COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP, 2022
Simon Harmer pocketed a five-wicket carry ©Getty
SECTION ONE
Essex v Gloucestershire
Simon Harmer played with a five-wicket haul as Essex took early control of their game against Gloucestershire. Harmer’s five-iron destroyed the batting side with no batter hitting even 40 deliveries. Once Jamie Porter pulled out the openers, Harmer raced through the middle order and the bottom order to finish with five wickets. In response to Gloucestershire’s 136, Essex put up a strong batting performance, with Alastair Cook and Tom Westley scoring half-centuries. Their unbeaten position of the century has seen Essex trail by just 9 runs at Stumps and are already favorites to take the game firmly into their own hands.
Hampshire versus Warwickshire
Nathan McAndrew’s half-century of fighting on Opening Day helped Warwickshire stage a commendable comeback against Hampshire. Warwickshire were in the doldrums when Kyle Abbott tore their lineup and reduced them to 104/7. Without Dom Sibley’s half-century, the scoreboard would have been much worse. McAndrew then hit 63 from 109 deliveries to guide his side past 200 as Warwickshire were knocked out for 217 with Abbott picking five. McAndrew also caused damage with the ball alongside Oliver Hannon-Dalby as they combined to pick out three wickets which reduced their opponents to 42/3 by stumps.
Kent v Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire were knocked out for 303 on a rollercoaster day that saw the batting side lose their advantage at the end. Northamptonshire got off to a great start despite losing skipper Ricardo Vasconcelos to a first-ball duck. Emilio Gay’s 112 and Ryan Rickelton’s 55 put them ahead at 205/2 at one point before Joe Denly triggered a meltdown. He got rid of the centurion first and added one more wicket to his tally with the rest of the bowlers jumping at the chance. Eventually, a small appearance from Ben Sanderson helped Northamptonshire break through the 300 mark.
Lancashire v Somerset
A Century of Lewis Goldsworthy was the highlight of the day as Somerset made it 297/5 by stumps against Lancashire after opting to beat. Somerset would have been very happy with the result given the start they got off to. Tom Bailey pulled both openers down to 16/2 before a few more wickets put them precariously at 105/4. However, a massive 145-run partnership turned the tide as Goldsworthy helped himself to a century. James Rew made 70 and was fired an hour before the stumps.
Yorkshire v Surrey
A remarkable partnership for the sixth wicket between Adam Lyth and Jonathan Tattersall saw Yorkshire put up one of the best comebacks in cricket in the county as they finished the opening day at 364/5. Surrey were hoping to keep Yorkshire to a sub-par total as they blasted their opponents’ batting line-up on the morning of the opener. Reduced to 125/5, Lyth and Tattersall joined forces to forge a stunning partnership which saw them add 239 for the sixth wicket with both batsmen raising their centuries. Lyth actually managed to top 150 as the partnership also threaten to hold Surrey at bay on day two.
SECTION TWO
Durham v Derbyshire
Leus du Plooy’s cent and Anuj Dal’s 90 helped Derbyshire to 283 on the board against Durham at Chester-le-Street. The two batsmen combined to score 212 runs and the other nine only accounted for 53 as 18 came extra. A slump saw Derbyshire down to 85/5 before the gigantic stand took them to a fight score, then another slump after Anuj Dal’s wicket saw them knocked out for 283. Chris Rushworth was the choice of bowlers as he collected seven of the first nine wickets to fall.
Sussex v Leicestershire
Sussex displayed great intention on Matchday 1 against Leicestershire to post 407/4. Fly-half Alistair Orr laid down the platform as his 70 made just 85 deliveries. Tom Alsop then took on the role of batsman for a long time and ended up scoring 150. He was involved in a century-long stand alongside Cheteshwar Pujara in India before the veteran was fired for 46. Towards the end , Oliver Carter’s measured half-century took Sussex past the 400-pass mark.
Middlesex v Worcestershire
On a day dominated by bowlers. Worcestershire went into stumps at 100/5, still trailing Middlesex by 88 runs. A big spell with the new ball saw Middlesex rip their opponents and wobble them to 49/5 before Ed Barnard and Gareth Roderick saw them go to the stumps with an unbroken half-century stance. Earlier in the day, Middlesex themselves were in deep trouble at 93/7 before mid-50s Luke Hollman and Tom Helm saw them post 188 – a tally which could now prove very competitive at the end.
Glamorgan v Nottinghamshire
A strong performance with the bat saw Glamorgan post 318 on matchday one against Nottinghamshire. The likes of Sam Northeast, Kiran Carlson and Michael Neser further down the order made vital contributions with the bat. But none of them managed to kick off and get that big scoreline as Nottinghamshire continued to strike at regular intervals on a hectic day. The visitors then beat nine vigilant overs without losing a single wicket.
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