Will Macpherson sends his final report of the day
Finn and Roland-Jones have started well for Middlesex. Finn looked to have Javid trapped dead in front in his first over, but umpire O’Shaughnessy was having none of it. The quick fell to his knees when it didn’t go his way. Anyway, 23 overs - that’s a lot - left this evening. Hopefully one of the two sides gets on with it. I want a result.
Will Macpherson reports
Middlesex are all out for 260 and Warwickshire lead by 82 on first innings. TRJ had a thrash before hooking Rankin to deep-square, then Finn was LBW to the same bowler. The light and weather are good so we could have as many as a staggering 25 overs left today (still here at midnight, possibly) so Warwickshire will hope to get that lead up to 200 before having a slog and a dart in the morning, perhaps with a declaration shortly before lunch with a lead of 300-350. Equally, Finn & co might fancy running through a few tonight and bowling them out cheaply in the morning to set up a chase. There’s a lot to do for a result and any steady batting is likely to prevent it. What I’m saying is, we have a game, but only just.
Graham Hardcastle sends his late report of the day from The Oval
James Faulkner has a debut fifty. Surrey have been frustrated by the Australian and his partner Jordan Clark, who have recovered the visitors from 108-6 to 204-6, and they have turned to their spinners Zafar Ansari and Gareth Batty. Faulkner, who has been kept on a strict diet of white ball cricket in recent years, reached his fifty off 61 balls. Lancashire need another 95 runs to avoid the follow-on and all but kill this match. Faulkner is even batting in a cap. Not something you see too often.
Will Macpherson writes
That’s tea and there might be a bit of life in this game yet. Middlesex are 212-8; since I was last in touch, John Simpson has flicked Jeetan Patel to Evans at midwickets, Ollie Rayner was caught and bowled by Clarke, who also had James Harris caught at slip. Most importantly, though, Neil Dexter has been hit in the box by Rankin, flooring him. It looked very painful indeed.
What we need for a result is a quick end to this innings, some quick runs for Warks, setting up a declaration before lunch. Might be wishful, but we shall see.
Graham Hardcastle reports from The Oval
Lancashire’s seventh-wicket pair of Jordan Clark and James Faulkner are resisting, and have guided their side through to tea at 143-6 with a partnership of 35. Faulkner has hit one boundary in 25 off 42 balls. Just imagine how many he would have in T20 or one-day cricket if he faced that number.
Almost all of the school children have disappeared, and we are back to the usual quiet of a Championship day. It’s good to see a handle of groups have stayed on to watch, no doubt with their parents joining them for the final session and a bit of the day. Could be a detention I suppose. We still have 43 overs to be bowled.
Will Macpherson writes from Lord’s
We had to wait until the 44th over to see Boyd Rankin have a bowl and, first up, he served up some horrible stuff, with Compton tucking him to fine leg twice as he moved to 74. Rankin’s first three overs went for 29 but his fourth got the crucial wicket, with Compton hooking a half-tracker down Trott’s throat at fine-leg. Compton is furious with himself. The follow-on has been avoided but Middlesex are 192 for five. A result, to be honest, is looking pretty unlikely.
Graham Hardcastle writes from The Oval
Lancashire have lost three for 17 in five overs, two of them to Stuart Meaker, and they are in trouble at 108-6 in the 35th over reply to 448. The first was Steven Croft, caught at mid-off against Zafar Ansari’s left-arm spin, before Alviro Petersen and Alex Davies were both caught behind off Meaker. That means James Faulkner is at the crease with a lot of work to do in his first bat against the red ball since December when he was playing for Tasmania.
Will Macpherson writes from Lord’s
Eoin Morgan, you silly, silly boy. He’d looked in great touch again since the break, although was dropped again by the cold hands of Jeetan Patel in the cordon. Anyway, after smiting Keith Barker through mid-off and square-leg in one over, he tried to hook him into the Tavern in Barker’s next, only to be caught at fine-leg by Ateeq Javid, who didn’t have to move. Morgan had the chance for a massive score there. Now James Franklin has been bowled by Clarke and Middlesex are in trouble. Amazing what one dumb shot can do, eh.
Neil Dexter has now joined Nick Compton, who is 31 (by age and runs), in the middle. Warwickshire ticking – Middlesex 123-4, follow on target is 192.
Graham Hardcastle reports from The Oval
Surrey have picked up the big wicket of Ashwell Prince, trapped lbw by Tom Curran, and Lancashire are currently 71-3 with Steven Croft having joined Alviro Petersen at the crease. Prince fell for 20 - his second lowest score of an exceptional Championship season. In ten innings, he has scored 791 runs with scores of 21, 97, 106, 153, 57, 2, 29, 76 not out, 230 and 20. Bravo Mr Curran!
Will Macpherson with a weather update
The covers are coming off and play will resume at 13.55, after a 45 minute lunch break and a total break of about 75 minutes. The umpires, it has to be said, are making this up as we go along. Could have been back out 10 minutes ago, in my opinion. Oh well. Compton (25) and Morgan (28) to resume soon.
Graham Hardcastle writes from The Oval
Play is underway after the umpires called an early lunch. Lancashire have relied heavily on their two South African Kolpak players Ashwell Prince and Alviro Petersen this season, and they are doing so again here. The lights are still on, and it ain’t fun for batting. But if anyone can cope with it, it’s these two.
Will Macpherson is preparing for lunch
Lunch to be taken at 1.10 (was due to be 1.30 because of delayed start), with the weather looking quite set in. Rain falling, bad light, covers coming on. Cricket is silly though: why on earth, at 1pm, would you announce lunch for 1.10 when it could be taken immediately? Who knows what the weather will look like in half an hour? There are quite few kids here today (not as many as the Oval) - they must wander what on earth this strange sport is about.
Graham Hardcastle reports from The Oval
We’re off for bad light with Lancashire at 29-2 in the ninth over of their first innings. Karl Brown was caught at second slip off Tom Curran and Paul Horton caught behind off Matt Dunn, leaving the visitors at 9-2 after five overs. Their key pair Ashwell Prince and Alviro Petersen are the not out men.
The break in play has allowed Kevin Pietersen to spend 10-15 minutes signing autographs for the children present at the ground. My ears are ringing with cries of “KP, KP, KP, KP!”
Will Macpherson writes from Middlesex v Warwickshire
So England’s ODI side is set to be named later. Eoin Morgan will captain it and he’s going rather nicely here. Conditions are rough – Rikki Clarke is nibbling and Keith Barker hooping it – but Morgan and Compton are riding it out. Morgan was dropped one-handed on five by Chopra (Ambrose should have taken it) and besides one other slash over the cordon, has played well for his 28, cutting and driving with sweet timing. Compton has been more watchful but just unfurled a lovely straight drive off Barker. No sign of Big Boyd Rankin yet – it’ll be tough going against him.
But now we’re off for the light. It’s 101-2 and it is pretty dark. Umpires haven’t left the middle but we may be looking at an early lunch.
Graham Hardcastle writes from The Oval
Surrey are all out for 448, with a wicket apiece for Kyle Jarvis and Tom Bailey coming inside the first four overs of the day. Jarvis forced Stuart Meaker to chop on with the first ball of the day before Bailey had Matt Dunn caught behind. Ben Foakes finished 63 not out.
Away from events here, June 2 marks a memorable day in Lancashire’s history, with snow preventing play in a Championship match against Derbyshire at Buxton 40 years ago.
Lancashire, including the likes of Clive and David Lloyd, made 477-5 from their allotted 100 overs on Saturday’s first day, before Derbyshire closed on 25-2. Both sides played one-day matches the following day before reconvening on the Monday, only to find it snowing.
Play was called off, but they started on time the following day upon umpire Dickie Bird’s instructions. Derbyshire were bowled out for 42 in the first innings and 87 in their second.
Lancashire openers Paul Horton and Karl Brown may face tricky, gloomy conditions here, but it will be nothing compared to Tuesday June 3, 1965.
Will Macpherson writes from Lord’s
It’s not nice at all out there and Chris Wright – who is bowling from the Nursery End today, unlike last night – has just drawn Sam Robson’s edge with one that seamed away slightly. Lovely nut, and Varun Chopra took a simple catch at first slip. Eoin Morgan was down to bat five, but is in now. Conditions are mizzly and we’ll be off and on today, I’m sure. Right now, Warwickshire are well on top, their 342 is looking massive and batting is looking really tough.
Graham Hardcastle sends some news from The Oval
We have a start time of 11.30am at The Oval, where it is Schools Day and 6,500 free tickets have been given out. I reckon there are about 1,000 in at present. The floodlights are currently on and the players are out warming up. No overs have been lost as yet.
Will Macpherson sends his first report of the day
Morning all. It’s a bit grim at Lord’s once again – cold, damp, blustery. It’s the kind of day that you’d have to really like cricket to come down and sit in the stands. There are a few here though, and plenty of activity on the Nursery Ground, where it appears some children will spend the day falling in love with the game *cough cough*. There’s been a bit of drizzle and we’re starting half an hour late. Groundsmen just preparing the wicket in front of me.
When we do get underway, the pressure is on Nick Compton and Sam Robson, although if I was looking for two men in the county game to hold fast while scoring a bit, they’d be my men. Draw the favourite from here, surely.
Graham Hardcastle sets up the day from The Oval
Check one, two. Check one, two. Morning Everyone.
It’s another gloomy morning from the venue of Richie’s last commentary on English soil in 2005, and it’s looking likely we will have a delayed start to today’s third day of Surrey against Lancashire in Division Two, where the hosts are 435-8 in their first innings. The covers are still on after some overnight rain, and there is still a bit in the air. The light is also very gloomy.
Over at Lord’s, Will Macpherson is watching another weather-affected match between Middlesex and Warwickshire, two contenders in Division One. Middlesex, replying to Warwickshire’s 342, are 39-1 in their first innings having lost Australian Joe Burns.
Alongside Jason Roy’s hundred here, another attention grabbing performance yesterday came from Nottinghamshire bowler Luke Wood, whose maiden century dragged his team out of the mire against Sussex at Trent Bridge from 98-7 to 255 all out. That fixture heads into its second day today with Sussex 39-3. Left-armer Wood, 19, took two of the wickets.
Elsewhere in Division One, Worcestershire are one run behind on first innings at 221-3 against Hampshire at Southampton ahead of day three.
Back in Division Two, Leicestershire could win for the first time in yonks - the end of 2012 to be precise - as they have Essex in trouble at Chelmsford. Essex, having conceded a lead of 114 on first innings, are 43-2 second time around. Northamptonshire are in trouble at 79-5 replying to Glamorgan’s 371 at Cardiff and Derbyshire are 77-2 replying to Gloucestershire’s 329 at Derby.
Morning all
Today we have Graham Hardcastle at The Oval for Surrey v Lancashire and Will Macpherson at Lord’s for Middlesex v Warwickshire. Here are the reports from yesterday’s play:
Surrey v Lancashire
Jason Roy helps international cause with ton off Lancashire
If Jason Roy is selected in England’s squad for their one-day series against New Zealand, this was not a bad way to prepare. A different coloured ball, yes. Different coloured clothing, yes. But a sixth first-class career hundred was scored with a freedom that would not compare unfavourably to Brendon McCullum’s swashbucklers.
Middlesex v Warwickshire
Laurie Evans leaves Middlesex facing tough examination
Laurie Evans’s 98 was neither pretty nor chanceless and, as someone who has a reputation as a fine hitter in the shorter forms, probably will not live that long in the memory. Yet, in a match where batting has not looked easy, on an undercooked pitch and in conditions that offer bowlers plenty of encouragement, it was just what Warwickshire required.
Enjoy the cricket
