A huge appeal for lbw against Paul Horton, the umpire gives a mere sniff of a shake of the head.
An astonishingly good catch by Sheldon Cotterell to dismiss Steve Smith down at the boundary, running around from deep square leg to snaffle it with his left hand then, as he was about to cross the boundary with the momentum, launch it back into the air and catch the rebound.
Aussies fighting back at Trent Bridge 218 for 6, Smith 60 not out
And they’re playing through the rain here. Leics 30-2.
An old man dressed in green leans on his umbrella on the grass tennis courts at the River end. Can any other county ground boast grass courts, they look in good nick too. The sky is confusing, look one way and it’s blue and bonny, the other and its full of filthy cussing.
And that’s a drop by Vilas, Horton on 15. A TRICKY one but this heads draw-wards I fancy.
Lunch-time scores
Division One
SOMERSET BEAT SURREY BY 102 RUNS
Warwickshire 391-9dec V Notts 97 and 207-1 (Duckett 119 not out)
Yorkshire 390 and 19-1 v Essex 309 (Siddle 60)
Division Two
Durham 293 and 242(Lees 107 not out) v Derby 268 and 32-0. DERBY NEED 236 TO WIN.
Lancashire 449 v Leicestershire 288 and 26-1
Yorkshire lose an early wicket. Fraine caught by cook off Porter for a duck.
And whatever Peter Moores said to Notts last night did the trick. 201-1.
Batting? Piece of cake.
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We’re taking an early lunch at Aigburth where something heavier than a light shower just emptied over the ground.
Somerset beat Surrey by 102 runs.
22 points for Somerset, four for Surrey who remain winless and can’t seem to coordinate their batting and bowling to function at the same time.! This feels like a crucial result, from memory Surrey’s win over Somerset at Guildford last year was the moment they became unstoppable.
Pitter-patter off they go.
To Guildford where Somerset have Won! That’s a finger-clicking marvellous performance from Somerset, Craig Overton removing the last two Surrey batsmen. Back to the top of the table you go!
Give Alex Lees a glass of something sparkly, carrying his bat for 107 not out , leaving Derby 268 to win, incidentally the exact tally of their first-innings total.
At Aigburth, Tom Bailey takes the ball for the first time.
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My dad just sent me an update from Guildford where he’s got there to see the eighth wicket fall! Say Hi if you see him, thick grey hair, skinny legs, a spartan picnic and a smile, probably heading to the beer tent right now.
We are back out again at Aigburth.
Was Peter Siddle making a point? Let’s see when he gets the ball. Eventually out for 60, Essex 81 behind on first-innings, a fine fightback.
Finbar Anslow who you might remember wrote in with the lyrics to his song Taunton Town, has sent the YouTube Link. Somerset fans, I think you’ll rather like it.
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The rain has stopped and a tractor sits on the pitch, impotent.
Surrey and Australia are five and six down respectively. Two new batsmen at the crease at Guildford – but it is Patel and Jacks so it’s not all over:136 needed.
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The billowing covers suggest a 15 minute break here, round the country batting is tricky only at Guildford. For now.
NOTTS in a parallel universe are 149 for one – Ben Duckett a merry 89 not out.
ESSEX269-9 have reduced the deficit to less than 100.
DURHAM have a lead of 252 with five wickets in hand.
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Surrey 122 for Five. Jack Brooks, oh headband warrior, oh ciderborg, 5-29.
And the rain falls in Liverpool.
AN ENORMOUS cloud is approaching from the Mersey. Horton has played and missed a few times but not much else to report.
On a Glamorgan theme, this by Andrew Hignell is a lovely read on the memories of Glammie cricketer Jim Pleass who sailed to Normandy 75 years ago.
“Off we went shortly after midnight in the blackness of night, pitching and rolling so badly that most of us were too concerned with “mal de mer” to worry about what lay in front of us. What was in front of us, and, indeed all around us swiftly became evident at dawn with what seemed like thousands of craft of all shapes and sizes heading towards the French coast
Hello from Aigburth, where the sun is out and the players are pottering onto the pitch.
Two quick question apropos of nothing :
1 Why are balloons banned at Liverpool Lime St?
2 Has any transport minister ever spent a few hours at Manchester Victoria ? The smell of diesel trains is eye -wateringly unpleasant.
Good morning!
As I write this early on Thursday morning, the sun is shining in Manchester as it is in Normandy and it looks like we’ll get a full day’s play around the country – save a thunder storm or two stalking the unaware.
What a thriller late yesterday afternoon at Lord’s, when Sussex managed to break through the Middlesex defences at the last – with Ollie Robinson returning his best bowling figures for the season with 7-48.
And Glamorgan, gloriously bowling out Northants, to sit, for now, at the top of the Championship table, with their first innings victory since 2014.
Round the country, we have five games still going. Intrigue at Guildford – have Somerset got the wherewithal, and the runs, to chisel away at the Surrey batting? Surrey, just two down, must have the upper hand – they need just another 168 to win. At Edgbaston where the Notts batting line up suffered a complete malfunction, they are doing rather better in the second innings. But Jeetan Patel stalks the day.
At Aigburth, Leicestershire got so close to the follow on target, I’m not sure they have the strength to try and resist Lancashire again. Much depends on the tired legs of Onions, Bailey and Gleeson.
Essex v Yorkshire seems to be drifting to a draw at Headingley, Durham v Derby is anyone’s guess as both sides have fragility built into their DNA.
In the World Cup, Australia get off the sofa today in a big beasts clash with West Indies at Trent Bridge. Follow every over at the Guardian. And here is Quinton de Kock’s superb catch to dismiss Virat Kohli yesterday (apologies, I think it is only open for UK readers).
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