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A 101-over day here at Cheltenham, where Lancashire are practising their slip catching and a nifty little mower pulls away the temporary nets from the outfield, off behind the sightscreen and into the car park. A healthy line of spectators, cushions in hand, marched past the handsome buildings with their iron-wrought balconies, past the park with its summer art exhibition, and into the college grounds.
An excellent, and sad, read on West Indies cricket by Taha in this week’s Spin.
Daniel Harris with all the doings from an overcast Old Trafford.
Tuesday's round-up
The sandy-stoned gorgeousness of Cheltenham college, the white hospitality tents full of bonhomie and beer – it wasn’t long ago that the world’s longest-running cricket festival was a healthy homage to the county game.
But times have changed, and Gloucestershire lost £80,000 at last year’s festival, and a similar amount the year before. The future looks uncertain, but the 2,400 who came through the gate saw an intriguing day on a butterscotch outfield, that largely dodged the menacing dishwasher clouds that swung in from the north west.
Lancashire’s Matty Hurst reached his hundred to a enthusiastic round of applause, after holding the innings together against the off-spin of Todd Murphy, the zippy Zaman Akhter (four for 64) and Ajeet Singh Dale, who, festival rumour has it, is off to Old Trafford at the end of the season.
Kane Williamson enjoyed his red-ball debut for Middlesex, with an unbeaten 88 against Northamptonshire, a cameo companion to Max Holden’s 137 – his third hundred of the summer.
An eyebrow raising 22 wickets fell at Taunton, and in a Kookaburra round as well. Craig Overton hustled Durham out for 145, with six for 23; before George Drissell returned the favour for Durham, with five for 59. Tom Lammonby helped Somerset to 250, giving Durham just time to lose two wickets in the three overs before stumps.
Spectators at Sophia Gardens watched an epic Kent collapse – six wickets for seven runs against Glamorgan, while at Scarborough, Yorkshire’s top four kept top of the table Surrey at bay, despite the unavailability of their new signing Imam-Ul-Haq, with visa issues. There were three wickets for Dan Worrall.
Rehan Ahmed danced to his third consecutive century, from 118 balls, as Leicestershire bloomed from a sub-optimal nought for two after eight balls against Derbyshire. Lewis Hill was unbeaten on 132 at stumps, while Peter Handscomb perched on 99.
Essex had one of their better days of 2025, ushering Sussex out for 204, the clockwork Jamie Porter (four for 40) and Sam Cook reunited. Ethan Brookes’ 80 against his old club kept Worcestershire in the hunt against Warwickshire at Edgbaston. Freddie McCann and Jack Haynes pocketed half centuries for Nottinghamshire on an emerald pitch against Hampshire at Southampton.
Scores on the doors
DIVISION ONE
Southampton: Hampshire v Nottinghamshire 241-5
Taunton: Somerset 250 v Durham 145 and 5-2
Hove: Sussex 204 v Essex 152-4
Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Worcestershire 262-8
Scarborough: Yorkshire 282-4 v Surrey
DIVISION TWO
Derby: Derbyshire v Leicestershire 357-3
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 125-4 v Kent 155
Cheltenham: Gloucestershire v Lancashire 290-6
Merchant Taylors’ School: Middlesex 319-1 v Northamptonshire
Preamble
Hello! On my morning walk I was surprised to find myself dawdling past GCHQ, then accidentally bought the most expensive glass of overnight oats in Cheltenham. Play starts here, and at the Test, at 11am – gather round the fripperies box and join us.
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