County Championship 2021

This year we have a 3 division conference style format. Unlike the regional groups of last year, the six teams are seeded, using results from the 2019 & shortened 2020 season.(Derby matches are accommodated where possible. This stage will be 10 matches, playing each side, home & away.

The top 2 from each group will form Division 1, 3rd & 4th Division 2, & 5th & 6th Division 3. Each Division will play a further 4 matches, this excludes the side that each team played twice from their group, but points accrued from these matches will be carried over.

The top side from division 1 will be crowned County Champions & they will play a 5 day final against the 2nd placed side for the Bob Willis Trophy.

Another change will be 8 points awarded for a draw.

April 8 - July 14 - Group Stage

August 30 - Sept 24- Division Stage

Sept 27 - October 1 - Bob Willis Trophy

Opening Fixtures

Group 1
Essex v Worcestershire
Nottingham v Durham
Warwickshire v Derbyshire

Group 2
Gloucestershire v Surrey
Leicestershire v Hampshire
Middlesex v Somerset

Group 3
Northamptonshire v Kent
Sussex v Lancashire
Yorkshire v Glamorgan

Yorkshire didn't have the cutting edge to polish off the Glamorgan tail, as the recovered from 132-7 to 310-8. I thought South African Duanne Olivier was signed to proved some extra pace, but he has disappointed so far, he isn't going to get the pace & bounce in the wickets here that he had back home & needs to deliver soon.
It was a bad start for the home side with Ballance out after being stuck on the head before the start. I could be wrong but I think that this is the first time that the Root brothers have faced each other at this level. Billy ground out 43 runs in an innings that lasted over 3 hours.

(08-04-2021 15:02 )Boomerangutangangbang Wrote:  April 8 - 11

Group 1
Essex v Worcestershire - Chelmsford
Essex 490-9 dec & 42-1
Worc 475
Match Drawn

Nottingham v Durham - Trent Bridge
Dur 330 & 332-4 dec
Notts 267 & 298-5
Match Drawn

Warwickshire v Derbyshire - Edgbaston
Derby189 & 244
Warks 221 & 7-0
Match Drawn

Group 2
Gloucestershire v Surrey - Bristol
Suurey 220 & 333
Glos 326 & 229-2
Glos beat Surrrey by 8 wickets

Leicestershire v Hampshire - Grace Road
Hamp 612-5 dec
Leic 202 & 305
Hamp beat Leic by 105 runs

Middlesex v Somerset - Lords
Midd 313 143
Som 172 & 285-6
Som beat Middlesex by 4 wickets

Group 3
Northamptonshire v Kent - County Ground
Kent 455 & 42-1
Northants 434
Match drawn

Sussex v Lancashire - Old Trafford
Sussex 301 & 103-2
Lancs 407
Match Drawn


Yorkshire v Glamorgan - Headingley
Glamorgan 330 & 241-4 dec
Yorkshire 193 & 223-4
Match Drawn

Match of the week has to be the Middlesex Somerset clash, a classic game that swung one way & the the other throughout. A Somerset win seemed unlikely after slumping to 89-9 in their first innings, only to be rescued by 51 from de Lange in partnership with Leach to lift them to 172 all out. Middlesex scored 313 with a fine innings of 165 by Robson, but 5-68 from Gregory prevented the lead getting out of sight. Then a fine all-round bowling performance saw Middlesex shot out for 143, to leave the game finely balanced, with a victory target of 285. Banton & Abell moved the score onto 79 after Lammonby was dismissed without scoring. Abell & Bartlett looked well set at 163-3, before Bamber removed Abell for a well made 84 & Davis for a duck. Overton went cheaply & victory looked a long way off at 187-6. Bartlett (76 no) found support from Gregory who hit 10 boundaries in his 62 not out to guide them home.
A great start to the season for Somerset having started the year with minus 8 points after the poor pitch ruling from the 2019 Championship decder against Essex.

After all the talk from many in the Yorkshire camp about being contenders, they have managed to remove that tag after a disastrous performance. It took hail & snow which covered the pitch on day 3, to rescue them from an inevitable draw. Glamorgan fell to 29-4 in their second dig, with the lead only 166, but injury prevented new-ball bowlers Coad & Fisher taking any further part. Cooke & Billy Root then helped themselves to unbeaten centuries, with Billy taking the bragging rights with 43 & 110 no against 16 & 13 from Joe. better news is the form of Lyth after injury in pre-season, with a half century & a match saving unbeaten ton in the 2nd innings. Brook contributed in both innings, but he needs to kick-on this year with big scores. I had him down as the best young batsmen off the Yorkshire production-line since Root & a future England star. After struggles in the top 3, he is now in a long queue of middle-order batsmen.

Selected Batting & Bowling Performances
Batting
Vince 231
Westley 221
Vilas 189
Libby 180*
Bedingham 180*
Robson 165
T J Haines 155
Vasconcelos 154
L A Dawson 152*
Foakes 133
Barnard 128
Keogh 124
Alsop 119
Stevens 116
Lyth 115*
Eckersley 113*
van Buuran 110*
B L Root 110
C B Cooke 102*

Bowling
Norwell 5-32
Topley 5-66
Gregory 5-68
Hannon-Dalby 5-76

I'm no expert, but I'd say 19 Championship centuries in April must be some sort of a record ?

April 15 - 19

Group 1
Derbyshire v Worcestershire - County Ground
Essex Durham v Chelmsford
Nottinghamshire v Warwickshire - Trent Bridge

Group 2
Hampshire v Middlesex - Ageas Bowl
Somerset v Gloucestershire - Taunton
Surrey v Leicestershire - Oval

Group 3
Glamorgan v Sussex - Sophia Gardens
Lancashire v Northamptonshire - Old Trafford
Kent v Yorkshire Canterbury

Interesting day 1 at Chelmsford. Essex elected to bat & got rolled for 96 in 41.3 overs, Dan Lawrence top scored with 32. Rushworth finished with figures of 11-8-13-3.
Durham didn't fair much better, they progressed to 98-1, but closed at 148-8, with Borthwick returned to captain his native county scoring an impressive century.