Key events
Michael Neser also taking the opportunity to remind Smith of his batting prowess, has hit five fours in his 25. Glam 568-6, lead of 211. Don’t think there are any real daemons for Sussex to fear if they have to run-chase later.
A hundred for Marcus Harris!
Vice captain Steve Smith scribbles approvingly in his notebook – that’s backs-against-the-wall hundreds for both Labuschagne and Harris in the pre-Ashes summer. Harris’s hundred came from 163 balls and was his second of the season. Gloucestershire 257-7 – can I mention that victory is only 169 runs away? Time to channel your inner Worcestershire.
Alastair Cook out for 99!
Alas, still no Trent Bridge century for Cook. Snaffled behind the stumps by Joe Clarke, for 99. Note Tom Westley turning away at the non-striker’s end in that feeling of sympathy/loss for words/embarrassment.
Slow going at Trent Bridge, but Alastair Cook is in the no-sweat zone. Essex 209-1, Cook and Westley 91 and 76 respectively.
Carlson out for 192!
That, my friends, is curtains for Glammy I fear. A crestfallen Carlson caught and bowled Aristides Karvelas for a career-best and fabulous 192. Glamorgan: 510-6, lead by 152.
Marcus Harris, the forgotten Australian playing county cricket, is 83 not out at Bristol, and very much Gloucestershire’s last chance of surviving. Glos 202-7 (Taylor just lbw to Ajaz Patel) and needs to bat at both ends all day.
That Test squad in full for the WTC final and the first two Ashes Tests: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vice-captain), Mitchell Starc, David Warner.
Loving the fact that Marnus was “underwhelmed” by his 138 yesterday.
Sussex desperately missed Ollie Robinson (ankle scan, pain when walking) yesterday. Thinking they will continue to desperately miss him during the rest of the summer too – though he is one who likes to keep bowling so they might get him back in September. At Hove, Carlson moves on to 190 and Chris Cooke to 14. Glamorgan 504-5, a lead of 146.
Will Sir Alastair make his first century at Trent Bridge? I’m feeling yes in my bones, though admittedly they have been wrong before. Stuart Broad gets a last chance to grove his moves before the international summer starts. Essex 202-1, a lead of 58, and Notts in need of one of Broad’s magic spells to break the deadlock.
Rest in peace Brian Booth – Australian cricket captain and Olympic hockey player . “If a prize were offered for fair play among Australia’s post-war cricketers, Brian Booth would win hands down.”
Confused, out of touch with the IPL 2023? Don’t worry, Tim de Lisle is here with an excellent idiot’s guide:
Saturday’s round-up and Ollie Robinson watch
Glorious centuries by Marnus Labuschagne and Kiran Carlson at Hove were overshadowed by worries over the fitness of Ollie Robinson. The England player bowled an eight-over spell during the morning session but didn’t return after lunch. Paul Farbrace, Sussex’s head coach, confirmed after play that Robinson has a sore ankle, is going for a precautionary scan on Monday and is unlikely to bowl again in the match against Glamorgan.
“It was precautionary. There was no point in making it worse.” Farbrace said. “It’s the walking more than the running in. He was all right running in down the slope. He did OK. It’s a joint decision between the Sussex medical team and the England medical team. Much as we want him out there bowling and taking wickets it’s not fair on him to make the injury worse.”
Robinson’s warm up for the international summer had been going nicely, with 20 wickets in two and a bit Championship games, though he had to spend the last few overs of the match against Worcestershire in early May off the field suffering from cramp.
Any injury to Robinson would be particularly worrying for England, whose fast-bowling stocks are increasingly crocked: Jofra Archer (elbow and out for the summer), Olly Stone (hamstring and out until at least the second Ashes Test), Brydon Carse (trunk strain) Jimmy Anderson (twinge to groin) and Ben Stokes (chronic left knee injury).
Without Robinson, Sussex struggled to make headway against an increasingly confident Glamorgan. Labuschagne, buttons polished, hair brushed and Ashes ready, finished his Welsh mini-break with 502 runs in eight innings at an average of 71.71, including two hundreds and two fifties. It was a watchful innings at Hove, with occasional flourishes of brilliance, and he reached his century with two consecutive fours, a gorgeous cover drive and a pull.
He was congratulated with a bear hug by Carlson; and applause by the slips, his teammates on the balcony and all round the ground. When he finally fell, for 138, it was to teenage century maker James Coles, who is having a match to remember. Carlson, the Glamorgan captain, came in on a hat-trick, but was 187 runs richer at stumps. He and Labuschagne had turned the game around.
Surrey thrashed Kent by 10 wickets before lunch, going into the T20 Blast break on top of Division One, with four wins and a 25-point lead over second-placed Warwickshire (who have played a game less). Sam Billings collected a pair and Zak Crawley could only add three runs to his overnight score, as 20-year-old Tom Lawes pocketed his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. There was a warning to the chasing pack from a delighted Lawes. That’s how we want to play our cricket,” he said, “and we reckon there is still more to come from us as a team.” It was Kent’s third defeat of the summer.
Liam Dawson was Northamptonshire’s bogey man as they slumped to their third consecutive defeat. It was always going to be difficult to escape from a first-innings score of 56 all out, and so it proved, with Dawson’s six for 61 ensuring Hampshire’s win by an innings. Northants have only secured one batting bonus point all season, but there was one bright spark in Saif Zaib, who finished unbeaten with 57, as well as being top scorer in the first-innings debacle.
Five wickets for Craig Overton hurried Somerset over the line against Middlesex at Lord’s, only their second Championship win away from home in over two years. While at New Road, Adam Hose and Gareth Roderick hauled Worcestershire to a most unexpected three-wicket win over Leicestershire, after being bowled out for 83 in their first innings. Alastair Cook can sleep with dreams of a hundred, 87 not out at stumps, as he and Tom Westley soaked up the deficit for Essex against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.
Scores on the doors
DIVISION ONE
The Rose Bowl:Hampshire 367 BEAT Northamptonshire 56 and 176
Lord’s: Somerset 404 BEAT Middlesex 175 and 216 by an innings and 13 runs.
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 442 v Essex 298 and 199-1
The Oval: Surrey 362 and 58-0 BEAT Kent 278 and 141 by ten wickets.
DIVISION TWO
Bristol: Gloucestershire 292 and 181-6 v Durham 445 and 272-4dec Gloucs need 245 to win
Hove: Sussex 481 v Glamorgan 123 and 499-5
New Road: Worcestershire 83 and 274-7 BEAT Leicestershire 173 and 180 by three wickets
Preamble
Good morning! After yesterday’s avalanche of results, just three games in play today: at Hove, Bristol and Trent Bridge. Worcestershire’s upside-down victory yesterday should give Glamorgan hopes of holding on against Sussex – especially if captain Carlson can stay in, while Gloucestershire look in big trouble and an intriguing match is unfolding in Nottingham. This is the last day of Championship cricket until June 11, so even if your team are already jubilant/despondent, do brew a coffee and come chew the fat BTL.
