Key events
200 for Asa Tribe
A maiden double-ton and I’m beginning to wonder if I went to the wrong ground. Glamorgan 404-6 against Northants.
Here he is, albeit in June, celebrating a hundred against Leicestershire.
A soupcon of early wickets , James Rew is caught by YJB without adding to his 54 at Taunton; while at Hove Kyle Abbot picks up his second with the third ball of the day, Hunt lbw for one. Sussex look wobbly at 52 for four.
Weather watch
There is play everywhere, at the moment, though the Met Office promise blustery showers in the west later.
Stokes may not be Ashes-ready
Ryan Campbell, Durham’s coach, has tried to calm expectations that Ben Stokes will be fit to play all five Ashes Tests.
“The way he goes about his work to recover just blows me away,” he said. “ It’s why he is one of the greatest all-rounders that’s ever been and it’s why he will be ready for Australia. He will leave no stones unturned, but can he play five Tests in a row with the workload he has? He will try, but I am not 100 per cent sure.”
Campbell also confirmed that Mark Wood was close to returning to the Durham side as he too attempts to get Ashes-fit.
At Grace Road, Sol Budinger and Rishi Patel are the surprise opening pair as Leicestershire play catch up with their slovenly over rate of -3.
“I’ve always wanted to play Test cricket.”
Lancashire’s Mitch Stanley spoke to the ECB reporter’s network yesterday evening after his five wickets against Kent.
“It was brilliant. I’ve put in some serious hard work over the last few months trying to get myself ready, or really over the last two years, so I was overjoyed to get out on the park and put a performance in.
“I’ve not played a lot of cricket over my whole career to be honest so it was good to get out there. I was struggling a bit at the start with my run up going downhill and I’d like to have less runs on my figures but (getting five wickets) didn’t really cross my mind until I was given the new ball.
“My whole career’s been a bit of a battle to be honest, with fitness stuff. I’ve kind of been pigeon-holed a bit to be a white ball bowler, which I don’t feel I am.
“I think it helps with age and stuff, I feel I got some good workloads over the winter with the Lions and I started the year with the twos, so yeah, I feel ready.
“I’m massively determined (to make a career in red-ball cricket.) It’s the main part of our career really I’ve always wanted to play for England in test cricket ever since I was a kid, so I’m super-determined to prove myself.”
Tawanda Muyeye ruled out of Kent v Lancs match with concussion
After a mid-pitch collision between Muyeye and Ben Compton yesterday as they both ran blind, Muyeye has been ruled out of the rest of the game with delayed concussion.
Monday’s round-up
It was one of those soul-soaring autumn days in the East Midlands, trees like overripe broccoli, skies huge and blue. On the bright green benches of Grace Road, a man filled out the crossword, while the County Championship resumed for its final three-round act. Nothing is decided, not even next season’s schedule , to be voted on later this month , with a choice of a 13-game two-division playoff compromise or the status quo.
Leicestershire, the runaway stars of Division Two, are in touching distance of promotion for the first time since 2003, but this was one of their more forgettable days. They are without Rehan Ahmed (England), Ben Green (Somerset), Liam Trevaskis and Tom Scriven (injured) and Gloucestershire were able to make merry , with a stylish hundred for Graeme van Buuren and half-centuries from Ben Charlesworth, Miles Hammond and James Bracey. Giant fast bowler Josh Hull collected three wickets, but was banned from bowling for the rest of the innings after sending down two beamers, along with 11 no balls. Ben Mike limped off the field as the shadows lengthened, though spirits lifted when van Buuren was lbw to the day’s penultimate ball.
Surrey are chasing their fourth successive Championship title, but were nibbled out without a bonus point at the Oval, despite half centuries from Ryan Patel, Ollie Pope and Rory Burns. Tom Lawes then had Warwickshire in a pickle with three for six, but Ed Barnard and Will Young steadied the ship.
Early season flavour of the month, Ben McKinney, showed why England are so smitten, with a mature and stylish 121 for Durham in the relegation scrap at Chelmsford, helped by a 94 from Alex Lees. Five late wickets rejuvenated the Essex bowlers.
Another young talent, 21-year-old Asa Tribe, calmed troubled Glamorgan waters with an unbeaten 181 at Northampton, his second century of a breakthrough season.
A tricksy Hove pitch first puzzled Hampshire, dismissed for 226 despite 71 from Ben Brown, then Sussex. Kent suffered a spectacular collapse against Lancashire, with five wickets for Mitch Stanley and three for Tom Hartley. Toby Roland-Jones grabbed six wickets against Derbyshire, his best of the season, while Gareth Roderick (61) and Tom Taylor (40) rescued Worcestershire from a calamitous 86-7 against rampaging old boys Dillon Pennington and Josh Tongue. A thunderstorm truncated the day at Taunton, where Tom Kohler-Cadmore thrashed 76 against old club, Yorkshire.
Scores on the doors
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex v Durham 316-8
Taunton: Somerset 155-3 v Yorkshire Rain
The Oval: Surrey 246 v Warwickshire 132-4
Hove: Sussex 42-3 v Hampshire 226
New Road: Worcestershire 182 v Nottinghamshire 46-1
DIVISION TWO
Canterbury: Kent 293 v Lancashire 19-0
Grace Road: Leicestershire v Gloucestershire 382-7
Lord’s: Middlesex 12-0 v Derbyshire 283
Northampton: Northants v Glamorgan 367-6
Preamble
Good morning! The sun shines over the Attenborough Tower once more as we prepare for day two at Grace Road, and around the grounds.