Yorkshire v Northants, Sussex v Lancashire: county cricket – live!

Pah, Abbas! Poof, Abbott. Rory Burns is flaying Hampshire round The Oval. Surrey 53-1.

“All out for 92 on day one...pitch inspectors on their way I assume….” says Charles Sheldrick. “Sorry, silly of me, The Oval is not in Somerset so it can’t be anything to do with the pitch….

I will go back to crying into my cider.”

Now, now Charles, what are you saying?

His second in a row after the unbeaten hundred following on last week. Off 160 balls. Notts: 194-3

A couple of others fall short: Joe Clarke has just been out for 66; and Nick Gubbins for 75, to Lewis Gregory. Middx 173-4.

I’d been wondering how Labuschagne got to play so quickly…

The Warwickshire tail-end wriggling the score past 50: 55/8

Another email from our resident farme rAnthony Bradley:

“First time on your coverage but have had mentions when Tim de Lisle is working.
Shame about Lyth, always felt he was dropped by England with unseemly haste.
Back on the farm the pandemic has reduced the supply of field gates to less than rocking horse manure!”

Just had to remind myself of Lyth’s stats – seven Tests, one hundred, against NZ, average 20.38. Also interested to read on cricinfo that Andrew Gale considered him more talented that both Gary Balance and Joe Root. Obviously a good all-round sportsman as he also had trials at Manchester City.

They’re back on at Headingley where Yorkshire are 76-3, Balance just back in the pavilion for four, to Parnell.

Is this the beginning of something? Mark Stoneman dangles his bat at Abbott. Surrey 31-1.

Just to confirm that poor Marnus Labuschagne is off the field at Sophia Gardens with a hand injury sustained on the first morning of his season.

Surrey are in charmed-mode: 20-o after Hampshire were all out for 92. Abbas has 0-12 off his two overs.

Away from Riverside, Alastair Cook has fifty – Essex 95-1; Notts are flying 157-2, Slater 82 not out and Joe Clarke unbeaten on 52; an unbeaten 57 to Marcus Harris Leicestershire recovering well after losing Azad for a duck -108-1; Middx 130-3, Handscombe run-out for 17, Gubbins 46 not out; Sussex temporarily flawed, 159-3, Livingstone and Mahmood removing the well-set Haines and van Zyl.

Still raining at Headingley and Glamorgan.

I gave the pup a delicious-looking chew as she was bored and she hid in behind a cushion. Much to her annoyance I found it and gave it back. She then wined to go outside where she has now buried it. Why?

In other news – can you really sell the All-Blacks?

Jordan Clark 6-21; Lewis McManus 31 not out. Abbas and Abbott – time to see the cut of your jib. Will we see Test-match top-order Surrey or inexplicably-barren Surrey?

A nice story of a new partnership between the ECB and the Lord’s Taveners, to make disability cricket available county-wide.

In the words of David Gower: “This partnership is a true game-changer for the Taverners. This is the largest investment by a cricket board into a disability specific programme and to work with the ECB is an incredible honour. The charity’s work has proved life-changing for so many participants and we’re very excited about the opportunity to bring our work to young people in every county across the country.”

Super 1s, a national Lord’s Taverners programme delivered in conjunction with county cricket boards, gives young people living with a disability the chance to play regular, competitive cricket and giving participants the chance to interact with their peers and enjoy the benefits of playing sport.

But the programme is more than just about playing cricket, it improves physical and mental well-being, gives a sense of belonging and allows participants to make friends and gain skills for life such as confidence and independence.

The partnership will also fund the further development of table cricket which is currently played in 357 schools by over 8,800 young people across the country. The game allows young people with more limiting disabilities the opportunity to engage in cricket, as well as develop a network of young leaders and schools who engage.

Table cricket is an adapted version of cricket played on a table tennis table. Alongside the enjoyment of playing the game and competing, table cricket develops teamwork and social skills among players, while helping with coordination and cognitive skills.

Make that 30-8! Bressie-lad is bowled for one.Raine has 5-2 and the commentators are flummoxed.

Well, I would not have predicted this, even with Wood’s return. Warwickshire 30-7! Briggs is Wood’s latest victim. Wood 3-15, Rained 4-2. The record lowest score against Durham is 56 by Somerset.

Wickets continue to tumble at The Riverside and The Oval, Kyle Abbot edges the second ball after lunch to Ben Foakes. Another for Jordan Clark who has collected 4 today. Kent 88-8. And Ben Raine has added Sam Hain and Michael Burgess to his haul since lunch. Warwickshire 26-6!

A post-lunch zinger from Andrew Benton, who writes on the subject of live streams: “Hello Tanya” Hello!

“Cricket on Youtube is wonderful. I’ve been able to dip in and out of all three Gloucestershire matches over the past weeks and catch some great sessions. On any given day in the Championship there will be matches that catch your attention and those that don’t, but that goes for Test matches and all the rest – and there are plenty of alternatives to turn to each County day if you’re not heavily partisan – don’t get that option with an England international.
“I hope this free viewing continues in years to come, post-covid. And with a bit of planned outreach from the clubs and authorities, it could prove valuable in getting more people interested and involved in the county game.”

It completely slipped by me that Durham had taken three more wickets after Mark Wood’s initial breakthrough – Matthew Lamb also out to Wood, bowled, while Vihari and Rhodes both lbw to Raine. Last week’s David, Warwicks, 22-4.

Rain at Derby, Bristol and Headingley has delayed the restart after lunch.

Group 1

The County Ground: Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire 113-2

The Riverside: Durham v Warwickshire 22-4

New Road: Worcestershire v Essex 64-0

Group 2

Bristol: Gloucestershire v Leicestershire 92-1

Taunton: Somerset v Middlesex 82-2

The Oval: Surrey v Hampshire 70-7

Group 3

Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan v Kent 97-4

Hove: Sussex 110-1 v Lancashire

Headingley: Yorkshire 67-2 v Northants bad light stopped play

Hampshire in emergency mode 53-7, if they hurry up they can be all out before lunch. They’ve now lost 5-9. Scott Currie has to walk off for 4.

Oh dear. Kent getting into a pickle just before lunch- Jordan Cox and Joe Denly fall to David Lloyd in the same over. Daniel Bell-Drummond earlier out to van der Gugten for 31. Kent 90-3.

An early lunch has been taken at Headingley. Cook and Browne getting stuck into Worcestershire – 59-0. The only wicketless side of the morning.

Play has been suspended for bad light at Headingley. Yorkshire 67-2.

Cripes! Hampshire lose their fourth wicket without adding a run as Liam Dawson walks off for a duck, caught Rikki, bowled Jordan. “Good swing bowling” says the radio. Hampshire 44-6.

Hampshire crumbling to rather a dust 44-5. Two each for the Clark(e)s, one for Kemar Roach. Single figures scores for Sam Northeast, James Vince, Tom Alsop and Joe Weatherly.

Mark Wood grabs a wicket with the first ball of his second over, slipping between the bat and pad of Rob Yates, scorer magnifico at Edgbaston last week. Out for 1. Warwicks 11-1. Cricket really out to prove today its reputation as a cruel mistress/great leveller.

A moving, and political, long read on India’s Covid crisis by Arundhati Roy.

Meanwhile Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson, Ravichandran Ashwin, Andrew Tye, and umpires Paul Reiffel and Nitin Menon have pulled out of the IPL as controversy continues about the continuation of the tournament. Here is Sharda Ugra:

“Never mind Mars, the IPL is actually taking place in a galaxy far, far away. Until Sunday, 25 April, the single acknowledgement of India’s COVID tsunami used to come in the form of commentators either reading out messages or speaking in their own words. But not too many.”

They’ve started at Chester-le-Street and, after one runs comes from Chris Rushworth’s first over, Mark Wood has the ball…

A wicket! Smart bit of bowling by Rikki Clarke, pitched up, good line, and Tom Alsop nibbled behind. Hants 37-2.

A question from Gary Naylor: Should we be grateful that we have Youtube streams of all the Champo matches or disappointed that the quality of many leaves much to be desired? Four rounds in, I’m migrating from the first camp to the second – especially if there is on-screen sponsorship.

I must admit I haven’t watched that many live streams for long as it is impossible to work with too many windows open on my laptop. But from what I’ve seen, I’d fall into the gratitude camp. In a time of Covid, the clubs have stumbled on a way that they can provide coverage for fans worldwide. It’s free, and I’m sure the quality will only get better.

More on the Championship’s leading wicket-taker Ollie Robinson being rested by Sussex. Coach Ian Salisbury said: “He has bowled magnificently but his workload has been huge and we can’t afford to risk him breaking down.

“There’s a lot expected of him – not just with the ball, but with the bat, in the field and as vice-captain.

“But he’s not a bowling machine you can just plug in. He’s a human being and he’s due a rest.

“It’s so important that we look after the players. We have got a small squad and it’s quite a brutal schedule.

Ultimately the guys that play week in, week out, get one day off a week for six weeks.”

A second wicket at Derby, as Hundson-Prentice gets one to leap up off the pitch and Duckett edges to second slip. Notts 34-2. Essex stonewalling – 19 runs in the first 45 minutes. Elsewhere, Sam Robson flicked at Lewis Gregory and Middlesex are 33-1; and Kemar Roach grabs at wicket at The Oval, Joe Weatherly for 9, Hants 24-1. Kent 39-0, Sussex 47-1 and Yorks 43-1 zipping along.

Another email pings prettily in my inbox. It’s Tim Maitland: “Dimuth Karunaratne made 118 on the first day of the second test against Bangladesh in Kandy today, which I think we can all agree is a reasonable way to follow up the massive 244 he made in the first Test.

“Given that his innings before that was 75 in the second innings of the second test in the West Indies one might be tempted to suggest he is mining a rich a vein of form.
What makes all of this all the more worth knowing is that I’ve only just discovered that his first name is Frank.”

Play is due to start at noon at The Riverside. The delay due to generally unpleasant weather.

A fair scattering of wickets in the first half hour: Has at Notts for nought (18-1); Hassan Azad, also for a duck, Leicestershire (17-1); Thomason – what sorcery is this? -for yet another duck Sussex 24-1; and Lyth, um, without scoring, Yorkshire 20-1.

Elsewhere, plain sailing.

Anthony Bradley writes from his Yorkshire farm – a first I think!

“No Raynauds syndrome but the weather not helping much on our grass farm in the Yorkshire Dales. Cold and dry limiting growth just when we expect April showers. Not fit for cricket or new lambs!”

Thank you Tim Maitland for pointing out that poor Adam Lyth was bowled the first ball of the day – at least only one poor player suffered this fate this round compared the three last time.

I don’t know if any of you BTL suffer from Raynaud’s syndrome -but I find this kind of weather the worst – the contrast from being in moments of sunshine to the chill of the shade plays havoc with the circulation. Must be awful for cricketers – I know Chris Lewis suffered.

And here is double-centurion Haseeb Hameed on Notts, Lancs and the future.

Group 1

The County Ground: Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire

The Riverside: Durham v Warwickshire

New Road: Worcestershire v Essex

Group 2

Bristol: Gloucestershire v Leicestershire

Taunton: Somerset v Middlesex

The Oval: Surrey v Hampshire

Group 3

Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan v Kent

Hove: Sussex v Lancashire

Headingley: Yorkshire v Northants

Good morning! The fourth round of matches starts today – over a bank holiday weekend that promises to be chilly with sunny patches and showery interludes. It’s a metaphor we can unpick as we go along. In a week full of cricket news – some essentials: the return of Marnus Labuschagne, Glamorgan’s Australian jewel, to boost their chances against bottom of the table Kent; Mark Wood makes his season debut in Durham’s game against Warwickshire – who are without the rested Olly Stone; Yorkshire are without the resting Joe Root and Lancashire still have to do without James Anderson whose recovery from a calf strain is taking longer than hoped.

Lots of spicy match-ups: I fear for Worcestershire with Essex on the rebound after defeat by Warwickshire for the first time in 22 matches last week; Somerset v Middlesex will be a battle of the bowlers, after Middlesex thrashed Surrey last week – who in turn must attempt a bounce back against top-of-group-two Hampshire. Still win-less Nottinghamshire, turbo-charged by two centuries from Haseeb Hameed in the last game, face Derbyshire, where allrounder Matt Critchley has been skipping through the bluebells: 449 runs at 74.83 plus 13 wickets with his wrist-spin. At the Riverside, David Bedingham continues his quest for 1000 runs before the end of May, currently 565 runs at 141.25, as Durham take on in-form Warwickshire. At Hove, it is Jack Carson v Matt Parkinson; at Bristol, visiting Leicestershire are lead by Callum Parkinson for the first-time as they take on in-form Gloucester; Northants, fresh from that eye-popping run chase, play Yorkshire.