Key events
More sensational young talent to add to the Australian juggernaut? Goody.
Reports from Old Trafford suggest an 11.30 start, the covers already off.
“Hi Tanya.” Good morning Tim Maitland!
“Looking at the weather radar and the bizarre sight of rain making its way UP the country from south east to north west, which I don’t think it ever did when I was a kid, it looks like you might be in for a gruesome day checking in on delays and restarts … except for Durham, which seems set fair.
“A good time to mention Yorkshire’s Dom Bess backing up his maiden Championship century against Worcestershire with an unbeaten half century at Chester-le-Street. It seems crazy that it’s taken since his first class debut in 2016 and several wrong turns to get to three figures. It would be cool if he builds on his 57 not out with another big score today… especially as he started his season with James Vince-like scores of 1, 0 and 7.
“Talking of Vince (clunk), he’s had quite a week with the Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League: 101 at a ridiculous strike rate of 234 against Multan Sultans, a two-ball duck against the Lahore Qalandars* and most recently 70 at a sedate 149 versus the Quetta Gladiators.
*a wandering, ascetic Sufi dervish apparently.”
I was just reading about that. He’ll be hugely missed at Hampshire, and by readers/writers of CCLive – but I hope the move is a happy one for him.
Score on the doors
DIVISION ONE
Chester le Street: Durham v Yorkshire 295-8
Chelmsford: Essex 179 v Worcestershire 98-4
Southampton: Hampshire v Somerset 94-6
Hove: Sussex 227-2 v Surrey
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 34-2 v Nottinghamshire
DIVISION TWO
The County Ground: Derbyshire 216-4 v Northamptonshire
Canterbury: Kent v Gloucestershire 365-7
Old Trafford: Lancashire 61-3 v Leicestershire start delayed
Lord’s: Middlesex 63-0 v Glamorgan 199
Weather watch
An east-west divide:
Saturday will start cloudy, wet and windy in the west with heavy rain and hill fog. The wind and rain slowly easing across all but western Scotland. Otherwise mainly dry with some warm hazy sunshine. Cooler along North Sea coasts.
Preamble
Good morning from a wet Manchester. The sun like a scrape of butter on some greaseproof paper.
