Key events<\/p>\n
Show key events only<\/p>\n
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n
Spectators drift onto the Oval outfield like a wave onto the sand. Time to grab some sunshine to warm up, back soon.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a>Lunchtime scores<\/p>\n DIVISION ONE<\/p>\n Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 91-4 v Leicestershire<\/p>\n Trent Bridge: Notts v Warwickshire<\/a> 96-3<\/p>\n The Oval: Surrey<\/a> v Essex 128-0<\/p>\n Headingley: Yorkshire<\/a> v Sussex 103-3<\/p>\n DIVISION TWO<\/p>\n The County Ground: Derbyshire v Gloucestershire<\/a> 70-2<\/p>\n Riverside: Durham v Lancashire<\/a> 118-3<\/p>\n New Road: Worcestershire<\/a> v Kent 65-3<\/p>\n Durham bowler Matthew Potts celebrates the wicket of Lancashire\u2019s George Balderson, with wicket-keeper Ollie Robinson. Photograph: Stu Forster\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.07 EDT<\/p>\n Bad news for Asa Tribe fans, who has just lost his off stump for 24 to Josh Hull. Glamorgan<\/a> 66 for three.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Dean Elgar is currently tucking into Matt Fisher with white linen napkin tied around his neck, reaches his first fifty of the year with a wristy steer to the rope. Essex<\/a> 106-0.<\/p>\n Athers also pointed out this morning that only one Surrey<\/a> bowler is currently averaging under 30 per wicket \u2013 teenage Ralphie Albert. Jordan Clark, Tom Lawes and Matt Fisher are averaging 41.66, 54.20 and 58.0.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A couple of young openers to keep an eye on this round: Asa Tribe, currently 23 not out, against Rehan-less Leicestershire<\/a> (53-2); and Ben McKinney, currently in the field watching Lancashire race to 102-2.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Giant Josh Tongue makes the breakthrough at Trent Bridge, Rob Yates caught at simply at first slip off a brutish ball for 18. Warwicks 67-2.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.28 EDT<\/p>\n This Oval pitch looks tasty for the batters. A lovely clunk bat on ball, as Walter drives Fisher through the covers, chased by unidentified fielder in chunky-knit Surrey<\/a> short-sleeved jumper. Essex 80-0.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Robin Smith Memorial service<\/p>\n Hampshire have announced a memorial service for Robin Smith at Winchester Cathedral on Friday, June 12. Smith, who died in December, aged just 62, played for Hampshire for 21 years, 1982-2003, as well as earning 62 Test caps for England. A live stream of the service will be available.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Thanks to Tim Maitland who has been keeping an eye on events at Headingley and points out a double wicket maiden for Jack White \u2013 Sussex<\/a> 48-2.<\/p>\n Zac Crawley was making merry for Kent. No more, caught for 27, his highest score of the season. Kent are 38 for three, with the unfortunate Beyers Swanepoel in the wickets on his belated Worcestershire<\/a> debut. <\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.17 EDT<\/p>\n In Division Two, slow going for Gloucestershire (22-1) and Kent (21-1) \u2013 though Crawley has raced to 17. Lancashire are scoring at five an over against Durham but have lost Balderson for 14 and Bohannon for 5. Captain Jennings screws in his boots for a familiar stint.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A good morning for batting? You didn\u2019t need to worry about Warwicks, Phil Russell, they\u2019re charging along, now 44-1. But Tongue does have the ball. The opening pairs for Essex (35-0) and Sussex (37-0) are still together, while things are trickier for Glamorgan<\/a>, 16-1, Byrom out to the indefatigable Ian Holland.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Elgar drives Atkinson for four, oh so elegantly, next ball he\u2019s beaten, next ball an elaborate leave. The light blue Oval seats are already gently filling up with bodies, hunching towards the sun; and, poetically, the pavilion clock is stuck at 4.25.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Joe Ro0t returns for Yorkshire<\/p>\n But we\u2019ll have to wait as YJB won the toss and has inserted Sussex<\/a> \u2013 currently 9-0.<\/p>\n \u201cYorkshire have been on the back foot for all but the first 14 overs of the season haven\u2019t they?\u201d writes Tim Maitland. \u201cA \u201closing\u201d draw at Glamorgan<\/a>, where, despite having the home side 28-4, they spent most of the match behind the eight ball and then that 214-run defeat against Hampshire at Headingley, which the Yorkshire Post reports got this scathing verdict from Anthony McGrath: If we keep putting out performances like that it doesn\u2019t matter if we\u2019re playing in the Bradford Sunday School League because we\u2019re going to lose.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201dI can\u2019t pretend to have any experience of Bradford Sunday School League cricket, but if it\u2019s anything like the rest of Bradford cricket it\u2019s probably a pretty high standard… and yet I get the feeling that McGrath\u2019s words were not intended as a compliment.<\/p>\n \u201dFortunately this Root kid they\u2019re bringing in, is a bit handy. His last four matches? 111, 75,61 and 160 (and a 6, probably just to prove that he is human). Those were in Colombo and Sydney and January must seem a long time ago and feel a lot different to 9C at Headingley. <\/p>\n \u201dHe\u2019s starting the season on 19,089 runs, apparently (I haven\u2019t personally counted them all). Would you bet against him passing 20,000 before September\u2019s done?\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n An email drops, with a spring trill. Hello Phil Russell!<\/p>\n \u201cAs a Bears fan I\u2019m nervous about what Josh Tongue and Co are going to do to our top order in the first session. Our last four innings have seen us start 22-3, 23-3, 25-3 and 14-3. No surprise Notts decided to field first!\u201d<\/p>\n Just had a peek \u2013 is 13-1 good news? Pennington and Hutton have opened the bowling, Tongue pawing the earth.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Two-year suspension for Doug Bracewell<\/p>\n Former Essex cricketer Doug Bracewell has been suspended for two years by the Cricket<\/a> Regulator for \u201can Adverse Analytical Finding for the presence of cocaine and its Metabolite, benzoylecgonine\u201d when he was tested on the 25th September 2025. Bracewell has accepted the sanction. The suspension lasts until 24 November 2027.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.12 EDT<\/p>\n Div One table<\/p>\n All teams have played two games unless marked<\/p>\n 1 Somerset (3) 54<\/p>\n 2 Warwickshire<\/a> (3) 39<\/p>\n 3 Notts 33<\/p>\n 4 Sussex<\/a> 29<\/p>\n 5 Essex<\/a> (3) 28<\/p>\n 6 Hampshire (3) 25<\/p>\n 7 Surrey<\/a> 25<\/p>\n 8 Leicestershire<\/a> 18<\/p>\n 9 Glamorgan<\/a> 15<\/p>\n Yorkshire 13<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Gus Atkinson, running in from the pavilion end. That familiar tippytoed run, the hands grasped in prayer. Three slips lick their lips. Dean Elgar is squarered up, some juice straight away.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n I have a malfunctioning keyboard that s0metimes w0nt type os \u2013 though it did then \u2013 so apologies \u2013 and then- for sometimes having to use a zero.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Surrey have won the toss and will bowl \u2013 Noah Thain plays, on the back 0f, I learnt today from Mike Atherton, a hundred in the second team. Atkinson t0 spruce up Surrey\u2019s b0wling.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.41 EDT<\/p>\n Football for Surrey<\/a>, slip catches for Essex here at The Oval. A groundsman with a red bucket and a fork does sporadic aerating. The seats are filling up on the top layer of the Mickey Stewart pavilion, they\u2019re brave, its in full shade.<\/p>\n This is such a gorgeous ground.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Ooops, I think this may have launched while I was tackling The Oval\u2019s coffee machine, apologies for half-formed thoughts.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Rehan Ahmed off to the IPL<\/p>\n Leicestershire are without Rehan Ahmed, off to bench warm for Delhi Capitals. He will miss the next four Championship games. Leicestershire<\/a> say there are \u201cabsolutely delighted.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.21 EDT<\/p>\n Fixtures<\/p>\n DIVISION ONE<\/p>\n Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan v Leicestershire<\/p>\n Trent Bridge: Notts v Warwickshire<\/p>\n The Oval: Surrey<\/a> v Essex<\/p>\n Headingley: Yorkshire<\/a> v Sussex<\/p>\n DIVISION TWO<\/p>\n The County Ground: Derbyshire v Gloucestershire<\/p>\n Riverside: Durham v Lancashire<\/p>\n New Road: Worcestershire<\/a> v Kent<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Preamble<\/p>\n Good morning! Another glorious one, if a little nippy. On my walk from Vauxhall station, the scaffolder filing his bucket and the cyclist zipping past in the bike lane seemed unaware that Gus Atkinson was making his first appearance of the season, for Surrey<\/a> against Essex.<\/p>\n After last week\u2019s mini-round, we return to eight games, with Middlesex and Northamptonshire the only two sides with their feet up. Poor old Gloucestershire<\/a>, three losses, three points, and hit by the news that Ben Charlesworth will join Lancs in 2027, must press on.<\/p>\n Games start at 11am, do join us.<\/p>\n