Key events
Yorkshire corrected me. press box, the shoot at Grace Road was not a biopic of Virender Sehwag, but Sourav Ganguly biographical film. Apparently the crew had already been filming for five days in Headingley, Lords and Scarborough.
They started in Grays Road, are resuming in Headingley, but still lingers at Hove, Oval and Canterbury.
Derby, who eventually took a 62-run first-innings lead over Northants, are 12-0 up in the second game.
Suddenly the spectators in the East Stand pick up their bags and rush down the aisle. The rain has come. This was Craig Overton last night after another monster performance: “It’s been a great season for me and these personal achievements are good. It won’t really matter if we don’t win the championship.”
Rain
Clouds are gathering over Headingley and starts are delayed in Hove, Canterbury and Grays Road.
More information from Grays Road – Filming in Bollywood was for Virender Sehwag Biographical film of Sourav Ganguly.
Digging the full report From the cricket regulator, it’s a nugget that the groundskeeper’s preparations were hampered not only by the 35-degree heat, but also by “an unscheduled Bollywood shoot four days earlier and I wasn’t allowed to work on the field. I wasn’t allowed to cover it or anything like that.”
Leicestershire admitted fault for the poor pitch but said they had prepared the best quality pitch they could for the match.
Players pass through They’re warming up in the Headingley sun, with just one pom-pom hat in sight. Quite a few are coming through the gates for what could be the last day of cricket here this season.
Wednesday results
It was an advantage Warwickshire above, but perhaps the most important event of the day took place off the field and below, with Leicestershire almost relegated after points deduction.
Leicestershire were charged by the cricket regulator after the Grays Road pitch was rated as poor following the win over Glamorgan last month. Cricket discipline upheld the allegation, resulting in 19 points being deducted for the win, plus a further eight as penalties. Leicestershire said in a statement that “the club is reviewing its position and considering all available options”, but the deduction left them bottom of the table, 38 points adrift of the last safety point. WITH Hampshire With a lead of 225 runs and seven wickets, Leicestershire’s hopes in what is now a must-win match are slim.
Warwickshire have 19 points on the table and are looking for a second straight two-day win. Essexfurther weakened by overnight changes to Shane Snater and Tom Westley, gave them the lead by conceding a further 40 runs for the final wicket, thanks in large part to an unbeaten 88 from Sam Hain. Indian spinner Manav Sutar with five for 75 and Chris Woakes with three for 33 were too hot for Essex as Warwickshire easily reached the required 133.
The morning call in Chelmsford came from BBC correspondent Dick Davies, who has retired after 31 years covering Essex cricket. At Headingley, Craig Overton continued his attempt to single-handedly pull Somerset across the line. His not out 64, full of mischief and grace, rescued his team from the doldrums of 86 for eight, in partnership with Migael Pretorius, who found his long-lost form with a flowing 58.
Overton was the last man to field for Ben Cliffe, whose astonishing eight for 76 were the best bowling figures for a Yorkshireman at Headingley since Graham Stevenson’s eight for 57 in 1980. He led Yorkshire away, grinning as he applauded his teammates behind him.
Overton soon spoiled their fun by hitting Will Luxton’s middle stump with his second ball and removing Adam Lyth a couple of overs later. Jonny Bairstow came in to catch Nureyev under the cover of Archie Vaughan, but George Hill and Dom Bess stopped the rot by providing an unbroken seventh-wicket stand with 74 while the East Stand crowd enjoyed the afternoon sun, extending Yorkshire’s lead to 139.
In Hove, Nottinghamshire were detained by stubborn Sussexwho took their only point in the first division thanks to half-centuries from Tom Clarke, Charlie Teare and Tom Price.
Kent need 56 to win Lancashire and write your points on the board. Zak Crawley (84) and Matt Milnes (40 not out) gave Kent a first innings lead of 53 before Milnes tried the ball to help Lancashire post 192. Sam Northeast and Tawanda Muiai helped Kent get a good night’s sleep.
Asa Tribe’s first hundred of the season, on a wicket that had dropped 20 the previous day, eased Glamorgan’s relegation nerves even before the Leicestershire news.
Abacus on the door
First Division
Chelmsford: Warwickshire 191 and 138-2 USUAL Essex 134 and 189 by eight wickets
Grace Road: Leicestershire 244 vs Hampshire 214 and 255-3
Oval: Surrey 115 v Glamorgan 132 and 339-5
Hove: Sussex 308-6 – Nottinghamshire 240
Headingley: Yorkshire 212 and 128-6 vs Somerset 201
Second Division
Chester-le-Street: Durham 465 – Worcestershire 270-5
Bristol: Gloucestershire 296 v Middlesex 326 and 17-0
Canterbury: Kent 214 and 84-2 vs Lancashire 161 and 192 Kent need 56 to win
Wantage Road: Northamptonshire 310 – Derbyshire 372
Preamble
Good morning! It’s great at Headingley, glorious autumn sunshine, but not at Leicester, where they accepted a brutal 27-point penalty from the Cricket Regulator last night that almost saw them relegated. The club are “reconsidering their position” and are “considering all available options” but it looks pretty bleak for the Foxes. We will reflect on this as we monitor Somerset’s progress against Yorkshire and other games at the stadium. Join us.
