Muhammad Abbas Sets Nottinghamshire on their Way

The Rothesay County Championship leaders Nottinghamshire welcomed Hampshire to Trent Bridge and ended up emphatically victorious after they were put in to bat. Twenty-year-old Freddie McCann was the only batter to get beyond 33 (though three did fall on that score), making 138, his third century in just 15 innings, to help his side up to a total of 333. Kyle Abbott did the bulk of the damage, taking five for 57 and he now leads the way with 23 wickets this summer. On his debut for the hosts, Muhammad Abbas picked up five for 31 against his former club, as Hampshire fell away to 196 in reply; it could have been worse but for a 51-ball 67 from Abbott. At 84 for six, the home side were in danger of letting their grip on the game slip, but Jack Haynes (120) and Liam Patterson-White (a career-best 135) put on 238 for the seventh wicket to put them out of sight. Nottinghamshire finished up on 345 all out to set a target of 483. Lyndon James (five for 22) and Brett Hutton (four for 56) ensured Hampshire got nowhere near, as they were bowled out for just 116 to lose by 366 runs inside three days. It was Hampshire’s fourth-heaviest defeat by runs in their history.

Meanwhile, Warwickshire hosted champions Surrey at Edgbaston, where Rory Burns must have regretted choosing to field first. The home side took full advantage, with Tom Latham hitting 184 on his debut for the county, before Ed Barnard (with a career-best 177 not out) and Zen Malik (making 105 not out in 119 balls in just his second first-class game) put on an unbeaten 215 for the sixth wicket to take their side to 665 for five declared. In reply, Surrey lost four wickets for just 16 runs to end up at 346 for nine, before Ben Foakes (with a career-best 174 not out) and Matthew Fisher (40) put on 158 for the final wicket in 226 minutes to take them up to 504 all out. It was a remarkable match-saving effort. There was just time for Surrey to follow on and reach 15 without loss before the game ended as a draw. Warwickshire remain in second place, 12 points adrift of Nottinghamshire

The draw at Chelmsford was much more dramatic. Yorkshire chose to bat first but were dismissed for 216, Matt Critchley taking four for 49. George Hill ensured that was more than enough, as he ripped through the Essex line-up, taking six for 51 to help bowl them out for only 123 in reply. Adam Lyth, with more than 15,000 first-class runs to his name already, added a further 185 as Yorkshire took complete control, declaring on 426 for six to set a target of 520. Noah Thain did have the consolation of taking a career-best three for 96. Critchley (75 in 246 balls) and Michael Pepper (68 in 229) batted together for more than 76 overs to put on 154 for the fifth wicket to give the hosts a chance of saving the game. But a flurry of wickets saw them tumble to 212 for eight, with almost 27 overs left to play. Simon Harmer dug in but still needed Jamie Porter to bat out the last 13.4 overs as Essex finished on 273 for nine, lucky to escape with a draw.

Worcestershire travelled to Hove and put Sussex in to bat. At 88 for six (having been 80 without loss), the decision was working out well, but then Jack Carson scored a maiden century (102) to help his side fight back to a total of 284 all out. He was helped on his way by James Hayes, making his first-class debut on loan from Nottinghamshire, who scored 33 not out off 126 balls to ensure he got there. Tom Taylor took five for 56. Fynn Hudson-Prentice claimed a career-best five for 40 to reduce the visitors to 180 all out in reply, while John Simpson took six catches behind the stumps. In Sussex’s second innings, they scored 256 to set a target of 361. With Henry Nicholls making the second-highest score in the run chase (34), it might have appeared to be a routine win for Sussex, but Jake Libby provided a daunting obstacle along the way. He went on to score a magnificent 167, and it was only when he was out to make it 286 for eight that the home side could sense victory was within their grasp. All out for 313, Worcestershire lost by 47 runs, but it was an encouraging effort from the bottom side; meanwhile Sussex are now third.

In the Second Division, Glamorgan trounced Kent at Canterbury inside three days. The hosts chose to field first and the Welsh side scored 549 for nine declared. Ben Kellaway was the top scorer, making a career-best 181 not out (he has beaten his previous highest scores in each of his last three games). Asa Tribe (94) also delivered a career-best performance – two 21-year-olds delivering on their promise. Chris Benjamin’s 94 not out was the only innings of any substance in Kent’s reply of 212, and they were forced to follow on. They fared even worse in their second innings, scoring just 176. For Ekansh Singh, it was a tough insight into the game on his first-class debut. Glamorgan’s winning margin of an innings and 161 runs was their fourth-highest innings victory in the County Championship.

Lancashire, who were tipped by many to be favourites for promotion, went to Northampton and were beaten inside three days. The hosts chose to bat first and slipped to 67 for six, only to recover to make 238 all out, with Liam Guthrie scoring a career-best 43. Marcus Harris (121) hit the third century of what is already becoming a prolific summer for him to help the Red Rose outfit up to 276 in reply. Harris has 749 runs already this summer, 138 more than anyone else. In the second innings, Lancashire again couldn’t close out the deal after reducing Northamptonshire to 189 for eight. This time it was Ben Sanderson who led the fightback, hitting a career-best 65 in just 28 balls (he reached fifty in 22 balls – the second-fastest to reach the landmark in the county’s history) to take his side up to 273, leaving the visitors to chase 236. At 116 for two, with Harris going well, they were clear favourites, but when he was stumped off Calvin Harrison, the wheels came off. The last eight wickets fell for just 49 runs, Harrison ending up with four for 32, as his side won by 70 runs. For this Lancashire fan, it’s a hugely disappointing start to the season, seeing the county bottom of the table.