County cricket day four: Somerset v Essex, Hants v Durham, Middx v Kent and more | County Championship
Published: 2025-05-05 13:09:32 | Views: 18
Key events
Lunchtime scores
DIVISION ONE
Southampton: Hampshire 470 v Durham 511 and 14-0
Taunton: Somerset 145 and 325-7 BEAT Essex 206 and 259 by three wickets
Headingley: Warwickshire 253 and 186-5 BEAT Yorkshire 205 and 232 by FIVE WICKETS
DIVISION TWO
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 431 and 256-7 v Derbyshire 350
Old Trafford: Lancashire 450 and 98-3 v Gloucestershire 589-8dec
Grace Road: Leicestershire 304 and 175 BEAT Northamptonshire 191 and 156 by 132 runs
Lord’s: Middlesex 238 and 146-3 v Kent 129 and 473 Middlesex need 219 to win
Thank you to Romeo for this stat.
“First-class best score for young Ben Kellaway, and 8,000 first-class runs for Chris Cooke, who made his Glamorgan debut (in the 2nd XI) almost fifteen years ago. A great servant to the club.”
Now that’s over, and with Lancashire not looking entirely at ease against Akhter, let’s wander around the grounds.
Glamorgan have a lead of 228, Kellaway and Cooke have put on nearly 100. A declaration must be coming but they’ll be wary of giving Derbyshire a sniff of doing what Somerset have just done.
Rain has brought an early lunch at Lord’s where Middlesex need 219, didn’t lose a wicket, but did lose Stevie Eskinazi to a back injury which left him in agony.
And Durham are batting again at Southampton – with a first-innings lead of 41. There doesn’t really seem time for anything much to happen on this ptich.
Lancashire’s Tom Smith has been prowling the boundary for Gloucestershire – who must have temporarily run out of bodies. And, suddenly Gloucs have another – the big one, Marcus Harris. Advances to van Buuren and is stumped by a delighted Bracey for 24. VAn Buuren does a sprint of delight. Lancs three down, fifty behind.
Somerset BEAT Essex by three wickets!
What a comeback! Big Craig does it with a six, collecting fifty on the way. James Rew the pillar in an astonishing second-innings chase. Vic Marks calls it his best innings for Somerset – and that’s good enough for me.
A belated season launch for Somerset, a pocket picked for Essex, who also have an injury worry with Jordan Cox – whose side strain was probably the turning point of the game.
Taunton: Somerset 145 and 325-7 BEAT Essex 206 and 259 by three wickets
Rew gone! Tries to sweep Harmer, misses and is clocked on the pad. Amazing innings. Nine needed.
Craig Overton puts those long levers into full operation and drives Simon Harmer down to the rope; then James Rew with high elbow pistol shots Rajitha down the ground for four more, and another, a swivelled pull. Somerset strolling to victory.
The floodlights are flickering into life at OT as Singh-Dale races in, delivering mini-bombs.
Elsewhere: Ben Brown is out at Southampton, bowled by Yusuf for an epic 162, dragging Hampshire to near parity. Hampshire 468-9. 49 overs and one wicket for Parky, 29 and four wickets for Potts.
Glamorgan are six down at Sophia Gardens, but the lead is 257; Hollman and Eskinazi hang on in there at Lord’s, Middx 115-3.
A hundred for James Rew
A tenth first-class century for James Rew, at the tender age of 21. There can’t have been many calmer. Somerset in tickling distance now – 41 needed.
Sam Cook rues Rew’s runs. Photograph: Harry Trump/Getty Images
And Jennings, whose magic touch has temporarily deserted him, follows suit, also caught Bancroft, this time off Singh Dale. Lancs 50-2.
A wicket at Lancashire, Bell picked up at second slip by Bancroft off Tom Price. Lancs 50-1, trail by 89.
Those Price boys can turn their hands to magic…
Cook’s first over contains an lbw shout, four leg byes and a single. Tick, tock.
If you’re anywhere near Taunton, it’s free for children and a fiver for adults. But hurry up!
New ball at Taunton
Essex’s last chance. Somerset need 63, four wickets in hand.
Good morning Gareth Powell: “I’m not convinced this game is a bore draw. The way we’ve been batting this year, it wouldn’t surprise me if between noon and tea we managed to lose all ten wickets without even catching Gloucestershire.”
I feel suitably chastised.
Four men crouch around Craig Overton, Harmer, hair blowing in the wind, shades on, wheels in. Overton plays out the over.
Here at OT a double bouncing no-ball from Shaw is pulled for four by a laughing Bell. Lancs 32-0.
The new ball approaches at Taunton, but Somerset are striding closer with increased confidence – 79 needed, Rew 80, Coverton 13.
Rain
At Lord’s. Probably not enough to save Middlesex though.
Arrive at OT to find that Gloucestershire have declared – so Wally Hammond can rest untroubled that Ollie Price will beat his record.
Sunday's round-up
Despite a team sparkling with the one-match presence of Joe Root and Harry Brook, Yorkshire lost to Warwickshire by five wickets in two-and-a-half days at Headingley. Root’s 90 was the game’s top score but Warwickshire held their nerve, chasing down 185 with relative ease – debutant Zen Malik’s clinching the game with a six. As well as their second defeat of the summer, Yorkshire also collected a points deduction for a slow over rate. Division One is proving a difficult nut to crack.
Essex’s Jordan Cox, selected by England for the Zimbabwe Test, retired hurt on 103 after straining his side diving for the crease on 99 in a ding-dong match at Taunton. Cox was picked to tour New Zealand last year but was forced out with a broken finger. James Rew inspired a Somerset recovery.
Josh Hull rearranged the stumps of Northamptonshire’s top three as Leicestershire cruised to their third win of the season and settled into their armchair at the top of Division Two. Chasing 289, Ricardo Vasconcelos, Luke Procter and James Sales all found their stumps flying within Hull’s first four overs, and Northants stumbled to 156 all out.
Ollie Price stepped into the huge boots of Wally Hammond and Charlie Barnett at Old Trafford, becoming only the third Gloucestershire batter to make a double century against Lancashire. His 253 not out, full of charming cover drives and neat pulls, kept the fielders on their toes on a pitch that had the home members muttering into their windbreakers. Price put on 203 with Miles Hammond (97), and got an affectionate pat from batting partner and older brother Tom when he passed 200. Tom Bailey was given a letter of warning before play by the ECB’s anti-corruption officer for inadvertently taking a mobile phone on to the field of play on Saturday, and will face an internal investigation by Lancashire.
Daniel Bell Drummond’s 223 put Kent in a strong position at Lord’s, Ben Brown made his first century as Hampshire captain at Southampton, Derbyshire avoided the follow on at Sophia Gardens and had Glamorgan wobbling at 15 for three.
Scores on the doors
DIVISION ONE
Southampton: Hampshire 429-7 v Durham 511
Taunton: Somerset 145 and 216-6 v Essex 206 and 259 Somerset need 105 to win
Headingley: Warwickshire 253 and 186-5 BEAT Yorkshire 205 and 232 by FIVE WICKETS
DIVISION TWO
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 431 and 132-5 v Derbyshire 350
Old Trafford: Lancashire 450 v Gloucestershire 589-8
Grace Road: Leicestershire 304 and 175 BEAT Northamptonshire 191 and 156 by 132 runs
Lord’s: Middlesex 238 and 81-3 v Kent 129 and 473 Middlesex need 284 to win
Preamble
Happy bank holiday Monday! For those not cleaning out the kitchen cupboard or on their way to the seaside – the County Championship awaits. Five games still in play – a thriller at Taunton, a slow-burn at Sophia Gardens, a fight for Middlesex at Lord’s, and two bore draws at Old Trafford and Southampton. We’ll be here all day, do drop by.
