Key events
Roundup: Aitchison makes hay on great day for nightwatchmen
Tanya Aldred
A rainy Saturday inspired county nightwatchmen. At Lord’s, Derbyshire’s Ben Aitchison followed up his five wickets with a maiden first-class hundred, stacked with charming drives. As he crossed the line, he got a huge hug from Wayne Madsen and smiled the widest of smiles. Madsen followed up with his first hundred at Lord’s on a tiring day for Middlesex’s bowlers.
Also on overnight duties was Jamie Porter, whose first first-class 50 was the Sellotape Essex needed from the mess of 39 for four. Charlie Allison put on 96 with Porter, and collected 72 before nibbling at Josh Hull. Wiann Mulder (70) and Simon Harmer (33) then punished Leicestershire further and took the hots to within 52 runs of parity.
Emilio Gay celebrated his England call-up with a duck at Beckenham, where Durham found themselves in surprise trouble on a pitch where Kent merrily gathered 523. David Bedingham was 72 not out at stumps but found little other support. Earlier, Matthew Potts had collected six for 92.
A morning’s play was enough for Surrey to rattle through the rest of Yorkshire’s batting. Matt Fisher gathered four for 92, removing Friday’s centurion Jonny Bairstow in the second over of the day. After Adam Lyth fell for 141, George Hill (34) and Dom Bess (42) hit Yorkshire towards 500.
Rain and Abell were the dominant themes at Taunton, where Tom Abell, Division One’s second highest scorer, reached his third century of the season, accompanied by Craig Overton, who biffed his second. Somerset declared on 525 for eight, and there was just time for Overton to send Sussex’s Tom Haines on his way, before the floodlights failed.
Kyle Abbott bowled Nottinghamshire’s Haseeb Hameed for a duck shortly before a lunchtime ceremony to celebrate the South African’s 500th Hampshire wicket. Sonny Baker, running in with pace, then removed Ben Slater and hit the fingers of Freddie McCann, who subsequently retired hurt. After play, Baker said of his England call-up: “It is a dream come true. I feel like I’ve beaten the bat a lot this season, which has been frustrating, but in terms of the outcomes I’ve had, I’d be lying if I wasn’t pretty pleased.”
Glamorgan picked apart Warwickshire’s batting on a damp day in Cardiff. Alex Davies and Dan Mousely carefully collected 30 apiece, but there were slim pickings elsewhere, to leave Warwickshire 123 for six, 237 runs in the red.
There were chaotic scenes at in a low-scoring shootout at Bristol, after Northants were skittled for 127, with five wickets for Matt Taylor. Gloucestershire then opened their second innings with two tailenders, one – Will Williams – returning to the crease shortly after being out to act as a runner for the other – Craig Miles – who was out soon afterwards.
There was no play at Southport with Lancashire still trailing Worcestershire by 242 runs.
Chaotic final scenes there in Bristol! That’s it from us for today – back tomorrow. Have a lovely evening.
Final scores
Chelmsford: Essex 281-8 v Leicestershire 333
Southampton: Hampshire 214 v Nottinghamshire 124-3
Taunton: Somerset 526-8dec v Sussex 22-1
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 123-6 v Glamorgan 360
Headingley: Yorkshire 486 v Surrey 17-0
Division Two
Bristol: Gloucestershire 154 and 21-3 v Northamptonshire 127
Beckenham: Kent 523 v Durham 173-5
Southport: Lancashire 28-0 v Worcestershire 270 no play today
Lord’s: Middlesex 177 and 13-1 v Derbyshire 376
Time for me to start writing up, BTL remains open.
Play only at Taunton, Bristol, Beckenham and Lord’s – where Middlesex’s second innings has dribbled into action, with an early wicket for century-man Aitchison. Middx 6-1, trail by 193.
Asa Tribe rubs his hands together at second slip before grabbing onto an edge from Zen Malik. A wicket for Ryan Hadley. Warwickshire 123 for six are saved, at least temporarily, by Birmingham-biased rain.
Ali has left Edgbaston but the wickets continue to fall onto the conveyor belt. Now Ed Barnard is lbw for ten, a second for van der Gugten. And upstarts Glamorgan have one of the favourites floundering, at 121 for five.
And, from nowhere, at Taunton, Tom Abell is out, flick driving Jack Carson, for 119.
Hmmm, Northants are trying their very best to underwhelm Gloucestershire’s 154. Currently 85-5, with new Lion James Sales nought not out. Saif Zaib 19.
Just listening to coverage from Taunton, where Anthony Gibson and Mel Farrell puzzle over Ollie Robinson only bowling 13 overs. Is he saving himself for England? Injured? Anyway, they’re in ecstacies over Tom Abell and his “piano” hands.
Essex have clawed their way back into this match, from the hole that was 39 for four. Wiaan Mulder’s 59 and Simon Harmer’s six-hitting 30 have reduced the deficit to 62 against Leicestrshire.
At Headingley, the groundstaff are pulling stakes out of a wheelbarrow and are hammering down the covers. Think this is curtains for today.
Rain and Abell
At Taunton, Somerset are flexing their muscles. Undeterred by the on-off weather, Tom Abell has grabbed his hundred and has 677 runs this season, second only to Joe Clarke (748) in Div One, and in the same number of innings. David Bedingham 606) and Emilio Gay (472) lead Division Two. Somerset 414-5.
They were due back on at 4.50 here at Headingley, but now the covers are being dragged back out. And now pegged down.
Nothing. Nowhere.
An injury update from Beckenham, Ben McKinney injured his ankle during the morning warm-up and has been replaced by Will Rhodes. A useful fifty for David Bedingham has taken Durham to 121-4, the aforesaid Rhodes caught for 19, a second wicket for Singh.
They’ve managed 24 overs at Sophia Gardens in the women’s ODI, Jim is in the chair for the OBO.
Teatime-ish scores
Chelmsford: Essex 235-8 v Leicestershire 333
Southampton: Hampshire 214 v Nottinghamshire 124-3
Taunton: Somerset 394-5 v Sussex
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 105-4 v Glamorgan 360
Headingley: Yorkshire 486 v Surrey 17-0
Division Two
Bristol: Gloucestershire 154 v Northamptonshire 85-4
Beckenham: Kent 523 v Durham 103-4
Southport: Lancashire 28-0 v Worcestershire 270 stumps, no play today
Lord’s: Middlesex 177 v Derbyshire 368-8
Rain at Headingley
Burns and Siibley are happy enough, 17-0, Yorkshire slope off behind.
Ali Martin
Tea taken with Warwickshire at 105 for four but there are some seriously gnarly clouds over yonder…
Josh Wilmer, Yorkshire’s media man, informs us that there are 305 Test caps in Yorkshire’s current slip cordon – Bairstow, Root, Lyth, Brook, (Hill). We think that can’t currently be beaten by another county…
Ali Martin
Hello … a fourth wicket for Glamorgan and its the big one of Sam Hain to see Warwickshire 95 for four.
Tim van der Gugten had just seen a couple of lbw shouts turned down but eventually persuaded umpire Ian Blackwell to raise the finger, with Hain having shouldered arms to a ball that nipped back in. Hard to judge on the replay, because the camera isn’t behind the arm. Glamorgan, I should have said earlier, have picked up a fourth point in the match.
Play at Headingley
At last. Richardson runs into the familiar skew-whiff figure of Burns, who sends the last ball of his first over flying to the rope. More rain is due, according to the radar, and it might be spitting again now..
Hundreds for Ben Aitchison and Wayne Madsen!
Runs galore at Lord’s. Tall Aitchison reaches his maiden first-class hundred with a four, gets a huge hug from Madsen and smiles the widest of smiles. Madsen follows four overs later, punching the air as an overthrow get him over the line. Derby 349-7, lead by 172, and that Middx bowling lineup that looked so good at OT last week need to winkle out the last three quickly.
Ali Martin
Glamorgan are up and about at Edgbaston, with Tom Norton – he of the hat-trick last week – getting the big wicket of Dan Mousley for 30 to see Warwickshire 93 for three.
The visitors had been struggling a bit with their lines before that, Mousley and Sam Hain being given too many freebies to easily clip to the short square boundary in front of the Hollies Stand. But Norton got one to angle into off stump from around the wicket, Mousley misjudged the leave, and a bit of nip saw it hit the bullseye.
At Beckenham, no celebratory runs for Emilio Gay, a six-ball duck instead. And Alex Lees has just followed, lbw to Ekash Singh, who was left high and dry on 66 in Kent’s innings – where Potts finished with six for 92.
This was a nice tale of Gay driving home to tell his parents of his England call-up.
A round of applause from the spectators as the groundstaff pull the covers off at Headingley. 3.40 restart, 43 overs left.
Rain, rain. Division One action, where there is any: Notts are 84 for one v Hampshire, Slater and McCann rebuilding after HH’s duck.
Josh Hull has removed Ben Allison for 72, but Essex have avoided the follow-on, 199-7.
Two wickets for Zain ul Hassan at Edgbaston, Warwicks 86-2. Two sixes, three fours, and 56 dots in Al Davies’ peculiar 30.
Sources close to the biscuit supplies at Headingley report that the press got through 100 little packs yesterday. Meanwhile more covers are being dragged on with no great haste.
Stumps at Southport
What a shame. Tomorrow.
A hardy breed of spectators inhabit Headingley. The floodlights are on, there’s no play and the groundstaff are now covering up the practise pitches, yet still they sit in the blue tip-up seats.
And another for Ben Mike, as Critchley dobbles one back and Mike almost trips but holds on and stays upright. Essex 143 for six.
Nightwatchman Jamie Porter is finally removed for 56, the second highest score of the match. New England lion Charlie Allison keeps plugging away, 60 not out. Essex 143 for five, trail by 190.
Ben Aitchison and Wayne Madsen are pulling this game away from Middlesex, both slide past 50 and towards hundreds. Derbys 261-5, lead by 84.
With nothing happening at Headingley other than the umpires chatting to the groundstaff out in the middle, the press box is distracted by Hearts v Celtic. You can follow it here.