Poignancy presides over the time of year when fans and players brace themselves for a long goodbyeThe last day of the domestic cricket season fell on Thursday when Essex, the defending county champions, played out the final day of the final match against this year’s champions Surrey, at the Oval. The sky was gentlest blue, the leaves of the south London trees thinking about falling. Entry was free and though the hordes failed to storm the bastion, the plastic tip-up seats filled up well enough, comfortable pair of trousers by comfortable pair of trousers, for a last deep breath of late summer. The day was a thriller, one of the very best, but no one knew that for sure when...
That outground games live on, sun-soaked and sea-specked, is a small miracle and this week we can enjoy one such treat for freeTo North Marine Road! The turnstiles! The future! What’s that you say? It was hard to hear, with the gulls fine-dining over greasy scraps before flying back to strut their stuff over the long sweep of South Bay, and The Past leafing through dusty pages of Wisden, coughing out old names in incantation – Hobbs, Hutton, Boycott, Byas.It might be hard to believe but Yorkshire’s famous old ground, where the crowds have been walking up since 1878 and vanishing at 5:30pm prompt each evening for a 6 o’clock landlady-tea, is hosting a remarkable experiment this week. Top-of-the table...
Let the zany joy of outground cricket stream in County cricket talking points: Surrey go top thanks to Pope 10.06pm BST There was cricket galore on the hottest day of the year, as the County Championship restarted with only a day’s break.At Scarborough a late-afternoon fightback kept Yorkshire in the game against Championship leaders Surrey. Jonny Tattersall made his maiden first-class 50, and Tim Bresnan made 48 as Yorkshire wriggled free from the clutches of 166 for 6 to finish on 299 for eight. Earlier Amar Virdi, inexplicably bowling in a cable-knit jumper, had taken two wickets in two balls when he had Cheteshwar Pujara caught at short-leg and then duped Harry Brook lbw for a duck two balls later....
The leaders Nottinghamshire were skittled by Lancashire while the in-form Ollie Pope hit another century for Surrey on the first day of the latest round of matches 8.47pm BST And here’s a roundup of today’s action: Related: Championship roundup: Ollie Pope century helps Surrey keep faith 6.49pm BST Here are your scores on the doors at stumps:Division One: 5.51pm BST Play has just been abandoned for the day at Taunton with Hampshire 198 for eight. It’s hard to assess the worth of that score. But I’m fairly sure that Somerset will be relieved since they bowled so poorly in the first session before Tom Abell’s three wickets and a fine final spell from Lewis Gregory rescued the situation. By the...
Yorkshire ended the day with a lead of 69 despite a dreadful first innings while Marcus Trescothick suffered a broken metatarsal at Old Trafford 8.41pm BST Related: Joe Root and Alastair Cook out for ducks as Yorkshire just edge it against Essex 7.26pm BST What a day - ridiculous goings-on at Chelmsford; a cruel injury to an old warhorse, I won’t say on his swansong, and youthful blooming at Old Trafford; wickets galore at Hove and Sophia Gardens. Young runs at The Oval – Rory Burns and Ben Foakes give Ed Smith something to mull over tonight – and runs too for the carthorses put out to grass by England: Trott, Bell and Patel. Have a lovely Friday everyone. 6.43pm...