Key events
As well as Jofra Archer’s return for Sussex, his first red-ball game in four years, Jacob Bethell gets to show his show-stopping moves for Warwickshire in the light of love-rival Ollie Pope’s century against India yesterday.
Division Two Table (seven games played)
Leicestershire 139
2 Derbyshire 108
3 Glamorgan 97
4 Gloucestershire 88
5 Northamptonshire 72
6 Middlesex 70
7 Lancashire 66
8 Kent 65
Division One Table (seven games played)
1 Nottinghamshire 115
2 Surrey 105
3 Sussex 95
4 Warwickshire 93
5 Somerset 92
6 Durham 84
7 Hampshire 82
8 Essex 75
9 Yorkshire 59
10 Worcestershire 54
For those settling down to watch Jimmy Anderson zip in from Blackpool’s North End, hold your horses. A slight technical hitch – a missing wire that holds the whole thing together – means the stream is not flowing. Things should be working after lunch, but Scott Read and co will be still be on the radio.
Division Two fixtures
Bristol: Gloucestershire v Derbyshire Gloucs won the toss and will bat
Blackpool: Lancashire v Kent Lancs won the toss and will field
Grace Road: Leicestershire v Glamorgan Glamorgan won the toss and will bat
Wantage Road: Northamptonshire v Middlesex Middx won the toss and will bat
Division One Fixtures
Chester le Street: Durham v Sussex Sussex won the toss and will bat
Chelmsford: Essex v Hants Essex won the toss and will bat
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Yorkshire Notts won the toss and will bat
Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Somerset Somerset won the toss and will bat
New Road: Worcestershire v Surrey Worcs won the toss and will bat
David ‘Syd’ Lawrence dies aged 61
Very sad news from Gloucestershire. Just a year after he announced that he was suffering from Motor Neurone Disease, David Lawrence, the first British born Black cricketer to play for England, has died.
David Payne spoke on behalf of Gloucestershire’s playing staff:
“I’d like to offer our sincerest condolences to Syd’s family at this truly devastating time.
“Syd was a true legend of the Club and someone every player had immense respect for – not just because of the fantastic cricketer he was, but for the amazing person he was, and what he gave to this Club both on and off the field.
“Sharing last year’s T20 success with Syd is a memory we will never forget and will cherish forever.
“Syd will always be an inspiration to us all, and we thank him for everything he did for our great game.”
Preamble
Good morning and welcome back! Lather up for two weeks of midsummer cricket, Kookaburra balls and skylarks.
While Jofra Archer flexes his bowling boots at Chester le Street, I’m at Blackpool [never say the Guardian misses a big story] , where the wind is buffeting the tent and Jimmy Anderson, in his 300th first-class game, is captaining Lancashire for the first time (while Marcus Harris is on paternity leave).
Elsewhere, there has been a proliferation of short term signings. Young Indian batter Tilak Varma joins Hampshire, Pakistan batter Abdullah Shafique joins Yorkshire, Western Australian offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli joins Warwickshire and other Australian offspinner Todd Murphy signs on the dotted line for Gloucestershire.
Over on the outfield, Jimmy Anderson is being presented with a bottle of champagne for his 300th first-class game, and play starts round the grounds in half an hour.
