Key events
When Abbas played for Hampshire his trousers always used to be slightly too short. The Notts kitman/woman seems to have measured his legs correctly. A magical slip of a man. At the other end Brett Hutton is an old fashioned, underrated, broad of beam tricksy English seamer. A pleasing combination and not easy to face on this pitch.
And there is Abbas’s first wicket for Notts! Gubbins a 13-ball duck. Hants 31-2.
Kyle Abbott, speaking last night, didn’t sound too happy about Notts reaching 333. Generously, he didn’t mention the five dropped catches by his teammates. “To be quite honest, their total seems a little bit over par on that pitch. There was a bit more in it than that sort of score might suggest,” he said.
“We were a little bit unlucky this morning. There was a lot going on, sometimes a bit too much.”
And, sure enough, Mark Stoneman is already out this morning, caught and bowled by Brett Hutton. Hants 24-1. Mohammad Abbas is slinking in as he always did.
“Good morning Tanya (and Happy American Mothers’ Day, if you feel in need of an extra day’s credit).” I’ll take any credit I can get, Tim Maitland.
“With Warwickshire resuming only four down and presumably in a position to eliminate defeat from the list of possible results at Edgbaston, is it time we talked about the defending champions’ bowling this year?
“Of course they’re missing Dan Worrall and Gus Atkinson from the side that beat Somerset last time out, but that’s the only time they’ve taken 20 wickets this season and, early doors though it may be, the evidence suggests that they’re not going to repeat that feat this week.
“Kemar Roach has finished his four-match stint, the Curran brothers have been playing pyjama cricket – Tom with Lahore Qalanders, Sam with Chennai Super Kings – but those were all known and, presumably, planned for. Are they in trouble?”
You’re doubting the mighty Surrey? In plain sight?
Barney unleashed on the current mess we find ourselves in:
David Hopps is back … and reports:
When you insist it’s a docile Chelmsford wicket only for Yorkshire to skedaddle to 216 all out and then take three quick wickets in reply, all alibis are helpful. So thanks to Essex’s leggie Matt Critchley (who ended up with four wickets) for saying: “I’m not sure about how to read the pitch. We thought it was going to be flat. I think it’s a slow, dead wicket.” Or Yorkshire’s James Wharton who said much the same. Good judges both, clearly. Both these sides have unreliable batting orders so who knows what might happen today.”
Don’t want to sound too middle aged but I’m very excited by the bedding plants I’ve just bought from the scouts. In other news, Virat Kohli is about to call time on his Test career:
A meeting of the National Drought Group is never a good sign…
Friday’s round-up
There was a to-and-fro scrap at Trent Bridge, the difference being Nottinghamshire’s 20-year-old England Lion Freddie McCann, who hit a wonderful century, already his third in the Championship. Kyle Abbott collected five wickets for the 43rd time in his career – it could have been more but Hampshire dropped five catches.
The 2024 champions had a difficult day at Edgbaston. Tom Latham, who only arrived in Birmingham on Tuesday after recovering from a broken hand, frolicked to an unbeaten 139 on his Warwickshire debut. Alex Davies had set the mood, playing wantonly at the Surrey attack, slapping a couple of early sixes, until he was bowled by a full toss from Dan Lawrence. Surrey, shorn of Jamie Smith and Ollie Pope by England, picked Jason Roy for the first time in five years.
It was a memorable day for off-spinner Jack Carson, who celebrated a maiden first-class century at a sunny Hove. It was an intelligent rescue act after Sussex, sitting pretty at 80 for nought, promptly lost six for eight as Tom Taylor (five for 56) ran riot. The last-wicket stand of 73 was particularly galling for Worcestershire.
James Wharton’s careful innings of 63 not out just about knitted Yorkshire together on a day when they lost nine for 108 on a two-faced Chelmsford pitch. Matt Critchley collected four for 49. Essex then lost their opening pair and the nightwatchman before the close.
Glamorgan, boosted by news that Marnus Labuschagne would be returning for two games (and a sixth season) later this month, had a good day against Kent at Canterbury, where a north wind confused the seasons. Young specs-wearing Asa Tribe was bowled by Matt Parkinson six runs short of a first Championship century, Ben Kellaway was unbeaten on 91.
A ding-dong unrolled at the County Ground, where Northamptonshire were reduced to 67 for six before the last four batters added 171 – much to Lancashire’s frustration. Lewis McManus cooked up a half century and was well supported by Liam Guthrie and the tail. Lancashire lost both George Bell and Josh Bohannon for nought, but yet another fifty from Marcus Harris smoothed the waters.
Scores on the doors
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex 27-3 v Yorkshire 216
Trent Bridge: Notts 333 v Hampshire 2-0
Hove: Sussex 284 v Worcestershire 7-0
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 364-4 v Surrey
DIVISION TWO
Canterbury: Kent v Glamorgan 389-7
County Ground: Northamptonshire 238 v Lancashire 110-3
Preamble
Hello! And a happy Saturday morning all round. It’s another fine day around the grounds and play will start at 11am, so do join us post park run/croissant/child’s football game for some county cricket perambulations.
