Key events
And there’s the next big wicket for Somerset, HH, who turns Overton off his hip and into the gloves of Thomas Rew. Notts 69 for five and HH is another player, like Saif Zaib until this round, who hasn’t been able to match last year’s plenty.
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Weather watch – no play yet at Northampton
Mostly positive, with sunny spells, though there are some showers moving north and east. At Wantage Road, they’re starting to mop up.
A huge wicket! Joe Clarke is bowled by Jake Ball, who was substituted in half way through the game because of Gregory’s hamstring. Delight for Somerset, despair for Clarke who was done for pace. Notts 51-4,
Big Craig with the second over of the morning, after Joe Clarke tickles four off Jake Ball’s first ball of the day. Not many in the white tip-up seats. And that’s a maiden.
Eyes first to Trent Bridge, where Notts are trying to avoid their first defeat of the season, and their first since May 2025 when they lost to Durham at Chester le Street. Anthony Gibson thinks it is a bowling morning moving onto a batting afternoon.
Good morning Mike Daniels in the Grace Road scorebox. “Will it be a Headingly ‘81 day here or will Leicestershire subside to another tame loss?
“It’s frustrating for their supporters to see the optimism generated by last season’s promotion dissipated by the performances this year.
“Yes, there are mitigating factors with key players missing for either the whole or part of the season and a great overseas signing subsequently withdrawn by the SA Board, but the batting hasn’t generally been good enough from the established players. Days like yesterday, when grit was shown, are more frustrating as it shows what has been missing from the first innings, and too many innings so far this year.
“The workmanlike bowling attack was never going to be strong enough to win games in Div 1 so the onus was on the batting, and it hasn’t delivered.
“There’s still time to put strong performances in this season and supporters are hoping they’ll show the fight they showed yesterday in the coming games.”
Deepti Sharma popped Pakistan dreams.
Ollie Robinson ruled out of the second Test
Due to that knee soreness he felt after the first Test. He will stay with the squad and undergo rehab work ahead of the third Test. Which means England’s bowling attack will have at least three changes from Lord’s – minus Stokes, Atkinson and Robinson.
Scores on the doors
Division One
Grace Road: Leicestershire 187 and 326-7 v Essex 401
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 193 and 47-3v Somerset 310 and 355-7
Hove: Sussex 521 BEAT Glamorgan 155 and 268 by an innings and 98 runs
Scarborough: Yorkshire 469 and 246-6 v Warwickshire 263 and 44-1
Division Two
Chester-le-Street: Durham 377 BEAT Derbyshire 118 and 237 by an innings and 22 runs
Blackpool: Kent 178 and 332 BEAT Lancashire 87 and 283 by 140 runs
Northampton: Northamptonshire 465 v Gloucestershire 268 and 264-7
New Road: Worcestershire 265 and 33-2 v Middlesex 339 and 283-6 Worcs need 325 to win
Sunday’s roundup: Mahmud’s six continues Kent’s revival
Hasan Mahmud poured cold water over the Blackpool sandcastles with a career-best six for 69, nine wickets in the match, bowling Kent to a 140-run victory over Lancashire. He lifted the match ball as he led Kent off, enveloped in a huge hug from head coach Adam Hollioake as he crossed the rope – not a bad debut performance.
Kent’s dismal start to the season has been transformed, with three wins in four games. Lancashire’s though, has slipped dangerously – this a third defeat in four. Marcus Harris was stranded on an immaculate 91, though for a time, as the crowd on the bleachers soaked in the afternoon sun, the unlikely seemed possible, as Keaton Jennings (61) and Liam Livingstone (47) stuck to the task.
Sussex leaped to the top of the Division One table with an innings victory over Glamorgan at Hove. Glamorgan batted with furrowed concentration second time around, with half centuries for Ben Kellaway (55) and Asa Tribe (64), but Sussex chipped away. Captain Tom Haines snaffled three wickets as did double-centurion James Coles, who put the full stop on a magical match by bowling Ryan Hadley.
Durham coach Ryan Campbell, buoyant after the innings defeat of Derbyshire, confirmed he expects Ben Stokes to play for his team next week. He also praised Matthew Potts, whose eight for 66 cannoned Durham to victory. “When you find out you’re not going to be selected [by England], you can go one of two ways,” said Campbell. “You can be down in the dumps, or you can be Matthew Potts and take eight wickets. It just shows the qualities of the man.”
Potts’ four wickets in 19 balls ended Derbyshire’s resistance, though Harry Came carried his bat for 105. Earlier Lewis Moody, on his fundraising cycle ride from Newcastle RUFC to Twickenham, had called in to Chester le Street.
Eighteen-year-old Tom Rew hit his maiden first-class century for Somerset, a delightfully racy knock, as they dominated Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.
England pulled Jordan Cox, fresh from his 204, out of Essex’s match against Leicestershire early as cover for Jamie Smith, whose partner is due to give birth to their second child. On the pitch, a dogged Leicestershire second innings, following on, hauled the game into a fourth day.
Preamble
Hello! Monday morning and there’s three empty places at the breakfast table – Chester-le-Street, Blackpool and Hove have all left early.
But there’s still lots to chew over – can Somerset’s bowlers run through the rest of Notts? Will Leicester’s dogged Sunday be in vain?Will Yorkshire pickle out Warwicks, Middlesex, Worcester and Northants stride up the table? All this and more, from 11am. Do join us.
