Abell Earns the Bouquets at the Rose Bowl

There were just four fixtures in the third round of the Rothesay County Championship, two in each division, with plenty of drama right the way through to the final day. At the Rose Bowl, Hampshire chose to bat first but needed Jake Lehmann’s 76 to ensure they scored 238 in their first innings. James Rew’s 86 gave Somerset a good chance of taking the lead, but it was an unlikely career-best 38 by Alfie Ogborne that took the visitors up to 288 in reply. At 269 for four, Hampshire looked well set to leave the away side chasing a daunting target, but Lewis Gregory nipped in with five for 42 to help bowl out the hosts for 336, setting a target of 287. At the end of the third day, Somerset were 139 for three and well placed. Kyle Abbott struck early to remove Rew, before a 65-run seventh-wicket partnership between Gregory (25) and Tom Abell seemed to have swayed things in favour of the visitors. But, when Sonny Baker struck twice in quick succession, giving him career-best figures of five for 62, it was back in the balance. As all England fans know, Jack Leach is the man for just this sort of occasion, and he stuck with Abell, who completed an unbeaten century when he scored the winning runs to see his side home by two wickets.

At Edgbaston, Essex chose to field first and an unbeaten 88 by Sam Hain was the only significant contribution for Warwickshire, who were bowled out for a modest 190, with Jamie Porter taking four for 59. Nathan Gilchrist’s four for 40 meant the visitors were kept to a narrow lead, dismissed for 205. The home side were again reliant on one player in their second innings, as Beau Webster made 91 out of their score of 220, with Sam Cook taking five for 58. That left Essex to chase 206 for victory. At 82 for seven, with Keith Barker taking four wickets on his return to Warwickshire, Essex’s hopes looked forlorn. Simon Harmer (32) and Zaman Akhter (35, on his debut for the county) gave them a brief glimmer of victory, but Webster wrapped up the innings to give his side a 41-run victory that moved Warwickshire to second in the table, 15 points adrift of Somerset.

In the Second Division, one of the promotion favourites, Lancashire, travelled down to Bristol and chose to field first. Their efforts were hampered when Ajeet Dale pulled up injured, to be replaced by Ollie Sutton, but despite this the hosts could manage only 136 all out, as George Balderson took five for 34. Tommy Boorman scored 19 on his first-class debut. Keaton Jennings, back in the side, hit 70 for the Red Rose outfit to help them up to a total of 240, despite a career-best six for 43 from Matt Taylor. A fourth-wicket partnership of 148 between Miles Hammond (82) and James Bracey (114) enabled Gloucestershire to get up to 305 all out, setting a target of 202. James Anderson and Balderson, with four wickets each, ensured the run chase was no higher. Harry Singh came in to replace Luke Wells, but was out for a duck as Lancashire’s innings got off to a poor start. But Jennings anchored the chase, finishing on 78 not out, to see the visitors through to a four-wicket victory that took them top of the table.

Middlesex chose to bat first at Northampton and Zafar Gohar, in as a replacement for Luke Hollman, was a surprise top-scorer with 83 (his best effort for Middlesex) as the visitors made 341 all out, while Ben Sanderson picked up five for 62. In reply, Nathan McSweeney (107, his second successive century) and then James Sales (a career-best 164) led the response, taking Northamptonshire up to 409 all out. Thereafter the game rather petered out into an inevitable draw as Sam Robson hit 162 and Middlesex finished on 353 for three, but the hosts are second in the table 11 points adrift of Lancashire.