As we approach the halfway stage of the season in the LV= County Championship, it is still all to play for in Division One, with Middlesex leaders by just five points after coming off second best in a drawn game against Durham in the latest round of matches.
Yorkshire are their closest rivals and are arguably in a stronger position with a game in hand following their thrashing of a Northamptonshire side that continues to look out of place in the top flight.
Yorkshire didn’t have it all their own way at Wantage Road but benefited from playing their ninth round game a day earlier that the rest of Division One, who were all affected to some degree by Wednesday’s rain and saw their matches end in draws.
To begin with, the conditions at Northampton didn’t favour the visitors and they were bowled out for just 136 on Saturday after being asked to bat as New Zealander Ian Butler did much of the damage for the hosts with four for 41. Northamptonshire, though, didn’t fully capitalise on the advantage gained by their bowlers and could muster a lead of only 115 despite both James Middlebrook and the increasingly impressive Ben Duckett passing 50.
Marcus Trescothick
Yorkshire’s incredible second innings then made mincemeat of that lead. Young openers and Adam Lyth and Alex Lees added 375 for the first-wicket to set up a declaration at 546 for three. 21 year-old Lees registered the fifth century of what promises to be a highly fruitful career before being dismissed by Matthew Spriegel for 138. The more experienced Lyth, though, breezed to a double-hundred and wasn’t removed from the crease until he had made 230.
By then, the game had gone for Northants and their fragile batting line-up crumbled when faced with a target of 432 and an impressive Yorkshire bowling attack as they were bowled out for a pitiful 160.
“We had to be very disciplined with the ball,” said Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie after the game, speaking to the club’s website. “I thought the way we came out and bowled today (on day four)…Brezzy (Bresnan who took 3-46)and Brooksy (Brooks who took 2-41) were outstanding first up, Patto was top drawer and Liam (Plunkett with 4-42) bowled incredibly well. I thought he created a lot of indecision again. Even though Rashid only bowled a few overs in this game (match figures of 11-5-7-3), I think he’s bowling as well as I’ve seen him bowl to be honest.
“It was a massive performance in terms of character from our players,” he added. “From 136 all out in 40 overs on day one with the ball nipping around I thought our cricket was incredible.
“Andrew Gale asked the lads to show some fight and find a way to get back into the game. They certainly did that. I can’t be prouder of them. If you want to challenge for the top two or three spots, you need to put in performances like that and bounce back from poor sessions, poor hours and poor days. It’s one of the best wins I’ve seen for a long time in any cricket.”
Northamptonshire, meanwhile, who have lost five of their first six games, admittedly without the services of the talismanic David Willey for much of it, must ponder changes. Chief executive David Smith told ESPNcricinfo that head coach David Ripley’s position is safe and pinned the blame firmly on the players.
“The level of performance is not good enough,” he said. “There is a huge difference between the standard of cricket in Divisions One and Two and clearly at the moment we are well adrift but it is not a coaching issue, it is a playing issue and we have to address that.
“We rely on our senior players but there are some senior batsmen who are not getting runs. We have not got a single hundred yet in the Championship. Based on the evidence so far, some of our players have found the step up to be one too far. But we knew there was a gap and that shouldn’t surprise anyone. We want the kind of players who relish the opportunity and relish the fight.
“We can’t be picking the same team and making the same mistakes, therefore we have to look to make changes, and so the side we pick against Sri Lanka this week will provide the opportunity for other players to put their names forward.”
Leaders Middlesex saw their advantage at the top significantly reduced as they encountered a Durham side that finally showed just why they won the title last season.
Scott Borthwick and Mark Stoneman set the tone with an awesome second-wicket stand of 274. Borthwick, who continues to impress at number three, recorded a maiden double-hundred and will perhaps be a little annoyed at how his name is not even mentioned when candidates for the England spin spot are considered - despite him technically being the man in possession. He made 216, while Stoneman’s all-or-nothing season in the Championship continued with a career-best 187.
The home side’s bowlers - shorn of the services of their leader Graham Onions - then worked hard to dismiss Middlesex for 330. They would have hoped for better at 45 for four, but Joe Denly, Paul Stirling and Toby Roland-Jones each contributed half-centuries.
Chester-le-Street
Middlesex were invited to follow-on and closed day three on 90 for two with Sam Robson - surely only a little over a week away from a Test debut at Lord’s - unbeaten on 42. Durham, though, were denied any opportunity to push for the win on Wednesday and not a single ball was bowled due to the weather in Chester-le-Street.
Somerset were likewise denied on the last day by rain in the north of England as their match against Lancashire followed an almost identical pattern to that up in county Durham. Lancashire ended on 95 for three after conceding a first innings lead of 217 in being bowled out for just 203. Newly-promoted openers Alex Davies was the only man to prosper in a woefully under-performing batting line-up in making 63 as Peter Trego, Craig Overton and George Dockrell picked up three wickets apiece.
Somerset’s batsmen had earlier established a virtually impregnable position for their team. Captain Marcus Trescothick made a typically brisk 55, but it was the third-wicket stand between England hopeful Nick Compton and overseas pro Alviro Petersen that took the game away for the Lancashire bowlers. The pair added 193 before Compton was removed in the nineties for the second game in succession. Petersen made no such mistake and had reached 155 before being seventh man out with the score on 404.
It was more an excellent batting surface that accounted for the draw at Hove as 1341 runs were scored in 339.3 overs by the combined efforts of the Nottinghamshire and Sussex batsmen.
Samit Patel built on an early 67 from Phil Jaques to compile the first century of the contest. The man who is arguably second favourite behind Moeen Ali for the England spin spot in next week’s Test took just 181 balls to make 156 and shared a pivotal 161 with his skipper Chris Read (61) for the sixth-wicket.
Ed Joyce then made a classy unbeaten 164 as Sussex kept their deficit down to double digits and avoided the follow-on by replying with 355. However, if they thought the match was safe early on day three then Alex Hales soon gave them other ideas.
As England’s top-order prodded and poked in the deciding One-Day International at Edgbaston, the man who hopes to soon join Alastair Cook at the top of that batting line-up breathed new life into the game at Hove. He smashed 167 off just 133 balls, hitting six maximums in a total boundary count of 24, to allow Notts to declare on 336 for four after just 67 overs and so set the hosts 434 with more than a day to bat.
Of course, with the rain around, it was always likely to be significantly easier for the home side and they only faced 60 overs in their run chase, encountering little difficulty. Stuart Broad completed a satisfying warm-up for next week’s Test by dismissing both openers, Luke Wells and Chris Nash, but not before they had added 161 in 43 overs for the first-wicket.
DIVISION ONE STANDINGS
| Teams | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | Draw | Aban | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesex | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 104 |
| Yorkshire | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 99 |
| Somerset | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 92 |
| Notts | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 87 |
| Sussex | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 85 |
| Warwickshire | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 69 |
| Durham | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 69 |
| Lancashire | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 62 |
| Northants | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 |
In Division Two, Hampshire continue to look like Division winners after a strong performance against a continually disappointing Derbyshire, while second-placed Worcestershire had comfortably the better of the draw against Surrey.
Derbyshire did just about escape with the draw due to bad weather on the final day in Southampton. Only 38 overs were bowled as they slumped to 107 for eight in pursuit of 346 thanks to wickets from Danny Briggs (2-22 following a first innings 5-50), James Tomlinson (3-16) and Matt Coles (2-22).
Four Hampshire batsmen - Jimmy Adams, Will Smith, Adam Wheater and Michael Bates - had made half-centuries in their first innings after Derbyshire had inserted their hosts upon winning the toss only to watch as they piled up 388. A late unbeaten 60 from Tony Palladino then limited the Derbyshire arrears to 131 but, in truth, they were playing catch-up for virtually the entire match following the decision to ask Hampshire to bat which cost them to the tune of an opening stand of 110.
Worcestershire’s emphatic performance against Surrey was built on the back of a knock of 162 from Moeen Ali. There were also half-centuries from Daryl Mitchell, Matthew Pardoe and Ben Cox as Worcestershire racked up 476 upon choosing to bat. 
Surrey’s reply was then somewhat of a mixed affair as none of their last seven batsmen reached double figures after the highly-promising young pairing of Rory Burns (79) and Zafar Ansari (77 not out) had added 127 for the second-wicket. Jack Shantry was their chief destroyer as he continues to prove himself to be a more than capable attack leader in the absence of Alan Richardson as he picked up six for 53.
Surrey were then asked to follow-on and benefited from a truncated final day to close on 240 for five, with Ansari and Steven Davies hitting half-centuries and Jason Roy unbeaten on 45.
Glamorgan and Essex continue to keep the leading pair within sight despite only drawing at Chelmsford. A potentially interesting final day was spoilt by the weather, with Essex finishing 28 for two after being set 215 to win. Glamorgan had extended their second innings from its overnight 188 for eight to make 250 thanks to Jim Allenby’s 250.
James Foster had made 86 to help Essex earn a slender first innings lead and so keep his name in the frame should Matt Prior be declared unfit for Lord’s. Reece Topley, meanwhile, made his Championship bow for 2014 by taking six for 41 in the Glamorgan first innings of 244 which saw Will Bragg top-score from number three with 93.
DIVISION TWO STANDINGS
| Teams | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | Draw | Aban | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampshire | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 110 |
| Worcs | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 106 |
| Glamorgan | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 72 |
| Essex | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 71 |
| Surrey | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 62 |
| Gloucs | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 59 |
| Kent | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 57 |
| Leics | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 51 |
| Derbyshire | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 43 |
Daniel Grummitt
He worked for CricketWorld.com for almost three years, leading their county and domestic cricket coverage and contributing to a book about the 2012 ICC World Twenty20, before joining the hugely ambitious World Cricket Badger early in 2014.
The first Test that he remembers watching was on Channel 4 - back before the ECB marginalised potential future fans by selling the TV rights to Sky Sports - when England beat Pakistan by an innings and nine runs at Lord’s.
Besides a passion for domestic cricket, he also has an unexplainable interest in all things Zimbabwe cricket!
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