JENNINGS HITS CAREER-BEST 238 IN ROSES DUEL
FORMER Test opener Keaton Jennings led the way on another run-filled day in the County Championship, scoring a
career-best 238 in the Roses match against Yorkshire at Headingley. Jennings hung around for nine hours, hitting 32 fours in a Lancashire total of 566 for nine, which meant all four teams batting first in division one passed 500. Flat pitches, good weather and a batch of Dukes balls that are said to be losing their shape earlier than usual have all contributed to the run-glut. The highest total came from leaders Surrey, who racked up 671 for nine against Kent at Beckenham. It was the biggest innings in first-class history not to contain a century — Test hopeful Ollie Pope top-scored with 96, and England wicketkeeper Ben Foakes made 91. Kent became the first team to concede six successive first-innings totals of 500-plus. Elsewhere, Somerset made 591 for seven at Bristol, where captain Tom Abell turned his overnight 52 into 142. England spinner Jack Leach then took three cheap wickets as Gloucestershire struggled in reply. And at Edgbaston Northamptonshire declared on 597 for six — a club record against Warwickshire. Another to take advantage of the conditions was Derbyshire’s Pakistan opener Shan Masood, who hit 113 against Worcestershire and has now scored 826 Division Two runs at an average of 118. Masood has a maximum of three innings left in which to score the 174 he needs to become the first to make 1,000 runs before the end of May since Graeme Hick in 1988.