Sussex and Nottinghamshire Set the Early Pace

Four sides came into the third round with one win and one draw, and two of them met at Edgbaston, where Nottinghamshire chose to field first. Haseeb Hameed’s decision was instantly justified when Brett Hutton (five for 38) and Fergus O’Neill (a career-best five for 19) ran through the home side, bowling them out for 97. In reply, Hameed carried his bat for 134 not out as the visitors hit back with a total of 367 all out, Michael Booth taking a career-best five for 90. The weather came to the hosts’ rescue on the final day as they finished on 181 for six.

Sussex were another side to have won one and drawn one, and they faced champions Surrey at Hove. Having won the toss, the hosts then piled up a hefty total of 435, thanks largely to Tom Haines’s 174, while Gus Atkinson (on his return to action) took four for 120. Dom Sibley’s fine start to the season continued as he scored 82, but both Ollie Pope (103) and Dan Lawrence (117) went on to make centuries (Lawrence taking 92 balls to get to three figures) as the Londoners hit back with a total 490, with James Coles taking a career-best five for 108. There was time on the final day for Sussex to reach 132 without loss before the game ended as a draw. The result meant Sussex and Nottinghamshire are joint top after three games.

Hampshire were the other team in that top group, and they hosted Somerset (for whom 21-year-old James Rew was captaining for the first time) and fielded. Only a late flurry (47 not out off 40 balls from Migael Pretorius helped the away side to make a sub-par 184, as Brad Wheal (four for 46) continued his good start to the season, well supported by James Fuller (four for 42). The home side responded with a more-than-useful total of 336, giving them a 152-run lead on the first innings. Pretorius continued his excellent game, taking five for 64, his best figures in the Championship. With the weather also impacting on the final day, Somerset were able to escape with a draw, finishing on 163 for two.

After two defeats, Durham needed to get their season started, and they welcomed Yorkshire to the Riverside. The visitors were put in to bat and, despite three of the team reaching 60 none went on to make 70, which meant they were bowled out for 307. Ben Raine (four for 64) and Brendan Doggett (four for 69) did most of the damage. Durham’s county record second-wicket partnership of 279 saw Alex Lees (172) and Emilio Gay (152, his highest score for the county) both make centuries to put the hosts in complete control. The innings rather fell away after that, and they were dismissed for 427. A shortened final day saw Yorkshire reach 277 for six in their second innings, skipper Jonny Bairstow leading the way with 86 not out.

Finally in the First Division, Essex hosted the struggling Worcestershire at Chelmsford and were put in to bat. Jacob Duffy picked up four for 39 as the home side fell away to 179 all out. New recruit Kasun Rajitha ensured the visitors didn’t get away from them, taking four for 52 on his debut to restrict them to a narrow lead of 23, when they were all out for 202. In a low-scoring match, Paul Walter’s 104 looked as though it might be a decisive contribution. Noah Thain made his maiden half-century (54) as Essex went on to make 317, setting a target of 295. At 202 for nine, Worcestershire’s run chase seemed over, but Essex had reckoned without Ethan Brookes, who eventually fell for 88 in an innings that included seven sixes, as he and Duffy put on 64 in 58 balls for the last wicket, of which the New Zealander faced just 12 and didn’t score. Jamie Porter took the final wicket to give him figures of six for 52 as his side won by 28 runs to leave the away side stranded at the bottom of the table.

In the Second Division, Kent were the only side in the entire Championship to go into the third round with a 100% record, and they welcomed Gloucestershire to Canterbury and asked them to bat. Despite not having played at all since last September, Cameron Green (112) made a great start on his debut for the visitors, and then James Bracey added 151 not out. Marchant de Lange hit 51 (his best score for the county) in just 27 balls to dominate a tenth-wicket partnership of 87 in 8.4 overs that took his side up to 472 all out. Meanwhile, Nathan Gilchrist returned the best figures of the season and of his career, seven for 100. Ben Compton led Kent’s reply, making a fine 178 out of a total of 393. The visitors then declared their second innings on 333 for five, setting an unlikely target of 413, and probably rued batting on so long when Kent struggled in their final innings, finishing on 124 for six, with Zak Crawley finally making some runs (54 not out).

Lancashire hosted Leicestershire at Old Trafford and were put in to bat. Marcus Harris top-scored with 77 out of Lancashire’s barely adequate total of 263, while Tom Scriven’s five for 46 was his best return. Rehan Ahmed showed further signs of developing into a good opening batsman, making 100, and then Peter Handscomb added a century of his own (142 not out) as the visitors took control of the game, eventually declaring on 491 for eight. Rain on the final day spared the Red Rose from any blushes as they reached 90 for three as the game ended in a draw. But the result was enough to put Leicestershire to the top of the table, two points ahead of Kent.

Derbyshire were put in to bat when Northamptonshire came to Derby. Wayne Madsen (89) and Brooke Guest (91) put on 169 for the fourth wicket, but there wasn’t much else from the rest of the side, as the hosts were bowled out for 307. In his 244th innings, Luke Procter made 150 – the highest score of his long career, setting the visitors on their way to a big total of 500 for eight declared. Saif Zaib made a quickfire 105, taking just 86 balls to reach his century. Derbyshire had reached 202 for three by the end of the third day, but no play was possible on the final day and the game ended in a draw.

Finally, at Lord’s Glamorgan were put in to bat and mustered only 199, despite a maiden fifty from Ben Kellaway (54 not out). Max Holden’s 107 was the highest score in Middlesex’s reply, but there were plenty of other useful contributions as the hosts hit back with a total of 470 for nine declared. In Glamorgan’s second innings, five batters passed 40, but none made a truly significant score as they were bowled out for 329, leaving the hosts to chase 59, which they duly did for the loss of one wicket in just 7.5 overs. Glamorgan’s defeat left them propping up the table.