Key events
Lunchtime scores
DIVISION ONE
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 285-9v Sussex 169 still in play
The Oval: Surrey 99-0 v Somerset 283
New Road: Worcestershire 162 v Durham 136
DIVISION TWO
Derby: Derbyshire 369-5 v Middlesex
Bristol: Gloucestershire 252 v Leicestershire 189-5
A successful morning for Surrey, and as the players walk up the steps to the dressing-room, the spectators pour onto the pitch, to inspect the square and other things. Three people appear to have brought a rug and are sitting down to have a picnic. Lunch scores to follow.
An over of Jack Leach to bring on lunch.
Josh Tongue is waving bat, and bloomers, at the selectors – four fours in his 29 not out to complement his five wickets yesterday. He’s just lost his partner Patterson-White (42) after Sussex were frustrated by a ninth-wicket partnership of 71.
Fifty for Rory Burns, his second of the season. He raises his bat for brief, smart, wave at the dressing room. And now a stray delivery from Gregory flies down to the rope for four byes.
Somerset need to come up with something, somewhere, quickly. Burns and Sibley have laid the foundations and are already planning a conservatory. Surrey 87-0.
Clark’s vigil is over at New Road, Ben Allison rearrangig his stumps. But Durham are inching towards parity – just 55 behind now, though the thick pile outfield makes this a more challenging total than usual.
Sibley is jackknifed by Gregory, but after some stretching and bending, is able to carry on.
Round the grounds with an hour gone:
Clark and Drissell are dragging Durham towards three figures: Durham 94 for six.
Burns and Sibley sailing the good ship Surrey towards lunch, the waters calm: Surrey 52-0.
Notts have collapsed against Somerset, losing five for 43, including HH for 83. Four wickets for Seales, three for Robinson. Notts 224 for eight, a lead of 55.
Derbyshire bat on and on against Middlesex, 322-5; while Leicestershire have lost Lewis Hill for 55, but Holland and Cox have reduced the deficit to 98. Leicestershire 156-5.
This Somerset attack is looking a bit samey, after Craig Overton had a back spasm during warm-up yesterday. Sibley and Burns are tucking in.
Earlier, Shoaib Bashir had a walk around the boundary – and posed for photos with some children – surplus to requirements after his loan spell with Glamorgan.
An americano from Surrey’s excellent coffee machine, and distracted by Adam Collins, doing the Surrey stream, and whose Final Word podcast was given the seal of approval by the big yellow book this year.
I’ve just read on the BBC that New Zealand (and Worcestershire’s) Jacob Duffy yesterday described New Road as “the slowest outfield he’d ever played cricket on.” Which is a) probably something to do with the winter’s multiple floods and b) something to chew over when considering the score!
A clink like a tumble of buttons onto a wooden floor as Sibley drives Davey straight and into the stumps at the non-striker’s end, Burns safely in his ground.
The loan system is one of the great innovations of the last few years. Here is Jake Ball of Somerset, Durham’s five-wicket hero yesterday:
That couldn’t have gone much better for me. I was down in Somerset struggling to get a game and I snapped up the opportunity to play for Durham. I just wanted to get out there and it was nice to confirm the fact that I was bowling quite well.
I think this has been a happy hunting ground for me. It’s a good pitch to bowl on, there’s a bit of nip but you’ve still got to put the ball in the right area.
It’s one of those pitches where, if you put the ball in the right place, something’s going to happen. There were periods where it went a little bit flatter but all in all, it’s nipped all day and as long as we can get ourselves a little lead, we can hopefully bowl them out again.
They’re a great set of lads. I’ve never been out on loan before but you want to respect everything that these guys are doing. You want to play for the badge and make sure you give 110% and that’s what I did today to get the wickets.
Durham incidentally have lost Blatherwick and Rhodes already this morning- and at 58 for six, are 104 behind in a game that looks over and out by tomorrow.
Jayden Seales picks up the first wicket of the day – it’s at Trent Bridge, but it’s not HH. Jack Haynes caught behind for 34. Sussex will have to get a wriggle on if they want to keep Notts in check, they have a lead already, with six wickets in hand.
Four fistfuls of people in the Mickey Stewart pavilion, a good handful in the stands at The Oval, as Burns and Sibley make their way to the middle. Josh Davey has the ball at the Vauxhall End, a hazy sun stretching into position. Burns’ bat makes a beautiful clonk.
It was a good day for potential England bowlers yesterday. Here is Nottinghamshire’s Josh Tongue:
“I feel like I’m getting better each time I’m bowling. I had a very good winter going into this season. Getting the overs into me, getting that robustness in the body to bowl long spells, is what I’m aiming for.
“The pace is there and it is just now about getting that consistency into my lines and lengths and it feels like the more times I’m bowling, the more I’m getting that.”
Preamble
Good morning from London, where the runners are out, so many runners, plane trees hang heavy over the Thames and eager tourists perch on the steps of Tate Britain.
It’s day two of this fourth round, with five games in play. Lots to look out for – with Gloucestershire and Nottinghamshire eager to press their advantage, and a chance to see what this big bad Surrey batting line up can do at The Oval.
Play starts at 11am, do join us.
Friday’s roundup
Gus Atkinson had the Surrey faithful purring on the day he was given his county cap. With his tiptoeing, tightrope approach and tightly knit hands, he made the ball spit like an overheated wok against Somerset. In his first over he hit Sean Dickson on the hand, who retired hurt, and later removed a softened-up Archie Vaughan, did James Rew for pace and greeted Kasey Aldridge with a missile at his neck. Jordan Clark, all muscle to Atkinson’s venom, did most of the rest, picking up five wickets, including two in two balls. Some oomplah from Lewis Gregory took Somerset to a first batting point and beyond.
A series of injuries had left Durham looking behind the fridge for fast bowlers. But their makeshift seam attack made mincemeat of Worcestershire, who were whistled out for 162. Jake Ball, arriving on a two-match loan from Somerset, celebrated with five for 47, while quickfire South African Codi Yusuf (signed on the recommendation of David Bedingham) ran in at full pelt, picked up two wickets, and worried a few more. Durham then lost four quick wickets of their own.
Josh Tongue fizzed like magnesium at Trent Bridge. Regularly hitting the high 80s, with a gravelly yorker, he pocketed five wickets, three of them in one over, as Sussex were dismissed for 169. It was his second five-fer of the season; Brett Hutton grabbed four for 53. Captain Haseeb Hameed ticked along to 67 not out in Nottinghamshire’s reply.
There was another hulking England hopeful in action at Bristol, where Leicestershire’s Josh Hull pinned big Cameron Green lbw, but Gloucestershire were mainly undone by five wickets from Ben Green, another Somerset loanee. James Bracey’s unbeaten 93 took Leicestershire past 250, before Gloucestershire encountered batting problems of their own.
David Lloyd (93) and Harry Came (73) ensured that Derbyshire had a relatively serene day against Middlesex.
Scores on the doors
DIVISION ONE
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 164-3 v Sussex 169
The Oval: Surrey v Somerset 283-9
New Road: Worcestershire 162 v Durham 55-4
DIVISION TWO
Derby: Derbyshire 267-5 v Middlesex
Bristol: Gloucestershire 252 v Leicestershire 91-4