Key events
This might be of interest for those of you pressed into work on Friday. Thanks to Mes for the tip-off.
Kent have taken the new ball – Lancs are halfway home – a wicket for de Leede at Durham. At Chesterfield, no more wickets have fallen, Yorkshire need 37 and Dom Bess has 17.
Remember this?
They learnt it all here you know.
A swift whip round the grounds:
Southport -Lancs on course, 59-2, 81 needed.
Chesterfield – yikes! Malan in – and out – for 0. Seven down, fifty still needed.
Canterbury – 501? no trouble. Surrey press on.
A minute’s silence at Trent Bridge and Chelmsford before play started:
Ahead of play, both Clubs and officials will come together to pay their respects to Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley Kumar who tragically lost their lives in Nottingham on Tuesday.
We send our condolences to the family, friends and teammates of Barnaby and Grace during this… pic.twitter.com/NRiUi3yGOE
— Essex Cricket (@EssexCricket) June 14, 2023
“Go with the flow” Mo
Surrey’s Jordan Clark on the hare and the tortoise:
“It’s obviously a good pitch to bat on, the boys dug in exceptionally well. Sibley survived 200 odd rocks to see the day out and that fantastic innings by Jamie just shows how good a player he is.
“It was an unbelievable knock, in my opinion probably one of the best I’ve seen. I can only imagine he just thought instead of the pressure being on him he’d pile it back on them. I didn’t see him play too many shots out of anger, it was just the timing of the ball and placement. He’s pure class really.
“Both of them complimented each other really, really well. He allowed Sibley to not be rushed. He played an amazing anchor role and didn’t look troubled.”
Ashes minus two!
So much to read – deep dive into Bazball with Ali, Andy and Andrew Samson.
Tuesday’s round-up
The day’s main event started at 5.35pm at Southport, as Lancashire started their chase of 140 against Hampshire for their first win of the season. With Keith Barker kicking up dust at one end, and Mohammad Abbas slipping in on silent cat paws at the other, it was never going to be easy. First innings centurion Phil Salt snicked Abbas’s fourth ball through to James Vince; and George Balderson was snaffled behind off Barker the following over (5-2). But Josh Bohannon and Dane Vilas, reprieved by Vince at first slip just before the close, reduced the target to 92 at stumps.
Earlier Vince, sleeves pulled up a hitch and a bit, shirt unbuttoned, had danced to 87. He is in the form of his life, averaging 70, but the door is surely closed on any further England selection. Out came the peachy straight drive, the peachy off-drive, but no-one was able to stay with him quite long enough to set Lancashire a more pressing target, though Kyle Abbott’s gung-ho 23 was handy. Balderson grabbed three wickets, while George Bell, aiming at Barker’s footholes, grabbed his first, to the evident disgruntlement of Liam Dawson – who later consoled himself with a waffle cone from the ice cream van.
A scintillating century by Jamie Smith, off just 70 balls, gave Surrey a chance of their highest successful run chase against Kent. Dom Sibley, 61 not out off 212, played the role of the wily old pro. Essex set Somerset a hefty 466 to win, and were well on their way to victory, Matthew Critchley adding a half century and two wickets to his first-innings hundred. A century from Joe Clarke kept Nottinghamshire hopes semi-alive following on against Warwickshire.
In Division Two, Yorkshire’s search for their first win of the season stumbled into the dark woods as first Derbyshire cracked 453, spearheaded by a fifth-wicket stand of 277 between Leus du Plooy (170) and Haider Ali (146); and then Yorks lost late wickets, closing with 65 still needed, four wickets left. The match destiny rests with Shan Masood, unbeaten on 68.
It was Bas de Leede day at The Riverside, an unbeaten 85 helping Durham to 630, before he snaffled three for 25, leaving Glamorgan in deep trouble. Sussex take a lead of 297 into the final day at Hove against Worcestershire, and Leicestershire were 350 all out at Gloucestershire, 18 runs behind their hosts.
Score on the doors
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex 462-9dec and 170-7dec v Somerset 167 and 172-4
Canterbury: Kent 301 and 344 v Surrey 145 and 263-3, Surrey need 238 to win
Southport: Lancashire 374 and 48-2 v Hampshire 142 and 371 Lancs need 92 to win
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 155 and 267-4 v Warwickshire 571-9dec
DIVISION TWO
Chesterfield: Derbyshire 111 and 453 v Yorkshire 353 and 147-6 Yorkshire need 65 to win
Chester-le-Street: Durham 630 v Glamorgan 390 and 159-4
Bristol: Gloucestershire 368 and 9-0 v Leicestershire 350
Hove: Sussex 348 and 359-6 v Worcestershire 410
Preamble
Good morning! It’s day four and all to play for round the grounds. Can Derbyshire pull it out of the hat, or will Shan Masood take Yorkshire to that longed-for win. Can Lancs really Lancs-up a (seemingly) simple chase? Will Surrey complete a record run-chase against plucky Kent, can Somerset?
Notts and Somerset are on the ropes, as are Glamorgan, and a draw looks certain at rain-dappled Bristol.
A moment here, to remember the young cricket lovers Barnaby Webber and Grace Kumar, who were killed in Nottingham yesterday along with a man in his fifties, as yet unnamed.
These were the words of Barnaby Webber’s parents:
“Complete devastation is not enough to describe our pain and loss at the senseless murder of our son.
“Barnaby Philip John Webber was a beautiful, brilliant, bright young man, with everything in life to look forward to.
“A talented and passionate cricketer, who was over the moon to have made selection to his university cricket team.”
“At 19 he was just at the start of his journey into adulthood and was developing into a wonderful young man.
“As parents we are enormously proud of everything he achieved and all the plans he had made.”
Woodford Wells Cricket club, where Grace Kumar was a junior club captain said, “Grace Kumar was “fun, friendly and brilliant…a fiercely competitive, talented and dedicated cricketer and hockey player.”
Rest in peace.
We are all devastated to hear of the tragic passing of Grace O’Malley Kumar.
A massive talent while part of our junior programme, a respected captain and awesome teammate.
Our thoughts are with family, friends and all that knew Grace 🦅 pic.twitter.com/Fkgp5ktnAU— Essex Womens Cricket (@EssexWomen) June 14, 2023
CLUB STATEMENT
Today we learnt of the death of our dear friend and team mate, Barnaby Webber.
Barney was attacked at the early hours of this morning walking home with a friend after a night out on 13/06/2023 and had lost his life.
(1/3) pic.twitter.com/rPKXNnvS8u
— Bishops Hull Cricket Club (@BishopsHull_CC) June 13, 2023
