By New Boy 2
May 18 2022

How is Division One looking?

Let’s have a look at the table first (available at BBC Cricket) 

 A few numbers stand out to me. Surrey have played more games than all the teams apart from Gloucestershire. Their points per game is 17.5, a smidgen over Lancashire’s 17 so they are not as far ahead as the table suggests. Yorkshire have drawn all their games except for one, that being the first game of the season when they won at Gloucestershire. Essex only have five batting points. Kent only have five bowling points. Gloucester are so far adrift at the bottom they are already staring relegation in the face even with only 40% of their season gone. Their two June games are away at Kent and home to Lancashire. Lose in Canterbury and what chance do they have of surviving?

In last week’s games, Gloucestershire played host to Somerset, won the toss and decided to field. Oh dear. Somerset scored 591 for 7 declared, with Tom Lammonby and Matthew Renshaw sharing a partnership of 172 for the first wicket, and captain Tom Abell top-scoring with 142. Gloucestershire captain Graeme van Buuren injured his shoulder and was unable to bat as the hosts struggled to 186 (Jack Leach with 5 wickets for 49 off 26 overs) and then followed on for 159 to lose the match in three days. Just the single point for Gloucestershire.

Somerset (23 pts) beat Gloucestershire (1 pt) by an innings & 246 runs

At Edgbaston, Warwickshire won the toss and decided to field. Oh dear. Northamptonshire scored 597 for 6 declared, with captain Ricardo Vasconcelos and Will Young sharing a partnership of 287 for the first wicket.

That was still 9 runs short of the highest first wicket partnership of the season as, amazingly, Gloucestershire’s Marcus Harris and Chris Dent scored 296 for the first wicket against Surrey in a drawn match at the end of April. It’s probably worth noting that next man in, James Lacey, lasted three balls for the second wicket without scoring.

Back to Edgbaston and Vasconcelos’ 156 was top score, followed by Young with 134 and Luke Proctor was unbeaten on 100. Warwickshire lost two wickets for 52 but then rallied thanks to a double century from Sam Hain (202) while captain Will Rhodes was caught behind on 99. They meandered to 568 for 4 to secure the draw, just ten wickets falling in the four days.

Warwickshire (12 pts) drew with Northamptonshire (14 pts)

In the Roses Match at Headingly, Yorkshire won the toss and decided to field. Oh dear. Lancashire scored 566 for 9 declared after falling to 12 for 2 after 11 overs. Keaton Jennings top-scored with 238 (the highest individual score of the season in Division One) and along with Steven Croft (104) hit the highest third wicket partnership of the season with 237. In reply, Joe Root scored 147 in a total of 379. Lancashire enforced the follow on but Yorkshire held firm and scored 169 runs off 78 overs to secure the draw. Root was bowled for 4 by Jimmy Anderson. Nothing personal... 

Yorkshire (12 pts) drew with Lancashire (13 pts)

At Beckenham, there wasn’t another lucky win for Surrey against Kent despite winning the toss and deciding to bat. They racked up 671 for 9 declared but miserably failed to score any centuries. Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes and Jamie Overton were all out in the nineties. Kent struggled to 230 all out and then followed on with 114 for 1 as rain interrupted the final day. No Surrey bowler managed a fifer.

Kent (10 pts) drew with Surrey (16 pts)

This week: Lancashire host Essex, Northamptonshire are home to Kent, Somerset regale Hampshire and Yorkshire entertain Warwickshire.

Stats from ESPN Cricinfo:

There are four batters who have scored more than 450 runs this season. 

Yorkshire’s Harry Brook leads the way with 758 from 8 innings. Highest score is 194 and he has scored six sixes.

Denis Compton’s grandson Ben Compton has scored 670 runs for Kent in 9 innings. HS is 120, has just the one six

Yorkshire’s Dawid Malan has scored 528 runs in 8 innings with a HS of 152 and two sixes.

Essex’s Sir Alastair Cook CBE has 481 runs in 10 innings. His highest score 107 and he doesn’t bother with sixes.

There are six bowlers with more than 20 wickets. 

Lancashire’s Hasan Ali has 24 wickets off 164 overs.

His team-mate Matt Parkinson has 23 wickets from 246 overs

Two bowlers have 22 wickets: Somerset’s Craig Overton from 133 overs, Hampshire’s Mohammad Abbas in 154 overs.

Two bowlers have 21 wickets: Hampshire’s Keith Barker in 149 overs and Surrey’s Jordan Clark from 188 overs.

Against Essex on 14^th April, Craig Overton took 7 for 57 in the first innings and then 6 for 30 in the second innings. Unsurprisingly that is the best match bowling so far.

Edit: I womder if this will work...

Let’s have a look at the table first (available at BBC Cricket)