Surrey all out, McKinney punishes Essex with ton
Tanya Aldred
It was one of those soul-soaring autumn days in the East Midlands, trees like overripe broccoli, skies huge and blue. On the bright green benches of Grace Road, a man filled out the crossword, while the County Championship resumed for its final three-round act. Nothing is decided, not even next season’s schedule – to be voted on later this month – with a choice of a 13-game two-division playoff compromise or the status quo.
Leicestershire, the runaway stars of Division Two, are in touching distance of promotion for the first time since 2003, but this was one of their more forgettable days. They are without Rehan Ahmed (England), Ben Green (Somerset), Liam Trevaskis and Tom Scriven (injured) and Gloucestershire were able to make merry – with a stylish hundred for Graeme van Buuren and half-centuries from Ben Charlesworth, Miles Hammond and James Bracey. Giant fast bowler Josh Hull collected three wickets, but was banned from bowling for the rest of the innings after sending down two beamers, along with 11 no balls. Ben Mike limped off the field as the shadows lengthened, though spirits lifted when van Buuren was lbw to the day’s penultimate ball.
Surrey are chasing their fourth successive Championship title, but were nibbled out without a bonus point at the Oval, despite half centuries from Ryan Patel, Ollie Pope and Rory Burns. Tom Lawes then had Warwickshire in a pickle with three for six, but Ed Barnard and Will Young steadied the ship.
Early season flavour of the month, Ben McKinney, showed why England are so smitten, with a mature and stylish 121 for Durham in the relegation scrap at Chelmsford, helped by a 94 from Alex Lees. Five late wickets rejuvenated the Essex bowlers.
Another young talent, 21-year-old Asa Tribe, calmed troubled Glamorgan waters with an unbeaten 181 at Northampton, his second century of a breakthrough season.
A tricksy Hove pitch first puzzled Hampshire, dismissed for 226 despite 71 from Ben Brown, then Sussex. Kent suffered a spectacular collapse against Lancashire, with five wickets for Mitch Stanley and three for Tom Hartley. Toby Roland-Jones grabbed six wickets against Derbyshire, his best of the season, while Gareth Roderick (61) and Tom Taylor (40) rescued Worcestershire from a calamitous 86-7 against rampaging old boys Dillon Pennington and Josh Tongue. A thunderstorm truncated the day at Taunton, where Tom Kohler-Cadmore thrashed 76 against old club, Yorkshire.
Key events
With the sun still just kissing the cheap seats, time for me to pack up. Thanks for all your messages today, we’ll be back tomorrow. Bye!
Close of play scores
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex v Durham 316-8
Taunton: Somerset 155-3 v Yorkshire Rain
The Oval: Surrey 246 v Warwickshire 132-4
Hove: Sussex 42-3 v Hampshire 226
New Road: Worcestershire 182 v Nottinghamshire 46-1
DIVISION TWO
Canterbury: Kent 293 v Lancashire 19-0
Grace Road: Leicestershire v Gloucestershire 382-7
Lord’s: Middlesex 12-0 v Derbyshire 283
Northampton: Northants v Glamorgan 367-6
They’re back on a New Road, where Worcestershire are quickly nine down. . Two in two for Jamie Porter at Durham, where McKinney was bowled, also by Porter for 121. The out of touch Tom Haines gone early at Hove., Sussex 17 for one.
Now, as afternoon lethargy creeps dangerously into the pressbox, time for me to write up for the paper. Please do keep reading BTL.
Reward at last for Leicestershire. Bracey caught at second slip stretching for a wide one after a partnership of 146 with Graeme van Buuren. He tucks his bat under his arm, old-school-style, and drifts away.
Black clouds to the west, fluffy clouds to the east, rain and sunshine over Grace Road. Most of the supporters are still here, absorbing the year’s last rays of vitamin D.
Turn your head for two minutes and Tom Lawes has two in two. Scratch your nose and he has another. Warwickshire 48-4
And put-upon Leicestershire take the second new ball here at Grace Road as the shadows stretch and lean across the ground. Gloucs 319-4.
Stumps at Taunton
Somerset 155-3, with that man James Rew unbeaten on 54. Another man for the Lions tour.
Hampshire too have been whistled out for less than 250, Carson removing the dangerous Brown for 71 – one of three wickets in a good team bowling effort. On a tricksy pitch, a nasty little period of batting lies ahead for Sussex.
An email drops merrily into my inbox. “I agree with you on the merits of simplicity,” writes Paul McIntyre. “Your comment on Tom Driscoll’s ideas quoted earlier could also apply to the proposals to be voted on by the counties next week. One other disadvantage of those “compromise” proposals is that 13 matches would mean, for some counties, only 6 home games. For those of us who actually like to attend matches, this would be very bad news – and in this respect just like going down to 12.”
Thanks Paul. I think the sweetener for dropping a home match is the addition of two extra ODC games. The last I heard was that the most likely outcome is the status quo, but George Dobell has the “13-game” lobby increasingly confident of getting their proposal through. We shall see.
150 for Asa Tribe
Tribe presses on, this time in the company of Chris Cooke (68). It’s his second hundred of the season, would be good to see him and Kellaway tested in Division One if Glamorgan can gambol into a promotion spot. Glamorgan 304-5 v Northants.
Surrey were never going to take being bowled out for 246 lying down. Rob Yates is already back in the pavilion, snaffled by Burns at third slip off Worrall. A tough gig for debutant Will Young. Warwicks 10-1.
Beamer ban for Hull
A second beamer from Josh Hull in the day means he is immediately hauled out of the attack and won’t be able to bowl again in the innings. Ben Mike finds himself finishing the over. Hull cuts a lonely figure on the boundary rope, hands on hip.
Not Leicestershire’s best day.
James Bracey looks in little trouble, and lovely touch, at Grace Road, the Gloucs commentators say how much better a player he is now than in his two-Test England misadventure in 2021.
There’s a ball change in the air at Grace Road. Can it light a fuse under Leicestershire?
Surrey the first team to be bowled out, and without a bonus point to show for it. Stanley and Hartley fight back at Canterbury. A hundred for Asa Tribe. Plenty to chew over with a cup of tea.
Teatime-ish scores
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex v Durham 240-3
Taunton: Somerset 155-3 v Yorkshire Rain stopped play
The Oval: Surrey 246 v Warwickshire
Hove: Sussex v Hampshire 179-6
New Road: Worcestershire 158-8 v Nottinghamshire rain stopped play
DIVISION TWO
Canterbury: Kent 231-5 v Lancashire
Grace Road: Leicestershire v Gloucestershire 230-4
Lord’s: Middlesex v Derbyshire 211-6
Northampton: Northants v Glamorgan 231-5
On the off-chance anyone from Trent Bridge is interested, Surrey are in danger of being bowled out without a batting bonus point, despite Ryan Patel’s unbeaten 57. Surrey 227-8, three wickets for Gilchrist, two each for Bamber and Barnard.
A hundred for Ben McKinney!
The young man who started the season mentioned in England dispatches, but couldn’t inch his way though the thicket, hits a second century of the year, 106 not out against Essex. Durham 231-3, with Lees lbw to Harmer, six runs short of a hundred.
Rain at New Road…
…where Worcestershire have inched their way from calamity towards mediocrity – 53 for 6 to 158 for 8. Forty for Tom Taylor, 43 not out for Gareth Roderick.
While the important business of a press-box cake-run was taking place at Grace Road (cherry and almond since you ask), Muyeye (28) and Compton (77) have run into each other horribly at Canterbury. Stoically, both remain on the field, bandaged and bashed. Kent 197-2, both to Stanley. Did we know that Will Williams was joining Gloucestershire?
To the left of the cake queue, Miles Hammond picks out the only man on the boundary. He stalks away – that’s eight fifties and no hundreds this year. A third wicket for Hull.
“The biggest series of all our lives”
Brendon McCullum steps on a megaphone.
Lightning stops play at Taunton
Lightning forces the teams off in the south west, with James Rew 54 not out against Yorkshire. Somerset 155-3, an autumnal bounty.
Glamorgan, leaders of the Division Two chasing pack, are wobbling at 179 for five agains Northants – but would be wobbling more if Asa Tribe wasn’t 92 not out.
A delay at Hove where a handrail in the stand is being covered like the legs of a Victorian piano to stop any glare. A couple of wickets for Ollie Robinson have reduced Hampshire to 107-4. Ben Brown has been joined by Tom Prest.
What’s happening to the Champions-elect? They’ve been Barnard-Bambered into mid-afternoon mediocrity, 148-4. Fifties for Pope and Burns but neither could go on. Dan Lawrence and Ryan Patel the men at the crease.
Chris Wright sends an in-nipping death-knell to Ben Charlesworth. Gone for a rather charming 74.Gloucestershire 145 for three as James Bracey comes out.
Good afternoon Tom Driscoll. “Lovely to be back with some CC cricket, particularly with it still being tight (albeit seemingly a two-horse race) at the top of Div1.
“Had some thoughts recently on the CC structure going forward and wondered whether something akin to some of the American sporting structures might work well. Six ‘divisions’ of three counties each – grouped locally, i.e. Notts, Derbyshire and Leics in one division; Durham, Yorkshire and Lance in another, say – with each team playing each other team in their ‘division’ home and away. You’d then have six more games – three home, three away – against teams from the other divisions, so that every cycle of a few years you’d ultimately play all 17 other counties home and away. Then each ‘division’ winner, plus the two best second-placed sides, go forward into the quarter-finals (being seeded based on where they finish in the top eight, with 1st playing 8th, 2nd v 7th etc. and home advantage to the top four teams) with semi-finals and a final. Perhaps could even split it to have two ‘conferences’ to add some additional spice.
“Appreciate that some may not like the ‘Americanisation’ of this idea and it’s not to everyone’s tastes but you retain local derbies – and could plan these games around specific weekends e.g. bank holidays – and you could even maintain some interest throughout the non-cricketing months by making something out of schedule release days and then getting people excited about planning their trips for the next year.
“Some might see this approach as more appropriate for the crash-bang-pop of The Blast (and I don’t necessarily disagree with that either) but a max 13 games per year must be better than current situation?”
Thanks Tom – very thorough! I love the novelty of it but, personally, I like the simplicity of the current system. It’s a table, I understand it, and it lasts all year.
There’s room in any XI for introverts and extroverts: Sol Budinger bouncing all over the place and full of vocal enthusiasm, Shan Masood fielding quietly on the rope. Gloucestershire 143 for two, Charlesworth advancing towards three figures.
Excellent vegetables from the Grace Road kitchen. Watch a couple of overs from a warm green bench as a man behind me does the Times crossword. To any NHS commissioners reading – can Drs prescribe late season sunlit county cricket? Specifically at Grace Road, with a couple of shaggy dogs and home-made cakes from the Meet thrown in.
Time for some lunch, back soon.
Lunchtime scores
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex v Durham 133-1
Taunton: Somerset 114-2 v Yorkshire
The Oval: Surrey 127-3 v Warwickshire
Hove: Sussex v Hampshire 81-3
New Road: Worcestershire 80-6 v Nottinghamshire
DIVISION TWO
Canterbury: Kent 122-1 v Lancashire
Grace Road: Leicestershire v Gloucestershire 129-2
Lord’s: Middlesex v Derbyshire 105-1
Northampton: Northants v Glamorgan 115-4
Off go the players at Grace Road, after a good morning for Gloucestershire and a rusty one for the Foxes, as they take lunch around the grounds. Scores to follow.
Squinting at the scorecard from Canterbury and wondering if it really says Kent are 117-1. Compton and Ben Dawkins both closing in on fifty. No Anderson for Lancs, who are playing England fancied Mitch Stanley – who took the only wicket of the morning.
Hello to Mike Daniels, somewhere to my right in the Grace Road scorebox. “Welcome back to the centre of the Div 2 universe, Tanya!” Why, thank you.
“Leicestershire’s, how shall we say, experienced seamers not making much headway against Gloucestershire’s openers. Ben batting much like I remember his Dad, Graham.”
In the ridiculously small world that is cricket, Graham coached my daughter cricket at university and she was a huge fan.
Some pre-lunch fruity flavours at Grace Road as Hammond flays van Beek for six and Gloucestershire roll prettily along. MEanwhile at New Road, Worcsestershire are now six down after a calamitous run-out against the laser-sharp pick up and throw by HH.
It isn’t clear who will fill the Jamie Overton shaped gap in the Ashes squad – Sonny Baker is full of potential but raw and could be eaten alive (see Headingley), the same for Hull. Ali points out that, in a reversal of the usual routine, Matthew Potts has pulled out of the international T20 series to play three Championship games for Durham. Sam Cook, incidentally, is injured and not playing for Essex.
Here at Grace Road a second wicket for big Josh Hull, who seems sure to get a place on the Lions tour to Australia. Josh Tongue, who seems sure to be travelling with the main party, has just had a tasty lbw turned down on a hat-trick ball at New Road. Worcestershire stare at their boots, 47 for five.
Five wickets for Worcestershire seamers at New Road already this morning … unfortunately for Worcestershire, they play for Nottinghamshire these days… expect Joe Clarke and Jack Haynes to be in the runs when the visitors get their chance…
— Ali Martin (@Cricket_Ali) September 8, 2025
With an hour gone, a stroll around the grounds, a bucket of conkers in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other.
In Division One: a boundary-lashing Alex Lees has taken Durham to 69-1 against Essex; George Hill has added Tom Lammonby to his tally (for one) – Somerset 59-2 against Yorkshire; Burns and Pope purr along at The Oval, Surrey 58-1 v Warwicks; Sean Hunt and Jaydev Unadkat have a wicket apiece at Hove, Hampshire 50-2; while Worcestershire’s September is going very much the way of the other months – 37-3 against Notts, two for Pennington, one for Tongue.
At The Oval, Warwickshire inserted Surrey and Ethan Bamber has pinched out Dom Sibley for six. Surrey are boosted by England’s Ollie Pope and Gus Atkinson, as well as ex-England Ben Foakes, Rory Burns and Sibley, and near-England Dan Lawrence, and one Test Matt Fisher, and England-speculated Dan Worrall, plus Tom Lawes, Ryan Patel and Jordan Clark. Surrey 37-1.
And a wicket for one-Test Josh Hull at Grace Road, a spicy yorker through the defences of Joe Phillips. Gloucs 53-1.
Leicestershire are without their pocket rocket Rehan Ahmed, kicking his heels with England, and here at Grace Road Gloucestershire have made a tasty start, Ben Charlesworth sending a half volley from Ian Holland dancing over the grass for four. Gloucs 39-0.
At Taunton, Jonny Bairstow has followed up his admiration for the Taunton pitch with a catch to dismiss Archie Vaughan off George Hill. Somerset are 21-1 after being invited to bat. Somerset are not totally out of the Championship race yet – unlikely as it is with a 26-point gap to Surrey and 17 points between them and Notts.
The weather has been kind and we have games around the grounds. As well as Ben Green turning out for Somerset, we have Olly Stone on loan to Middlesex, and Mayank Agarwal spending his September in Yorkshire colours. There are undoubtedly more…
Out stroll the umpires, onto the vast expanse of Grace Road. Leicestershire are without Ben Green, who has signed on the dotted line to become a Leicestershire player for the next two seasons but been recalled by Somerset for the final three weeks of the season. Ian Holland has been appointed captain for the rest of the season after Peter Handscomb returned home ahead of the Australian summer.
The County Structure (part 999)
Although the counties have agreed to cut the number of Blast fixtures, the future of the Championship remains up in the air. Following extensive discussion, the option that will be put forward to a vote by the county chairs is the 13-game County Championship version, with a 12-strong Division One divided into two conferences, and six-team Division Two.
The Division One teams would play each team in their group twice, before splitting, with the top three teams in each group playing each other to decide the Champion. The bottom three would battle to avoid relegation, while the two top teams from Division Two will be promoted (after a 13-game season).
A cut to the Championship would be sweetened by the addition of a couple of one-day cup games. If the proposal doesn’t get the two-thirds majority needed, the counties will stick with the current 14-game season, and either decision will be set in stone till 2031.
Division Two table
1 Leicestershire 193
2 Glamorgan 165
3 Derbyshire 141
4 Middlesex 138
5 Gloucestershire 131
6 Lancashire 127
7 Northants 123
8 Kent 97
Division One table
1 Surrey 175
2 Nottinghamshire 166
3 Somerset 149
4 Warwickshire 148
5 Hampshire 129
6 Sussex 127
7 Yorkshire 126
7 Essex 126
9 Durham 114
10 Worcestershire 89
Fixtures
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex v Durham
Taunton: Somerset v Yorkshire
The Oval: Surrey v Warwickshire
Hove: Sussex v Hampshire
New Road: Worcestershire v Nottinghamshire
DIVISION TWO
Canterbury: Kent v Lancashire
Grace Road: Leicestershire v Gloucestershire
Lord’s: Middlesex v Derbyshire
Northampton: Northants v Glamorgan
Preamble
Welcome back! It’s a heavenly September morning at Grace Road, neck-kissingly warm, a dappled blue sky, trees just starting the annual journey from lime green to mustard yellow.
Leicester can clinch promotion this round if they can gather 20 points – a win against Gloucestershire and any four bonus points. What they are being promoted to remains uncertain – more on this later.
Play starts round the grounds at 10.30 am, do grab a coffee and join us.
