Essex, the very worthiest of champions, did as Essex have all summer. By inflicting on Yorkshire their lowest score this century, 74, they secured their first unbeaten season. Division One is supposed to be impenetrable for the little sides, but Essex have swept it away in their first season back after six away – this was their 10th win (and seventh inside three days), and the 10th time they have bowled a side out for 150 or under. This was the fourth time Yorkshire have been the victims; their twin titles seem moons ago.
As his team mingled with fans – the crowd was more than 2,500, including the unrequired Alastair Cook, who donned his full kit (like another sport’s rather more controversial former England captain) for the bottle-popping – in riotous celebration, Ryan ten Doeschate, the captain, said: “This couldn’t be more perfect, here with all these people. Ten wins is mind-blowing, and I can’t believe we have rolled another team. The desire to go unbeaten really impressed me. It would have been easy to coast home after we had won it [against Warwickshire a fortnight ago], but that was never happening.”
The day’s only dampener for Essex – the exclusion from England’s Ashes party of Tom Westley, who, to his credit, celebrated as if he had not yet been told – came before play. From 10.30, everything went to plan. They cruised their way to 334 for seven in their second innings, thanks to 83s from Nick Browne and Dan Lawrence, and punchy half-centuries from Ten Doeschate and Simon Harmer.
With Yorkshire chasing a notional 451, the other Cook, 20-year-old Sam, was immediately into his work, having Adam Lyth caught behind, while Jamie Porter trapped Kraigg Brathwaite lbw. Their batting totem, Gary Ballance, who admitted he was a touch surprised to make the Ashes party, was lbw to Cook for five, taking his season’s tally to 951. Yorkshire soon slipped to 35 for six at tea with Andy Hodd falling to a witless reverse sweep to Harmer, who finishes his first summer in county cricket with 72 wickets. First ball back (and with a fresh contract announced) Porter picked up Steve Patterson, his 75th wicket of a very special season, then Cook – who will return to his course at Loughborough University – completed his second five-wicket haul in two matches, with Jack Brooks caught at slip. Only Matt Fisher, last man out to a brute from Neil Wagner, delayed the humiliation, registering just Yorkshire’s fourth double-figure score of the match.
After Yorkshire’s heaviest defeat by runs ever, the coach, Andrew Gale, was not for mincing his words. “Quite frankly that’s embarrassing for a Yorkshire team,” he said. “It’s one of the worst performances I’ve ever been involved in. That was soft cricket, and Yorkshire at their worst. We’ve got to count ourselves lucky that we are not in Division Two next year.”
Now attention turns to which sides will be joining Essex and Yorkshire in Division One next year. Worcestershire will, having picked up enough bonus points against Durham, while Nottinghamshire look set to escape Hove with the draw they require against Sussex to secure their long-awaited promotion.Northamptonshire need 180 more to beat Leicestershire with all 10 wickets in hand, but look likely to be disappointed, even if they secure their ninth win in 14 games.
Batsmen old, new, and unlikely helped Nottinghamshire recover from 65 for five to make 477, trailing by 88, against Sussex. The retiring Chris Read made a century in his final first-class match, and Billy Root, brother of Joe, made his first in Championship cricket, with the pair sharing 242 for the sixth wicket, before Harry Gurney made the highest score of his decade-long first-class career (eclipsing 27 not out), but was left
agonisingly stranded 58 short of his maiden century. Alas. Eyes will be on Taunton and Edgbaston, where rain hindered progress in both games, as the relegation tussle makes it into the final day.
Somerset, after James Hildreth’s 41st first-class century, asked Middlesex (for whom left-arm spinner Ravi Patel finished with a career-best 12 wickets), to chase 345 to win. By the time the forecast rain came, Middlesex – who survive by avoiding defeat – were 40 for three, with two wickets for Jack Leach. Somerset stay up if they win. But whether they survive or not, the club confirmed that their director of cricket, Matthew Maynard, will leave the club as part of a backroom reshuffle.
If Somerset win and Warwickshire beat Hampshire, they will go down, and the efforts of Ian Bell mean this is possible. He ended a sorry season by making 77 not out, including a 10th-wicket stand of 59 with Ryan Sidebottom, to set Hampshire 259, the highest score of the game by some distance, to win. A draw keeps Hampshire up, and they are 20 for one at stumps.
Kumar Sangakkara signed off his first-class career with 35 not out to take his season’s tally to 1,491 runs at 106.5 in 16 innings, with eight centuries, but he looks likely to end up on the losing side. Lancashire’s Liam Livingstone’s six for 52 (his maiden five-wicket haul) saw Surrey collapse from 154 without loss, with Mark Stoneman making 98, to 242 all out. Livingstone is 51 not out with Lancashire 132 for three, requiring just 44 for victory, and second place. Will Macpherson
