2 minute read The County Championship enters its first hiatus with not much in it at the top after Essex won by an innings and Surrey lost by an innings. Third-placed Somerset also lost by an innings, weirdly. What happened with Surrey then? Dunno really. Despite the fact everyone in their top six
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We’re mostly talking about Dans Lawrence and Worrall, Essex’s bowlers, Jordan Cox and Tom Banton this week… and also Keaton Jennings
3 minute read It’s not so easy to narrow things down this week. Quite a lot of interesting players made important contributions in the last round of county games. Upshot is… we’re talking about a lot of things. Dans Lawrence and Worrall If anything sums up Surrey’s strength right now, it is that
Continue readingCan Haseeb Hameed avoid diversions?
4 minute read Timing is important. Ask anyone who has sat in a long line of cars at a temporary set of traffic lights, gazing wearily at a conspicuously queue-free expanse of empty asphalt at the other end of the cones. When timing is on your side, things open up for you. When
Continue readingCounty Championship: Essex lose their way to the top
2 minute read What an incredible sport. What an incredible competition. Somerset beat Essex, which somehow resulted in both teams vaulting ahead of Surrey in the County Championship. Essex started the week level on points with Surrey at the top of the table, but defeat took them three (bonus) points ahead. Somerset’s skittlesome
Continue readingWe’re mostly talking about Essex and Surrey again this week – may as well get used to it
2 minute read We have now entered Phase 3 of this year’s County Championship and after almost four rounds of matches, only three sides have so far managed a win. Durham have won one, while Essex and Surrey have won two. Durham’s efforts have only earned them fifth place in the table, but
Continue readingWe’re mostly talking about Dan Lawrence this week
3 minute read A single player like Dan Lawrence moving from one club to another is quite a big deal. That might seem odd in a world where the biggest cricket tournament won’t be permitting its teams to keep any more than five players from their squads at the end of this season,
Continue readingDeadly Kookaburras: We’re mostly talking about Durham following-on this week
4 minute read Poor pathetic Durham could only muster 517 all out in their first innings against Warwickshire and were therefore invited to follow-on. Fortunately, they managed to escape with a draw after Matt Potts – yes, that Matt Potts – made 149 not out. It is safe to say that in its
Continue readingAn update on county cricket ground names (and a couple of suggestions)
2 minute read Six years ago we handed out a bunch of awards to various county cricket grounds, in recognition of the terrible names they’d been saddled with as a result of sponsorship. Most of these names have since changed, but some of the new names are quite funny or potentially funny, so
Continue readingWe’re mostly talking about Sam Cook this week
2 minute read Only one team successfully beat both the weather and the opposition this week and Sam Cook’s 10-73 was Essex’s most significant contribution. Those figures were also a pretty handy rebuttal to anyone who suggested Cook was a bowler guaranteed to suffer at the listless hands of the slumberous Kookaburra ball.
Continue readingIt’s the time of year when we write about Sam Northeast
2 minute read Sam Northeast finished last season with 166 not out. He started this one with 335 not out. It wasn’t his highest score for Glamorgan. In 2022, he made 410 not out. These are hugely impressive feats; the kinds of feats that get you talked about as a possible England batter.
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