Championship provides some exciting cricket

 posted by John Winn

This Thursday, April 21st, all counties will be in action in the championship, a competition although seemingly under sentence of death in anything like its present form has in its first two rounds provided some excellent fare for its followers. We have seen some remarkable batting with centuries aplenty, double hundreds and big partnerships which have sent the scene for enthralling last day finishes. The second round, completed on Saturday saw second division favourites Notts beaten at Trent Bridge by Glamorgan, a contest at Bristol won by Yorkshire just after five o'clock, rearguard actions at The Riverside where Leicester lost only two wickets on the final day and at Hove where Sussex, 339 behind on first innings, lost only three more wickets in the match and Haines and Pujara added 351 for the third wicket. To my surprise this did not set a new record for the Sussex third wicket, that still stands to Michael Yardy and Murray Goodwin who put on an unbroken 385 at Hove v Warwickshire in 2006.

Of course matches do not have to go into the final twenty overs on the fourth day to capture one's attention. On Saturday at Taunton Essex 3 for 1 over night but chasing only 89 for victory were 4 for 4, 28 for 6, and 60 for 8 until Rossington and Snater took the score to 83 before the latter became Craig Overton's sixth victim only for four leg byes got Essex over the line. What a splendid couple of hours entertainment that provided on live stream. Twelve counties have now played two matches but none have recorded two victories. Surrey top Division 1 with Essex second and in Division 2 Glamorgan lead with Durham second. Only Somerset have lost two matches and that makes it six championship defeats in a row, their worst run in over sixty years. 

My watching has been limited to a shortened day at The Riverside where I saw centuries from Dickson and Beddingham. Of equal importance I saw several old friends some, like Our Hartlepool Correspondent, who I had not seen since 2019. I will be back on Thursday when Notts cross the River Wear. Club cricket in my area does not start until this coming Saturday when my local club, Ouseburn, relegated to Div 2 of The Nidderdale League face Thornton Watlass at Lighthouse Lane. The withdrawal of Yorkshire Academy from Yorkshire Premier (North) leaves Harrogate without a game. York travel to Sheriff Hutton Bridge so I may cut my teeth on a trip to Sessay who take on Clifton Alliance. 

Not Darlington FC's latest attempt to shore up their back four which leaked four goals in 25 minutes yesterday but a tribute to those members who donated their membership fees in 2020 despite the absence of cricket through covid.