Championship goes to the wire again

posted by John Winn
Durham's virtually said goodbye to their hopes of a third title in four years when on Monday they were bowled out for 264 by Worcestershire at The Riverside thus surrendering three precious batting points.If they can beat Worcestershire then they retain a mathematical chance of the championship but not without events at Taunton and Southampton going in their favour.
Warwickshire's cautious tactics at The Rosebowl have made it almost impossible for them to lose their game with Hampshire but the same approach yielded just three batting points and may allow Lancashire to pip them at the post. For this to happen Lancashire must beat Somerset, an event which if still improbable, seems more likely now than it did twenty four hours ago.
Despite Monday's disappointing news from Chester le Street I travelled north yesterday in the hope that Durham's bowlers might make early inroads into Worcestershire's batting. Alas this was not to be, for the body language of the Durham players suggested that they knew they had blown their slim chances on Monday and that the fates were making doubly sure by denying Onions and Thorpe any fortune in the way of edges going to hand.Thus it was that Solanki and Cameron raised their second wicket stand to 138 before the latter was bowled by Blackwell but with tea taken at 255 for three it seemed almost certain that The Pears would get the 45 runs they need to effect a great escape that Steve McQueen would have been proud of. The game changed dramatically when Benkenstein belied his 37 years to remove Kervezee with a brilliant diving catch and the last six Worcestershire batsmen could only scrape 12 runs between them as Onions and Thorpe used the new ball to take the last five wickets for five runs. Last man out was West Indian Kemar Roach who joined Worcestershire in late August and has since taken 13 wickets. It was Roach who sealed Yorkshire's relegation when at 2:20 pm on Monday afternoon he sent Will Smith's middle stump cartwheeling.He will hope that his dismissal just short of the one point needed to send Hampshire down does not condemn his new county to join Yorkshire in Division Two next year.
If there is any prospect of a reasonably interesting day at The Riverside tomorrow then I shall return but for today I will content myself with watching events on Sky TV.If you were to pin me down then I would predict all three games ending in a draw and Warwickshire beating Lancashire to the title and Worcestershire getting the elusive point that slipped through their fingers yesterday.Don't go ringing your turf accountant however.