County cricket: Essex thrash Yorkshire, Somerset beat Notts – as it happened

Jack Leach and Jamie Overton bowled Somerset to victory over Nottinghamshire, finishing with four wickets each, on a gripping third day at Taunton, and now perch on a 15-point lead at the top of the Championship. Nottinghamshire, set 255, were dismissed for 122, with only Ravi Ashwin stemming the tide with 41. Earlier Somerset themselves were bowled out for 169, with Azhar Ali (65 not out) the lone resistance. Liam Patterson-White on debut took five wickets, as did Ashwin.

Essex had a brief period on top of the table after beating Yorkshire by eight wickets by mid-afternoon. They were set 92 to win, largely thanks to Keshav Maharaj, who walloped five sixes and seven fours in his 85 – the next highest score on the Yorkshire card was 16. Peter Siddle took four for 31. Essex have won all five of their home fixtures this summer.

In an iron-clad rearguard action, Warwickshire held on for a draw by their fingertips against Hampshire thanks to a second century in the match from Sam Hain – a man who had not made a first-class hundred for three years. He was helped by 70s from Ben Mike and Jeetan Patel.

Surrey were in trouble at the Oval, with a lead of just 81 over Kent and only four wickets in hand.

In Division Two Middlesex beat Gloucestershire by 78 runs after bowling them out for 137. There were five wickets for Tim Murtagh, and three more for Toby Roland-Jones, who also top-scored in Middlesex’s second innings to complete a pinch-yourself couple of days.

A partnership of last resort by Callum Ferguson and Ben Cox frustrated Derbyshire at Kidderminster. The pair put on an unbeaten 108 from the depths of 48 for five. Worcestershire need an unlikely 217 more to win.

A collapse of five for 25 against the new ball by Lancashire’s tail did not help their position at Wantage Road. Northamptonshire then extracted themselves from 14 for three and a rampaging Graham Onions, to finish with a lead of 341.

Durham found themselves in the unusual position of declaring with over 400 on the board against Leicestershire, with 90s from Alex Lees and nightwatchman Nathan Rimmington.

What a day! Thanks so much for your company everyone and see you tomorrow for the remaining four games. Somerset inching closer… Goodnight!

Leach 4-42, Jamie Overton 4-24. Somerset hop back to the top!

Warwickshire are nearly there, they’ve nearly done it! Brookes and Patel hanging on – 319-8. I must write up now – keep watching for me.

Make that 102 for seven. Jamie Overton gets in on the act. Poor Ben Duckett after walking out at No.7, hitting a four and a six, is gone for 13.

And a fourth – Ravi Ashwin for 41. Notts now entering the UP section of the Notts-up – 102/6.

Shaun Clapperton:

I agree. And the poor girl will not be able to put this chapter behind her so easily. I hope if one good thing comes from this case it is a jolt to sportsmen everywhere not to believe their own hype and to treat women as human beings.

However humans are capable of changing. I hope he grows up fast, learns, and turns it around.

Yorkshire endure their second loss of the year. Essex leap to the top of the Division One table, seven points in front of Somerset – whose game is still underway.

Notts rebuilding with Ravi Ashwin (24) and Mr Fix-it Steven Mullaney (9). I can’t remember if I wrote this yesterday but just realised that Joe Clarke has been dropped for this game. Seems the right thing to do for him to get his head right.

This is his statement from the disciplinary hearing last week:

“With the CDC proceedings completed I would like to apologise to everyone concerned for my involvement in the WhatsApp group,” he said.

“I acknowledge that what I did fell well below the standards expected of a professional sportsman. I am relieved I can now put this chapter behind me. I am extremely grateful for the guidance and support I have received from the PCA, Phoenix Management and Nottinghamshire CCC during this difficult time.

“I have learned a great deal over the past two years and I am thankful that I can now move forward and focus wholly on the rest of the season. I hope I can end the year on a positive note with Notts.”

Leicestershire need 393 to win. Twenty overs left tonight.

I really don’t want to say I told you so. TRJ takes another . Four overs two for three. And a second for Helm. Gloucestershire falling apart at the seams, zip and buttons. 46-7.

A triple Murtagh at Merchant Taylors: Dent for 0, Hammond for 16, Bracey for 15. Helm gets Roderick. And TRJ has bowled three overs for three runs. It’s in the air, we know it’s in the air. And there it is ! Howell bowled for one! Gloucs 40-5 and Middx on their way.

Ah for shame, the Warwicks defence is crumbling with the end in sight. Hain gone, his second hundred of the match under his belt before being bowled by Felix Organ*. Ben Mike dismissed too, but not before gathering his first first-class half century. Warwicks 233-8 and a session to go.

*

Notts have a way to go at 36 for 3. Leach and Jamie Overton with the ball.

In answer to the question BTL, about Saqib Mahmood, the only thing I’ve been able to glean is that he did not take the field after lunch. Will update when I know more.

Abhijato Sensarma hurls a hand grenade into my email box:

There’s is no fair way to justify your answer to this question, but I’ve got to enquire nonetheless: is Ravi Ashwin currently the best first-class cricketer in the world?

Over to you.

Division One

Final day
Ageas Bowl: Hampshire 539 (Holland 143, Donald 173; Stone 5-93) and 178-8 dec (Donald 52) v Warwickshire 307 (Hain 129 not out) and 223-6 (Hain 102 not out; Abbott 5-46). Warwicks need 171 to win.

Day three

Chelmsford: Essex 328 (Westley 81) and 34-1 v Yorkshire 208 (Harmer 5-76) and 211 (Siddle 4-32, Harmer 3-72). Essex need 58 to win.

Taunton: Somerset 326 (Davies 74; Wood 4-85) and 169 (Azhar 36 not out; Ashwin 4-39) v Notts 241-9 (Bess 5-59) and 36-3. Notts need 219 to win

The Oval: Surrey 271-9dec (Elgar 63, Foakes 60) and 90-1 v Kent 369 (Denly 88)

Division Two

Grace Road: Leicestershire 212 (Horton 50, Ackermann 62 not out; Raine 4-49, Rushworth 5-55) v Durham 117 (Wright 5-30) and 423-6 (Bancroft 109, Lees 93). Durham lead by 328 runs.

Merchant Taylors’: Middlesex 172 (Shaw 4-33) and 171-7 (Higgins 4-20) v Gloucestershire 201 (Roland-Jones 7-52)and 35-3. Gloucs need 181 to win.

Wantage Road: Northamptonshire 442 (Bavuma 103; Onions 5-77) and 95-3 v Lancashire 315 (Davies 147; Sanderson 4-62). Northants lead by 222.

Kidderminster: Worcestershire 113 (Reece 4-30) and 65-5 v Derbyshire 108 (Morris 4-26) and 377 (Lace 132 not out; Barnard 4-48). Derby lead by 372.

I’m tip-toeing around this so please don’t shout but Hain and Mike have put on a hundred now. And Hain is just six runs away from his second you know what in the match.

At Taunton Jack Leach and Lewis Gregory share the new ball. Leach adjusts his specs and with his first ball has Libby lbw for a duck. A golden duck. That’s the Libby who was top scorer in Nottinghamshire’s first innings. Strange times.

Presumably Durham will bat all day if they can? Clark and Trevaskis in now – 374-5.

Goodness! Ro-Jo! An unbeaten fifty to go with yesterday’s best bowling. Top scorer for Middlesex, who now have a lead of 212 with one wicket in hand.

Maharaj falls. Siddle has four. Yorkshire are 208-9. The air leaks out from the party balloon

A sensational partnership of 71 at the Rose Bowl – Sam Hain on 74 not out, Ben Mike 50 not out. They’ve inched Warwicks to within 230 of Hampshire – and under two sessions till the final close.

Ignore what I said about the rain – it is steadily sloughing down now out of my window. .

So. Notts need 225 to win. They’ve got a chance – haven’t they? Ravi Ashwin 5-59; Patterson-White 5-73.

Azhar Ali celebrates his (170 ball) fifty at Taunton, a scoresheet which contains seven single-figures scores.

Maharaj has now hit five sixes and seven fours in his 77 not out. Duanne, Ben, Keshav – what can you work with – 100? Yorks lead currently 56.

Oh dear. Northants 22 for 3. First-innings centurion Bavuma out for a duck. What is it with the pitches or the batsmen this round? Feast or famine. Double cone with flake, or Mr Man lolly from the back of the freezer.

Jamie Overton mullers a six that almost clears the river; as Maharaj does the same to Simon Harmer.

And for those interested, I live about two miles from Old Trafford and the rain has stopped.

No!!! Nightwatchman Nathan Rimmington becomes the second Durham batsman to fall in the nineties. The lead is laughably big now though – 255 with seven wickets remaining.

And a lazy afternoon’s peace at Wantage Road is ruined by Graham Onions, who has both Levi and Vasconcelos lbw in the same over. Northants 13/2.

Yorkshire are sinking. Patterson caught by Cook off Porter. 145 for 8, a lead of 25.

Liam Patterson-White stretches, rubs his tummy with a satisfied gleam in his eye, and snatches a fourth wicket. Somerset 118/8 lead by 203. Azhar still there on 40.

Division One

Final day
Ageas Bowl: Hampshire 539 (Holland 143, Donald 173; Stone 5-93) and 178-8 dec (Donald 52) v Warwickshire 307 (Hain 129 not out) and 119-6 (Hain 61 not out; Abbott 5-35). Warwicks need 285 to win.

Day three

Chelmsford: Essex 328 (Westley 81) v Yorkshire 208 (Harmer 5-76) and 116-7 (Siddle 3-17, Harmer 3-29). Yorkshire trail by four runs.

Taunton: Somerset 326 (Davies 74; Wood 4-85) and 108-6 (Azhar 36 not out; Ashwin 4-39) v Notts 241-9 (Bess 5-59). Somerset lead by 193.

The Oval: Surrey 271-9dec (Elgar 63, Foakes 60) and 4-0 v Kent 369 (Denly 88)

Division Two

Grace Road: Leicestershire 212 (Horton 50, Ackermann 62 not out; Raine 4-49, Rushworth 5-55) v Durham 117 (Wright 5-30) and 309-2 (Bancroft 109, Lees 93). Durham lead by 214 runs.

Merchant Taylors’: Middlesex 172 (Shaw 4-33) and 171-7 (Higgins 4-20) v Gloucestershire 201 (Roland-Jones 7-52)

Wantage Road: Northamptonshire 442 (Bavuma 103; Onions 5-77) v Lancashire 315 (Davies 147; Sanderson 4-62). Northants lead by 127.

Kidderminster: Worcestershire 113 (Reece 4-30) v Derbyshire 108 (Morris 4-26) and 377 (Lace 132 not out; Barnard 4-48). Derby lead by 372.

New Zealand taking their time against India – but Williamson is still there. Time for marmite on toast and half an hour in the company of Rob Smyth.

Lunch scores to follow.

Warwickshire and Yorkshire are mapping each other’s progress today. Warwickshire 106 for six, in the hopeless chase of another 298. Yorkshire 110 for seven, still trail Essex by ten.

Kent are all out! With a lead of 98. Three wickets each for Rikki Clarke and Sam Curran. Five sessions left…um, ah, perhaps they can make a game of this.

Here’s the live stream from Taunton:

And a big belated hand for Al Davies, bowled for 147 and Croft for 78, as Keogh and Sanderson continue to divide the wickets between them.

The wickets they are a-tumbling at Taunton. three for Ashwin and two for Patterson-White. Somerset 80 for five, with only Azhar on 29 left of the top five batsmen. A lead of 167 doesn’t seem quite enough.

So…the Leeds Superchargers will now be known as the Northern Superchargers, so as not to irritate Durham.But they will wear blue and yellow to craftily show their Leeds heritage without any Durham supporters guessing. Which is a little bit like Boris Johnson loudly pointing that we have to pretend to prepare for No Deal so those clueless bureaucrats in Brussels will be fooled. Read more here.

A wicket at Taunton! A second for Ashwin – Abell for 24. Somerset are 56-2, a lead of 141.

Tattersall and Fisher have put on 18 as Yorkshire look towards the sunny uplands of three figures – 78-5.

Abbott collects a five-fer as Warwickshire rather crumble. Will they make it till lunch? There is a certain weariness to their batting – 68-5. Sam Hain starting where he left off in the first innings – 31 not out.

Lancashire laughing in the face of yesterday’s 2/2: Davies 136 and Croft 60.

George Scott follows Malan back to matron for school dinners. Now 117 for five, a lead of not very much, but possibly nearly enough in a game where the top score is 201.

And Durham bat on, and on, and on. 221 for 1 – a lead of 126. Do any Durham fans have feedback on Bancroft’s captaincy or how he’s settled in? He’s certainly found his batting mojo in the last few games.

Sorry about the delay, note to self, charge computer before starting work and/or ensure you know where the plug is.

In the meantime, Bumrah is being Bumrah at OT; Abbott has grabbed a fourth at against Hampshire (52-4). And Yorkshire are on the slide at Chelmsford. Adam Lyth’s 104-minute vigil for 8 finished by Jamie Porter, and Harry Brook a wicket for Siddle.

Sam Curran has taken two wickets in two over at The Oval – Stewart and Kuhn, Kent – 301 for six a lead of 30.

An early wicket for Ed Barnard at Kidderminster, and now one for Joe Leach. Derby lose a couple straight away – 277-8, but Tom Lace is still there. And Dawid Malan gone too, for 8, as Middlesex slump to 97-4.

I wonder how Toby Roland-Jones is feeling this morning. Hope he’s walking on pink fluffy air. This is what Nick Pothas said last night:

“People look at the wickets and presume Toby has found his mojo. That actually started happening in Derby last week where in the second innings that zip was back. Toby has had a lot of catches dropped off him, but he has stayed so positive and is such a level individual. He is one of those blokes where everyone is ecstatic when he does well, so we are over the moon.”

And this might be of interest to Glamorgan fans.

Division One

Final day
Ageas Bowl: Hampshire 539 (Holland 143, Donald 173; Stone 5-93) and 178-8 dec (Donald 52) v Warwickshire 307 (Hain 129 not out) and 31-3 (Abbott 3-18)

Day three

Chelmsford: Essex 328 (Westley 81) v Yorkshire 208 (Harmer 5-76) and 38-3 (Siddle 2-6)

Taunton: Somerset 326 (Davies 74; Wood 4-85) and 7-1 v Notts 241-9 (Bess 5-59)

The Oval: Surrey 271-9dec (Elgar 63, Foakes 60) v Kent 285-4 (Denly 88)

Division Two

Grace Road: Leicestershire 212 (Horton 50, Ackermann 62 not out; Raine 4-49, Rushworth 5-55) v Durham 117 (Wright 5-30) and 191-1 (Bancroft 109)

Merchant Taylors’: Middlesex 172 (Shaw 4-33) and 96-3 (Higgins 3-16) v Gloucestershire 201 (Roland-Jones 7-52)

Wantage Road: Northamptonshire 442 (Bavuma 103; Onions 5-77) v Lancashire 211-4 (Davies 124)

Kidderminster: Worcestershire 113 (Reece 4-30) v Derbyshire 108 (Morris 4-26) and 272-6 (Lace 101)

Good morning wherever you are – the hills of the Mendips, the terraces of overcast Manchester or popping in from somewhere more exotic, perhaps between drinks breaks at the New Zealand v India world cup game already underway at Old Trafford. New Zealand have won the toss and are batting – as I write this they haven’t lost a wicket…Rob Smyth will talk you through every over, brilliantly, here.

Back in CCLive!, there is much to look forward to – I’m particularly intrigued by early goings on at Taunton, the Rose Bowl and Chelmsford.

Two bits of overnight news: Mike Yardy will leave his position as Sussex Cricket’s 2^nd XI & batting coach at the end of July to join New South Wales Blues as batting coach. And Samit Patel has come in as a batting replacement for Chris Nash, knocked on the head by Jamie Overton yesterday. Get well soon!