Other CC games 29 Aug - 1 Sep.

Come on Derbyshire! Sussex are there for the taking. Much has been written about coaching - Farbrace good, Gibson bad - but watching the two teams at NMR, you would have to question that.

If a team fields as poorly as Sussex did, and as well as Yorkshire always do, that suggests something to me. I simply do not understand the decision to remove Otis, especially when his successor is not nailed on. We have seen a pop-gun attack turn into a disciplined outfit. No coach could make them penetrative, but dot-ball pressure has its own slow rewards.

Not good enough for some people, apparently. We need the change higher up the food chain.

Strange goings on at Bristol where the game was abandoned due to an unsafe (hybrid) pitch. Game ended up with Gloucestershire 125 all out and Northants on 116-2.

Gloucestershire deemed to be at fault for preparing the pitch and haven't been awarded any points. There may possibly be more punishment heading their way.

Northants come away with 11 points and two possibly badly injured players.

More excitement in what is going on elsewhere than the goings on at Headingley. Middlesex have avoided the follow-on for what it matters.

Can Derbyshire fight through for a draw at Hove! Derbyshire 146-2 still trail by 171. I hope they can but I wouldn't put cash money on it.

Similar situation at Cardiff with Leicestershire on 160/3, they still need 139 to make Glamorgan bat again.

The two seemingly demoralised teams in Division 1, Kent and Lancashire were both well beaten yesterday by Warwickshire and Hants respectively.

At Chelmsford Essex only require 183 to beat Worcestershire.

Rain at Somerset where they have Durham at 29/3, still needing 391 runs.

Surrey 50/1 lead Notts by 170 runs now, I'm not sure they can manage to force a win now which will be good news for Essex, Hants and Somerset in terms of keeping the CC open.

Worcs fought back really well v Essex. Took me by surprise. I think Matthew Waite must be injured.
That effort by Notts’ Farhan Ahmed was incredible. He’s broken a record set by WG hasn’t he. 16 yo!!! Youngest player in the CC to get was it 10 wickets in a match.
And he is the younger brother of Rehan Ahmed the Leics and England leggie. Remarkable. [Wonder why Rehan left Notts for Leics but Farhan didn’t. br]The third. young British Asian spinner to be breaking through at a young age after the Surrey raised Somerset lad Shoaib Bashir, who went out on loan.
And wouldn’t it be ironic if Archie Vaughan wins the CC with Som after a handful of matches with Som taking 130 years to win it!

Somerset v Surrey at Taunton on Monday, so they could / should go for it and produce a Bunsen; and if Surrey are too good, which they probably are, so be it. A win for Somerset would reduce the gap at the top from 24 points to perhaps 8, assuming a 3-bonus-point-each low scorer.

Any other result and Surrey are surely Champions again. The game may be a better watch than Leics v Yorks. I still haven't decided whether to attend. I certainly won't be going day 1. Suck it and see. I used to love going to Grace Road, which was bright and cheerful, with hanging baskets, and a good crowd, 20 years ago, watching the likes of Devon Malcolm, the teenaged Stuart Broad, and Ottis Gibson, amongst others. You could get an excellent late breakfast, watching the cricket, too.

More recently, the place has looked dismal and run down. I hope they do well (except next week). So many good players, they have produced, down the years.

Photo is from 2005, Leics v Oz, the first time I saw Broad bowl. Chris Rogers got (I think) 200 against his countrymen, Ottis smashed Stuart McGill all round, and out of, the park, and John Sadler got badly hit and seriously injured by Brett Lee (from memory). The game was played pre-the memorable Ashes series. That is Gillespie bowling, isn't it?

He finished his playing career at Leicestershire. Last first class game was v Lancashire. Phil de Freitas, Darren Maddy, Darren Stevens etc.