Wednesday 15 April 2015 12:15, UK
Defending champions Yorkshire began their 2015 LV= County Championship Division One season with an emphatic 10-wicket win over newly-promoted Worcestershire.
Yorkshire bowled Worcestershire out for just 100 in their second innings at New Road and then knocked off the 105 needed for victory in just 17 overs.
Worcestershire began their second knock on the morning of day three with a lead of four runs from the first innings but then slumped to 21-4 as the Yorkshire seamers ran riot.
Tim Bresnan got the breakthrough, trapping Richard Oliver (one) in front, but the remaining wickets were shared between Jack Brooks (4-28) and Steven Patterson, who took a career-best 5-11 in 7.3 overs.
Brooks produced a sensational new ball spell, dismissing Daryl Mitchell, Moeen Ali and Alex Gidman in the space of three overs.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore led a very slight revival for the hosts, top scoring with 24, and seamers Gareth Andrew (16) and Jack Shantry (15 not out) also chipped in.
Yorkshire then made short work of their target of 105, captain Alex Lees making 52 not out off 51 balls while Championship debutant Will Rhodes finished unbeaten on 45.
Last year’s champions were without six players who are in the West Indies with England and their suspended captain Andrew Gale.
Coach Jason Gillespie said: “(The England and Wales Cricket Board) took away a lot of players, banned our captain, and still we came away with a 10-wicket win. It's one of the best wins I have ever been involved in.”
Worcestershire's England all-rounder Moeen came through his fitness trial after four weeks off with a side strain and will meet with ECB medical staff on Wednesday.
He is then expected to fly to Grenada on Friday to join the England squad in time for next week's second Test.
Elsewhere, Durham also wrapped up a three-day success, romping to a seven-wicket victory over Somerset at Taunton.
Durham seamer Chris Rushworth celebrated his 200th first-class wicket and finished with 6-92 as Somerset were dismissed for 230 in their second innings.
And Durham then reached their target of 150 to win in 32.3 overs and with seven wickets in hand, Scott Borthwick adding 51 not out to his first innings 94.
Hosts Somerset were struggling on 54-4 when day three began and Rushworth sent Alex Barrow’s off-stump flying with the third ball of the second over, the wicketkeeper having failed to add to his overnight 28.
Rushworth then claimed his 200th first-class victim when Jim Allenby (nine) was pinned lbw, and bagged wicket number 201 with his very next ball as Lewis Gregory edged to second slip.
Somerset were 96-8 when Tim Groenewald fell and a very early finish looked likely but Peter Trego and Abdur Rehman added a gutsy 99 for the ninth-wicket.
Trego hit a 47-ball half-century en route to 79 and experienced spinner Rehman made his first half-century for Somerset, finishing on 55 not out.
However, a target of 150 was not expected to test Durham and, although Mark Stoneman and Keaton Jennings both fell for 26 after an opening stand of 53, the reliable Borthwick guided them to victory.
At Lord’s, Chris Read hit a brilliant century off just 76 balls as Nottinghamshire continued to dominate their match against Middlesex.
Nottinghamshire piled up 401-8 declared in their second innings, setting Middlesex a very unlikely 519 to win.
And the hosts closed on 57-1, with Nick Compton 37 not out, opener Sam Robson having been trapped lbw by Jake Ball for a three-ball duck.
Notts resumed on 101-2 and Middlesex made their powerful batting line-up fight hard for their runs in the first two sessions of the day.
Alex Hales was caught behind for 37 off Tim Murtagh (3-69) and James Taylor (61), Samit Patel (33) and Rki Wessels (38) then added to the Notts lead, before Read really cut loose.
Having reached 48 not out at tea, the skipper completed his first fifty off 57 balls and then raced to his century off a further 19 balls.
In all, he struck 14 fours and two sixes, hitting off spinner Paul Stirling for 22 in one over.
Robson fell early when Middlesex began their run chase but Nick Gubbins (13 not out) and Compton then saw them safely through to the close.
There was a great day of cricket at the Ageas Bowl and more excitement is possible on Wednesday because the match between hosts Hampshire and Sussex is finely poised.
Sussex had a lead of 213 on first innings but were bowled out for just 164 in their second knock after deciding not to enforce the follow on.
Hampshire need 378 to pull off an unlikely win and finished the day on 181-4, needing 197 more, Michael Carberry having led the charge with 79 off 86 balls.
The final wicket in Hampshire’s first innings fell in the morning, Ed Joyce’s direct hit running out James Tomlinson, leaving Sean Ervine unbeaten on 66.
It was something of a shock when Sussex decided to bat again and they were reduced to 47-3 when Joyce was brilliantly caught by Danny Briggs.
And that became 71-6 when Ben Brown fell for a duck to the impressive Tomlinson (4-37).
However, Luke Wright (61) and Ajmal Shahzad (28) saved the day for Sussex with a 73-run seventh wicket partnership.
Wright scored a fine second 50 of the game, having made 96 in the first innings, before Briggs found the edge of his bat when he came charging down the track, keeper Adam Wheater taking the catch.
Carberry and Jimmy Adams got Hampshire’s big run chase off to a good start with an opening stand of 76, before Adams (24) was bowled by Tymal Mills.
Carberry continued to impress and was a little unlucky to depart, late cutting at Michael Yardy and caught at slip when Joyce stuck out a hand.
James Vince (9) then fell to Shahzade before Liam Dawson somehow managed to play on to the same bowler, the ball dramatically spinning back and flicking off the bail.
Will Smith (22 not out) and Wheater (11 not out) got Hampshire to stumps without further loss.
