Tuesday 17 June 2014 23:15, UK
James Vince enhanced his burgeoning reputation with a maiden first-class double century as Hampshire thrashed Essex by 470 runs inside three days to boost their Division Two promotion hopes.
Hampshire equalled the second highest victory margin of all time in County Championship cricket and Vince became the first player to score 1,000 runs this season. It was his 16th innings after registering a career-best 240 on day three against Essex. The visitors were then shot out for 135 inside 40 overs in pursuit of an improbable 606 victory target.
With two first-class centuries to his name already this season, Vince kept the pressure on the England selectors with a sublime innings which included 33 boundaries and came at better than a run-a-ball pace.
He shared a 387-run stand with Will Smith (151no) as Essex’s bowlers – nine of whom were used – toiled before a declaration was called on 440-3.
Hampshire’s overseas pace bowler Kyle Abbott then followed up his five-wicket haul in the first innings with three more as Essex meekly folded to cap a week to forget on the south coast.
Tom Fell scored his maiden first-class century and Daryl Mitchell his fourth of the season as Worcestershire took a firm grip on their Division Two clash with Leicestershire at Grace Road.
Worcestershire declared on 444-8, setting bottom-of-the-table Leicestershire an unlikely victory target of 404. By the close they were 20 without loss after eight overs.
Mitchell made 120 to close in on 1,000 runs this season and 20-year-old Fell 124 in only his 15th first-class innings, as they shared a second-wicket stand of 178 to help Worcestershire towards a winning position.
There were also half-centuries from Alexei Kervezee (57) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (56), while Leicestershire seamer Nathan Buck claimed 5-123.
At Cardiff, Jim Allenby became Glamorgan's second centurion of the season as the Welsh county set up a charge for victory on the third day against Kent.
Glamorgan were homing in on their second win of the four-day season after amassing 527 all out in their first innings, an overall lead of 274, before Kent were reduced to 137-5 by the close. They still needed another 137 to avoid an innings defeat.
Allenby (100) followed in the footsteps of Jacques Rudolph who had registered the county's first century of the summer on the second day and it looked as if there would be a third player to three figures but Chris Cooke fell four runs short of registering his maiden Championship 100.
Allenby and Cooke's fifth wicket partnership of 212 - a Glamorgan record against Kent - put their side in the driving seat after they had resumed on 337-8- a lead of 84.
Surrey need just 21 runs for victory in their second innings after Gareth Batty and Zafar Ansari spun out Derbyshire for 288 in their second knock.
Trailing by 268 after Chris Tremlett (43) helped Surrey add 29 runs to post 421 all out, Derbyshire were unable to improve their batting woes on day three.
In-form veteran off-spinner Batty claimed 4-69 and Ansari bagged 4-96 as only Dave Wainwright (56no) and Scott Elstone (47) came out of the home side's second innings with any credit.
Surrey will now aim to wrap up maximum points when their second innings begin on day four.
