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Vitality County Championship Division One, Spitfire County Ground, Canterbury (day three)

Kent 244 & 143-6: Compton 37; Williams 2-20

Lancashire 549-9 dec: Bohannon 205, Wells 150, Hurst 50; Garrett 3-89

Kent (1pt) trail Lancashire (7pts) by 162 runs with four second innings wickets remaining

Lancashire were closing in on a huge victory in their Vitality County Championship with Kent at Canterbury, having reduced the hosts to 143 for six at stumps on day three.
Kent still trail by 162 with just four second innings wickets remaining, Charlie Stobo and Beyers Swanepoel the not out batters on 25 and 18 respectively.

Lancashire declared on 549 for nine, a lead of 305, with Josh Bohannon making 205 and Matty Hurst 50, while George Garrett took three for 89.

Will Williams and Tom Bailey then both took two wickets apiece to leave Kent six down at stumps. Ben Compton was their highest scorer with just 37 and the chances of them escaping with anything other than a heavy defeat to their relegation rivals are bleak.



The only question at the start of day three was how long Lancashire were going to bat for, with a lead of 158 already in the bank, although for a side who’d been pummelled for four straight sessions Kent at least managed to stop Lancashire from scoring too freely.

Bohannon reached his double-hundred with a pushed single off Matt Parkinson, before his former team mate finally got him out lbw with a ball that might have been going down the leg side.

Matty Hurst eased to fifty with a single off Joey Evison but he was then stumped by Harry Finch when he tried to charge at Parkinson.

It was 499 for six at lunch, during which a band called the “Useless Pluckers” performed, prompting one Lancastrian observer to remark: “they’re not Goons’N’Roses.”

Garrett took all three of his wickets after the interval, which at least prevented an onslaught. Jack Blatherwick tried to hit him out of the ground and went for 18, caught by sub fielder Jaydn Denly.

Garrett then had George Balderson caught behind for 42 and when Bailey skied him to Parkinson, Lancashire declared.



They didn’t have to wait long for a wicket: Williams had Marcus O’Riordan caught at first slip by George Bell for four in the fourth over.

Nathan Lyon came on after 12 overs but it was George Balderson who struck next, pinning Daniel Bell-Drummond lbw for nine to leave Kent on 59 for two at tea.

Compton always looked like being the key wicket but he inexplicably tried to slog Bailey and the ball flew in the air off his bottom edge. He spread his arms wide in despair well before Bell took the catch when the ball finally fell to earth.

Williams sent Joey Evison’s off stump flying for 10, Bailey had Tawanda Muyeye caught behind for a six-ball duck and Finch lasted for 56 balls for 23 until Lyon had him caught by Bohannon at mid-on.

Swanepoel, who’d been unable to bowl, came out with O’Riordan as a runner and caused confusion by running anyway, but he and Charlie Stobo at least managed to drop anchor for the final 11.4 overs to take the game to a final day.

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Lancashire 549 for 9 dec (Bohannon 205, Hurst 50, Garrett 3-89) beat Kent 244 and 222 (Stobo 64, Williams 3-26, Bailey 3-36) by an innings and 83 runs

Lancashire have routed Kent by an innings and 83 runs in their Vitality County Championship showdown at Canterbury.

The visitors bowled Kent out for 222 in their second innings, Will Williams taking three for 26 and Tom Bailey three for 36. Charlie Stobo hit his highest first-class score of 64 but the hosts were all out after 30.2 overs on day four.

The result, against the only side who were below them in Division One before this round of fixtures, drastically increases Lancashire's chances of avoiding the drop, while Kent remain anchored to the foot of the table.

It was an outcome that had looked almost inevitable ever since Kent lost a cluster of wickets midway through day one. The hosts were a shadow of the side who won convincingly at Old Trafford earlier this season, with six of the players who pulled off what remains their only red ball win of the season injured or unavailable.

They resumed on 143 for six and with a deficit of 162 not many observers were expecting them to take the game deep into the fourth day. Beyers Swanepoel, batting with Tawanda Muyeye as his runner, was the first man to fall, cutting Bailey to Jack Blatherwick for 26 in the fourth over of the morning, but Stobo and Matt Parkinson responded with an obdurate stand that took out 18.3 overs.

The sparse crowd meant the on-field chatter was amplified, especially, it seemed, when George Balderson bowled. During one over Lancashire's fielders shouted: "Go on Baldie!" or variations thereof, a staggering 37 times, including 10 after a single delivery. No other bowler received this level of encouragement: Nathan Lyon's next over was greeted with near silence.

The partnership broke when Parkinson, who'd joked on Tuesday night that he planned to block for 96 overs, abandoned his previous discipline. He tried an ill-advised pull shot against Lyon and although that was spilled by Bailey at backward square leg, he was out to the next ball he faced.

Stobo brought up his second first-class fifty in the next over when he drove Luke Wells for four, but after taking a single Parkinson was left with the strike and Wells pinned him lbw for seven.

Wells then had George Garrett caught at first slip by Keaton Jennings at first slip for five and the victory was sealed when Williams used the new ball to send Stobo's off stump cartwheeling.

[themaclad]

Vitality County Championship Division One, Southport (day one)

Lancashire: 344-8 Jennings 183*; James 3-53, Pennington 2-70

Nottinghamshire: Yet to bat

Lancashire 2 pts, Nottinghamshire 2 pts


Keaton Jennings hit his fourth century of the season to steer Lancashire to 344-8 on day one of their County Championship match against Nottinghamshire at Southport.

It was a masterful unbeaten 183 off 258 balls, including 26 fours and four sixes, by the Red Rose captain to hold the Lancashire innings together after the visitors had threatened to take charge after lunch.

A sell-out crowd had turned up hoping to see James Anderson in action for Lancashire one more time but had to settle for watching one of Anderson’s potential England successors instead.

Notts paceman Dillon Pennington, selected for the first time alongside Anderson in the England squad announced earlier in the day, picked up 2-70 from 23 overs across five separate spells.


Dane Paterson struck first, nipping one back to bowl Luke Wells before Jennings and Josh Bohannon steered Lancashire to 59-1 in a slightly abbreviated morning session but the visitors fought back strongly with three wickets in the afternoon.

Wicketkeeper Joe Clarke dropped an edge by Bohannon (25) off Olly Stone but redeemed himself by holding onto a near-identical chance off the very next ball.

Pennington had George Bell caught at second slip after an uncomfortable 39-ball stay and Matty Hurst tamely chipped Lyndon James to Stone at midwicket to leave Lancashire 120-4.

Jennings held the innings together with a mixture of calculated attack and strong defence, the left-hander depositing Paterson over square leg for six while his 16th four brought up a 179-ball hundred.

George Balderson made 41 and lofted consecutive Liam Patterson-White deliveries into the Harrod Drive gardens overlooking the ground in an 88-run partnership.

In a lengthy 41-over 194-run final session, Chris Green and Tom Bailey (20) were both lbw to James (3-53) while Will Williams edged Pennington behind for a duck.

Jennings opened up as he started to run out of partners, taking 47 balls to go from his hundred to 150 as he deposited Stone for six onto the adjacent railway line and ramped Paterson over long-leg for six more.

The captain was dropped three times during the evening as Lancashire built a strong total that they will look to bolster on Monday, when Anderson is likely to both bat and bowl.

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No play second day

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Anderson taken all 6 Notts wickets to fall this morning

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Vitality County Championship Division One, Southport (day three)

Lancashire: 353-9 dec Jennings 187*; James 4-61

Nottinghamshire 126: Slater 64*; Anderson 7-35 & 84-2 Hameed 41; Lyon 2-23

Nottinghamshire (3 pts) trail Lancashire (6 pts) by 143 runs with seven second innings wickets remaining

James Anderson took seven for 35 in Lancashire's County Championship match against Nottinghamshire, eight days before his farewell Test appearance for England.

Anderson had figures of 6-19 as he ripped through the Notts batting line-up before lunch as the visitors reached 74-6, and then added another in the afternoon session as they were bowled out for 126.

The 41-year-old's figures were the best by a bowler in the Championship all season in what is his first match of the summer ahead of the first Test against West Indies at Lord's on 10 July.

He was wicketless in the second innings as the follow on was enforced, but Australia spinner Nathan Lyon picked up both wickets as Notts ended on 84-2, 143 runs in arrears.

“To do what he did this morning was pretty amazing to witness," said Lyon.

“Obviously I’ve seen it when I’ve been on the other side, when I’m not standing there saying ‘come on Jimmy’, so that was amazing to watch and amazing to be a part of."

County Championship: Day three - Anderson takes six wickets, radio & text
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Next week's Test will be the 188th of Anderson's career - having made his debut in 2003 and taken 700 wickets, the most of any fast bowler in Test history.

He reeled off 10 overs on the spin in his first competitive cricket since the fifth Test against India in March, in a vintage spell of bowling in overcast conditions.

It was the 55th five-wicket haul of his first-class career and moves his overall tally of first-class wickets to 1,121.

"I’ve said this before, I’m very surprised that England have tapped him on the shoulder and said 'you’ve got one more Test and that’s it'," added Lyon.

“He’s world class. He’s probably the best to ever play the game as a fast bowler and his skillset especially in England is remarkable.

“No disrespect to the other bowlers playing in this game - the class of what Jimmy brings to the table, the extra zip off the wicket, the extra bounce he gets. That’s not even mentioning his skillset - that ability to go both ways and also bowl the wobble seam."

Anderson, who has been appointed as a fast-bowling mentor once his international career ends, has not yet confirmed whether he will retire from county cricket.

Lancashire skipper Keaton Jennings declared once his side had scored the six runs needed for a third batting point and then watched from second slip as Anderson unleashed his astonishing spell from the Harrod Drive End to destroy the visitors’ top order.

If there was a shade of good fortune about his first wicket when Haseeb Hameed deflected the ball just enough to clip the bails, the rest were the result of Anderson repeatedly hitting a perfect line and length.

Will Young was the next to depart when edging behind to wicketkeeper Matty Hurst followed by Joe Clarke caught at second slip, while both Jack Haynes and Lyndon James were caught fending off rib-high deliveries.

Anderson took all six wickets to fall before lunch after Liam Patterson-White edged to give fourth slip another catch and, suitably refreshed, the England bowler returned to have Dillon Pennington caught behind in the fifth over of the afternoon.

By then Tom Bailey had nipped in to take two wickets in two balls, ending a 41-run partnership between Ben Slater and Calvin Harrison when the latter edged behind, and having Olly Stone caught at second slip.

Last pair Slater and Dane Paterson added 42 for the last wicket before a direct hit by Lyon ended the innings with Paterson run out.

Slater, who carried his bat for 64 in that innings, was trapped lbw for 17 by Lyon when Nottinghamshire followed on and the Australia spinner had Hameed caught behind for 41.

[themaclad]

Surrey 83 for 0 (Burns 44*, Sibley 37*) trail Lancashire 204 (Hurst 46, Clark 4-57) by 121 runs

Rocky Flintoff made a creditable 32 on debut, as Lancashire’s youngest first-class cricketer at the age of 16 years and 137 days, but it was champions Surrey who took first day honours at the Kia Oval.

Put in, Lancashire were bowled out for 204, and Surrey then replied with 83 for no wicket before bad light ended play 15.4 overs early. Skipper Rory Burns is 44 not out, including straight driving for successive fours, and Dom Sibley remains unbeaten on 37.

Jordan Clark (4 for 57) and Dan Worrall (3 for 31) continued their fine red-ball seasons by spearheading a five-pronged seam attack in which Conor McKerr also took two wickets and Sam Curran one in what was, for both, their first Vitality County Championship appearances of the summer.

Matty Hurst, with 46 from 64 balls, played Lancashire’s best and most assertive innings, while Balderson’s 33 and Josh Bohannon’s 26 were other worthy efforts in seam-friendly overhead and pitch conditions.

Wells went in the fourth over for 9, dragging an attempted off drive into his stumps against Clark, while Jennings looked aggrieved to be given out leg-before for 12, pushing forward to an inswinger from Worrall.



Flintoff did have some moments of good fortune, being dropped at third slip on 13 when he edged Tom Lawes and later also flailing a returning Worrall just over the cordon for four as lunch approached, but otherwise he looked comfortable at the crease and mature beyond his years as Lancashire reached lunch on 98 for three.

Bohannon had gone by then, chopping on to McKerr for 26, and unfortunately for Flintoff he sliced a drive at the first ball after lunch, and his 64th – from Clark – and saw Sai Sudharsan dive forward at backward point to scoop up a brilliant catch.

Hurst played some superb shots but was dropped by Clark from a skier on 45 before McKerr dived to his right to hold a magnificent low catch at leg slip in Curran’s next over and from 155 for four the Lancashire first innings fizzled out as Worrall, McKerr and Clark combined to overpower the tail.

Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, on his championship debut, played one memorable cover drive before optimistically jumping down the pitch to swing at Worrall and edge behind while Balderson, playing defensively, nicked the same bowler to first slip.

McKerr’s pace and lift did for Tom Hartley, caught at the wicket for 5, and only some defiance from Tom Aspinwall – who hooked McKerr for six and extra cover drove him for four in a bright 23 not out – took Lancashire past 200 before they lost both Josh Boyden, who lifted a simple catch to mid off on 5, and Will Williams, caught behind, from successive deliveries from Clark.

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Lancashire 204 and 4 for 0 trail Surrey 444 for 9 dec (Burns 227, Foakes 82) by 236 runs

Rory Burns led from the front with a magnificent career-best 227 as Surrey reached a second day 444 for nine declared to take total control of their Vitality County Championship match against Lancashire at the Kia Oval.

Surrey captain Burns was well supported by Ben Foakes, who hit a fine 82, as the Division One leaders and defending champions built a potentially match-winning halfway lead of 240 after bowling Lancashire out for 204 on day one. In five balls' batting before bad light ruled out the last scheduled 7.1 overs of the day, Lancashire reached four without loss in their second innings.

Burns and Foakes put on 197 for the fourth wicket, with England's erstwhile Test wicketkeeper eventually out to the second new ball - bowled through a weary-looking flip towards mid-on by George Balderson's medium pace.

Former England opener Burns' 26th first-class hundred was his second of the season and his highest score, surpassing the unbeaten 219 against Hampshire at the Oval in 2017. He batted for seven and a half hours, facing 348 balls and hitting a six and 29 fours.

Dom Sibley, Will Jacks and Sam Curran all missed out in warm sunshine, with batting markedly more comfortable than on the opening day, while India white-ball international Sai Sudharsan also made only 6 after coming in at 377 for 5 and at least seeing Burns through to his double-century before edging Tom Aspinwall to second slip.

But Jordan Clark made 25 not out, helping Burns to add a useful 50 for the seventh wicket before Surrey's captain skied Balderson and keeper Matty Hurst sprinted thirty yards to take a good tumbling catch. Both Tom Lawes and Conor McKerr then came and went for nought, bowled and leg-before respectively to left arm spinner Tom Hartley, sparking Surrey's declaration.

It was, overall, a chastening experience for a young Lancashire team containing seven homegrown players and with an average age of 25, as Surrey moved remorselessly into a position from which to force a seventh Championship win of the season and boost their chances of three titles in a row.

Surrey resumed on 83 without loss and, to Lancashire's credit, they were initially checked as Sibley fell early for 39, shouldering arms to depart leg-before to a probing Will Williams after adding just two runs to his overnight score.

And they were 97 for 2 when Ryan Patel, after one resounding pull off Balderson, nibbled at one from the same bowler to edge behind on four.

Jacks, in at No. 4 for his first Championship innings of the summer, was soon driving Balderson high and handsomely over long-off for six, but he was later fortunate to see another mishit lofted drive just make it over the head of a deep extra cover fielder on the short boundary for another maximum.

On 31, however, Jacks drove Aspinwall's first ball of the day straight into the hands of short extra cover to leave Surrey 149 for 3.


But Burns and Foakes saw their side not just through to lunch but well beyond. Between lunch and tea they added 136 in 32 overs of steady accumulation and, towards the end of the session, a burst of legside hitting by the left-handed Burns to the short boundary on the old gasholders' side.

Burns greeted the reintroduction of Luke Wells' leg spin by slog-sweeping him for a succession of fours and one six that brought up Surrey's 300.

And, after tea, they put on another 39 to blunt the second new ball before Foakes fell, after hitting 11 fours from 158 balls, Curran got off the mark by flashing Aspinwall through first slip's hands but then soon departed for eight when he miscued a pull at Aspinwall to mid-on.

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26-1 little play yesterday, lost Wells though

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Surrey 444 for 9 dec (Burns 227, Foakes 82) beat Lancashire 204 (Clark 4-57) and 177 (Hurst 64, McKerr 4-27, Worrall 3-34, Clark 3-43) by an innings and 63 runs

Title favourites Surrey took less than two sessions on day four to bowl out Lancashire for 177 at the Kia Oval to complete an impressive innings and 63-run victory.
Conor McKerr polished off Lancashire’s tail to finish with four for 27 while Dan Worrall and Jordan Clark picked up three wickets apiece as long-time Division One leaders Surrey, champions in 2022 and 2023, made it seven wins from ten Vitality County Championship matches this season. It is another big step for Surrey towards a third title in a row.

Matty Hurst, Lancashire’s highly-rated 20-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, tried hard to hold up Surrey by adding a fine 64 to a first innings 46 in what is only his 12th first-class appearance but there was never any real doubt about the eventual result as wickets fell regularly.



Lancashire resumed still 214 runs adrift on 26 for one from 11.1 overs, after a rain-hit third day had seemingly given them a chance of escaping with a draw, but lost their last nine wickets for 151 runs as Surrey’s five-man pace attack proved too hot for them to handle for the second time in the game.

Worrall, the championship’s leading wicket-taker with 40 at an average of only 15.55 runs apiece, made the initial breakthroughs by dismissing Lancashire captain Keaton Jennings for 13 and 16-year-old debutant Rocky Flintoff in successive balls in the fifth full over of the morning.

First, coming from around the wicket to left-hander Jennings, he swung one back into the former England Test opener who offered no shot and saw the ball thud into the top of his off stump.



And another fine piece of bowling by Worrall immediately inflicted a first ball duck on young Flintoff, who had batted so promisingly for 32 on day one as Lancashire’s youngest first-class cricketer.

Pushing forward to an outswinger that also bounced perhaps more than he expected, Flintoff edged to keeper Ben Foakes who took an excellent diving catch in front of first slip.

That left Lancashire 33 for three and they soon declined further to 82 for five as Josh Bohannon chopped a short, rising ball from Clark into his stumps to go for 29 and George Balderson edged a returning Worrall to second slip on four.

Hurst, however, was then joined by Venkatesh Iyer in a sixth wicket stand of 36 that at least took Lancashire through to lunch, with Iyer even having the temerity to flip Worrall over the short legside boundary for six.



Yet it took only two balls after the interval for Surrey to break the stand, with Iyer (15) nibbling at Clark outside off stump and thin-edging through to Foakes.

Tom Hartley also offered some lower resistance, battling through a testing spell from Sam Curran in which he was beaten several times before hitting Will Jacks’ off spin over long on for six.

Hurst, though, was disgusted with himself for clipping the first ball of McKerr’s second spell – an innocuous loosener – straight into Ryan Patel’s hands at mid wicket after a defiant 116-ball stay featuring seven fours.



And the end was nigh when McKerr took two more wickets in his eighth over, Tom Aspinwall (6) lofting a full toss straight to mid off and Josh Boyden losing his off stump to depart for a second-ball duck.

Hartley was last man out, for 22, fending McKerr to Patel at short leg just after 3pm. Worrall finished with three for 34 while Clark took his own season’s championship wicket tally to 32 with his three for 43.