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The Guardian
2 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Yorkshire v Surrey, Sussex v Essex, and more: county cricket day three
Update: Date: 2025-07-24T09:10:36.000Z Title: Thursday's round-up Content: Somerset wrapped up their five-wicket win against Durham before tea on day two, though not without a wobble. The surface was the main talking point, with opinions varying depending on the colour of the tracksuit. The Somerset head coach, Jason Kerr, called it 'an incredible surface' while Durham's bowling coach, Graham Onions, was less complimentary about the 'excessive turn'. Jack Leach pocketed a six-fer, for the second consecutive game, and Archie Vaughan four, as Durham were bowled out for 190 – leaving Somerset 86 to win. They scraped over the line, despite Callum Parkinson's four wickets. After a shimmering century on Tuesday, Rehan Ahmed fizzed out six Derbyshire batters for 51 in a dazzling display of leg-spin. Leicestershire lead by 209. Derbyshire's Luis Reece had earlier collected six for 56 as Leicestershire's tail collapsed. Chris Green won the heart of Lancashire fans with a wham-bam 160, all long levers and princely smile. When he was eventually dismissed for the record score for a Lancashire No 8, his standing ovation ran into the one welcoming No 11, Jimmy Anderson. Tom Hartley then raced to his first first-class century, a clean-hitting knock, pipping Peter Martin to the highest score by a Lancashire No 10. Anderson then licked his lips and whistled out Cameron Bancroft cheaply, but that was Lancs' only success as Ben Charlesworth hit an excellent century of his own in a match that looks destined for a high-scoring draw. Ben Kellaway and Colin Ingram batted Glamorgan into an excellent position against Kent, who are making a better fist of their second innings. With his parents in the crowd, Lyndon James rocked to a maiden double hundred as Nottinghamshire declared on 578 at Southampton; Warwickshire are on the rocks after first Ethan Brookes made a career-best 140 against his old club Worcestershire, and then Khurram Shazad fired six batters out for 42. Rain ruined much of the day's play at Scarborough, with just time for Yorkshire's Jonny Bairstow to rattle to 72 before being caught off Surrey's two-match Kookaburra-ball signing Sai Kishore. England man in the wings Jordan Cox hot-footed to a brilliant century for Essex, putting on 184 with Matt Critchley (a fine 123), who both made the most of a temptingly short boundary on the pavilion side. Sussex toiled away, without the rested Ollie Robinson, until thunderstorms stopped play with the Essex lead 247. Middlesex declared on 625 for eight, riches beyond dreams, thanks to hundreds for Kane Williamson (in his first red-ball innings for the club) and Leus du Plooy, and 151 for Max Holden. Northants hauled themselves to 121 for four at stumps. Update: Date: 2025-07-24T09:10:36.000Z Title: Scores on the doors Content: DIVISION ONE Southampton: Hampshire 80-0 v Nottinghamshire 578-8dec Taunton: Somerset 250 and 89-5 BEAT Durham 145 and 190 By FIVE WICKETS Hove: Sussex 204 v Essex 475-9 Edgbaston: Warwickshire 184 v Worcestershire 333 and 31-0 Scarborough: Yorkshire 376-5 v Surrey DIVISION TWO Derby: Derbyshire 189 v Leicestershire 398 Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 327 v Kent 155 and 106-1 Cheltenham: Gloucestershire 179-1 v Lancashire 557 Merchant Taylors' School: Middlesex 625-8 dec v Northamptonshire 126-4 Update: Date: 2025-07-24T09:10:36.000Z Title: Preamble Content: Good morning! Day three races around, with things already done and dusted at Taunton, though the recriminations continue. Before a ball is bowled… As an ex Somerset player I find this appalling... at a time when County Cricket is under pressure for relevance as a breeding ground for InternationalPlayers and Somerset members have apparently voted for the status quo, the club produces this pitch.… Elsewhere, Sussex, Warwickshire, Derbyshire and Northants will hope that the Kookaburra can save them. Play starts at 11am, do join us.
Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘Not surprised Ben Stokes has to disregard County performances': Ian Botham slams Somerset pitch as 35 wickets fall in 5 sessions
England legend Ian Botham slammed Somerset for preparing an 'appalling' pitch ahead for the County Championship match against Durham in Taunton. Botham, now an honorary president of Durham, lambasted his former county side for 'reducing the game to a farce' as he unleashed a social media tirade after 35 wickets were felled across only five sessions in the match. Home side Somerset ended up beating Durham by five wickets within two days of play at the Cooper Associates Ground, with 22 of the fallen 35 wickets going to the spinners. After winning the toss, Somerset bundled out Durham on a green carpet for 145 in the first innings as seamer Craig Overton claimed 6 for 23 in ten overs. Somerset's Tom Lammonby marked the only half-century of the match, a 109-ball 89 as they put on 250 in reply. Spinners Jack Leach (6-63) and Archie Vaughan (4-85) then shot down Durham in the second innings before Somerset got to an 86-run target in 19.2 overs. Botham, who played 176 matches for Somerset, shared images of the Taunton pitch on X and said: 'As an ex-Somerset player, I find this appalling. 'At a time when county cricket is under pressure for relevance as a breeding ground for international players and Somerset members have apparently voted for the status quo, the club produces this pitch. 'These are not first-class cricket conditions in mid-summer.' Before a ball is bowled… As an ex Somerset player I find this appalling… at a time when County Cricket is under pressure for relevance as a breeding ground for InternationalPlayers and Somerset members have apparently voted for the status quo, the club produces this pitch.… — BeefyBotham (@BeefyBotham) July 23, 2025 Botham also stated that he could understand why ECB managing director Rob Key and Test captain Ben Stokes have to overlook county performances. 'I am not surprised that Rob and Ben unfortunately have to disregard county performances in assessing players for Test-quality appearances,' he continued. 'Durham raised serious concerns the day before the game started. Change is needed. 'Both Somerset and Durham have high-quality batsmen. 'Somerset do not need to do this… reduces the game to a farce.' Durham bowling coach Graham Onions said 'there was excessive turn' on offer during the entire game. 'The bottom line is that it is day one and a half and the game is over, which is not good for county cricket,' Onions added. However, Somerset coach Jason Kerr countered the comments from Botham and Onions, describing the pitch as 'an incredible surface'. 'There has been a lot of noise surrounding the pitch, but I thought it was an incredible surface. You can't see 400 runs scored in a day, as happened yesterday, and then complain about the wicket. 'We have to find a way of getting results here and, because there has been so much cricket at the ground this year, we had to prepare a used pitch. Craig and Jack exploited any help in it because they are top quality bowlers,' Kerr told the ECB Reporters Network.
Telegraph
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Lord Botham ‘appalled' by Somerset pitch on which 35 wickets fell in five sessions
Lord Ian Botham has launched an extraordinary tirade against his first county Somerset over an 'appalling' pitch they served up for the Championship match against Durham, which was over in just five sessions. England legend Botham, 69, represented Somerset between 1974 and 1986 but left in acrimonious circumstances after they fired his great friend Viv Richards. Botham moved first to Worcestershire, then Durham, where he was chairman until earlier this year. Despite being replaced in the chair by Phil Collins, Botham is now the club's honorary president and has gone in to bat for Durham over a County Championship match they lost on Wednesday by five wickets before tea on the second of four days. Botham posted pictures of the heavily-used pitch at Taunton (where there is a stand named after him) before the match. It was played using the Kookaburra ball, with which bowlers have struggled to take wickets. There were no such struggles at Taunton, with 22 wickets falling on the first day and 13 more on the second. The last 18 wickets all fell to spin, with jack Leach eventually taking a match-winning six for 63 for Somerset. It is understood that the pitch has been graded 'below average' by the match referee Simon Hinks, with an investigation to follow from the cricket regulator which could lead to a deduction in the 19 points Somerset picked up in the match. Botham said conditions like these were putting the England hierarchy off selecting players based on county form, and criticised Somerset for their desire to stick at 14 Championship matches per season when some clubs – including Durham – are pushing for a reduction to 12 in search of greater quality. Botham said on X: 'Before a ball is bowled… As an ex-Somerset player I find this appalling... at a time when county cricket is under pressure for relevance as a breeding ground for international [cricket]. 'Players and Somerset members have apparently voted for the status quo, the club produces this pitch. These are not first-class cricket conditions in mid-summer... I am not surprised that Rob [Key] and Ben [Stokes] unfortunately have to disregard county performances in assessing players for Test quality appearances. 'Durham raised serious concerns the day before the game started... change is needed... both Somerset and Durham have high quality batsmen... Somerset do not need to do this... reduces the game to a farce.' The Somerset head coach Jason Kerr described the pitch as 'incredible', pointing to the fact that 400 runs were scored on the opening day. The Durham chief executive Tim Bostock disputed this. 'We made our displeasure clear before a ball had been bowled, both to Somerset and the ECB [England and Wales Cricket Board],' Bostock told Telegraph Spor t. 'I've no doubt the pitch will attract the attention of the ECB. 'Somerset are one of the counties who want to keep the Championship at 14 matches, but if they continue to prepare pitches like this then there's little point in that. The wicket was used, and not fit for first-class cricket. Yes, 400 runs were scored on the opening day, but that is only because of batsmen attacking at very aggressive strike-rates before the pitch inevitably got the better of them, confirmed by the fact that 22 wickets fell for those runs. 'In the cold light of day I am sure Somerset will be disappointed with that pitch, irrespective of the result.' Graham Onions, the Durham bowling coach, said 'there was excessive turn', adding: 'The bottom line is that it is day one and a half and the game is over, which is not good for county cricket.'
The Guardian
17 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Job prospects in the UK are grim – no wonder our kids are escaping abroad
Zoe Williams' piece on today's nepo job market is on the nose and tells me that nothing has changed in the past 40 years (Looking for a job? Who you know probably matters more than what you know, 15 July). It's not much to do with artificial intelligence, and studying chemistry is not the solution. Anecdotally, of the 13 engineering science graduates from Keble College, Oxford, in 1982, only three found work in the UK – in Daddy's firm. The rest of us went overseas. My nephew recently graduated in chemical engineering from Durham and could get nothing better than a lab assistant job in the UK. So he's joining a Norwegian oil firm in Stavanger, upstream research for the trading desk. My eldest daughter, a paramedic graduate, seems destined for emergency response in the Australian mining industry. My youngest has dreams of studying medicine. But Daddy has just explained to her that it means working overseas on graduation, attempting to default on the £100,000 debt she'll accumulate and never coming back. The reason this country is a declining parody of a developed nation is that kids are best served graduating from the Airport Bookstore School of Management and honing their bullshitting skills. Managers with a visceral understanding of the business and the conviction to recruit, train and retain the right talent are rare. So it defaults to HR drones and their clickbait competency AndersonBarwick-in-Elmet, West Yorkshire
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Leach helps Somerset to rapid victory over Durham
Rothesay County Championship Division One, Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton (day two) Durham 145 & 190: Gay 42; Leach 6-63, Vaughan 4-85 Somerset 250 & 89-5: Banton 33*, Lammonby 22; Parkinson 4-39 Somerset (20 pts) beat Durham (3pts) by five wickets Match scorecard Jack Leach returned figures of 6-63 as Somerset wrapped up a five-wicket County Championship Division One win over Durham inside two days at the Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton. From an overnight 5-2 in their second innings, trailing by 100 runs, the visitors were bowled out for 190 - left-arm spinner Leach claiming his second six-wicket haul in successive Championship games, and off-spinner Archie Vaughan taking 4-85. Emilio Gay top-scored with 42, while Ben Raine contributed 36. That left Somerset needing 86 to win, a target they achieved in 19.2 overs, not without alarm, at just before 4pm. Tom Banton ended unbeaten on 33 and Callum Parkinson took 4-39. Despite the turning pitch, Somerset elected to start the day with seam at both ends, skipper Lewis Gregory operating from the River End in tandem with Craig Overton. Gay and Neil Wagner were rarely troubled and had added 26 to the overnight score by the time Vaughan was introduced from the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End. His first over went for 16, Gay striking four boundaries and clearly intent on carrying the game to Somerset's slow bowlers. In Leach's first over, Wagner hit a six over long-off to bring up a half-century stand from 57 balls. Gay struck a straight six off Vaughan and followed up next ball with a swept four as Durham's total reached 76, 29 runs behind, before Somerset made a much-needed breakthrough. Wagner had played well, facing 49 balls, before attempting to sweep a full delivery from Vaughan and falling lbw. It signalled a collapse as Gay quickly followed, caught by Overton, diving forward at short mid-wicket off Leach. Colin Ackermann bagged a pair when playing Leach in the air to mid-off where Banton took a similar catch to Overton's, throwing himself forward. It was 92-6 when David Bedingham fell lbw to a Leach delivery that straightened from around the wicket. Durham were still 13 runs from avoiding an innings defeat. Ollie Robinson and Graham Clark ensured that indignity was avoided with a partnership of 40 before Robinson aimed a big drive at Vaughan and was bowled for 28. Vaughan almost struck again with his next delivery, Raine driving it back and the bowler just failing to hold a low catch diving full length to his right. The lunch score was 152-7, 147 runs having been scored in the session off 40 overs. Clark was unbeaten on 24 and Durham led by 47. Leach had figures of 4-50 from 17 overs, and that became a five-for with 14 runs added when Clark's 89-ball innings of 32 ended with an edged forward defensive shot to wicketkeeper James Rew. Leach struck again when George Drissell was caught and bowled off a leading edge. That left Raine with little option but to go on the attack and he cleared the ropes twice in a Vaughan over. Vaughan claimed revenge in his next over as Raine holed out to long-off and, with 46 overs remaining, a two-day finish was guaranteed. Not surprisingly, Durham gave the new ball to left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson, whose second delivery was deposited over mid-wicket for six by Tom Kohler-Cadmore. Drissell was greeted by a Josh Davey boundary to wide long-on as Somerset went for a quick kill. That plan suffered a setback when Davey fell leg-before to Parkinson, aiming to sweep, with the total on 13. It was 16-2 when Kohler-Cadmore edged Parkinson to second slip. Rew, on a pair, reverse swept his first ball for four and, on five, narrowly escaped a catch to second slip off Drissell. Tom Lammonby eased any tension with two fours off Drissell full-tosses, but was then bowled through the gate by Parkinson for 22 with Somerset halfway to their target. Rew quickly followed, caught at short mid-wicket to give Parkinson a fourth wicket. Tom Abell was bowled by Drissell on the back foot with 24 needed. But Banton used the sweep and reverse-sweep to good effect to see Somerset home. Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network, supported by Rothesay Get cricket news sent straight to your phone
