Captains lead from the front as Essex and Warwickshire tie
Kent v Leicestershire, Canterbury Scorecard Paul Nixon added another half-century to his first-innings 113 not out, as Kent were reminded of exactly what they will be missing this season
Division One
Kent v Leicestershire, Canterbury
Scorecard
Paul Nixon added another half-century to his first-innings 113 not out, as
Kent were reminded of exactly what they will be missing this season.
Leicestershire had been set an unlikely target of 387, and were in some
strife at 27 for 3, when Nixon bounced to the middle. But he added 75 for
the fourth wicket with Darren Stevens, before Damien Brandy chipped in with
a half-century of his own. Martin Saggers, Alamgir Sheriyar and Amjad Khan
all picked up two wickets, but Phil DeFreitas and Jeremy Snape batted out to
the close.
Lancashire v Nottinghamshire, Old Trafford
Scorecard
Chris Read, widely touted as Alec Stewart's successor in England's one-day
team, did his chances no harm at all by guiding Nottinghamshire to a draw on
the final day at Old Trafford. Notts were still more than 200 runs adrift
when Peter Martin (5 for 54) embarked on an inspired spell of seam bowling.
But Read dug in for a 91-ball 57, and by the time he was eighth man out,
Lancashire's prospects of an unlikely win had evaporated.
Middlesex v Sussex, Lord's
Scorecard
Middlesex produced the highest score of the match to record a tense
three-wicket win at Lord's. It was a performance far removed from their
inept first-innings display, and Middlesex's captain, Andy Strauss, led the
way with 83. Ed Joyce and Paul Weekes both made vital contributions as well,
but all three fell to Sussex's James Kirtley, who was the pick of the
bowlers with 4 for 87, all lbw. Kirtley took the new ball and dismissed
Joyce and Weekes in the same over to set up a tense finish, but Ben Hutton
and Simon Cook batted sensibly to inch Middlesex to their first victory in
the top division of the championship.
Warwickshire v Essex, Edgbaston
Scorecard
Ashley Giles and Ronnie Irani produced a brace of stunning performances
- as captains and players - to transform a soggy mess of a match into a
thrilling tie. They agreed to forfeit one innings each, after the best part
of two days had been lost to rain, which left Essex needing 381 to win.
Irani led the way with a rollicking 87, adding 132 for the fifth wicket with
Andy Flower, but Giles (5 for 115) matched him every step of the way. Essex
still needed 81 to win when Irani was sixth man out, but sensible
contributions all down the order ensured the tightest finish imaginable.
Division Two
Hampshire v Glamorgan, Cardiff
Scorecard
Matthew Maynard continued his majestic start to the season, by converting
his overnight 63 into his 53rd first-class century. But that was the sole
highlight of another drab rain-hit day in Cardiff. After Glamorgan had
replied well to Hampshire's impressive 531 for 7 dec, there was no prospect
of a result, and play was called off at tea. Wasim Akram grabbed his seventh
wicket of the season, but the pick of Hampshire's attack was Chris Tremlett,
who returned figures of 3 for 101.
Northamptonshire v Gloucestershire, Wantage Road
Scorecard
Jonty Rhodes cracked a delightful 128 from 131 balls century to give
Northamptonshire one or two jitters at Wantage Road, but in the end the
weather had the final say as the match descended into a battle for bonus
points. Rhodes cracked 55 runs in just five overs before lunch, before Jack
Russell and Mark Alleyne secured Gloucestershire secured their full quota of
batting points with a 72-run stand for the sixth wicket. By the time Martyn
Ball had added two more wickets to his five in the first innings,
Gloucestershire had won the day, but not the match.
Somerset v Durham, Taunton
Scorecard
Somerset bounced back from the disappointment of last week's eight-run
defeat against Gloucestershire, cruising to a six-wicket win over Durham.
Needing another 119 runs for victory with eight wickets in hand, Peter
Bowler's unbeaten 67 ensured there would be no mishap after Steve Harmison
had removed Jamie Cox in the first over of the day. Bowler added 89 for the
third wicket with James Bryant (51), before Richard Johnson, his confidence
sky-high after a maiden first-class century last week, biffed three sixes
and a four in seven balls to seal the win.
Read in App
Elevate your reading experience on ESPNcricinfo App.