Foxes end lean spell*

posted by John Winn

The County Championship has competed for attention and space with T20 and test cricket for the last couple of weeks but with most counties having played six matches, i.e. more than a third of the season and one, Lancashire. with  seven games under their belts, it is worth a look at the tables. In Division 1 Yorkshire  have a game in hand on the three teams above them and Sunday's meeting with Middlesex at Headingley has more than usual interest for despite only drawing with Warwickshire yesterday, Middlesex journey north top of the table for a game between the two undefeated sides in the division. The forecast is good and there should be a  decent crowd in LS6.

Ninety miles north, Durham who have managed the remarkable double of most wins and equal lowest batting points, welcome Somerset whom they beat at Taunton in the opening fixture of the campaign.  It is the paucity of their batting which prevents Collingwood's men from being top although they do seem to have mastered the knack of batting last, for all four of their wins have come in this way. Somerset got off to a bad start with three straight defeats but like Yorkshire they have only played five games and so second bottom may be something of a false position.

The other match in Division 1 is at Hove where efforts to inject more pace into the wickets is rather misfiring at the moment. They have escaped penalty points for the strip on which they faced Warwickshire in May but clearly the unpredictability of the seaside pitches is of serious concern to the Hove authorities. Sunday provides an early chance to push yesterday's dismal showing against Notts under the covers when winless bottom club Hampshire make the short journey along the south coast. I thought Hants looked a poor outfit when they were at Headingley a month ago and it needed a characteristic rear guard action from Will Smith to prevent Worcestershire winning at The Rose Bowl yesterday.

Turning to Division Two there are four matches starting on Sunday and even though the turnstiles might not be groaning at Grace Road there will be still be plenty of interest when Surrey drop in and  not in that man, for having left the field early at The Oval yesterday he has opted not to play on Sunday. No, the interest of the true cricket supporter will centre on Leicestershire, who after a lean spell which extended to 37 matches finally broke their duck yesterday when local boy Lewis Hill pushed a single to give them a six wicket win over Essex.  Will Foxes' wins be like buses, you wait 997 days for one to come along and then two come in a week? Hill's single pushed Essex into bottom place and comments on twitter yesterday evening exposed some dissatisfaction among their supporters. Not only bottom of the bottom they also bring up the rear in 'the stronger southern section' of the T20 with just one win in five. That will not be going down well in Chelmsford where sell out crowds are not uncommon for the shortest form of cricket. The Eastenders are at Wantage Road on Sunday.

Leaders Lancashire, who even at this early stage look strong favourites to continue their yoyo existence with a return to Division 1, go to Gloucestershire who I think will be relatively pleased with their start although disappointed that they could not turn a strong position at lunch yesterday at Derby into a victory. Glamorgan are perhaps the surprise in this division with an undefeated record after six games. They take a rest on Sunday while strugglers Derbyshire and Kent meet at Canterbury.

Brian has described his day at Darlington(above) on Tuesday. I went back yesterday and although the number of pcws was slightly down on the previous day a goodly gathering enjoyed warmer weather and a Durham win by six wickets with Jack Burnham hitting a hundred. The young academy product shared a partnership with Mustard who seemed in good fettle after being absent from the ground on Tuesday. Going back to my home town is always a pleasurable experience and although I had misgivings when I heard that houses were to be built on the football pitch I am very pleased with the outcome and keep dreaming of sitting on the balcony of the show house, g and t in hand, watching an exciting finish in an NYSD match. Dream on says my wife.

This sign is for the two new streets in the Feethams Green housing development adjacent to the Darlington cricket ground. To my delight it preserves the names of the two men who have made most appearances for The Quakers, Ron Greener and John Peverell.

* When on the 29th of May 1939 Northants beat Leicestershire by an innings and 193 runs  it was their first win in four years. The headline in the local paper 'not a newspaper in those days which indulged in wild hyperbole, reported NORTHANTS BREAK BAD SPELL,' (Matthew Engel). Online at least today's Leicester Mercury is equally modest 'Leicestershire CCC beat Essex to win first Championship match for almost three years'.