Key events
In Division One:
Feroze Khushi, shorn of his big bat, lasted one ball at Chelmsford. Westley also out cheaply. Wickets for Wes Agar and George Garrett. Essex 56-2.
Fletcha Middleton run out for six at the Rose Bowl … and there goes Ali Orr for 10, to Tom Bailey in his 100th Lancs game. Hants 25-2.
Both openers gone cheaply again for Notts, both wickets to New Zealand’s Nathan Smith. Notts 46-2.
Fifty up for Somerset here at The Oval, as a warbler at third man hops towards a discarded jumper, while Yates and Davies giving Scott Boland a bip on the nose as they do their own Bazballing – Warwicks 72-0 off 13.
With Renshaw looking good with a delightful punch through mid-off, Somerset 43-1, time to look round the grounds.
“It’s a bit like conquering Everest”
Sitting next to Huw Turbervill, The Cricketer mag’s editor, at The Oval who has thrust in front of me the new issue of the mag. A great-looking feature on what Surrey have to do to make it three in a row, speaking to others who have managed two in a row – Chris Adams, Dermot Reeve and Phil Neale.
“It is a bit like conquering the summit of Everest,” says Adams. “You don’t have very long to enjoy it, before the hard work starts again (getting back down!)“
And Ken’s stats reach across from Rose Bowl, where Tom Bailey is playing his 100th game for Lancashire and has sent down four overs in Hampshire’s 17-0.
BEST BOWLING STRIKE RATES FOR LANCASHIRE IN FIRST-CLASS MATCHES SINCE 1946
(qualification: 350 wickets)
Name WKTS SR
JB Statham 1816 41.9
JM Anderson 368 45.9
Wasim Akram 374 46.0
TE Bailey 358 50.0
Overall Tom is 15th on the all-time list of strike rates by Lancs bowlers who have taken 350+ f-c wickets.
This was lovely at The Oval this morning. A minute’s applause for Keith Booth, the legendary Surrey scorer, who died in January :
Ali Martin
Morning from Edgbaston, where I’m hoping the “sniffer” nickname doesn’t stick. Bonus to see Ben Stokes having a trundle before play though, with a big team of England physios and bowling coaches looking on. There’s talk he might have a bat in the nets at some point but he’s not in the XI to face Warwickshire, Durham having won the toss and opted for a bowl on a dry, slightly chilly day (with blue starting to creep on to the canvas overhead). Championship debut for Scott Boland, who seemed a friendly, do my talking with the ball kinda guy when chatting from the team bus yesterday, Matthew Potts and Brydon Carse also in the attack, and it’s a chance for the visitors to announce their return to Division One after last week’s quagmire at the Riverside.
A thin edge, a juggle, and that’s the end of Sean Dickson . Sibley with the magic, Jordan Clark with the wicket. Somerset 18-1.
There is play at Bristol:
but a delayed start at Sophia Gardens.
Time for a quick stroll round the ground, back in ten.
And a great spot from Daddy Pig, who has seen signs of a Lancashire dynasty, with two Flintoffs and one Chapple on the Lancashire second XI card.
Lots of warming up going on at The Oval, though surprised to hear Eurythmics Sweet Dreams on the speaker. Flags bustling in the breeze and extremely good coffee in the media room.
Stokes spotted
Ali “sniffer” Martin always where the story is at.
Struck by how wet and without good drainage a lot of the Division two counties are. Big advantage for Sussex and Middlesex there if they can get more play. at home.
Division Two table
1 Sussex 15
2 Glamorgan 13
3 Northamptonshire 13
4 Leicestershire 13
5 Yorkshire 12
6 Middlesex 11
7 Derbyshire 8
8 Gloucestershire 8
Too early? Division One table
1 Essex 20
2 Somerset 15
3 Worcestershire 14
4 Warwickshire 13
5 Kent 12
6 Surrey 11
7 Lancashire 8
8 Durham 8
9 Hampshire 8
10 Nottinghamshire 4
Fixtures
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex v Kent
The Rosebowl: Hampshire v Lancashire
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Worcestershire
The Oval: Surrey v Somerset
Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Durham
DIVISION TWO
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan v Derbyshire
Bristol: Gloucestershire v Yorkshire
Grace Road: Leicestershire v Sussex
Northampton: Northamptonshire v Middlesex
Preamble
Good morning from The Oval where the sun is shining and hello from Ali soon- to-be at Edgbaston where it may not be.
Firstly, the weather: The met office reports “mostly dry with warm sunshine” round the grounds, though we wait to see whether things have dried out everywhere, particularly Bristol.
News in brief: assistant coach Azhar Mahmood has left Surrey to join Pakistan – Jade Dernbach to step into his shoes for now; Somerset have signed South African quick Migael Pretorius for six red-ball matches starting today against Surrey; while Derbyshire have signed another South African quick Daryn Dupavillon from the start of May till mid September. And in a bitter blow, Warwickshire’s Liam Norwell is out of action again after missing the whole of 2023. His last bowl in anger was his 9-62 to keep Warwickshire up at the end of the 2022 season.
