At a glance
- Ben Stokes bowling for Durham, and in the wickets
- Derbyshire in control over Northamptonshire
- Lancashire struggle at home
There was no shortage of talking points on the opening day of the latest round of County Championship matches. The biggest headline came from Durham, where England captain Ben Stokes opened the bowling as he continues to build fitness ahead of a busy summer for England.
Worcestershire v Durham
In a rain interrupted day at New Road, one bright spark from the day was the sight of Ben Stokes running into bowl.
Durham won the toss and with rain around, decided to bowl first. Worcestershire were soon reduced to 52-4. However the middle order stuck around in between the rain breaks, and they ended the day on 209-7.
Adam Hose (59) and Brett D’Oliveira (41) led the fightback, with Ethan Brookes (21*)and Tom Taylor (10*) resuming on day 2.
It was the two Bens who took most of the wickets, as Ben Raine took 3-47 and Ben Stokes took 2-40 from 14 overs. Luke Robinson and Kasey Aldridge have one each. Hopefully the rain holds off for what could a good game.
You can read the full scorecard here
Derbyshire v Northamptonshire
Derbyshire will believe they are in complete control of this game after the first day. The home side won the toss and decided to have a bat. That turned out to be an excellent decision, as Harry Came (73) and Luis Reece (39) put on 112 for the first wicket.
Derbyshire ended the day on 342-3, as Caleb Jewell (91*) and Wayne Madsen (57*) will look to put an imposing total on the board. The other batter out was Matthew Montgomery, who scored 54.
No one stood out in the Northamptonshire bowling attack. Last week’s ReadCricket Player of the Week Ben Sanderson (1-52), Harry Conway (1-77) and Calvin Harrison (1-40) were the only wicket takers. They will want wickets quickly in the morning or Northamptonshire could find themselves behind the eight ball.
You can read the full scorecard here
Gloucestershire v Kent
Honours were even at the close of play on day one at Bristol after an entertaining contest between Gloucestershire and Kent. The visitors won the toss and elected to field first, making an early breakthrough when Cameron Bancroft was dismissed for 12 with the score on 27.
Ben Charlesworth (85) and Ollie Price (50) then rebuilt the innings with a solid 117-run partnership for the second wicket. Gloucestershire moved from 144/2 to 172/4, giving Kent an opportunity to take control with a couple more quick wickets.
However, James Bracey (57) and Tommy Boorman (49) responded with an important 115-run stand for the fifth wicket, pushing the score to 287/5. Kent eventually found the late breakthroughs they had been searching for, triggering a collapse that saw Gloucestershire bowled out for 325.
James Taylor was the standout performer with the ball, producing excellent figures of 6/52 from 23.1 overs. Keith Dudgeon and Joey Evison both chipped in with two wickets each.
Kent then safely negotiated the final two overs of the day, reaching 1/0 at stumps.
You can read the full scorecard here
Lancashire v Middlesex
It was an intriguing opening day at Old Trafford, with both sides able to make a case for having the upper hand. Middlesex won the toss and chose to bowl first, a decision that paid off as Lancashire were dismissed for 201.
Keaton Jennings was the only batter to offer significant resistance, top-scoring with 67. Chris Green’s 35 was the next-best contribution as the rest of the batting line-up struggled to build partnerships.
Middlesex used just four bowlers, and all of them made an impact. Toby Roland-Jones claimed 3/45, while Ryan Higgins (3/48) and Seb Morgan (3/41) also impressed. Naavya Sharma picked up the remaining wicket.
Bad light and rain interruptions meant Middlesex faced only nine overs before stumps, but that still gave James Anderson enough time to make his mark. The veteran seamer struck twice to leave the visitors at 38/2 by the close.
Ben Geddes (11*) and Leus du Plooy (12*) will resume on day two, hoping to withstand an in-form Anderson and steady the Middlesex innings.
You can read the full scorecard here
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