Key events<\/p>\n
Auqib Nabi joins Surrey for three matches<\/p>\n
Surrey are throwing everything at the wall in an effort to stop relelgation. Indian seamer Nabi will make his debut against Yorkshire<\/a> next week, followed by games against Sussex and Glamorgan. Meanwhile Foakes (33) and Thomas (18) look likely to take Surrey safely to lunch at Chelmsford, the lead 29.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Middlesex forfeit their first innings<\/p>\n And after being bowled out for 131 (Sharma 4-36, Helm 3-39), Derbyshire<\/a> are now 6-1 in the second. Came lbw TRJ for five.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Olly Stone might be bowling himself onto the winter tour boat, if only our bowling stocks weren\u2019t looking suddenly healthy. After last week\u2019s triumph, he\u2019s got Warwicks three down already.<\/p>\n On the hunt: Olly Stone Photograph: Paul Dennis\/TGS Photo\/ShutterstockShare<\/a>Match drawn at Scarborough<\/p>\n A wet outfield kills the match.<\/p>\n Scarborough: Yorkshire 263 DRAW with Leicestershire<\/a> 84-0<\/p>\n Yorkshire 9 points, Leicestershire<\/a> 11 points<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Another wicket at Chelmsford, Mahipal Lomror for a 37 ball 11. Not Harmer, into over 22, but Porter. Surrey<\/a>, 99-6, lead by 3, and Foakes is still there.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s getting interesting at Sophia Gardens, where Hampshire\u2019s lead is already a sizeabe 199. Albert still there on 54.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n My morning missive from Tim Maitland has arrived!<\/p>\n Maybe because it\u2019s been a grey, rainy Sunday here in Hong Kong, but what grey matter I have left has been dwelling on what the future will look like for \u201cour\u201d cricket, which really boils down to where the T20 franchise model will take us and how the county game can adapt and survive.<\/p>\n \u201cGiven that Indiawin Sports, for instance, have rapidly added MI London, MI Emirates, MI New York and MI Cape Town to the Mumbai Indians IPL stable and, as one example, Nicholas Pooran, once of the West Indies plays for the first three sides, you could argue that the era of IPL owners contracting players to represent their franchises all year round is already upon us. In Indiawin\u2019s case, a Caribbean Premier League team and a side in the Big Bash (where Cricket<\/a> Australia is in the business of sliding through the backdoor into the realm of franchises) and their buying power can become irresistible.<\/p>\n \u201cYou might argue that this won\u2019t affect the county game that much because the corporations with multiple T20 ownership are just replacing the ECB\u2019s model of central contracts in taking control of the star players out of the hands of the counties, but the increased competition for more players to play more cricket more of the time across more of the globe is going to leave the more impoverished teams and competitions with less quality to choose from.<\/p>\n \u201cCould the tipping point come when the value of holding the rights to such players, assuming that the rules of the various T20 drafts are watered down enough to allow it, reach such a level that the T20 franchises start investing in talent production too?<\/p>\n \u201cThe structure of the Hundred season and the gaping hole in England\u2019s test match schedule already prove that the test game is making way from franchise cricket. Ironically, the further the game falls out of the control of the old establishment (The ECB etc) and into the hands of the franchises, county cricket (be it Blast, One Day or Championship) might actually be better able to use the calendar… the only question is, will future generations as they age actually WANT to watch the longer game the way we do?<\/p>\n \u201cThe most obvious concern, given how rapidly that Yorkshire, for one, sold their stake in what was the Northern Superchargers, is how long before a cash-strapped county makes the fatal error of taking the short-term cash injection and sells their main ground to their franchise owner, becoming a mere tenant? As we\u2019ve seen with Middlesex<\/a> CCC, without the bedrock of a self-owned central venue the foundations on which a sports side is built can become very shaky very quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps I\u2019m just in a gloomy mood, but at best, it\u2019s hard not to envision a world where this bright shiny new game of T20 dominates (wait until they unlock the kind of money Olympic status brings directly and indirectly) and the old game creaks along, far in the background, in sepia tones, ignored by most and loved by few.\u201d<\/p>\n Thanks for cheering us all up Tim. All of that, but I cling to the hope that players might actually like playing county cricket, it gives them a identity, a base and a team spirit that isn\u2019t there in more flighty competitions.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.35 EDT<\/p>\n ‘A disgusting hundred’ appraised by Elgar<\/p>\n I enjoyed these quotes from Dean Elgar, who is calling it a day at the end of the season. Elgar was brought in by Essex<\/a> for the 2024 season to replace the retiring Alastair Cook at the top of the order, and scored 1,000 runs in the first year, 725 last year and over 500 this year.<\/p>\n \u201cThe retirement has been a long time coming. In all fairness, since my twins were born, it kind of puts things in perspective. It\u2019s not about me anymore. Being a professional cricketer for so long you become quite selfish in a way and I\u2019m not a selfish person. But from a career point of view you do become that.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have no idea how I feel about my batting at the moment. Today was a disgusting hundred\u2026 I went home for seven weeks and I only picked [my bat] up when I got back to the UK. You kind of lose your technique and your reactions aren\u2019t as fine-tuned as they are when you\u2019re younger.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.06 EDT<\/p>\n Harmer with the breakthrough on a corn-coloured Chelmsford track. Blake plays a stylish looking cut but only shimmies the ball to the keeper. Surrey<\/a> 73-5 still trail by 23.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.07 EDT<\/p>\n Notts declare 325-8<\/p>\n Joe Clarke edges to second slip on 150 and Notts immediately declare. Yates and Young (the only Yopening pair out there?) have raced along to 16-0 in reply.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Pakistan need 389 to win.<\/p>\n England are all out at Lord\u2019s, Abbas 5-57<\/p>\n Follow Ollie Robinson and co on the OBO here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n After disappointment for Zak Crawley and James Wharton this round, Tom Lammonby joins the so-near-so-far just short of first century of the season club, lbw Crocombe 93. Somerset<\/a> 198-3 lead Sussex by 150.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Butter fingers at Chelmsford\u2013 Ben Foakes missed twice in two balls. A tricky missed stumping and then Harmer spills the gravy attempting a caught and bowled<\/p>\n Share<\/a>150 for Joe Clarke<\/p>\n In a round for bowlers, Clarke has stood tall. Notts 321-7 and searching for batting points.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Ha, I missed that Gloucestershire opened with Ollie Price\u2019s loopy loops. Silly season a month early.<\/p>\n Next round, Durham travel to Wantage Road, in a crucial game for Northants, while Gloucestershire entertain Derbyshire<\/a> at Bristol.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.13 EDT<\/p>\n Durham beat Gloucestershire by 10 wickets<\/p>\n A one minute 45 second victory. Durham continue to survey all around from the lofty position of top of Division Two, Gloucestershire<\/a> remain in the basement, nine defeats in ten. Matthew Potts four not out.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.08 EDT<\/p>\n In fact everywhere except Scarborough, well played groundstaff. So, first to Chester le Street, where Durham<\/a> have opened with Ollie Robinson and Matthew Potts.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Starting on time at New Road<\/p>\n Abracadabra.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>An early lunch at Scarborough<\/p>\n There\u2019s a damp patch just before the bowler\u2019s delivery stride at the press box end. They\u2019re hoping for play later dependent on sawdust and sun.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Weather watch<\/p>\n Still showery everywhere except the southeast. The Met office says: Outbreaks of rain affect parts of Scotland and northern England at first. A band of heavy, showery rain then spreads eastwards, with blustery showers and thunderstorms developing more widely during the afternoon. Southeast England stays mostly dry. Blustery at times.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Roundup: aggravated Gloucestershire make Durham wait<\/p>\n Rain rudely interrupted the County Championship<\/a> on bank holiday Saturday but there was evening controversy at Chester-le-Street. Kasey Aldridge had bowled Durham to almost-victory with four for 47, giving him nine wickets in the match, leaving his side four to win. But with the floodlights on and filthy skies, Gloucestershire refused to bowl spin and the umpires said it was too dark for pace.<\/p>\n Mark Alleyne, the Gloucestershire<\/a> head coach, explained: \u201cForty-five minutes before we lost the last wicket, it was too dark to play, which would have been consistent with all the other days that we played.<\/p>\n \u201cI was really surprised that Carse was allowed to bowl to [James] Bracey at the time. He got him out, then took off straight away. So, yeah, we had probably 50 minutes of cricket there that we probably shouldn\u2019t have done.<\/p>\n \u201cThey asked if we would bowl our spinners to finish the game. Of course, we said: \u2018No, we\u2019ll bowl our quick bowlers,\u2019 in which case it became bad light, so we\u2019ll come back tomorrow.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, we\u2019ve been outplayed, of course, but there\u2019s certain parts of the game that we feel we were really hard done by some really poor decisions, in my view, and I hope they get a chance to look back at those, but one of the poorest is playing in the light that we did for so long.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, with that in mind, we thought we\u2019d hedge our bets and see if it might rain all day tomorrow, so you never know.\u201d<\/p>\n At Scarborough, over 31.5 overs, Leicestershire\u2019s Sheridon Gumbs and Rishi Patel saw off the best that Yorkshire could throw at them on a damp bowler-friendly day. A draw looks almost inevitable, offering some succour to both sides trying to escape the drop.<\/p>\n After a four-hour rain delay at Sophia Gardens, Sonny Baker quickly polished off Glamorgan, to finish with four wickets (over three days), and Hampshire held a one-run advantage on first innings. Nick Gubbins and Ali Orr made a confident start to the second innings, racing to a 70 run stand until an unimpressed Gubbins was given out lbw to Mir Hamza.<\/p>\n There was no play at all at New Road, Northampton, Derby, Edgbaston, Hove and Chelmsford.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Scores on the doors<\/p>\n Division One<\/p>\n Chelmsford: Essex<\/a> 279 v Surrey 183 and 51-4 <\/p>\n Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 161 v Hampshire<\/a> 162 and 124-2<\/p>\n Hove: Sussex 250 v Somerset<\/a> 202 and 167-2 <\/p>\n Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire<\/a> 299-7<\/p>\n Scarborough: Yorkshire 263 v Leicestershire<\/a> 84-0<\/p>\n Division Two<\/p>\n Derby: Derbyshire<\/a> 79-3 v Middlesex<\/p>\n Chester-le-Street: Durham 384 v Gloucestershire<\/a> 137 and 250 Durham need 4 to win<\/p>\n Northampton: Northamptonshire<\/a> 74-0 v Kent 345<\/p>\n New Road: Worcestershire<\/a> 12-1 v Lancashire 180 <\/p>\n Share<\/a>Preamble<\/p>\n Hello and happy damp Sunday. After yesterday\u2019s almost total washout, there\u2019s a hope of play today, especially at Chelmsford and Hove. At Chester le Street, where a cheesed-off Gloucestershire<\/a> refused to bowl spin last night in the gloom and therefore pushed Durham\u2019s chase of four runs into today, there has been morning rain. The mops are out.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, if the weather allows, there might be bold declarations and gung-ho chases in the desperate search of Championship points. We\u2019ll be here all day, do join us.<\/p>\n