Critchley’s All-Round Form Steers Essex to the Top

Despite some decidedly mixed weather, all nine games in the new Rothesay County Championship season made a start on Good Friday. Champions Nottinghamshire travelled to Taunton and asked the hosts to bat first. Tom Abell top-scored with 108 as a familiar line-up made 347 all out, while Dillon Pennington took five for 65, his best figures for the away side. Joe Clarke’s 92 was the top contribution in the visitors’ reply of 338, with Alfie Ogborne taking a career-best three for 81 to leave the fixture in the balance at the end of the first innings. Tom Kohler-Cadmore (104) and James Rew (122) added 224 for the second wicket, as the home side compiled 407 for five declared in their second innings. For Rew it was his 12th first-class century at the age of 22 – his county boasted how only Don Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar had scored more hundreds by his age. It remains to be seen how long it will be before the England selectors come calling. With a notional target of 417, the match ended as a draw with Nottinghamshire on 140 for three.

Many people have tipped Surrey to reclaim the title this year, and they travelled to Birmingham, where they were asked to bat first. At 65 for six they were deep in trouble (skipper Rory Burns becoming the first wicket to fall of the season, run out for 4), but as so often in the past Ben Foakes stepped up and scored 128, ably supported by Tom Lawes, who made a career-best 83. Despite this, they were dismissed for 328, a score Warwickshire overhauled for the loss of just two wickets. Jordan Thompson, on his debut for the Bears, took two for 38. Dan Mousley made a career-best 144, as all of the home side’s top five went past fifty. Their lead could have been even higher but for Ralphie Albert taking three for 80, the best figures of his fledgling career, so Warwickshire had to settle for a daunting total of 544. Jamie Smith, whose position as England keeper is deemed to be under threat, made 132 to ease any worries, before Dan Lawrence scored an unbeaten 161 to help Surrey up to 447 for four, when the game ended as a draw.

Promoted side Leicestershire hosted Sussex, and immediately discovered the challenges of Division One cricket as the visitors raced to fifty in just five overs. Tom Clark made 101 as the south coast outfit were all out for 361; they featured two new recruits in Jack Leaning (13) and Tom Price (43). The home side’s planning for the summer had been rather derailed when skipper Peter Handscomb was unable to join the club for family reasons. His replacement as overseas player, Jack Weatherald, top-scored with 83 in the hosts’ reply of 245. New Sussex skipper Ollie Robinson took five for 42, while Henry Crocombe finished with five for 33, his maiden five-wicket haul. There were useful contributions throughout Sussex’s second innings, enabling them to reach a total of 364 and set an unlikely target of 481. At 99 for five, the hosts’ hopes were pretty much over and, despite a brief rally from Stephen Eskinazi (54) and Ben Cox (60), so it proved. Leicestershire were bowled out for 258, Crocombe picking up four more wickets, to lose by 222 runs.

The game at Cardiff was the last to get underway, as Glamorgan also made their return to the top flight and were put in to bat by Yorkshire. They’d recruited Sean Dickson to bolster their top order, but he was dismissed without scoring, and so they had to rely on 40-year-old Colin Ingram to see them up to 302 all out, scored at the unheard-of rate of 2.50. Yorkshire’s bowling recruit, Logan van Beek, went wicketless. Matthew Revis’s 50 was the biggest score in the White Rose’s reply, as they made just 226. Mason Crane did most of the damage (five for 55) but overseas recruit Ryan Hadley picked up three wickets. Glamorgan made steady progress in their second innings, eventually declaring on 218 for five, to set a target of 295 in 68 overs. Adam Lyth top-scored with 97 in the run-chase, along the way going past 16,000 first-class runs in his career. But his side were never quite on track and the game finished in a draw with Yorkshire on 239 for seven, Hadley taking three more wickets.

Hampshire chose to field first at Southampton and the decision initially appeared justified, with Essex on 67 for three, new recruit Wiaan Mulder out for 17 and Tom Westley retired hurt. But new rules this season meant that Westley could be replaced, so Noah Thain came in to bat later on. However, it was Matt Critchley’s career-best 173 that made the difference as the visitors eventually declared on 461 for seven, Hampshire’s new bowling recruit, Codi Yusuf, picking up just one solitary wicket. The home side’s batting fell away, as they were dismissed for only 156 and the follow-on was enforced, despite Eddie Jack’s career-best 31 not out. Debutant Ben Mayes took a catch in only his fourth ball on the pitch, but in Hampshire’s innings he could manage just 8 runs. Despite an 81-run second-wicket partnership, Hampshire batting collapsed again, and they were bowled out for 168 to lose by an innings and 137 runs inside three days. Critchley ended with remarkable career-best figures of five for 9 to complete a fine match double. Those who worried Hampshire might struggle this season had ample reason to feel justified in their concerns.

In the Second Division, relegated Worcestershire might have been hoping for an uptick in their fortunes as they travelled to Derby and asked the home side to bat. That proved to be an error, as Martin Andersson (a career-best 228) and Luis Reece (114) added 273 for the fifth wicket. Derbyshire eventually declared on a mammoth 625 for eight, with keeper Gareth Roderick not conceding a single bye in that total. Worcestershire had recruited Oliver Hannon-Dalby on a short-term loan, but he managed only one wicket. Nineteen-year-old Daniel Lategan made the highest score of his young career, 89, but it was also the top score for the away side, who could muster only 312 in reply and so they were forced to follow on. They battled valiantly in their second innings, eventually saving the match when they reached 314 for seven in 120 overs.

The other relegated side, Durham, fared much better as they welcomed wooden-spoonists Kent to the Riverside and were asked to bat first. Emilio Gay became the first batter of the summer to score a century (128) before Durham were bowled out for 335. Zak Crawley took four catches, while South African paceman Glenton Stuurman took three for 64 on his first appearance for the county. Sam Northeast’s return to Kent saw him make 94, but it was the only substantial contribution as the visitors were bowled out for 197, with under-pressure England opener Crawley scoring just 9. Durham’s new bowling recruit, Kemar Roach, ended with the narrowest of improvements on Stuurman, taking three for 63. Durham made 218 for nine in their second innings to set a target of 357. Tawanda Muyeye hit an unbeaten 109 to ensure there were no alarms, and Kent finished on 234 for five.

Lancashire travelled to Northampton and batted first, Josh Bohannon top-scoring with 90, as they made 384 all out and local stalwart Ben Sanderson took five for 79. The home side’s new recruits, Nathan McSweeney (32) and Louis Kimber (33), both made starts, but the star of the innings was James Anderson, who picked up his 56th five-wicket haul, dismissing James Sales along the way, a mere 21 years after removing his father David back in 2005. Northamptonshire were all out for 258. Lancashire’s new bowling signing, Ajeet Singh Dale, has an opportunity to learn from the master. The Red Rose’s second innings got off to an appalling start, as they crumbled to 40 for five, Harry Conway taking four early wickets. An unbeaten 44 from Dale helped them to post a total of 194 and set a target of 321. At 50 for six after 31.3 overs, with almost 70 more to bat out, a Lancashire win seemed like a dead cert, but when George Bartlett (95 not out) and Lewis McManus (27) occupied more than 30 overs to put on 57 for the eighth wicket, there was hope for the hosts. Even so, the last pair had to bat out 15.3 overs to save the match, and Sanderson kept Bartlett company throughout to earn a precious draw, finishing on 213 for nine.

Gloucestershire chose to field when they visited Lord’s, but found new Middlesex skipper Leus du Plooy in their way, as he made 182, adding 181 for the sixth wicket with Joe Cracknell (97) so that they could declare on 445 for nine. The away side’s new opening pair of Will Williams (two wickets) and Gabe Bell (one) did not have the easiest start, but Miles Hammond did finish with career-best figures of two for 2. Toby Roland-Jones cut through the visitors’ top order, taking five for 37 as they were bowled out for 216 and had to follow on. The second innings took an almost identical path, as the visitors were all out for 215, to lose by an innings and 14 runs. This time it was Sebastian Morgan who did most of the damage, taking a career-best four for 48. Gloucestershire were deducted two points for a slow over rate, so ended the match on minus-one, while Middlesex topped the embryonic table as the only winners of the round.