County Cricket Round-Up - 25th August 2013

Ravi Bopara set up Essex's victory over Derbyshire.

There were wins for Durham and Lancashire as the 15th round of matches in the LV= County Championship drew to a close. Meanwhile, Essex and Glamorgan kept their Yorkshire Bank 40 semi-final hopes alive ahead of the final round of matches tomorrow.

Durham are rapidly emerging as Yorkshire’s strongest contenders for the LV= County Championship Division One title. They completed a massive victory over last-placed Surrey at Chester-le-Street and now trail Yorkshire by only 25.5 points with a game in hand. Resuming on 52 for three, Surrey were all out for just 169 in their second innings to lose by an innings and 144 runs. Hashim Amla made a spirited and fluent 89, but only three other men reached double figures as Mark Wood ended with career-best figures of five for 44.

Lancashire had little difficulty in wrapping up victory over Worcestershire on the final day at New Road. They now have a 34-point lead over Northamptonshire at the top of Division Two. The loss of Moeen Ali early on meant the match was never going to last too long today. Night-watchman Jack Shantry made a valiant 31, while Joe Leach scored 20 but the home side were all out for 241, leaving Lancashire needing just 88 to win. Kyle Hogg, Glen Chapple and Tom Smith ended with three wickets apiece. Luis Reece then hit 56 not out off 51 balls to take the visitors home by nine wickets in 19 overs.

Essex kept their slim hopes of Yorkshire Bank 40 progression alive by easing to victory over Derbyshire at Colchester. Ravi Bopara led their charge to 259 for seven by hitting 88 off 87 balls, while Greg Smith (30 off 37 balls), James Foster (41 off 24) and Graham Napier (23 off 10) all chipped in. Derbyshire’s young batting line-up then crumbled under pressure and they were bundled out for 152. Billy Godleman was the sole bright spot with 60, but four of their top six fell in single figures. Reece Topley emerged as the pick of an impressive Essex attack with four for 26, while Tymal Mills and Tim Phillips took two wickets each.

In Group C, Glamorgan moved up to second by walloping Leicestershire. The Welsh side piled up 303 for six from their 40 overs after electing to bat at Swansea and then restricted the Foxes to 235 for six. Gareth Rees (45 off 62 balls) and Mark Wallace (50 off 40) put on 84 in 12 overs, with Chris Cooke then smashing 85 from only 76 balls from number three. Murray Goodwin then continued his fine 2013 season by blitzing 48 off only 19 balls as the Glamorgan batsmen plundered 120 runs from the final 10 overs of the innings. Left-arm spinner James Sykes was the pick of the attack with two for 37, with Nathan Buck and Ben Raine also each picking up a brace of wickets.

Leicestershire then quickly slumped to 25 for three and 53 for four in their run chase and looked to be heading for a huge defeat. However, Niall O’Brien and Michael Thornely combined to add 133 in 22 overs. O’Brien fell eight short of his century to the excellent Jim Allenby (3-37), while Thornely made 68 off 62 balls. Tom Wells then added some spice to proceedings, blasting four sixes to finish on 32 off 12 balls. Glamorgan’s spin pair of Andrew Salter and Dean Cosker were again impressive and conceded just 66 from runs from 16 overs between them.

Tomorrow’s YB40 Fixtures: (all matches start at 1345 BST)
Group A, Kent v Nottinghamshire at Canterbury
Group A, Warwickshire v Northamptonshire at Edgbaston
Group A, Worcestershire v Sussex at New Road
Group B, Derbyshire v Hampshire at Derby
Group B, Durham v Surrey at Chester-le-Street
Group B, Lancashire v Essex at Old Trafford
Group C, Gloucestershire v Somerset at Bristol
Group C, Middlesex v Leicestershire at Lord’s
Group C, Yorkshire v Glamorgan at Headingley

Weather Forecast: Any early cloud should soon burn off, leaving a gloriously sunny day throughout England and Wales. Temperatures will peak widely at around 24 degrees Celsius.

© Cricket World 2013

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County Cricket Round-Up - 24th August 2013

Twin centuries for Moeen Ali at Worcester look like being in a losing cause against Lancashire.

Durham and Lancashire look well-placed going into the final day of their 15th round LV= County Championship matches tomorrow. Meanwhile, Kent were denied by the rain at Canterbury and Glamorgan completed victory over a hapless Leicestershire.

Surrey slipped closer to defeat on a shortened day against Durham at Chester-le-Street. Debutant Usman Arshad struck twice in their second innings after they had been asked to follow-on to help reduce them to 52 for three. Jamie Harrison had earlier ended with five for 31 as Surrey were able to muster just 108 in their first innings. Wicket-keeper Steven Davies ended unbeaten with a valiant 41.

In Division Two, Kent were frustrated by the weather in Canterbury, with no play possible at all on the final day against Gloucestershire. The visitors remained on 307 for nine, still needing an unlikely 92 more for victory.

Glamorgan wrapped up victory over last-placed Leicestershire by an innings and 37 runs at Swansea. Resuming on 134 for two, Leicestershire lost regular wickets and were all out for 268. Dean Cosker did the bulk of the damage, taking three wickets at the start of the day en route to figures of four for 88. Fellow spinner Andrew Salter took three for 66. Leicestershire’s last-wicket pair did at least show some fight. Josh Cobb (46 not out) and Alex Wyatt put on 50 before Graham Wagg (1-34) dismissed Wyatt for 28 to end proceedings.

Lancashire are nicely placed going into the final day against Worcestershire. They have reduced the home side to 166 for five in their second innings in spite of another century from Moeen Ali. Ali is unbeaten on 101, but the next highest score for the Pears was Thilan Samaraweera’s 17. Luke Procter and Tom Smith had earlier extended Lancashire’s first innings to 441 by sharing 136 for the seventh-wicket. Both men fell short of centuries as Alan Richardson and Graeme Cessford dismissed one each en route to four-wicket hauls.

Tomorrow’s Fixtures: (start times in brackets, BST)
day four, LV=CCD1, Durham v Surrey at Chester-le-Street
day four, LV=CCD2, Worcestershire v Lancashire at New Road
Group B, YB40, Essex v Derbyshire at Colchester (1345)
The home side have an outside chance of reaching the semi-finals if they win their final two games. They welcome back Owais Shah from a hamstring injury into their 12-man squad. Gautam Gambhir is set to make his debut in the competition.

Essex squad: Mark Pettini, Gautam Gambhir, Ravi Bopara, Owais Shah, Ryan ten Doeschate, Greg Smith, James Foster (captain), Graham Napier, Tim Phillips, David Masters, Reece Topley, Tymal Mills.

The Falcons are already out of contention for the last four and will take the opportunity to have a look at former Nottinghamshire and Unicorns batsman Scott Elstone. He has been named in their squad alongside Matt Higginbottom and Billy Godleman. Skipper Wayne Madsen has been rested.

Derbyshire squad: Chesney Hughes, Wes Durston, Paul Borrington, Scott Elstone, Richard Johnson, Alex Hughes, Ben Slater, Tony Palladino, Alasdair Evans, Tom Knight, Matt Higginbottom, David Wainwright, Billy Godleman.

Group C, YB40, Glamorgan v Leicestershire at Swansea (1300)
The home side are very much in the hunt for the semi-finals but need to win both of their matches to have a realistic chance of progressing. They have named an unchanged 13-man squad, but may be tempted to include off-spinner Andrew Salter in the playing eleven on this occasion.

Glamorgan squad: Gareth Rees, Mark Wallace, Chris Cooke, Marcus North (captain), Jim Allenby, Murray Goodwin, Ben Wright, Graham Wagg, Dean Cosker, Michael Hogan, Simon Jones, Andrew Salter, Alex Jones.

Weather Forecast: Showers remain a possibility tomorrow, especially for the south of the country. The south-east will be worst hit initially before they move west. However, there will be far fewer than was the case today, with plenty of sunny spells in between. Temperatures will peak at around 22 degrees Celsius.

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County Cricket Round-Up - 21st August 2013

Adam Voges top-scored for Middlesex on a disappointing day at Derby.Action Images / Steve Paston Livepic

Derbyshire, Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Glamorgan and Kent all enjoyed good days as the 15th round of the LV= County Championship continued around the country today.

Bottom side Derbyshire had the better of the second day against title contenders Middlesex. They first prolonged their first innings to 385 before reducing Middlesex to 197 for six by stumps. Wayne Madsen ended the home side’s innings with 138, while Tim Groenewald hit 49 from only 48 balls from number ten. Matt Higginbottom then struck thrice in the visitors’ reply, with Adam Voges’ 69 the top score as they lost regular wickets.

A mammoth unbroken fourth-wicket stand between two Warwickshire young guns gave the defending champions hope on what looked like being a disappointing day two against Somerset. The Bears slumped to 38 for three in the morning as George Dockrell and Peter Trego shared the wickets, but Ateeq Javid and Laurie Evans put on 245 to take them to stumps on 283 for three - a deficit of just 57 runs. It was Evans’ third first-class ton and the first of Javid’s increasingly promising career.

Adam Lyth fell narrowly short of three figures as Division One leaders Yorkshire reached stumps on day one against Nottinghamshire on 327 for eight. Lyth made 95 and helped Yorkshire weather the storm from Luke Fletcher (5-66) and Harry Gurney (3-60) who took all of the eight wickets to fall between them. Lyth found good support from Adil Rashid and the pair put on 65 for the fifth-wicket with Rashid eventually going on to make 78. Liam Plunkett then chipped in with a useful 41.

Division Two promotion hopefuls Northamptonshire are in complete control at the halfway point of their match against Essex. Andrew Hall and Steven Crook both made 63 as the visitors were finally dismissed for 531 at Colchester. Crook and Hall added 101 for the seventh-wicket after Rob Keogh had departed for 38. Essex then slipped to 187 for five by the close as Trent Copeland and Crook each picked up a brace of wickets. It could have been worse for the hosts but for a late unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 84 between Ryan ten Doeschate (47 not out) and James Foster (39 not out).

Michael Hogan took five for 43 as Leicestershire were bowled out for 203 by Glamorgan on the opening day at Swansea. Opener Greg Smith top-scored with 40 and helped the Foxes reach 100 for two at one stage. However, Dean Cosker and Andrew Salter supported Hogan well with two wickets each and they lost their last eight wickets for 103 runs. Ollie Freckingham and Alex Wyatt, though, gave Leicestershire hope by combining to reduce Glamorgan to 36 for three at the close in their reply.

A century from Ben Harmison and an unbeaten 98 from Darren Stevens helped Kent enjoy the better of the first day against Gloucestershire. Following a poor start that saw them slip to 20 for two and 46 for three, Harmison and Rob Key began the home side’s recovery with a stand worth 67. Key was caught behind off Benny Howell for 53 to make it 113 for four, but Stevens and Harmison went on to add a further 133. The latter finally fell but not before completing the fifth century of his first-class career. Kent ended on 334 for six.

Tomorrow’s Fixtures:
day three, LV=CCD1, Derbyshire v Middlesex at Derby
day one, LV=CCD1, Durham v Surrey at Chester-le-Street
Both sides need wins but for totally different reasons. Durham have an outside chance at winning the title but will have to do so without a clutch of players. Graham Onions (broken finger) and Calum Thorp (hamstring) are both injured, while Ben Stokes is on England Lions duty. Ryan Buckley is also not included. Into the 12-man squad come Jamie Harrison, Usman Arshad and Gareth Breese.

Durham squad: Mark Stoneman, Keaton Jennings, Scott Borthwick, Will Smith, Paul Collingwood (captain), Michael Richardson, Phil Mustard, Mark Wood, Gareth Breese, Jamie Harrison, Chris Rushworth, Usman Arshad.

Surrey, meanwhile, are firmly ensconced in the relegation battle, but are boosted by the arrival of new overseas player Hashim Amla. Also included in the Championship squad for the first time is Tom Curran.

Surrey squad: Hashim Amla, Arun Harinath, Rory Burns, Vikram Solanki, Gary Wilson, Zander de Bruyn, Steven Davies, Gareth Batty (captain), Jon Lewis, Tim Linley, Jade Dernbach, Zafar Ansari, Tom Curran.

day two, LV=CCD1, Nottinghamshire v Yorkshire at Trent Bridge
day three, LV=CCD1, Warwickshire v Somerset at Edgbaston
day three, LV=CCD2, Essex v Northamptonshire at Colchester
day two, LV=CCD1, Glamorgan v Leicestershire at Swansea
day two, LV=CCD2, Kent v Gloucestershire at Canterbury
day one, LV=CCD2, Worcestershire v Lancashire at New Road
The home side host leaders Lancashire but simply must win if they are to keep any vague hopes of challenging for promotion alive. The visitors will pick from a 13-man squad that includes Arron Lilley as the lead spinner owing to the absences of Simon Kerrigan and the injured Stephen Parry. Steven Croft is not included.

Lancashire squad: Luis Reece, Paul Horton, Ashwell Prince, Simon Katich, Andrea Agathangelou, Tom Smith, Gareth Cross, Wayne White, Glen Chapple (captain), Kyle Hogg, Arron Lilley, Oliver Newby, Luke Procter.

Weather Forecast: It will be another mostly dry day tomorrow with any showers this time confined largely to the east where it will be mostly overcast. The west will see the best of the sunshine with temperatures there peaking at around 23 degrees Celsius.

County Cricket News In Brief:
Warwickshire have reportedly made 28-day approaches for out-of-contract Somerset duo Jos Buttler and Nick Compton. The club, however, are confident that they are close to agreeing new terms with Compton according to ESPNcricinfo.

Geoff Cook has will return to Durham first-team coaching duties tomorrow for the first time since suffering a heart-attack earlier this year. Cook will work alongside interim coach Jon Lewis.

Former Glamorgan coach Matthew Maynard has ruled himself out of returning as head coach following Matthew Mott’s departure at the end of the season in an interview with Wales Online. Meanwhile, the club are in discussion about a contract extension with fast-bowler Michael Hogan beyond the end of the 2014 season.

Brad Taylor, the 16 year-old who became the youngest Hampshire cricketer to play a first-team match since 1867 by taking on Lancashire yesterday, has said that he almost crumbled under the pressure. He told BBC Radio Solent, “While fielding I didn’t want the ball to come to me I was that nervous. It shouldn’t be like that.” Taylor actually enjoyed a good debut, taking two wickets on a flat pitch.

Lancashire have confirmed the signing of recently-retired Zimbabwe fast-bowler Kyle Jarvis on a three-year contract as a Kolpak player.

Yorkshire have said that Azeem Rafiq and Joe Sayers will each be out for about a week after picking up injuries. Sayers has pain in his Achilles tendons, while Rafiq has split the webbing on his right hand.

The PCA are to conduct ‘hair-testing’ on all county cricketers over the next month as they aim to help those players struggling with recreational drug use. Any player who tests positive will receive help from the ECB’s Chief Medical Officer Nick Peirce and will be dealt with confidentially. The move follows the death of Tom Maynard last year, which was attributed partly to recreational drug use.

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County Cricket Round-Up - 22nd August 2013

Nick Compton is closing in on a century at Edgbaston.

Derbyshire, Durham, Yorkshire and Glamorgan will all be pleased with the position that they find themselves in at the various stages of their LV= County Championship matches in the 15th round of fixtures.

A draw is the likely result heading into the final day at Edgbaston with Somerset 66 runs ahead on 133 for two in their second innings. Nick Compton celebrated his new three-year contract by ending on 83 not out and will still have his eye on a winter tour place. George Dockrell had earlier ended with six for 96 to prevent Warwickshire’s first innings lead from reaching three figures. Overnight centurions Laurie Evans and Ateeq Javid didn’t add substantially to their overnight scores as the Bears lost regular wickets. Darren Maddy ended not out on 40, while last-man Jeetan Patel clubbed 20 off 21 balls.

A fast-moving day three at Derby saw the home side close in the ascendancy. They took two Middlesex fourth innings wickets before the close to leave the visitors on 25 for two in pursuit of a tricky 297 to win. Ollie Rayner had earlier given Middlesex hope of victory by hitting an unbeaten 52 to haul them up to 249 in their first innings and then taking five for 67 to help skittle Derbyshire out for 160. Richard Johnson was the only home batsman to pass 50.

Scott Borthwick hit 135 as Durham closed day one on 309 for five against Surrey. Chris Tremlett sent a message to the England selectors after being left out at The Oval and took all five wickets to fall. Borthwick, though, ensured that it would be the home side’s day by adding 187 with Will Smith (87) for the third-wicket.

Steven Patterson and Ryan Sidebottom shared nine Nottinghamshire first innings wickets as Yorkshire took complete control at Trent Bridge. It could have been even worse for the home side as they slipped to 65 for eight, but Ajmal Shahzad and Andre Adams lifted the total to 150 by making an unbeaten 41 and a 17-ball 39 respectively. Nottinghamshire then lost regular wickets in their second innings after being asked to follow-on and reached stumps on 118 for four. They still trail the title favourites by 139 runs.

In Division Two, there was no play on the third day at Colchester, with Essex on 187 for five in their first innings in reply to Northamptonshire’s mammoth 531.

Glamorgan’s batsmen enjoyed a terrific day against Leicestershire, with Murray Goodwin doing his hopes of a new two-year contract no harm at all by hitting 178. The veteran Zimbabwe-born batsman shared 140 for the fifth-wicket with Jim Allenby (76) and a mammoth 189 with his captain Mark Wallace for the sixth. Wallace finally departed to former Durham all-rounder Ben Raine for 86, with Goodwin falling in the next over to leave Glamorgan on 445 for seven at stumps - a lead of 242 runs.

Gloucestershire closed day two against Kent on 80 for none after dismissing the home side for 474. Openers Michael Klinger (31 not out) and Chris Dent (44 not out) survived the 28 overs that they faced from the Kent bowlers prior to stumps. Kent had earlier extended their first innings to 474 as Darren Stevens completed his century and James Tredwell (48) and Calum Haggett (44 not out) chipped in.

Kyle Hogg took four for 57 as Worcestershire were bowled out for 287 on the first day at New Road by promotion likely lads Lancashire. Moeen Ali continued his stellar 2013 season by hitting 104, while Tom Fell made 43 before being run-out by Luis Reece. The two put on 91 for the fourth-wicket before the Pears lost their last seven wickets for 72 runs.

Tomorrow’s Fixtures:
day four, LV=CCD1, Derbyshire v Middlesex at Derby
day two, LV=CCD1, Durham v Surrey at Chester-le-Street
day three, LV=CCD1, Nottinghamshire v Yorkshire at Trent Bridge
day four, LV=CCD1, Warwickshire v Somerset at Edgbaston
day four, LV=CCD2, Essex v Northamptonshire at Colchester
day three, LV=CCD1, Glamorgan v Leicestershire at Swansea
day three, LV=CCD2, Kent v Gloucestershire at Canterbury
day two, LV=CCD2, Worcestershire v Lancashire at New Road

Weather Forecast: Tomorrow will start sunny but a band of cloud will role in from the west and cover much of the country by the end of the day. It should, however, stay mainly dry with highs of between 21 and 26 degrees Celsius.

County Cricket News In Brief:
Nick Compton has agreed a three-year contract extension with Somerset, ending speculation that he might leave the county. Compton said, “I’m aware of interest from other clubs (particularly from Warwickshire) but I’ve played some of my best cricket here and I’m grateful to the club and its members who have given me such great support.”

Kent all-rounder Matt Coles has left the county after turning down the offer of a new contract. Coles has had injury-hit 2013 season and has felt the need to go elsewhere in order to further his England aspirations. Meanwhile, middle-order batsman Alex Blake has told the Kent Messenger that he remains hopeful of being offered a contract extension.

Warwickshire have agreed a loan-deal with Worcestershire seamer Richard Jones for the final month of the season. Jones has fallen out of favour at New Road in recent times and will bolster a Bears bowling attack that is beset by injuries and England call-ups.

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County Cricket Round-Up - 23rd August 2013

Simon Katich hit a brisk century for Lancashire at Worcester.Action Images / Jason O'Brien Livepic

Yorkshire look almost inked in for the title after completing victory over Nottinghamshire and then watching Middlesex slip up against Derbyshire and Warwickshire be thwarted by the rain against Somerset. Elsewhere, Lancashire and Durham are nicely placed at the halfway point of their matches.

Derbyshire did their hopes of avoiding relegation no harm at all by defeating Middlesex on the final day at the County Ground. Chasing 297 to win, Middlesex slipped further from their overnight 25 for two to 121 for seven as Mark Footitt and Peter Burgoyne each struck twice. Gareth Berg and Ollie Rayner (46 not out) effected a recovery with an eighth-wicket partnership of 85, but Berg’s dismissal for 71 left the tail with too much to do. Footitt had Toby Roland-Jones caught behind for 14 to finish with four for 65, while Burgoyne dismissed last-man Tim Murtagh to end with three for 66 as Middlesex were all out for 240. The defeat puts a severe dent in their title aspirations, while Derbyshire are, momentarily at least, out of the relegation zone.

Leaders Yorkshire extended their advantage at the top to 33 points by wrapping up a 10-wicket win over relegation-threatened Nottinghamshire. Skipper Chris Read hit 58, while Andre Adams chipped in with a brisk unbeaten 31, but the home side were able to manage only 266 in their second innings, leaving Yorkshire needing just 10 to win. Ryan Sidebottom and Adil Rashid finished with three wickets apiece.

Warwickshire were unable to pull off the victory over Somerset despite Jeetan Patel taking five for 67 to help end the Somerset second innings at 255. Nick Compton fell early on for 91 to Keith Barker (three for 71), while Alex Barrow (39) and Piyush Chawla (26) made useful contributions. That left the defending champions needing a none-too-tricky 189 in the fourth innings but they were denied by the weather. The umpires took the players off for bad light with them requiring a further 66 in 18 overs and they were never to return. Varun Chopra was on 55 not out with the score on 123 for three.

Surrey had collapsed to 97 for six by stumps on day two at Chester-le-Street as Jamie Harrison and debutant Usman Arshard each took a brace of wickets. Durham had advanced their first innings score to 421 earlier in the day in spite of Chris Tremlett. The scorned England man ended with career-best figures of eight for 96 from 33 overs. Umpire Mark Benson was taken ill during the day, with local umpire Phillip Reine standing as his replacement before reserve umpire Paul Baldwin arrived to officiate alongside Michael Gough.

In Division Two, Ryan ten Doeschate hit a century as Essex drew against Northamptonshire at Colchester. Essex began on 187 for five in reply to the visitors’ 531 but avoided the follow-on thanks mainly to ten Doeschate and James Foster who took their sixth-wicket partnership to 180 before Foster departed five short of his century. Graham Napier then made 45 and David Masters an unbeaten 37 as the hosts passed the follow-on mark and were finally all out for 396. Northamptonshire then reached 54 for none in their second innings before the draw was agreed.

Leicestershire will still entertain thoughts of escaping with a draw against Glamorgan after closing day three at Swansea on 134 for two in their second innings; albeit still trailing by 171 runs. Ned Eckersley continued his impressive season by hitting an unbeaten 54 and adding 69 with Niall O’Brien (29) for the second-wicket. Glamorgan had earlier declared their first innings at 508 for nine, with Michael Hogan making a breezy unbeaten 13-ball 27. Ben Raine ended as the pick of the visitors’ attack with four for 98 from 23 overs.

Declarations by both Gloucestershire and Kent set up an interesting fourth innings run chase at Canterbury. The visitors, who are still hopeful of gaining promotion, look like coming off second best after reaching stumps on 307 for nine in their pursuit of 399. Charlie Shreck took four for 65 and helped cause Gloucestershire to slip to 13 for three early on. A terrific maiden century from wicket-keeper Gareth Roderick, however, shored up the middle-order and gave them hope. Roderick ended on 152 not out and shared a stand of 109 with Tom Smith (32) for the seventh-wicket.

Simon Katich hit an unbeaten century as Lancashire closed the second day at New Road on 272 for five in reply to Worcestershire’s 287. The visitors lost Glen Chapple early on for a duck, but Luis Reece hit 59 and added 77 with Paul Horton (30). Ashwell Prince then made 52, but it was Katich who advanced the game on a rain-hit day. He ended on 104 not out off just 89 balls to keep Lancashire’s dreams of a crucial win very much alive.

Tomorrow’s Fixtures:
day three, LV=CCD1, Durham v Surrey at Chester-le-Street
day four, LV=CCD1, Glamorgan v Leicestershire at Swansea
day four, LV=CCD2, Kent v Gloucestershire at Canterbury
day three, LV=CCD2, Worcestershire v Lancashire at New Road

Weather Forecast: Heavy and frequent showers are forecast for the east and centre of England throughout tomorrow, with only Wales and the western third of the country expected to remain dry. Temperatures will therefore be lower than today, peaking at between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius.

County Cricket News In Brief:
Derbyshire have been docked two points for next season’s Yorkshire Bank 50 competition after being found to have prepared a poor pitch showing excessive turn for their match against Durham on 15th August. The home side made 217 for eight from their 40 overs in the televised fixture, but three spinners then took all ten Durham wickets as they were bundled out for 110 in reply. Meanwhile, the club have confirmed that they are interested in signing Kent all-rounder Matt Coles who turned down a new deal at Canterbury yesterday.

Middlesex have signed batsmen Andrew Balbirnie and Ryan Higgins on full-time contracts. Balbirnie was already on a summer contract but has now finished his degree at Cardiff University, while Higgins has completed his A-Levels and was star performer for England Under-19s during their tri-series against Pakistan and Bangladesh earlier this month.

The former vice-president of Yorkshire CCC Charles Fenton OBE has passed away at the age of 82 according to a statement on the club’s website. Fenton was also a chairman of the Charitable Youth Trust, a successful businessman and High Sheriff of Yorkshire.

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County Cricket Round-Up - 29th July 2013

County Cricket Round-Up - 29th July 2013Michael Carberry was again in superlative form for the Royals at Canterbury. Action Images / Andrew Couldridge Livepic

Hampshire steamrollered Kent in the Friends Life t20 to cement their place as South Group winners. Michael Carberry batted throughout their innings of 185 for six in making 83 off 56 balls. He shared 94 with Neil McKenzie (45 off 35 balls) for the fourth-wicket, while Liam Dawson finished things with a flourish, hitting three boundaries in five balls. Mitchell Claydon was the Kent bowler to cop the most punishment, conceding 55 runs from his four overs, while young off-spinner Adam Riley was the pick with none for 21 off his four.

The Spitfires’ run chase would have been a non-event but for a brief blitz from Darren Stevens. He dominated a third-wicket stand with Sam Billings (21 off 19 balls) and clubbed three big sixes to help his side recover from the effects of another miserly spell from Dimitri Mascarenhas (2-21). However, even following his innings the required run rate stood at around 12 an over and the remaining batsmen were unable to cope. Liam Dawson benefited and returned career-best figures of four for 19 with his left-arm spin. Kent eventually finished on 123 for nine.

Tomorrow’s FLt20 Fixtures: (all matches start at 1830 BST)
Mid/Wales/West Group, Glamorgan v Gloucestershire at Cardiff
The home side are one of three teams battling for a maximum of two places in the knock-out stages. A win would guarantee them a place in the quarter-final and all but eliminate Durham from the competition. They have added the fit-again Simon Jones and batsman Gareth Rees to the eleven that lost to Northamptonshire on Friday.

Glamorgan squad: Mark Wallace, Jim Allenby, Chris Cooke, Murray Goodwin, Marcus North (captain), Ben Wright, Nick James, Nathan McCullum, Graham Wagg, Dean Cosker, Michael Hogan, Simon Jones, Gareth Rees.

Mid/Wales/West, Northamptonshire v Worcestershire at Wantage Road
The match is effectively a dead rubber, with Northamptonshire already assured of a home quarter-final and Worcestershire already eliminated. The Steelbacks have rested David Willey for the match; he is replaced by Andrew Hall. They have made one other change to their 13-mna squad with Olly Stone coming in for Ben Duckett.

Northamptonshire squad: Richard Levi, Kyle Coetzer, Cameron White, Alex Wakely (captain), Steven Crook, Andrew Hall, Matthew Spriegel, James Middlebrook, David Murphy, Lee Daggettn Mohammad Azharullah, Rob Keogh, Olly Stone.

Mid/Wales/West, Warwickshire v Somerset at Edgbaston
The equation is simple for both sides. A win will see them advance to the quarter-finals, while a loss will see them knocked out. A tie or a no result makes things interesting and leaves them waiting on results elsewhere. Warwickshire have named an unchanged 12-man squad.

Warwickshire squad: Varun Chopra (captain), William Porterfield, Laurie Evans, Darren Maddy, Rikki Clarke, Chris Woakes, Ateeq Javid, Steffan Piolet, Jeetan Patel, Pete McKay, Boyd Rankin, Freddie Coleman.

Weather Forecast: A band of rain will skirt along the south coast in the morning before disappearing into the North Sea. After that it should be mostly dry, with only the slight chance of catching a shower. The evening will be sunnier with temperatures peaking at around 19 degrees Celsius.

County Cricket News In Brief:
Leicestershire’s Australian overseas player Joe Burns will return home in order to recover from a hip injury. He will be replaced in due course by West Indies batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan. The club have also confirmed that off-spinner Jigar Naik has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after having an operation on his dislocated shoulder.

Gloucestershire coach John Bracewell has told BBC Radio Gloucestershire that he is looking to extend the loan of Middlesex left-arm spinner Tom Smith beyond the end of the Friends Life t20 campaign.

James Vince has agreed a contract extension with Hampshire which will see him remain with the club until the end of the 2016 season.

Somerset’s Craig Kieswetter has signed a deal to play for Brisbane Heat in the 2013-14 Big Bash League in Australia.

Andre Russell has told BBC Hereford and Worcester that he would love to return to the club in the future. He said, “I would love to as long as everything was right. I’m not really in the West Indies team so anything can happen.”

Richard Levi will not be available for Northamptonshire’s Friends Life t20 quarter-final after being called up to represent South Africa A. He may, however, be able to return for Finals Day should the Steelbacks get that far, although coach David Ripley told the Northampton Chronicle & Echo: “We’d probably need to find some finance to make that happen but we’d hope to make it work.”

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County Cricket Round-Up - 24th July 2013

County Cricket Round-Up - 24th July 2013Stephen Moore formed one half of a brutal opening partnership that helped Lancashire demolish Yorkshire.

There were wins for Warwickshire, Kent and Lancashire in tonight’s Friends Life t20 matches.

Lancashire went top of the North Group of the Friends Life t20 by thrashing arch-rivals Yorkshire at Old Trafford. The Vikings could muster just 124 for eight after opting to bat as Lancashire’s bowlers bowled superbly. Adam Lyth hit 32 off 24 balls and looked to have got things back on track alongside Gary Ballance (28 off 31 balls) after the loss of two early wickets. However, Mitchell McClenaghan was again superb, taking two for 19, while there were two wickets for Tom Smith and a tidy spell of left-arm spin from Simon Kerrigan (1-22).

Lancashire openers Stephen Moore and Tom Smith then didn’t take long to put the result beyond doubt. The pair put on 88 in less than eight overs before Smith was finally stumped off Azeem Rafiq (2-14) for a 22-ball 42. Moore, though, remained until the end and finished not out with 66 from 35 balls, while Karl Brown helped hasten the win by hitting 19 off just seven balls.

Warwickshire kept their quarter-final hopes alive by beating Gloucestershire by seven wickets in the Midlands/Wales/West Group. The Bears batting, for once, prospered as all of their top three passed 30 and they overhauled the Gladiators’ 145 for seven with 14 balls to spare. Openers William Porterfield (34 off 30 balls) and Varun Chopra (37 off 35) added 68, with Rikki Clarke then smashing 40 off only 21 deliveries. Tom Smith was the comfortable pick of the Gloucestershire attack, returning figures of two for 14 from four overs of left-arm spin.

Off-spinner Ateeq Javid had earlier continued his excellent competition by taking three for 26. There were also two wickets for fellow offie Jeetan Patel as only Gloucestershire skipper Michael Klinger got going, hitting 68 off 52 balls.

Kent won their South Group dead-rubber game against Sussex at Canterbury. Darren Stevens hit 67 off only 44 balls as the Spitfires posted 173 for three after choosing to bat. Fabian Cowdrey had got the innings off to a flying start with a 21-ball 40. Sussex then lost Dwayne Smith fourth ball for a duck to Adam Riley, but looked to be fighting back. Matt Machan made a fluent 67 off 48 balls, while there were contributions from Rory Hamilton-Brown (24 off 23 balls) an Chris Nash (31 off 24). However, the Sharks ended their 20 overs short on 164 for six.

Tomorrow’s FLt20 Fixtures: (start times in brackets, BST)
North Group, Durham v Leicestershire at Chester-le-Street (1740)
The home side can still realistically reach the quarter-finals following their impressive recent form. Graham Onions has been released to play by the ECB, although Paul Collingwood is still unavailable due to a thumb injury.

Durham squad: Mark Stoneman (captain), Phil Mustard, Scott Borthwick, Ben Stokes, Gordon Muchall, Will Smith, Michael Richardson, Gareth Breese, Ryan Pringle, Chris Rushworth, Graham Onions, Usman Arshad.

The Foxes still have a slim chance of making the last eight, but a defeat to Durham will see them definitely eliminated. Robbie Williams has been added the squad after recovering from injury.

Leicestershire squad: Josh Cobb (captain), Greg Smith, Joe Burns, Niall O’Brien, Shakib Al Hasan, Shiv Thakor, Michael Thornely, Ned Eckersley, Rob Taylor, Anthony Ireland, Robbie Williams, Alex Wyatt, Matthew Boyce, James Sykes.

South, Middlesex v Surrey at Lord’s (1815)
The star-studded London Derby sees Ricky Ponting make his final appearance for Surrey, while Eoin Morgan returns to the Panthers’ side after recovering from injury. Morgan’s return gives the home side an interesting selection dilemma as they have to decide who to omit from their strong batting line-up.

Middlesex squad: Paul Stirling, Dawid Malan, Joe Denly, Eoin Morgan, Adam Voges, Adam Rossington, Neil Dexter (captain), Gareth Berg, Ollie Rayner, Kyle Mills, Ravi Patel, Gurjit Sandhu, Josh Davey.

Weather Forecast: There is the possibility of a heavy shower pretty much anywhere in England tomorrow. However, in between those, it should be mostly sunny, especially in the afternoon. Temperatures will peak at between 22 and 24 degrees Celsius.

County Cricket News In Brief:
Work has started on the £85 million redevelopment of the Essex County Ground at Chelmsford. When complete, there will be a new cricket centre, pavilion, media centre and club shop, as well as extensive catering and event facilities that are so important to county’s finances. Capacity at the ground will also increase from its present 4,500 to 7,500.

Murray Goodwin has been offered a new one-year contract by Glamorgan after impressing since moving from Sussex at the end of 2012. However, he is still hoping for a two-year deal.

Durham CCC are hopeful that first-team coach Geoff Cook will return to work before the end of the season according to interim coach Jon Lewis. Cook suffered a heart attack earlier this year and was placed in a coma, but is now recovering at home.

Northamptonshire captain Stephen Peters is hoping to be fit in time for their next LV= County Championship game against Gloucestershire on 2nd August. He has missed the last 10 weeks of the season with a broken finger but made his comeback in a second XI game earlier this week. Also nearing fitness is batsman Rob Newton and all-rounders Steven Crook and Andrew Hall.

James Taylor will miss all of Nottinghamshire’s remaining Friends Life t20 group matches after being asked by the ECB to play for Sussex against the Australians this weekend. Taylor is favourite to replace the injured Kevin Pietersen in England’s line-up for the third Ashes Test at Old Trafford.

Yorkshire batsman Jack Leaning is to spend this winter playing grade cricket in Sydney under the captaincy of Tykes team-mate Phil Jaques.

The ECB and all 18 first-class counties, as well as Scotland, have announced that children under 16 will be admitted free to the majority of Yorkshire Bank 40 games in August providing they are accompanied by a paying adult. 31 games are covered under the offer and more information can be found on the ECB’s website.

Gloucestershire will start on minus two points in next year’s T20 competition after being found guilty of preparing a “poor” pitch at Cheltenham for their match against Warwickshire on 14th July. The home side made just 96 after being asked to bat, with the Bears batsmen then struggling for fluency before finally overhauling their target. The ECB found no mitigating circumstances that contributed to the condition of the pitch and the penalty was imposed as per the regulations.

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County Cricket Round-Up - 25th July 2013

Durham and Surrey enhanced their Friends Life t20 quarter-final hopes by beating Leicestershire and Middlesex respectively in tonight’s matches.

Durham put an end to Leicestershire’s hopes of progressing in this year’s Friends Life t20, dispatching them by five wickets at Chester-le-Street. Gareth Breese and Ben Stokes played the key hand with an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 64 in 34 balls. The pair came together with the score on 56 for five in the 13th over following a spell of four for 11 from Rob Taylor. Stokes ended not out on 41 off 26 balls, with Breese on 24 off 15 as they eased home with two overs to spare.

Leicestershire had earlier struggled after being asked to bat on a slightly slow pitch. They slipped to 17 for three as Chris Rushworth bowled a superb opening spell and it was only thanks to Shiv Thakor that they were able to reach 119 for seven. Thakor hit 42 off 38 balls and shared useful stands with much of the lower middle-order.

A sparkling innings of 54 off just 24 balls from new Surrey signing Kevin O’Brien helped his side beat Middlesex in the London Derby at Lord’s. Following an early double-strike from Gareth Berg (3-37), Vikram Solanki (37 off 27 balls) and O’Brien pummelled the Panthers bowlers during a third-wicket stand of 90 in 45 balls. Azhar Mahmood (35 off 20) and Zafar Ansari (23 not out off 22) then added some late impetus as Surrey ended on 178 for seven. Ravi Patel was again impressive for the home side with his left-arm spin, taking three for 28 from his four overs.

Middlesex then imploded with the bat and were all out for just 92. Only Paul Stirling (19 off 14) and Gareth Berg (33 off 19) reached double figures as Chris Tremlett, Azhar Mahmood, Gareth Batty and Zafar Ansari each chipped in with a brace of wickets.

Tomorrow’s Fixtures: (start times in brackets, BST)
North Group, FLt20, Derbyshire v Leicestershire at Derby (1900)
The Falcons kept their quarter-finals hopes alive by beating Nottinghamshire in a nine-over game on Tuesday night. They hope to welcome back Shivnarine Chanderpaul from injury, but are without Albie Morkel, who has departed for the Caribbean Premier League.

Derbyshire squad: Chesney Hughes, Wes Durston, Wayne Madsen (captain), Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dan Redfern, Alex Hughes, Richard Johnson, Tom Poynton, Peter Burgoyne, Tim Groenewald, Mark Turner, Mark Footitt, Billy Godleman, David Wainwright, Tom Knight.

North, FLt20, Nottinghamshire v Yorkshire at Trent Bridge (1800)
The Outlaws need to start winning after some poor recent performances. Riki Wessels should return from injury to replace James Taylor, who is playing for Sussex.

Nottinghamshire squad: Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, Riki Wessels, Samit Patel, David Hussey (captain), Steven Mullaney, Chris Read, Graeme White, Ian Butler, Jake Ball, Harry Gurney, Ajmal Shahzad, Sam Wood.

Mid/Wales/West, FLt20, Glamorgan v Northamptonshire at Cardiff (1830)
The top two sides in the Midlands/Wales/West Group do battle, with a win for either side almost guaranteeing them a place in the last eight. Northamptonshire are unchanged, with Ben Duckett and Rob Keogh hoping to break into the starting eleven on this occasion.

Northamptonshire squad: Richard Levi, Kyle Coetzer, Cameron White, Alex Wakely (captain), Steven Crook, David Willey, Matthew Spriegel, James Middlebrook, David Murphy, Lee Daggett, Mohammad Azharullah, Ben Duckett, Rob Keogh.

Mid/Wales/West, FLt20, Gloucestershire v Somerset at Bristol (1730)
The sell-out South-West Derby is a game that Somerset will want to win, with their hosts already out of the reckoning for a quarter-final spot.

Mid/Wales/West, FLt20, Warwickshire v Worcestershire at Edgbaston (1910)
The Bears have named a 12-man squad for their virtual must-win game against Midlands rivals Worcestershire, who also have to win to keep their slim hopes of progression alive.

Warwickshire squad: Varun Chopra (captain), William Porterfield, Laurie Evans, Darren Maddy, Rikki Clarke, Chris Woakes, Ateeq Javid, Steffan Piolet, Jeetan Patel, Pete McKay, Boyd Rankin, Freddie Coleman.

South, FLt20, Hampshire v Essex at Southampton (1900)
Defending champions Hampshire could confirm their place in the knock-out stages with a win. They are without overseas player Sohail Tanvir for this match - the left-armer named in Pakistan’s T20I squad for this weekend’s matches in the West Indies. Adam Wheater replaces him in the 12-man squad.

Hampshire squad: Michael Carberry, James Vince, Jimmy Adams, Neil McKenzie, Liam Dawson, Sean Ervine, Michael Bates, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Chris Wood, Danny Briggs, David Griffiths, Adam Wheater.

South, FLt20, Surrey v Kent at The Oval (1830)
Kenta are all but out of the competition, while a win for Surrey would see them move up to third in the South Group. The match is a sell-out.

day one, Tour Match, Sussex v Australians at Hove (1100)
Sussex have named an almost full-strength side, with only Ed Joyce and Steve Magoffin rested from the Championship regulars. They do, however, have plenty of injury problems. James Anyon and Lewis Hatchett will both have to undergo a late fitness test, while Luke Wright (knee), Ben Brown (finger), Amjad Khan (wrist) and Matthew Hobden (shin) are all out. They are, of course, bolstered by the availability of Nottinghamshire batsman James Taylor on a one-match loan deal at the behest of the ECB.

Sussex squad: Chris Nash (captain), Luke Wells, Michael Yardy, James Taylor, Matt Machan, Rory Hamilton-Brown, Callum Jackson, Chris Jordan, Lewis Hatchett, James Anyon, Monty Panesar, Andy Miller, Chris Liddle.

The tourists have rested much of their first choice eleven, with batsman Travis Head and off-spinner Ashton Turner called up to supplement the main squad. The pair were playing club cricket in the south of England as part of a deal between Cricket Australia and Hampshire CCC. Michael Clarke is rested alongside Brad Haddin, Shane Watson, Chris Rogers, Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris, while Ashton Agar will play despite having a slight hip injury.

Australians squad: Ed Cowan (captain), Phil Hughes, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade, James Faulkner, Ashton Agar, Ashton Turner, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird, Travis Head.

Weather Forecast: It will be another sunny day tomorrow with only patchy cloud and the outside chance of catching a shower. Temperatures will peak at between 23 and 25 degrees Celsius.

County Cricket News In Brief:
Worcestershire have signed Derbyshire all-rounder Ross Whiteley until the end of 2016. The 24 year-old will be available for the Pears immediately after falling out of favour at Derby after a poor start to the season. He is also understood to have angered the Derbyshire management with his insistence on playing grade cricket in Australia in the winter.

Glamorgan chief executive Alan Hamer has said that it is “vital” that Jim Allenby and Murray Goodwin are retained beyond the end of the season. Both players have hinted that they have received tentative offers from other clubs about a move away from Cardiff for the 2014 season.

Vernon Philander has told Kent Online that he hopes to return to the club as their overseas player for part of next season. He also revealed that he plans to spend the first two months of next season playing county cricket in England even if Kent do not want his services.

© Cricket World 2013

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County Cricket Round-Up - 26th July 2013

County Cricket Round-Up - 26th July 2013Monty Panesar took three Australia wickets on the first day at Hove. Action Images / Andrew Boyers Livepic

There were wins for Somerset, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Surrey, Leicestershire, Hampshire and Warwickshire in the evening’s Friends Life t20 matches.

Nottinghamshire regained top spot in the North Group of the Friends Life t20 by dispatching Yorkshire at Trent Bridge. Yorkshire lost two early wickets to Samit Patel after electing to bat and only made 132 for seven thanks to a fine 25-ball 42 from Richard Pyrah. Alex Hales then helped the Outlaws recover from an early double loss of their own, hitting 62 off 38 balls to see them home by six wickets in the 17th over.

Derbyshire were bowled out for a pitiful 72 by Leicestershire to all but end their hopes of making the knock-out stage. Only Shivnarine Chanderpaul reached double figures as Anthony Ireland took four for 11 and Josh Cobb three for 19 with his innocuous off-breaks. The Foxes had earlier totalled 151 for six after opting to bat. Greg Smith and Ned Eckersley both made 42, while Niall O’Brien chipped in with a run-a-ball 26.

Somerset moved up to second in the Midlands/Wales/West Group by thrashing local rivals Gloucestershire at Bristol. Alfonso Thomas took four for 35 to lead a bowling effort that bowled the home side out for just 125. Hamish Marshall (33 off 27) and Chris Dent (29 off 28) added 50 for the second-wicket, but Max Waller supported Thomas and returned figures of two for 22 from his four overs. Somerset openers Craig Kieswetter and Chris Jones then both hit half-centuries as the visitors won by nine wickets with 23 balls to spare.

Northamptonshire confirmed their place in the last eight by beating Glamorgan by six wickets in Cardiff. Overseas signing Cameron White hit an unbeaten 71 off 48 balls as the Steelbacks eased part Glamorgan’s total of 125 for nine in the penultimate over. Mark Wallace (22 off 23) and Chris Cooke (50 off 38) had earlier added 54 for the home side’s second-wicket, but Mohammad Azharullah (4-16) and David Willey (3-17) again impressed and shared seven wickets as they failed to kick on.

Warwickshire are one of three teams in the Midlands/Wales/West Group on 10 points after comfortably beating Midlands rivals Worcestershire at Edgbaston. Varun Chopra dealt with the early loss of his opening partner William Porterfield to hit 75 off 57 balls and added 107 with Darren Maddy (44 off 35) for the second-wicket. The Bears eventually won by eight wickets in the 18th over. Chris Woakes had taken three for 28 to help restrict the visitors to a middling 146 for eight. They rather fell away after an opening stand of 60 in 6.4 overs between Thilan Samaraweera (33 off 26) and Moeen Ali (37 off 23).

Surrey moved up to second in the South Group with a five-wicket win over Kent at The Oval. Fabian Cowdrey made 50 at the top of the Spitfires order, while there were useful contributions from Sam Billings (28 off 25) and Darren Stevens (29 not out off 19) as they made 139 for four. Gareth Batty was the pick of the Surrey attack with two for 14. Steven Davies (27 off 18) and Jason Roy (30 off 21) then got the home side off to a brisk start with an opening stand of 47 in five overs. However, a flurry of wickets followed as Adam Riley and Darren Stevens took two apiece and it was left to Zafar Ansari and Azhar Mahmood to take them to their target. The pair added an unbroken 79 for the sixth-wicket, with Mahmood the aggressor and ending not out on 47 off only 31 balls.

Defending champions Hampshire booked their place in the quarter-finals by having the better of Essex at Southampton. Michael Carberry was again in fine touch, hitting 54 off 41 balls to get their run chase off to a good start. There was then a crucial knock of 36 from 23 balls from Sean Ervine as the Royals got home in the final over by five wickets. Essex had earlier made a commanding 182 for five after being asked to bat as Owais Shah hit 62 off only 43 balls. Ryan ten Doeschate then clubbed two sixes towards the end of the innings to end unbeaten on 28 off only 15 deliveries.

Sussex’s bowlers were made to toil on the opening day of their tour match against the Australians at Hove. Openers Ed Cowan and Phil Hughes both passed 50 and added 150 in 35 overs. Lewis Hatchett (2-38) eventually removed both of them, while Monty Panesar (3-65) struck twice to peg them back to 218 for four. However, Steve Smith added 131 with James Faulkner (48) and ended on 98 not out as the tourists closed on 354 for five. Sussex will also not be encouraged by the fact that Hatchett was forced to leave the field part way through the 90th over due to injury. Full report

Tomorrow’s Fixtures:
Mid/Wales/West Group Match, Ft20, Worcestershire v Somerset at New Road (1440 BST start)
day two, Tour Match, Sussex v Australians at Hove (1100)

Weather Forecast: After a sunny start, a band of occasionally heavy rain will move in from the south, reaching Hove by midday and Worcester in late afternoon. It will be slightly cooler than of late with temperatures peaking at between 19 and 22 degrees Celsius.

County Cricket News In Brief:
Stuart Meaker could be forced into having surgery on his troublesome left knee after battling with it four much of the season. Surrey’s stand-in coach Alec Stewart said, “Two courses of treatment have been given to Stuart and the second one is ongoing. We should know more in 10 day’s time. We want to get him right but any decision will be taken with his best interests [at heart] rather than just trying to patch him up.”

Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie has flown to Australia for his father Neil’s funeral and will not return to England until the 4th August.

Yorkshire CCC have teamed up with official partner The Wensleydale Creamery to find the ‘Junior Voice of Cricket’. Anyone under the age of 15 is invited to commentate to a short video clip on the club’s website and send it to juniorvoice@hatchpr.co.uk before 16th August.

© Cricket World 2013

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County Cricket Round-Up - 27th July 2013

County Cricket Round-Up - 27th July 2013West Indian all-rounder Andre Russell was in devastating form for Worcestershire. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte. Picture Supplied by Action Images

An Andre Russell-inspired Worcestershire put a severe dent in Somerset’s hopes of reaching the Friends Life t20 quarter-finals at New Road. Russell hit 77 not out off only 42 ball as the home side overhauled Somerset’s imposing total of 188 for four with just two balls to spare. Somerset must have fancied their chances of restricting Worcestershire after reducing them to 83 for four, but Russell and new-signing Ross Whiteley (43 off 30 balls) added 88 in just 54 balls for the fifth-wicket.

Somerset’s impressive total had been built on the back of a second-wicket stand of 97 between Peter Trego and Craig Kieswetter. Chris Jones was sent packing in the opening over by Jack Shantry (2-25), but Kieswetter and Trego added 99 in 59 balls. Trego finally departed for 62 off only 31 balls, with Kieswetter falling just before the end for 80 off 56 deliveries.

Rory Hamilton-Brown and James Taylor added 106 to help Sussex recover from 33 for three on the second day against the Australians at Hove. Jackson Bird took two early wickets after the tourists had declared their first innings closed at 366 for five.

However, Rory Hamilton-Brown took a liking to the Australian spinners Ashton Agar and Nathan Lyon and bludgeoned 73 off only 51 balls to completely dominate his stand with Taylor. Agar evetually had him caught but Taylor remained and is undefeated with a watchful 64 off 146 balls. Sussex closed on 228 for five. Full report

Tomorrow’s Fixtures: (FLt20 games all start at 1440 BST)
North Group, FLt20, Durham v Derbyshire at Chester-le-Street
The equation for both sides is simple heading into the game. They must win and hope that both Glamorgan and Warwickshire lose their final matches in the Midlands/Wales/West Group to sneak in as one of the best third placed sides. Durham also have the added hope that if Essex lose their final match then that could also save them if they win this match.

Durham squad: Mark Stoneman (captain), Phil Mustard, Scott Borthwick, Ben Stokes, Will Smith, Gordon Muchall, Gareth Breese, Ryan Pringle, Michael Richardson, Graham Onions, Chris Rushworth, Mark Wood, Usman Arshad.

Derbyshire need to win and win big to improve their poor net run rate. They are likely to name an unchanged squad with Albie Morkel again unavailable due to Caribbean Premier League commitments.

North, FLt20, Leicestershire v Yorkshire at Grace Road
Both Leicestershire and Yorkshire are out of the reckoning for a last eight spot and are likely to give opportunities to some fringe players.

North, FLt20, Nottinghamshire v Lancashire at Trent Bridge
Both teams are already assured of a place in the quarter-finals, but a win for either would guarantee them a home one. The Outlaws have named an unchanged 13-man squad, with Ajmal Shahzad and Sam Wood hoping to break into the starting eleven.

Nottinghamshire squad: Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, Riki Wessels, Samit Patel, David Hussey (captain), Chris Read, Steven Mullaney, Graeme White, Ian Butler, Jake Ball, Harry Gurney, Ajmal Shahzad, Sam Wood.

Weather Forecast: Tomorrow will be mostly sunny with patchy cloud and occasional showers. Temperatures will peak at between 20 and 23 degrees Celsius.

© Cricket World 2013

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County Cricket Round-Up - 28th July 2013

County Cricket Round-Up - 28th July 2013Josh Cobb hit an unbeaten half-century after taking three wickets with the ball. Graham Wilson / Pipeline Images

The North Group of the 2013 Friends Life t20 was completed this afternoon, with Nottinghamshire earning a home quarter-final tie by beating Lancashire and Durham easing past Derbyshire to secure a potentially crucial third place.

Leicestershire captain Josh Cobb ensured that his side finished on a high in the Friends Life t20. He took three for nine with his off-breaks and then clubbed an unbeaten 44-ball 52 as the Foxes won by 10 wickets with almost eight overs to spare. Yorkshire actually began quite well after electing to bat as Alex Lees made a run-a-ball 32. However, Cobb ripped through the middle-order and they collapsed from 51 for one to be all out for 105. There were also two wickets apiece for Shakib Al Hasan and Robert Taylor. Cobb and Greg Smith (39 not out off 30 balls) then knocked off the runs with ease.

Durham kept their hopes of making the quarter-finals alive by beating Derbyshire by 37 runs at Chester-le-Street. They now sit third in the North Group and must wait on results from other groups. Gordon Muchall smashed 66 from only 36 balls to set up their total of 187 for three. Mark Stoneman (47 off 34) and Phil Mustard (24 off 21) added 54 for the first-wicket, while Scott Borthwick clubbed two sixes during a 23-ball 31. Derbyshire then got off to brisk start as Chesney Hughes hit 34 off 22 balls, but they lost wickets regularly and Dan Redfern was the only man to prosper thereafter with 43 off 34 balls. Graham Onions, Chris Rushworth and Borthwick took a brace of wickets apiece.

Alex Hales hit 82 off 52 balls as Nottinghamshire guaranteed themselves a home quarter-final by beating second-placed Lancashire at Trent Bridge. Hales added 59 in six overs with Michael Lumb (30 off 15) for the first-wicket to set up the home side’s total of 194 for six. Lancashire then lost the in-form Stephen Moore first ball to Samit Patel and folded for 134 in their run chase. Patel ended with three for 34, while fellow left-arm spinner Graeme White returned career-best figures of five for 22.

The tour match between Sussex and the Australians petered out into the expected draw on the final day at Hove. James Taylor completed his century to cap a good day on which he was named in England’s 14-man squad for the Thursday’s third Ashes Test, while Ed Cowan kept his name in the hat for the tourists with an unbeaten 77 in their second innings. Lewis Hatchett continued to impress and added two wickets to his first innings haul of two for 38 to end with match figures of four for 66. Full report

Tomorrow’s FLt20 Fixture:
South Group, Kent v Hampshire at Canterbury (1910 BST start)
Kent are already out of the competition, but achieved the unique feat of beating leaders Hampshire earlier this month so will be eyeing the double. The Royals, meanwhile, know that a win will guarantee them a home quarter-final.

Weather Forecast: Tomorrow will be largely sunny with occasional showers. Temperatures will peak at around 22 degrees Celsius.

© Cricket World 2013

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Mascarenhas to quit county cricket

Hampshire all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas has announced he is to retire from county cricket at the end of the season because of injury.

Mascarenhas has played for Hampshire for 18 years during which time he has picked up five domestic trophies.

First-class figures:

195 matches 450 wickets (average 28.22) Best bowling figures: 6-25 - Hants v Derbyshire, 2004 17 x five-wicket hauls 6,495 runs (average 25.07) Top score: 131 - Hants v Kent, 2006 Eight x 100s, 23 x 50s

Twenty20 stats:

121 matches 142 wickets (average 19.83) Best bowling figures: 5-14 - Hants v Sussex, 2004 Two five-wicket hauls, one four-wicket haul 1,313 runs (average 19.59) Top score: 57no - Otago v Canterbury, 2009 Three x 50s

List A (limited-overs):

261 matches 300 wickets (average 26.47) Best bowling figures: 5-27 - Hants v Gloucs, 2002 One five-wicket haul, nine four-wicket hauls 4,283 runs (average 24.90) Top score: 79 - Hants v Worcestershire, 1999 and Hants v Kent, 2004 27 x 50s The 35-year-old was also selected for England in 20 one-day internationals and 14 Twenty20 internationals.

"It's been the hardest decision of my life, I've been here for so long," Mascarenhas told BBC Radio Solent.

Born in London but raised in Australia, Mascarenhas returned to England to play in the Southern League before joining Hampshire in 1996 and taking 6-88 against Glamorgan at Southampton on his debut.

He won his Hampshire cap in 1998 and is the only current player who played for the county in the last century.

He scored the first century to be made at The Rose Bowl, against Worcestershire in 2001, and took the first hat-trick recorded in Twenty20 cricket as part of his career-best 5-14 against Sussex at Hove in 2004.

Mascarenhas also played a big part in his team's victorious 2005 Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy campaign.

He was awarded a benefit year by Hampshire in 2007 and, furthermore, was recognised by his country with an England call-up for their one-day squad to face India in the same year.

During the series, Mascarenhas hit five sixes in a single over from Yuvraj Singh at The Oval - a unique record for any England player.

He was appointed Hampshire captain in 2008. In that same year he was the first English player to be selected to play in the Indian Premier League for the Rajasthan Royals.

"The best accolade that can be afforded to a retiring cricketer is that he will be difficult to replace.

"He was the ultimate one-day player. Dimi had the ability to hit the ball out of the ground, and his nagging accuracy and trademark off cutter when bowling, accounted for countless batsmen.

"He should have played more one-day internationals than he did, but he was deemed half a yard too slow. If only the England selectors at the time had had more faith.

"His four-day appearances though had been drying up recently as a lifetime in cricket began to taken its toll.

"It's worth remembering too that no English player has had more experience in and around the world's richest tournament - the Indian Premier League."

In recent seasons, he has been a key part of one of the most successful periods in Hampshire's history, helping the team win the 2009 Friends Provident Trophy and playing an integral part in the side's victorious Clydesdale Bank 40 campaign last season.

As Twenty20 captain, he led the side to the 2012 title and played in the early rounds, but not the semi-final or final, when they won the competition two years earlier.

In total, he has scored more than 12,000 runs in all formats and taken nearly 900 wickets.

"I feel I have so much left, but my Achilles just isn't up to it and, as a result, I have to retire," he said.

"I have had an amazing time here for 18 seasons; there have been many highs and lows, but one thing that has stayed constant is the guys I have played with. All have been tremendous talents and, more importantly, top blokes. "

Hampshire chairman Rod Bransgrove believes Mascarenhas deserves legendary status at the club for his 18-year contribution.

"Dimi has established himself as a true Hampshire icon and will be impossible to replace," said Bransgrove.

"His uncomplicated style and positive manner have made him a huge influence in and around the dressing room and his passion and commitment to the cause ensured that he would always be a crowd favourite."

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