28-3 and then 41-5 as Roland-Jones and Murtagh both got in on the act early. A small recovery led by Roy (55*) and Davies (16) lifted some of the pressure but wickets continued to fall with Dexter picking up 2. Kartick scored 23 in a partnership worth 41, but Murtagh returned to take the last three wickets and finish with 5 for 37.
Things got worse for Surrey in the evening session as Middlesex followed up their good performance in the field with a big opening stand. Rogers went to 56 and with Robson (29*) put on 98, only falling just before the close.
Nottinghamshire v Durham
Nottinghamshire won the toss and decided to field
Dur - 85-4
A Nottinghamshire bowling line missing both Adams and Gurney took the honours in the morning session at Trent Bridge. Two wickets for Fletcher, and one each for Phillips and Carter reduced Durham to 75-4, with only Stoneman (46) being truly productive with the bat.
The rain arrive around lunch time and no more play was possible.
Essex v Glamorgan
Glamorgan won the toss and decided to bat
Gla - 242-3
Fully 64.1 overs of play were possible at Colchester today but the home side struggled to pick up wickets. After James was caught for 14, Bragg (54) and Walters added 107 for the second wicket. The run rate wasn't quick, but Glamorgan were determined not to throw their wickets away.
Walters also went to a half century and then continued to score well as he put on another 103 for the third wicket with North (24). When rain interupted and play ended for the day Walters was not out on 129, and will look to turn that into a huge score in the morning.
Yorkshire v Derbyshire
Derbyshire won the toss and decided to field
Yor - 127-2
Jaques (3) was bowled early in the innings as Derbyshire made good use of the bowling conditions, but Lyth (60*) and Gale (47) then put on 87 for the second wicket. Derbyshire top Division 2 with five games to go and should be promoted if they pick up as little as 50 points in those matches. Teams like Yorkshire, who are not far behind, however, will be looking to try and reduce the number of points that separates them to cause a tight finish to the season.
Rain meant only 30.1 overs were possible in the morning.
Hampshire v Northamptonshire
Hampshire won the toss and decided to field
Nor - 170-5
Northamptonshire lost wickets throughout the morning, despite Peters making 47. Balcombe and Tomlinson both took two wickets and the visitors found themselves on 98-5. The rest of the overs belonged to them though, as Newton (46*) and Middlebrook (26*) batted through to the close.
Worcestershire v Lancashire
No play due to rain
Gloucestershire v Kent
No play due to rain
CB40
Sussex v Warwickshire
Sussex won the toss and decided to bat
Sus - 199-9
War - 182
Sussex went to 25 but then lost two wickets as Warwickshire came back on top. Joyce became Wright's third wicket with the score on 34 and Sussex needed to rebuild. Goodwin (36) and Yardy (61) put on 62 for the fourth wicket but a few more wickets kept them pegged back on 129-6. Werners managed to bat out the overs for 37* but Barker picked up 3 for 48 to restict the hosts to a below par 199.
Warwickshire made a better start to their innings although not a quick one, and went to 88 before they lost their third wicket. All of the top four went to 20 but none of them managed to push on and get a big score. Beer then swung the game back towards Sussex with 3 for 27 in his eight overs, and Nash chipped in to leave Warwickshire on 114-6.
Barker (26) and Piolet combined to put on 52 at faster than a run-a-ball and even the teams again, but two quick wickets from Nash and Khan meant the visitors slipped to 168-8 with only 2 overs and 2 balls remaining. Piolet launched two 6s in his 28 but couldn't keep it up and fell with the score on 170 to effectively end the game.
24 were required from the final over and despite another boundary Nash picked up the final wicket to also finish with 3 for 27.
Star Player: Beer, his 3 for 27 put the game firmly in Sussex's favour and Warwickshire never recovered.
