County Cricket 2024

[Wowbagger]

The forecast for Chester-le-Street is rain until 4pm with a maximum temperature of 7°C. That’s like asking people to play cricket in January.

[Wowbagger]

The only play so far has been at Kidderminster & Bristol.

[Wowbagger]

Hampshire capitulating as expected. 93-5, needing another 115 to make Surrey bat again. No play in Chester-le-Street.

[Wowbagger]

A full day's play expected in Chester-le-Street - provided the ground isn't waterlogged, of course. Cloudy, but 5°C higher than yesterday's temperatures. Essex's plan ought to be to knock up another 150 to 200 before lunch and then declare, to have any hope of winning. Odds must be firmly in favour of a draw.

I doubt that Surrey will need more than 1 session to take the necessary 5 Hampshire wickets. Hants will do well to make them bat again.

[Wowbagger]

And Surrey win by an innings & 11 runs so are currently top of the table. I think Essex will get maximum batting points from this match - if I've understood the rules correctly - so assuming they draw, they will still be 2 points clear of Surrey. In the unlikely event of Essex winning...

Essex are 92 ahead at lunch. They'll need to try to bat for another hour I reckon.

[Wowbagger]

Essex clearly going for quick runs - two consecutive run-outs, which was a shame for Browne as he was on 184.

[Peter]

I think if Essex are going to score this slowly all season, they could well bore their way to the title.

[Wowbagger]

Pah! Go and wash your mouth out! It was responsible batting! 

Meanwhile Essex were all out for 488 which means Durham need 130 to make Essex bat again. Could be a difficult afternoon for them.

[Peter]

   I think I've come to expect slightly more with the beach ball.  But definitely a match Essex could still win ...

[Wowbagger]

Durham 1 down... but I can't fond out how many overs are left. Neither the Graun nor the Beeb seem to show that, and it's an important part of the equation.

The Graun say that Middlesex have set Glos 331 off 58 overs, and that innings started at about the same time as Durham's.

[Wowbagger]

I suppose Essex, to win this afternoon, will need to take a wicket roughly every 5 overs. A tall order.

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

The forecast for Chester-le-Street is rain until 4pm with a maximum temperature of 7°C. That’s like asking people to play cricket in January.

I have been time-travelling back to January on my bicycle quite a bit in the last couple of weeks.  Discovering that modern aerodynamic clothing with modern aerodynamic zips is utterly useless when your hands are too cold to fasten the tiny little zip.  Wonder if cricketers have similar problems.

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

Lees and Ackermann are old hands who know how to shut things down

[Peter]

I like the fact that they agree the draw with the home side 1 ahead!  Two pretty evenly matched sides, though I think if we'd have had 4 full days, Essex would have been favourites.

[Wowbagger]

I keep forgetting the bonus point rules. Apparently you only get your batting points in the first 110 overs, hence Essex only got 14 points for that match.

[Peter]

Quite right, too!  Thoroughly outplayed by a cunning Durham side ...