Somerset beat Yorkshire at Taunton by 118 runs, while Surrey held out to foil Lancashire’s victory bid at Old Trafford 7.44pm BST After all the doom and gloom that was a smashing little round, and even life on the final day. A few lively hurrah’s from Pope and Foakes, Bopara and Gary Wilson and lots of wickets for Jake Ball and Tom Bailey, who had a superb match. Great to see Cook get runs too - like to think there was one more season for him before he retires to midwifery services on the farm. Thank you all for your good cheer and goodnight!Round-up 7.32pm BST So, that’s it for the day. Ta-ra. 6.24pm BST Handshakes at Old Trafford -...
There are 30 or 40 players who could make the first Test against Pakistan and the start of the County Championship on Friday is their chance to stake a claimThe weather is miserable, the football season is approaching the business end – yes, it’s time for hackneyed but well-meaning jokes about the start of the cricket season. The County Championship begins on Friday with some enticing fixtures, including Yorkshire v Essex and Lancashire v Nottinghamshire in Division One. The Spin is so excited that we won’t be able to sit still until we have shared with you, dear reader, our Five Talking Points/Things to Look Forward to This Season. Here they are: Related: County cricket talking points: six questions before...
Essex and Worcestershire will remember the 2017 season for ever while Middlesex and Yorkshire cannot forget it soon enoughWith a word for Worcestershire, another of the little guys whose overachievement has been fostered at home, this has to be Essex. Well supported from east London to East Anglia, brilliantly coached and captained, and with the best spinner, seamer and eight blokes who scored a ton. Little wonder they won. Related: Hampshire’s James Vince ensures Middlesex complete slide to relegation Related: County Championship: fans from all 18 counties look back on the season Continue reading...
From the overweight to the utterly inept via the unfairly uncapped, a celebration of six of county cricket’s most-loved figures from past and presentDon Shepherd died on Friday, less than a week after turning 90, thus ending a lifelong love affair with Glamorgan cricket. The feeling was very much reciprocated. Related: The Joy of Six: Wimbledon wildcards | Niall McVeigh Related: The Joy of Six: boxing and UFC comebacks from the canvas Continue reading...
All this week’s county matches will be day/night in a pre-Test experiment but players who are colour blind may have difficultiesThere may be some splutterings from the disgusted of Tunbridge Wells, with cornflakes flying into the marmalade as if propelled by a Purdey after reading about County Championship matches starting at 2pm, finishing around 9.30 under floodlights and being played with a pink ball. On Monday this will be the case in all nine games around the country.A pink ball! The colour pink has so many connotations. Many years ago I was accosted by a mischievous EW Swanton, who asked: “Whatever are you doing writing for that pinko rag?” (After a moment of confusion I realised that he was referring...