Westley helps Essex build lead while Root and Brook fail
The Dukes ball seemed to have lost much of its powers overnight, with batters finding yesterday far more palatable than day one.
Essex built up an imposing lead against Lancashire at Chelmsford, led by Tom Westley, who played himself into form with 81. Chief irritant, though, was Sam Cook, who came in as nightwatchman, was dropped twice, and made his highest first-class score of 49.
Lancashire’s bowlers plugged away, Nathan Lyon wheeling through 24 overs for his two wickets, but Essex closed with a 231-run first-innings lead. Lancashire lost Keaton Jennings, lbw to Jamie Porter, as they crawled along at one an over.
It was a slow-go day at the pastry-flat Rose Bowl, where the ball repeatedly went out of shape and
Warwickshire were dismissed for 455, with Liam Dawson collecting his 10th first-class five-wicket haul. In reply, Fletcha Middleton and Nick Gubbins dawdled to half-centuries.
It was another dog day for Harry Brook and Joe Root for Yorkshire. Brook came in immediately after tea and was out first ball while Root, who had become becalmed in the 20s, was a third salmon for Toby Roland-Jones. The bowler grinned merrily as Root trudged away and a man in the stands in a woolly hat slowly chewed at his frozen crisps. Yorkshire gave themselves something to bowl at thanks to a half-century from George Hill and some biffing by the tail.
Nottinghamshire’s season continued to get stuck in the machinery of the blocks as
Somerset ran up 454, a lead of 261, at Taunton. Tom Banton looked in sparkling form with 83, helped by a useful forty from nightwatchman Josh Davey. But the final blows came from a blockbuster ninth-wicket partnership between Craig Overton and Migael Pretorius (77). Overton was stranded on 95 when No 11 Shoaib Bashir took an
ill-advised slog on nought. Overton was so incensed he charged off the field without acknowledging the applause. Notts then lost a wicket as Ben Slater was brilliantly caught at midwicket.
A century from David Bedingham, five sixes and 11 fours, powered Durham towards their first win in Division One. He and Scott Borthwick collected runs as if they were buttons in a third-wicket partnership of 195 as Worcestershire’s bowlers searched for a breakthrough. By stumps, the Durham lead was 379, with five wickets remaining. Earlier, a half-century from Jake Libby and 33 not out from Nathan Smith ensured Worcestershire avoided ignominy. There were three wickets each for Matthew Potts, Ben Raine and Paul Coughlin.
The Australia opener Marcus Harris danced to a double century at Derby, celebrating by splatting six straight down the ground. With power to add from the late middleorder, Leicestershire declared on 574 for seven. Needing 425 to avoid the follow-on, Derbyshire collapsed in the early evening, losing four quick wickets.
Cheteshwar Pujara (75no) and Tom Alsop (84) ensured Sussex did not falter in the face of Gloucestershire’s 417, on a pudding of a pitch at Hove, where the teams found it tricky to up the scoring rate. Gloucestershire’s last two wickets added 109 in the morning, as Ollie Robinson went wicketless from his 21 overs.
On the opening day of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint trophy, Tash Farrant, who has missed two years of cricket with a stress fracture of the back, made a career-best 94 as South East Stars beat Southern Vipers.