Lancashire thrashed by Leicestershire while Kuhnemann bowls Glamorgan to victory over Middlesex
Josh Hull hurtled back to catch Tom Hartley off his own bowling and Leicestershire romped to their fifth victory of the season, all in three days, floating yet further ahead at the top of Division Two. Keaton Jennings batted until shortly after tea for a valiant 112 for Lancashire, but from there Rehan Ahmed and Hull wrapped things up. There wasn’t even time for Leicestershire to take to take the new ball.
Matt Kuhnemann, at Sophia Gardens for one game only prior to the World Test Championship final, filleted through Middlesex to finish with career-best figures of six for 53, ushering Glamorgan to their third win a row. A barnstorming 57 from Toby Roland-Jones ensured Glamorgan would have to bat again – but only just.
Tom Lammonby eased Somerset to an uncharacteristically calm victory over Durham at Chester-le- Street. His unbeaten 104, and 73 from Tom Abell, smoothed Taunton brows on a pitch where 31 wickets had fallen over the first two days.
Jack Carson collected five for 26 – his best figures of the summer – as Sussex romped to victory over Hampshire at Southampton.
There was joy for Essex’s Charlie Allison who crunched 140 – a maiden first-class hundred – at the Oval. Allison, whose previous highest score was 28, batted beautifully and, together with fellow 20-year-old Noah Thain, painted a pretty picture for Essex’s future, as Surrey were set 418 for victory.
Ben Compton did his best to hold the fort against Derbyshire, 156 in the first innings followed by 49 in the second as Kent were forced to follow-on. Yorkshire, set 463 to win, were beguiled by Nottinghamshire’s Liam Patterson-White who grabbed three for 25. Cameron Green scored a fabulous 118 as Gloucestershire made a brave declaration against Northamptonshire.
The sun beams down on an empty Grace Road, basking in the warmth of yet another Leicestershire win. Thanks for your company – four games done – do join us tomorrow for the final day of this Championship mega-block. Have a lovely evening.
Close of play scores
Division One
Chester-le-Street: Somerset 172 and 174-3 BEAT Durham 277 and 159 by seven wickets.
Southampton: Sussex 297 and 23-1 BEAT Hampshire 154 and 165 by nine wickets.
The Oval: Surrey 279 and 32-0 v Essex 217 and 479 Surrey need 386 to win
New Road: Worcestershire 181 and 57-2 v Warwickshire 227 and 280 Worcs need 270 to win
Headingley: Yorkshire 159 and 176-5 v Nottinghamshire 228 and 393-8dec Yorks need 287 to win
Division Two
Derby: Derbyshire 587-5dec v Kent 326 and 157-3
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 383 and 8-0 BEAT Middlesex 155 and 235 by ten wickets
Grace Road: Leicestershire 457 BEAT Lancashire 206 and 248 by an innings and three runs.
County Ground: Northamptonshire 469 and 158-4 v Gloucestershire 379-8dec
Updated
Leicestershire beat Lancashire by an innings and three runs!
A turning, sprinting caught and bowled by Josh Hull seals the deal! Five wins in the bag, all of them in three days, and Leicestershire float into the break brimful of confidence and miles on top of Division Two. Back to the drawing board for Lancs.
Grace Road: Leicestershire 457 BEAT Lancashire 206 and 248 by an innings and three runs.
Lancashire points
With Josh Hull accelerating in from the Bennett end – and there splay Balderson stumps! – time for me to write up for the paper. Do keep chatting BTL.
Kent, following-on, have lost Joe Denly and DBD. Compton, who batted for nearly five hours in the first innings, lifts his weary bat again. Still 177 behind Derbyshire.
A maiden hundred for Charlie Allison!
Super innings from 20 year-old Allison and Essex have truly turned the tables at The Oval – the lead 364.
And sudden trouble for Lancs - Jennings has gone! A fabulous double handed mid-air snaffle by Handscomb at slip – a riccochet off Cox’s gloves I think – a ball that sprung chin high from nowhere. Jennings doesn’t want to go, but he must, for an excellent, disciplined 112. Lancs six down, 31 behind.
Glamorgan BEAT Middlesex by ten wickets
Three wins in a row for Glamorgan, who gallop into the summer break.
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 383 and 8-0 BEAT Middlesex 155 and 235 by ten wickets
Glamorgan 22 points, Middlesex 2.
Updated
Gloucestershire declare...
..with a deficit of 90, a second century on the bounce for Cameron Green and his third of the season. A six off the last ball before tea takes him to 118, before Bracey pulls the plug.
Tea-time-ish scores
Division One
Chester-le-Street: Somerset 172 and 174-3 BEAT Durham 277 and 159 by seven wickets.
Southampton: Sussex 297 and 23-1 BEAT Hampshire 154 and 165 by nine wickets.
The Oval: Surrey 279 v Essex 217 and 388-6
New Road: Worcestershire 181 v Warwickshire 227 and 242-7
Headingley: Yorkshire 159 and 50-1 v Nottinghamshire 228 and 393-8dec
Division Two
Derby: Derbyshire 587-5dec v Kent 326 and 48-0
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 383 and 8-0 BEAT Middlesex 155 and 235 by ten wickets
Grace Road: Leicestershire 457 v Lancashire 206 and 209-5
County Ground: Northamptonshire 469 v Gloucestershire 379-8dec
As the players take tea at Grace Road, Glamorgan are on the brink of victory at Sophia Gardens.
Updated
… it’s a bit of a box of allsorts but a breakthrough comes in the next over, as George Bell top edges van Beek into the clouds and Cox catches him outstretched on his belly. Lancs five down.
What’s happening at The Oval? Essex have a lead of 326, Charlie Allison 95 not out against Worrall, Lawes et al.
Updated
Some Rehan Ahmed before tea.
A hundred for Keaton Jennings!
Well played! His first of the summer, and he gets there with a pull that flies to the rope with a crack of the bat. A few troubles dusted from the shoulders with this innings. He’s almost pulled Lancs to parity too – just 57 behind
Ali dissects the win against Zimbabwe, and the jockeying for position.
Six fours and four sixes in TRJ’s 42-ball 57 - born of frustration, as Tim Booth once sang. Middx have a lead, of four. One wicket left.
Somerset BEAT Durham by seven wickets!
Chester-le-Street: Somerset 172 and 174-3 BEAT Durham 277 and 159 by seven wickets.
Bravo Somerset, who lost only two wickets all day. Lammonby 104 not out, Tom Abell 73 not out.
Durham 4 points, Somerset 19.
Five wickets for Kuhnemann
Ben Kellaway’s replacement Matt Kuhnemann has run through Middlesex’s second innings at Sophia Gardens. Sam Robson the only man to pass 35. TRJ and Naavya Sharma try to nudge Middlesex into a lead – 190-8, still 38 behind.
Derbyshire enforce the follow-on
And Kent must go again, they didn’t have too much to offer in the first innings apart from DBD’s half century and Ben Compton’s stoical 156. Dal four for 50.
Notts declare - Yorkshire need 463 to win
Some oompah from Hutton takes Notts to 393 for 8 when HH calls them in. Can Yorks turn their season around here? Lyth and Bean reach 12 without mishap.
After a partnership of 70, a cock-a-hoop Leicestershire shimmy for joy as Scriven persuades Hurst to edge behind. A nice 26, but Lancs now four down, the deficit still 112. KJ stands at the non-striker’s end and sighs.
A hundred for Tom Lammonby!
His first of the season, and a very lovely innings it has been. Somerset on the brink of victory.
Keaton Jennings is playing nicely here, ball flying off the bat with a lovely sounding clip.
Hampshire’s Ben Brown chewing over a chastening defeat from Sussex.
“We have to put it right. There is no hiding place. There are areas to get better; our catching and a batting we have to up our standards. We have a few weeks to reflect on our game, there has been no time to think in this block and if you are on the wrong end of form it is a tricky period.
“It is tough when you aren’t playing consistent cricket. To get a win at Warwickshire was fantastic and then we didn’t play good cricket all week.”
At Chester-le-Street, Lammonby and Abell are ticking towards victory – Somerset now just 42 short.
Updated
As well as the fabulous cakes, the Friends of Grace Road have revamped the library and second-hand book stall – The Book Nook - on top of the Meet. It’s a great place to watch the cricket too. Any book donations gratefully received.
On the field, Hurst and Jennings battle on.
Lunchtime scores
Division One
Chester-le-Street: Durham 277 and 159 v Somerset 172 and 174-3 Somerset need 91 to win
Southampton: Sussex 297 and 23-1 BEAT Hampshire 154 and 165 by nine wickets.
The Oval: Surrey 279 v Essex 217 and 279-3
New Road: Worcestershire 181 v Warwickshire 227 and 157-5
Headingley: Yorkshire 159 v Nottinghamshire 228 and 318-6
Division Two
Derby: Derbyshire 587-5dec v Kent 282-5
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 383 v Middlesex 155 and 120-4
Grace Road: Leicestershire 457 v Lancashire 206 and 74-3
County Ground: Northamptonshire 469 v Gloucestershire 265-6
Updated
Rain at Headingley
Notts will dine with a lead of 387.
And at Grace Road, Harris, of all people, edges behind. He cannot believe it, stands a while then turns, snail-like, and slopes away. A third for van Beek, and reward for miserly Leicestershire bowling this morning. Lancs trail by 182 and the game, dare I say, seems gone.
Updated
Harris and Jennings are glueing their boots into the pitch in expectation of a long stay. Lancs 61-2.
Sussex BEAT Hampshire by nine wickets
Southampton: Sussex 297 and 23-1 BEAT Hampshire 154 and 165 by nine wickets.
After Jack Carson’s five wickets, Sussex knocked off the required runs in just 28 balls. In the words of captain John Simpson, they are “punching above expectation”
Points: Hampshire 3, Sussex 20
Just tidying up my inbox from yesterday evening:
Thanks to Romeo for pointing out that you can also access county averages on Cricket World
And a couple more thoughts on the possible change to the county schedule next year:
From Paul McIntyre: “I agree PCA concerns on player welfare should be taken seriously. But I’m not convinced the remedies need include reducing the amount of cricket (which is already less than was being played not that long ago). The championship involves one game a week, and in this first block of 7 games every county gets a week off. As for T20s, I was surprised that players are routinely driving themselves between venues. Surely more use could be made of coach travel?”
And From Gary Naylor: “No workers ever lobbied for more work for less money, so the litmus test of player concerns about workload is whether they are willing to take a pro-rata pay cut. These are the highest paid first-class cricketers in history and, while I begrudge no group of employees their right to negotiate collectively to their advantage, we should recognise that they are not a disinterested party in this matter.”
A missive from the Grace Road scorebox:“So, will today be the day that an upwardly mobile Midlands team beat an entitled, underperforming Manchester-based team? We hope so.
“Anyway, enough about Villa v Man U. Here at Grace Road, Leicestershire’s strong overnight position looks like being a platform for a win if the weather allows for enough play in the next couple of days. I’ve brought a book just in case, though.”
Boom, boom Mike Daniels and happy birthday!
I thought this was very touching, Stuart Broad did it beautifully.
Amazing words from @StuartBroad8 before @SamCook09 took his first ever Test wicket on Friday.
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 24, 2025
First England cap. First England wicket. Kicking the door down.
What an incredible week it’s been for Sam Cook ❤️ pic.twitter.com/e5rRAWjuCD
Belatedly, Mes you asked for this catch of the day yesterday:
TOM BEVAN TAKES A ONE-HANDED STUNNER!!!!! 🤯
— Glamorgan Cricket 🏆 (@GlamCricket) May 24, 2025
We have a pretty strong contender for the @PureCyberLtd Catch of the Match 🔥#GLAMvMID#OhGlammyGlammy pic.twitter.com/2kEGqRFfJm
on a par with Harry Brook’s Test match capoeira:
"Ben Stokes can barely believe it."
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) May 24, 2025
A sensational catch by Harry Brook 💪#ENGvZIMpic.twitter.com/AW1M01gbUn
Lancashire have had a disastrous start – can anyone match them?
Somerset have lost Lewis Gregory – James Rew (given a bill of health from the X-Ray department) joins Tom Lammonby – Somerset need another 143 to beat Durham.
Hampshire limp on, just. Brad Wheal and Richard Dawson have departed – both to Jack Carson, who now has five for 26. The die is almost cast – Hampshire lead Sussex by just 22, with one wicket left.
Dean Elgar is back in The Oval dressing room after giving Nathan Smith a catch at third man, Essex 226-3, a lead of 164 over Surrey.
Van Beek make the breakthrough! After a couple of comfortable scores, Luke Wells is surprised by some extra bounce, uppercuts wildly ,and is held on boundary by Lewis Hill. A huge roar from the Leicestershire players, and an even bigger one two balls later as Bohannon gives some catching practise to second slip. Lancs 25 for two.
Essex’s Paul Walter was thoughtful last night, after his 118 helped Essex to a surprise position of dominance at The Oval. Elgar and Westley plough on this morning – the lead 141.
“When we batted it was initially just about getting us to parity and then, when that was achieved, just keeping going and getting as many as possible ahead of them.
“Conditions for batting are about the same as earlier in the game. Their first ball today perhaps didn’t do as much as it seemed to go a bit soft but then they got it changed and that helped the bowlers a little more. Tomorrow we’re not thinking of how many ahead we need to be - there’s no target. We just need to score as many as we can.”
Updated
No wickets yet this morning at Grace Road – three slips waiting as Holland runs in.
Preamble
Hello from Leicester, where the wind has blown itself into a Sunday morning dance and Lancs are in trouble. Play starts around the grounds at 11am, do join us!
Saturday's round-up
With a swish of his velvet cloak and a cut down to third man, Rehan Ahmed reached his second hundred of the summer against Lancashire. It was another hugely enjoyable innings, full of rapier wrist and flamboyant defence. He and Lewis Hill, who hit his own entertaining century – his first for two years – put on 256 for the third wicket, after coming together in tricky conditions on Thursday evening at 24 for two. A partnership of 76 between Ian Holland and Ben Cox added further irritation to another day of toil for Lancashire’s bowlers, With rain skirmishing, Leicestershire collected maximum batting bonus points, to go with the maximum bowling points already in the bag. They were finally all out with a lead of 251.
Cloud cover and a friendly dose of overnight rain at New Road set the scene for Chris Woakes to run in for the first time this season, after recovering from a knee injury. A glancing England selector on his way home from Trent Bridge would have seen a bowler in full flow and fine fettle, picking up three for 34, while Chris Rushworth, also in his first match of the season, grabbed four for 37. Warwickshire carried a handy lead of 46 into their second innings against Worcestershire, Alex Davies was bowled cheaply by Jacob Duffy, but Rob Yates and Tom Latham saw them through to stumps.
Calvin Harrison, who has proved an inspired loan signing for Northants, from Notts, cracked a career-best 63 before winkling out Ollie Price and Miles Hammond. Saif Zaib had reached a career-best 159 before being caught at slip, and the tail, marshalled by Harrison and Lewis McManus, took Northants to 469. Gloucestershire are still 164 runs short of the follow on.
Sussex are pickling Hampshire at Southampton, first building a handy first-innings lead thanks to a third century of the season from John Simpson and 74 from Hudson-Prentice, then rattling through their second innings.
Micky Arthur’s happy hunch, Caleb Jewell, hit 232 and together with Wayne Madsen (100) carried Derbyshire to 587 for five declared - their highest score against Kent. Matt Parkinson also became a record-breaker, his 46 overs, 1-204 are now the expensive bowling figures against Derbyshire in history. But Kent’s bowlers didn’t find running in at the County Ground much easier, Ben Compton compiled an unbeaten 105.
Eighteen wickets fell on a chaotic day at the Riverside, leaving Somerset to chase 265 for victory. Mitch Kileen snaffled five for 36 on Championship debut when Somerset were bowled out for 172 in the morning. Matt Henry and Migael Pretorius then rattled through Durham for 159, Alex Lees the top scorer with 35. Careful batting from Lewis Gregory and Tom Lammonby gave Somerset hope of a win on Sunday.
Nottinghamshire are on top at Headingley, after Mohammad Abbas grabbed six for 45 to dismiss Yorkshire for 159. Glamorgan enforced the follow-on against Middlesex, thanks to Andy Gorvin’s four wickets, but evening rain gave the batters some respite. And Essex’s Paul Walter and Dean Elgar put Surrey under pressure at The Oval, with a dominating opening partnership of 188.
Scores on the doors
Division One
Chester-le-Street: Durham 277 and 159 v Somerset 172 and 71-1
Southampton: Hampshire 154 and 114-6 v Sussex 297
The Oval: Surrey 279 v Essex 217 and 195-2
New Road: Worcestershire 181 v Warwickshire 227 and 53-1
Headingley: Yorkshire 159 v Nottinghamshire 228 and 227-3
Division Two
Derby: Derbyshire 587-5dec v Kent 210-3
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 383 v Middlesex 155
Grace Road: Leicestershire 457 v Lancashire 206
County Ground: Northamptonshire 469 v Gloucestershire 156-4
