County Championship Round 4

Hot on the heels of round 3, round 4 gets underway today. A combination of the start of the YB40 and Derbyshire's upcoming match against New Zealand mean that the matches are staggered across a 7-day period.

Division 1

Nottinghamshire v Durham (Starts Monday)
Yorkshire v Derbyshire (Starts Monday)
Sussex v Warwickshire (Starts Wednesday)
Surrey v Middlesex (Starts Thursday)

Division 2

Essex v Hamphsire (Starts Monday)
Leicestershire v Gloucestershire (Starts Tuesday)
Glamorgan v Lancashire (Starts Wednesday)
Kent v Northamptonshire (Starts Wednesday)

Commentary links - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/13629853
DEC live blogs - http://deepextracover.com/livematchcentre/

Hampshire been pretty poor with the bat today. Only Vince and Ervine with respectable scores

97 for Jimmy Taylor today against Durham, helped get Notts to 320 ao. He's really piling on the runs eatly season. Stokes picked up three wickets for Durham.

Taylor's in cracking form, that England place for the 1st Test should be his if he keeps this up.

I may have criticised Chesney Hughes a few times in the last couple of weeks. I think I owe him an apology.

Hes got to be in the conversation surely.

Meanwhile at the People's Republic of Chelmsford, Essex's batters in danger of chucking away all the good work down by their bowlers ....

Yorks fought back towards end of the day against Derby, but are still in danger of facing a big first innings total.

I wonder what Cook makes of Essex's early season shambles. A century for him would help to relieve the pressure building on Grayson. If Essex fold and lose against Hants I can see change coming sooner rather than later.

Duty281 wrote:Taylor's in cracking form, that England place for the 1st Test should be his if he keeps this up.

It makes sense for him to replace KP instead of Bairstow for the NZ series but it's odd that he wasn't named in the performance squad for the summer, feels like there is something England don't like about him. Hopefully he can convince them with weight of runs, he's certainly started well and Bairstow certainly hasn't.

Good for England that Compton and Root have early season hundreds, Broad has runs and wickets, Finn/Onions/Anderson have started well too. I find it very odd that Bell and Trott haven't been allowed to play as yet, seems over protective to me and could lead to them being underprepared for the Test series, especially if weather interrupts the 1/2 games they are allowed to play in.

Graeme Swann having a bowl today at TB.

Stuart Broad had a fitness test at Trent Bridge this morning. Suggestion is he got through it, but may have a slight groin niggle.

Carrot, i agree with all of that

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:I wonder what Cook makes of Essex's early season shambles. A century for him would help to relieve the pressure building on Grayson. If Essex fold and lose against Hants I can see change coming sooner rather than later.

I want Grayson out now, but I also want Cook and Foster to build their (currently) 43-run partnership into a 300+ one, so we can bowl Hants out for 300 then coast to victory second innings. Not likely though

It's great to see Cook actually playing for us though, it's so rare these days and let's face it, he's going to be an England regular for at least 5 more years, if not 7-8. We really need to be winning those rare games he does play for us.

On a side note, glad to see Adam Wheater out for 1 yesterday. Still gutted he left us

Briggs gets foster!

But Cooky is still there...I'd fancy him to still be there on Thursday if his partners could stop getting out

Azzy

Napier having one of his good days it seems...

Cook can stay in, as long as we get all the others out

The thing I love about Cook is that he doesn't get flustered when the scoring slows down - he'd be happy scoring 1 an over.

Napier's had a good start to the season, but it won't last. It never does. I've long since given up hope of him becoming the cricketer he should have been.

250* for Chesney Hughes. Not something I thought I'd ever say.

Wow, it's at times like this I say to myself "can he beat Lara's score"? Would Derby let him attempt it?

Sorry Azzy, Cooks gone, LBW to Tomlinson

Twice in this thread I've jinxed our batsmen. Shut the hell up Azzy, come on

I wouldn't worry Azzy, Hampshire have history of letting the tail-enders get some runs

Derby are 8 down now so Hughes will most likely be stranded agonisingly short of his 500.

Carrotdude wrote:Derby are 8 down now so Hughes will most likely be stranded agonisingly short of his 500.

Imagine getting to 500no then the guy at the other end gets out

Quite incredible. Two weeks ago he lasted a total of ten balls across two innings. In the second innings he was bowled leaving an enormous gap between bat and pad. Now he's on course to take the Derbyshire record for highest FC knock.

Good lad Napier, closing in on a very valuable 50.

Shelsey93 wrote:Quite incredible. Two weeks ago he lasted a total of ten balls across two innings. In the second innings he was bowled leaving an enormous gap between bat and pad. Now he's on course to take the Derbyshire record for highest FC knock.

Astonishing that Derby's top score is only 274 really!

Azzy Mahmood wrote:Good lad Napier, closing in on a very valuable 50.

Can't believe Dawson hasn't had a bowl yet

Brilliant, just 3 behind now and Napier past 50. Here comes the jinx - if Napier can post 80, and Phillips and Topley get say 10 each, that gives us a lead of 40+. That could be a lot in a close game like this.

Aattaboy Napes

Hughes 5 short of the county record, last man about to come in...

Would you believe it, Derby all out and Hughes 4 short of equalling the country record

Good innings lad

All that hard work to get Essex to 52-5 and 156-8 wasted

Napier finally gone for 74, but the damage is done now. Essex lead by 46 now with the last wicket stand coming up, Phillips doing really well on 31no.

Even if we're all out now, that 46 lead is going to be crucial.

254-9, Phillips into his 40s, on the verge of his 10th career 50. Come on lad, hold it together!

Finally all out. Pretty poor from Hampshire to be honest, thrown all the hard work away!

Story of our last three years. Top order fails, and the middle order / tail comes to the rescue. It's a wonder we don't just play 4 all rounders, 3 keepers and 4 bowlers, as our specialist batsmen are to a man worthless.

Wow, Hants 27-2, still trailing by 30

75 for Shiv Takor today for Leics following up his ton the other week against Kent. Still only 19 as well, looks to have plenty of potential but the only trouble is (for Leics anyway) he won't stick around for too long. He'll follow the Taylor, Broad path out of there for Div 1 cricket which is a shame for them. They keep producing some top tier talent only to see it leave.

Bell and Trott starting their FC seasons today for Warwickshire. Swann was wicketless from 20 overs yesterday on his return, Root is compiling another good score, and captain Cook made a half-century.

Joe Root gets a hundred

jimbohammers wrote:Joe Root gets a hundred

Second consecutive innings where he's gone big - over 150 again now. Bairstow getting a start as well (30-odd not out at present).

What's gone wrong at Headingley - so far just under 800 runs for 13 wickets. Most years only about 800 runs are scored there all season

Headingley has tended to be flat for Championship cricket for the last few years - I don't have a clue why, as its been anything but for Tests!

I dont wanna 'jinx' him but James Vince has started this season superbly

5 mins later and he's out! Why did i have to say anything? haha

Joe Root, days after making a match-winning 182, is 184* for Yorkshire against Derbyshire. England rival Bairstow is providing able support on 61*.

Double hundred for Root now.

And Essex won with a day to spare

Napier was immense though, what a game he had / season he's had so far.

Yorkshire have declared with a 200 run lead over Derbyshire. Derby currently 77/3, but most importantly Shiv Chanderpaul is back in the shed after an apparently blistering spell of bowling from Liam Plunkett before lunch in which he took 1 other wicket. Should be an interesting final day.

Durham have gone crazy. 160-2 off 17 overs. Stoneman 69 runs off 38 balls. Mustard 70 off 51

Derbyshire scored 475 in their first innings and lost by an innings to Yorkshire...