Holland gives Foxes upper hand against Middlesex
Ian Holland underlined his status as Division Two's leading wicket-taker with figures of 5-35 to give Leicestershire the upper hand on the opening day of their County Championship clash with Middlesex.The 34-year-old medium-pacer took his wicket tally to 26 for the season, returning 3-9 during a relentlessly accurate opening eight-over salvo to reduce the home side to 19-3 at Lord's.Middlesex gradually rallied, with Jack Davies top-scoring on 49, before Holland completed only the second five-wicket haul of his first-class career to dismiss them for 232.Although Leicestershire reduced the arrears by 22 before the close, they lost Rishi Patel to the final ball of the day, leg before to Ryan Higgins.Having won the toss, Foxes captain Peter Handscomb sent his former team into bat – a move that was immediately vindicated as Holland set about wrecking Middlesex's top order during the first half-hour.His fourth delivery from the Nursery End nipped in and stayed low to remove Sam Robson – and the one that zoomed back in the reverse direction to hit Max Holden's off stump was virtually unplayable.Two balls later, Leus du Plooy speared Holland to mid=wicket to leave Middlesex reeling, but Luke Hollman – promoted to three following his maiden hundred against Kent last time out – launched a repair job.Two drives to the short cover fence off Logan van Beek got Hollman up and running, but it was a measure of Leicestershire's accuracy that those remained the only boundaries of the innings until the 18th over.Higgins also began to accumulate runs as the pair hauled Middlesex's total beyond 50 and, although Hollman perished swishing outside off stump at Tom Scriven, Ben Geddes started brightly with a couple of well-timed clips to the leg side.It looked as if Middlesex had weathered the storm, with Higgins advancing rapidly to 44 after lunch, only to become Holland's fourth victim as he played on attempting to leave the ball.Josh Hull picked up the next wicket, tempting Geddes with a short ball that he flicked high into the hands of long leg, but Davies cut and drove to good effect as he and Zafar Gohar rebuilt with a buoyant stand of 74.Gohar capitalised on Hull's tendency to pitch short, punishing the left-armer on both sides of the wicket and thumping him to the point boundary to raise the 50 partnership prior to tea.Despite a close call when he edged Scriven between wicketkeeper and slip on 31, Davies batted doggedly after the interval and was inching towards a third half-century in as many matches when he was castled by Ben Green.Rehan Ahmed's tidy eight-over spell brought him the wicket of Gohar, miscuing to backward point for 36 and, while teenage debutant Naavya Sharma kept Toby Roland-Jones company during a lively knock of 29, Middlesex were unable to scrape a batting bonus point.Holland wrapped up the innings by having last man Dane Paterson caught in the deep and that left Leicestershire's openers seven overs to negotiate – a task they almost completed, only for Higgins to strike right before stumps.ECB Reporters' Network supported by Rothesay
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Steve Backshall reveals what he saw as his 'life flashed before his eyes' during near-fatal rock climbing accident and admits he feared 'never seeing' wife Helen Glover again
Steve Backshall has recall ed the terrifying moment his 'life flashed before his eyes' during a near-fatal rock climbing accident. The explorer and presenter, 52, broke his back in 2008 after slipping 25 foot down a cliff face while climbing in the rain with his travel writer friend Tarquin Cooper in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. He also nearly drowned in a kayaking accident years later which left him terrified he would never see his wife and kids again. He shares a son Logan, six, and five-year-old twins, Willow and Kit with his Olympic rower wife Helen Glover. Speaking to the High Performance podcast The Sun reports that he said of the rock-climbing accident: 'In that second-and-a-half (of the fall) I had time to see the leaves passing by me on the trees, to flash back through my life - to so many of the things that had happened to me. 'Time appears to slow down. Our brains are zipping back through our life history to try and find something that might save us in that instant - some little moment that could give us the clarity to act, and in my case stop my fall. 'That was a second-and-a-half. And in a second-and-a-half I did see my life flash before me.' And he described that during the kayaking incident he was terrified that the life he had planned with his wife 'wouldn't happen'. Steve said at the time of the rock-climbing accident: 'I've broken two vertebrae but I could have been paralysed - or worse. 'The rock was wet so I stopped to rest but the next thing I was heading very quickly towards the ground. 'All I can remember is landing with a sickening thud. I can't begin to describe how painful it was, but I'm lucky.' His friend Cooper, who witnessed the horrific accident, said: 'It was awful. I saw him cartwheel down before hitting the ground with a thump. 'I couldn't carry him so he put his arm round me and we walked to the car - 45 minutes away.' Steve recently admitted that having three young children while in his 50s is physically draining. He told The Mail on Sunday: 'I do wish I had the energy I had when I was in my 20s and 30s, to have the ability to sprint around playing football and rugby all day long with my kids, and for me to still be popping and buzzing with energy. 'But obviously I haven't and it's tough to keep going when you're 52 and you've got three kids under six. 'But I've got knowledge and experience and a whole array of things I can teach them about, help them with. 'Also I've got no choice! 'These are the cards that I was dealt, and I've got to make it work.' He described his wife as a 'mega-mum' and is proud that she was the first British female rower to go to an Olympic games after having children. Backshall, who presents a new podcast, That's Just Wild, said of his career: 'I think they are very excited by it and very proud – but also, the fact I go away a lot, they don't like at all. 'They really struggle with it. It's been hard ever since they could understand what I was doing. 'They would take me doing an office job and seeing me every day over me having this incredibly exciting job but always being away for long periods of time. Especially at the age they're at. 'Right now for this one little precious period of time in their lives all they want is to be with Mummy and Daddy.' Backshall, who took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2014, admits that he's an old fashioned father, saying: 'I do think that discipline and rules and structure are important for kids. 'The things we've been doing for generations are timeless for a reason.'
The Sun
2 minutes ago
- The Sun
Inside Chelsea's ‘very awkward' trophy lift event with empty seats and fans saying ‘players couldn't care less'
TROPHY parades in recent seasons have become a chance for thousands of fans to get together, line the streets and celebrate their team holding silverware aloft on an open top bus. But for Chelsea, after their Conference League and Club World Cup victories, it seems becoming Champions of the World wasn't enough to justify that level of chaos. 6 6 6 6 Instead, the Blues opted for an hour-long in-house trophy celebration with a fairly drab atmosphere, leaving the players unenthused and some fans disappointed. Almost immediately after the 'ceremony' one Chelsea fan took to X to vent his frustration, claiming 'The players couldn't care less about this event lmao, very awkward.' It was a statement that was tough to disagree with. Another added: "This Chelsea trophy event, looks like the men's players don't want to be there! Show a little enthusiasm or smile for the fans that showed up! So awkward!" The Stamford Bridge west stand was far from full, with fans who bought tickets to the far right or left of the stand being instructed to move to the empty seats in the centre for a better view early on. Despite this, with a ticket costing just £5, less than a beer at the ground, fans were perhaps given fair value. Members of the Treble-winning women's team, including captain Millie Bright, were out first with the WSL title, league cup and FA Cup, before being joined by the entire men's team with the Club World Cup and Conference League trophies. Chelsea heroes Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo were given huge ovations by the supporters in attendance, before all of the announced new signings were given an official introduction to Blues' supporters - unsurprisingly it was Estevao Willian who got the biggest cheer. The new Brazilian was officially announced as a Chelsea player yesterday, a year after agreeing a deal to join Enzo Maresca's side, and was comically forced by Malo Gusto to watch the French fullback's goal against Estevao's Palmeiras side at the Club World Cup on the big screen. The idea was for the players to stroll down a blue carpet onto a plinth, before joining their team-mates to one side - though it seemed only Tosin Adarabioyo was fussed about trying to get his team-mates to avoid just walking to the side to join their pals, rather than take to the stage. The players were also given a chance to do a 'Donald Trump-less' lift of the Club World Cup trophy, but again, looked less than thrilled with captain Reece James not even holding the trophy aloft his head. Though in fairness to James, it may be difficult to get ramped up and celebrate a trophy won over a month ago with few fans in attendance - or a US President looking on. Before they were allowed to head home, James and Maresca were asked for their message to the fans before their 25/26 campaign gets going with a pre-season friendly against Bayer Leverkusen on Friday night. It was the manager who raised a few eyebrows in the ground with his 'rallying cry', after women's manager Sonia Bompastor had vowed for the team to target all FOUR trophies next campaign. Instead of instilling the fans with hope, and daring them to dream that the team will compete for major honours this season, Maresca instead pleaded for the fans to get behind the team. 6 He said: 'The message from me is quite clear. The players need the fans, so it's important that they're always behind them. This is my main message.' This comes against a backdrop of Maresca last season asking for a more energetic and encouraging atmosphere at home games for the Blues - something that he feels is essential in the team's quest for Champions League and Premier League glory. Perhaps we're old fashioned, but a traditional trophy parade might be a better idea the next time this team do pick up silverware.
BBC News
32 minutes ago
- BBC News
New Oxford United stadium recommended for council approval
Oxford United's proposed new stadium has been recommended for approval by council District Council's planning report said there were "very special circumstances" to justify building a new purpose-built 16,000-seater ground on land known as the Triangle, near KidlingtonJonathon Clarke, the Championship club's development director, said it was a "significant and positive step".The report will be discussed by the council's planning committee on 14 August. The five-hectare (12-acre) site is located south of Kidlington roundabout, west of Banbury Road, east of Frieze Way and near Oxford Parkway proposed complex could include a 180-bed hotel, restaurant, conference centre and community U's have repeatedly warned that if the Triangle site was not approved by Cherwell District Council then it would have no home stadium by June had previously agreed with the Kassam Stadium's owner that it could play there until June 2026, but the extra year is conditional on it getting planning permission for the new ground. The council planning report said the development would "cause significant landscape and visual harm", but said there were "very special circumstances" to justify the development on green belt contained details of objections from local campaigners who claimed the stadium would cause "irreversible damage to a site which has high local ecological significance and value".However planners agreed with the club that it was the only available, appropriate site either in Oxford or council received about 4,900 responses from the public about the application.A decision over the proposed stadium was delayed from 31 July when nearby woodland was designated as Natural England concluded the woodland at Stratfield Brake was not ancient as it was not found on Oxfordshire maps it had studied from the 18th and 19th the planning committee agrees with the recommendations of the report, the application will then to be referred to the Secretary of State – a standard procedure for such large-scale Clarke said: "This is a significant and positive step towards our goal of building a world-class venue that safeguards the club's future."We now have confirmation of when the planning committee will meet and look forward to them hopefully endorsing the positive recommendation made by their professional officers." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
