Sunday 31 August 2014 19:53, UK
Yorkshire made an excellent start to their crucial Roses clash but title rivals Nottinghamshire didn’t have it all their own way on the return to LV= County Championship action.
Division One leaders Yorkshire dismissed Lancashire for 278 on the opening day at Old Trafford, seamers Ryan Sidebottom and Jack Brooks and leg-spinner Adil Rashid all claiming three wickets apiece.
Luis Reece and Ashwell Prince both made 53 apiece, putting on a 96-run stand for the third wicket after left-arm seamer Sidebottom had struck twice in the opening over of the match.
Tom Smith top-scored with 57 before Lancashire – in need of points in their bid to avoid the drop – were bowled out in 74.3 overs. They were then unable to make an impact with the ball before the close, Adam Lyth and Alex Lees putting on an unbroken 61 for the visitors.
Nottinghamshire, who started the latest round of first-class matches six points behind table-topping Yorkshire in the standings, claimed maximum bowling points away at lowly Durham.
Michael Richardson made 73 and opener Mark Stoneman 53 for the relegation-threatened hosts at Durham Emirates ICG, though they suffered something of a collapse as they slipped from 202-5 to 253 all out.
However their bowlers hit back in the final session, overseas player John Hastings dismissing Stephen Mullaney and James Taylor with successive deliveries as they reduced Notts to 66-4.
Samit Patel made 26 but then fell to what turned out to be the final ball of an eventful first day, leaving Rikki Wessels unbeaten on 17 with the visitors still trailing by 187 runs.
Warwickshire are also firmly in the title race and they started strongly at Lord’s against Middlesex, Rikki Clarke’s unbeaten 93 seeing them to 338-6 by stumps.
Every Bears batsman reached double figures, including Jonathan Trott (41) before he became one of three wickets for the medium pace of Neil Dexter.
Middlesex at one stage had their opponents to 205-6 but Clarke and fellow all-rounder Keith Barker, who reached the end of play on 60 not out, shared an unbroken alliance of 133.
In the other Division One fixture, bottom county Northamptonshire closed on 39 without loss after Somerset had been bowled out for 314 in their first innings at Taunton.
David Willey claimed 4-64 and fellow seamer Azharullah claimed 3-69 as Northants – who have yet to taste victory in the Championship this summer – claimed full bowling points after winning the toss and choosing to put their hosts in.
Alex Barrow made a career-best 88 for Somerset, sharing in a fifth-wicket stand of 153 with Nick Compton, who made 79, after the duo had come together with the score at 70-4.
